The COVID-19 outbreak and the lockdown have badly affected several people across India and many lost their livelihoods too. Now, as the coronavirus cases are declining in India and things are slowly returning to normal but there are still many people who are finding it tough to earn their livelihoods.

One such affected person is visually-impaired cricketer Naresh Tumda. He was a Gujarat resident, who was part of the Indian side that defeated Pakistan to win the Blind Cricket World Cup in 2018. Sadly, now Tumda is forced to work as a labourer to earn his livelihood.

Tumda was a part of the team that helped India win the 2018 Blind Cricket World Cup. After winning the World Cup for India, Tumda applied for several government jobs but he failed to get any positive response, Tumda has now appealed to the government to provide him a job so that he can earn some money.

“I earn Rs 250 a day. I urge the government to give me a job so that I can earn my livelihood," he said to the media. The 29-year-old cricket player was selling vegetables since last year when the lockdown was imposed across the country. But it was not helping him to cover the expenses of his family, so Naresh decided to work as a labourer. He is the sole breadwinner of the family.

Tumda started playing cricket at the age of five and was selected in the Gujarat team in 2014. Then he was selected to represent India. While the normal state level and national level players of our nation can earn a government job, visually challenged players should also be allowed to earn the same. Let’s hope that our country will be kind to physically challenged sportspersons too.