From special correspondent

Hyderabad: In the middle of complaints that only cricket hogs all the limelight and only cricketers get large gifts as incentives, here is some soothing news.

Captain of the first women's World Cup-winning India Kabaddi team Mamata Poojary and another member of the team Nagalakshmi have won prizes of Rs 25 lakh each from the Andhra Pradesh government.

The announcement was made by chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy on Saturday, June 23.

Mamata hails from Hermunde in Karkala taluk of Udupi district and if anyone wonders what made the AP government choose her, she happens to be an employee of Railways, based in Secunderabad. Nagalakshmi hails from AP.

Recently, the AP government had announced a prize of Rs 50 lakh in appreciation of badminton star Saina Nehwal from the state. There was discontent that the government had neglected the Kabaddi achievers.