MCA approves monthly gratis for the widows of former First-Class Mumbai cricketers

The decision comes in the wake of former Mumbai cricketer Milind Rege’s letter to the MCA president and other office-bearers regarding the same.

 The MCA president Dr. Vijay Patil confirmed that, to start with, those with 70 years and above will be receiving Rs 20,000 per month.  | Photo Credit: THE HINDU

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) apex council has approved a monthly gratis for the widows of First-Class cricketers who represented Mumbai.

Confirming the development to Sportstar, MCA president Dr. Vijay Patil said that, to start with, those with 70 years and above will be receiving Rs. 20,000 per month.

“We believe that all the First-Class cricketers have contributed immensely to Mumbai cricket. As an association, we have a responsibility to contribute towards their families. We are happy that all the apex council members have decided that this system should be implemented immediately,” Patil said.

The decision comes in the wake of former Mumbai cricketer Milind Rege’s letter to the MCA president and other office-bearers requesting the association to restart the pension for his widowed sister Pushpa Diwadkar, whose husband Sharad Diwadkar passed away in 2005.

A former Mumbai captain and an off-spinner, Diwadkar was the executive secretary of the BCCI and a managing committee member in MCA after his retirement.

In August, 2020, Mrs. Diwadkar had written to the MCA requesting pension as the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) does not have such a provision for the widows of First-Class cricketers.

According to Rege’s letter, which Sportstar has seen, 80-year-old Mrs. Diwadkar was given a pension of Rs. 20,000 per month for 10 months in 2019 after which it was stopped. In his letter, Rege had also requested the cricket body to introduce a gradation system to provide pension to the widows of former Mumbai First-Class cricketers.