Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday announced Rs 2 crore for world boxing champion Nikhat Zareen to prepare for the Olympics.

He hoped that Nikhat would win a gold medal in the Olympics and once again bring laurels to Telangana and India.

The boxing champion called on KCR, as Rao is popularly known, at the State Secretariat and he assured her all support from the state government to prepare for the Olympics, to be held in Paris next year.

The Chief Minister announced Rs 2 crore for Nikhat for coaching, travel and to meet other expenses to prepare for participation in Olympics.

He directed Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari to take necessary action in this regard.

Sports Minister V. Srinivas Goud, Home Minister Mehmood Ali, and ministers Prashanth Reddy, Malla Reddy and others were present.

In March this year, Nikhat won the gold medal in the 50 kg category finals of the Women's World Boxing Championship held in New Delhi.

This was her second gold medal in the world championship competition.

Last year, the Telangana government had announced a cash prize of Rs 2 crore to Nikhat for winning a gold medal at the World Boxing Championship in Turkey. The government also decided to allot a residential plot to her in Hyderabad.

Nikhat, who hails from Nizamabad district, had become the fifth Indian woman boxer to win a gold medal at world championship. [IANS/NS]