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Renowned former athlete PT Usha on Wednesday, 20 July, took oath in Hindi as a member of the Rajya Sabha. Usha, who redefined Indian athletics during the 1980s and 1990s, was nominated to the Upper House on 6 July by the central government.
Along with Usha, who hails from Kerala's Kozhikode, three others from the southern states, including iconic music composer Ilaiyaraaja, philanthropist Veerendra Heggade, and director Vijayendra Prasad were nominated to the Rajya Sabha on that day.
On Tuesday, 19 July, the athlete had met BJP president JP Nadda who congratulated her on being nominated to Rajya Sabha and wished her the best.
On the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament on Monday, 18 July, former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti, BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla, and 25 others took oath in Rajya Sabha.
Popularly known as the Payyoli Express, Usha has won medals at various international sporting events, including the World Junior Invitational Meet, Asian Championships, and Asian Games.
She has been a role model and inspiration for lakhs of young girls across the country, who have dreamt of taking up a career in sports, especially in track and field events.
After her retirement, she started the Usha School of Athletics, which has world-class facilities to train young and talented sportspersons.
(With inputs from IANS.)
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