Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore sanctioned Rs 5 lakh from the National Welfare Fund for Sportspersons to help 69-year-old former Indian boxer Kaur Singh settle the loan he had taken for treating his heart disease.

Kaur, an Arjuna Award winner, is the only Indian boxer to have vied with the legendary Muhammad Ali. He took on “The Greatest” in a four-round bout during his 1980 tour of India.

Kaur retired from the sport in 1984 after winning four national and six international titles, and a gold medal at the 1982 Asian Games. He has also won several honours from the Indian Army, which he joined at 23.

Two years ago, when he didn’t have enough money to treat his blocked arteries, he borrowed Rs 2 lakh from a private lender. Even though Kaur managed to repay the loan, he needed the same amount a year later to meet his medical expenses.

“This year, I had to borrow Rs 2 lakh again for hospital expenses in Mohali. The amount escalates to an additional Rs 50,000 within a span of 6 months as interest and my income is not enough to repay the debt. I don’t know how I will return this money,” he had told The Times of India.

Kaur spends Rs 8,000 a month on medicines. “This is just the expense of my monthly medicines. The fees of doctor and other expenditure at the hospital accounts for much more.” The pensions he receives from the Punjab government and the Indian army aren’t enough for his needs.

Kaur was discharged on Tuesday morning from a private hospital in Mohali. “My body does not function properly. Doctors say that this is due to the injuries that I had suffered during my fighting days. This is the reason I told my children not to take up sports as a career,” Kaur told The Times of India.

In 1982, the then Punjab government had promised him a cash award of Rs 1 lakh for the gold medal he won at the Asian Games. Three and a half decades later, Kaur is still waiting for his prize money.

“I went to the [Prakash Singh] Badal government a couple of times, but they too did not pay heed to my request. I feel they do not intend to give the prize money,” he said.