Thu Apr 17 19:36:25 UTC 2025: ## Haryana Mountaineer Seeks Government Recognition After Record-Breaking Climbs
**GURUGRAM, Haryana – April 18, 2025** – Reena Bhatti, a 35-year-old mountaineer from Hisar, Haryana, is appealing to Chief Minister Nayab Saini for a Grade A government job and increased financial assistance after achieving a remarkable feat. Ms. Bhatti, nicknamed “Himputri,” recently became the fastest Indian woman to summit both Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse in just over 20 hours.
Despite her extraordinary accomplishment, Ms. Bhatti expressed disappointment with the Haryana government’s current sports policy, which she says offers inadequate benefits to climbers compared to athletes in other disciplines. The policy currently provides only a ₹5 lakh cash reward and a Grade C Sports Gradation Certificate for scaling the top 10 highest peaks. This, she argues, is insufficient considering the ₹20-30 lakh cost of such expeditions and contrasts sharply with the substantial rewards and higher-grade certifications given to athletes in other sports.
Ms. Bhatti, the daughter of a tractor mechanic, has overcome significant financial and logistical hurdles to scale over 20 peaks. In August 2022, she became the first Indian woman to ascend Mount Elbrus, Europe’s highest peak, from both the north and south sides within 24 hours as part of the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign. She is now calling for fairer recognition of mountaineering achievements within the state’s sports policy.
First Piper 