Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Sukhbir Badal will honour 308 international medal winners on July 16
Chandigarh, July 5 : The Punjab Government has announced to honour 3726 outstanding players with cash prizes worth Rs. 15 crore, who have earned laurels to the state by bagging medals in various international and national sports events since the year 2011 to 2015.
This was decided in a departmental meeting held by the Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, who also holds sports portfolio.
Giving details a spokesperson today said the Deputy Chief Minister had already felicitated 28 international medalists in November last with total cash awards of Rs. 5.43 crore who have won medals in Glasgow Commonwealth Games-2014 and Incheon Asian games-2014.
It was also decided that Deputy CM Mr Badal would gave away cash awards to the tune of Rs. 9 crore to 308 international medal winners during a prize distribution function at Ludhiana on July 16 that included medalists in different World Cups, Asian championships, Commonwealth championships and national games. In addition to this prize distribution functions would also be organized in various districts in which cabinet ministers and Chief Parliamentary Secretaries would honour the players.
“On the directions of Deputy Chief Minister, the sports department has started to bestow honour to the medal winners in senior national competitions, national school games, inter-university games and senior state championships including Paralympics”, he said.
It may be mentioned here that sports department has invited applications from medal winners since 2011 to 2015 in various international and national sports events. “After evaluating their achievements department has selected 831 players eligible in 2010-11, 518 in 2011-12, 745 in 2012-13 and 1470 in 2013-14 and 2014-15 (2 years) for cash prizes. Besides, 164 medalists were also selected who have earned laurels in various national games”, he said.
The spokesman made it clear that those players who was found positive in dope tests were declared ineligible for cash prizes. Punjab Government has decided to include Net Ball and Kho-Kho game in sports policy from the next year thereby enabling the winners for cash prizes in coming year.
Prominent among others present in the meeting included Chief Parliamentary Secretary Pawan Kumar Tinu, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister S.K. Sandhu, Principal Secretary to Deputy CM P.S. Aujla, Secretary Sports Ashok Kumar Gupta, Special Principal Secretaries to Deputy CM Ajay Mahajan and Rahul Tiwari and Director Sports Tejinder Singh Dhaliwal. EOM
Photo Caption– Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal presiding over a departmental meeting at Chandigarh with senior officers of sports department.
