Punjab Government will be awarding the state’s players with cash prizes, who were earlier deprived of the cash prize money of the last five years (since 2017), on the occasion of the National Sports Day — August 29.
On the instructions of the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the Sports Department has prepared a list of 1807 medal winners from Punjab who have been deprived of cash prize money since 2017. The Chief Minister will felicitate these 1807 players with a total prize money of Rs 5.94 crore at the opening ceremony of the second edition of ‘Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan’ at Bathinda on Tuesday, said the state’s Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer.
He said that it had come to the Government’s notice that there were many sportsmen in the state, who despite winning medals, did not receive cash prize money for the last five years. “Chief Minister had directed the Sports Department to prepare a list of these players and give them their due rights. A list of 1807 such players, from 2017 till now, has been prepared whose total prize money is Rs 5,94,45,400,” he said, adding that the Chief Minister will award cash prizes to these players at the opening ceremony of sports extravaganza on the occasion of National Sports Day.
Hayer said that a new sports policy has been made; and in the coming years, any sportsperson will be given their due respect immediately.
“Among these players, 997 are of the year 2017-18 and they will get Rs 1.58 crore, while 135 players of 2018-19 will get Rs 47.96 lakh, 287 players of 2019-20 will receive Rs 1.75 crore, 51 players of 2020-21 will be honoured with Rs 19.05 lakhs, 203 players of 2021-22 will get Rs 1.32 crore, and 10 players who won medals from services in the 36th National Games held last year will be honoured with Rs 41 lakh,” said the Minister.