Punjab Government has decided to clear the backlog, pertaining to 2011-2016, in terms of giving the prestigious Maharaja Ranjit Singh Awards to its sportspersons. Keeping this very aspect under consideration, more than 60 players, including handicapped players, have been recommended for the Awards.
Announcing this, the state Sports Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi said that these names would be sent to the apex body, headed by the Chief Minister, which would take the final decision in this matter.
Sodhi, chairing the meeting of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award screening committee, said that the State Government accords top priority to the upgradation and development of the sports infrastructure to achieve the target of making Punjab once again the occupier of numero uno position as well as promulgating measures aimed at the creation of congenial environment for players to focus upon their game.
“It is with this strategy in mind that the sports policy was brought into force this year and keeping precisely the benefit of players in mind that the system of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Awards was instituted,” he said.
Sodhi said that those players, hailing from Punjab, who had bagged Padma Shri, Arjuna Award and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awards in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 would be eligible for directly being honoured with the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award.
“These players would be honoured soon at a State Level function and furthermore, 800 medal winners of Punjab at various National and International sports events would be felicitated on November 15 with cash prizes in a function to be held at Mohali,” he said.