CWG medallists to get full award money: Haryana minister

Chandigarh  :   With the recent flip-flop of the BJP government in Haryana over giving award money to medal winners in international sporting events, Haryana Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Anij Vij said on Friday that all 22 sportspersons of the state who won medals in the Commonwealth Games-2018 would be given the full award money.

"Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has accorded approval for the same. These sportsperson would soon be given the award money as per the sports policy of the state government without any deductions," Vij said. 

Sportspersons from the state had clinched 22 of the 66 medals won by Indians at the 2018 Commonwealth Games (CWG) held at Gold Coast in Australia earlier this year.

Haryana players won nine gold medal, six silver medal and seven bronze medals at the CWG. Vij said that as per the Sports Policy, the gold medal winning sportspersons of the state would be given class-A government jobs along with Rs 1.50 crore as award money.

Silver medal winners would be given class-B government job with award money of Rs one crore and bronze medal winners would be given class-C government job and Rs 50 lakh as award money, Vij said.

Apart from this, each participating sportsperson would also be provided Rs 7.5 lakh as incentive money. Vij said that the Sports Policy of Haryana was the 'first-of-its-kind policy' under which sportspersons are being given highest award money in the country as well as employment opportunities.

"The state government would continue to take such steps for encouraging the sportspersons in Haryana. We hope that they would bring laurels to the state and the country in Olympics Games also," the minister said.

The Haryana government had earlier indicated that sportspersons working under the government or availing government jobs will not be given the reward money.

The state government had drawn widespread condemnation for its move to force sportspersons employed by it to share one-third of their earnings with the state sports council.

This week, the Haryana government proposed that no deduction is made from the prize money of players.

The notification, dated April 30, and issued by Principal Secretary for sports and youth welfare Ashok Khemka stated: "One-third of the income earned by sportspersons from professional sports or commercial endorsements will be deposited with the Haryana State Sports Council. The money shall be used for development of sports in the state."

The notification has direct bearing on a number of international and national level sportspersons from Haryana who are employed by various government departments in Haryana.

Sportspersons, including women, from Haryana have brought laurels to the country in international sporting events, including Olympics, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, in recent years.