Haryana committed to building strong sports culture: CM Saini

Panchkula, Jul 7 (PTI) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday said the state government is committed to building a strong sports culture by ensuring that talent gets opportunities and athletes receive recognition for their achievements. Addressing a cash award distribution ceremony here, Saini said the government's vision extends beyond winning medals and focuses on creating an ecosystem where young sportspersons can pursue their dreams with confidence. At the event, the chief minister distributed cash awards worth Rs 20.59 crore to 198 sportspersons who won medals or represented India at major international and national competitions. According to an official statement, Rs 13.75 crore was awarded to 117 athletes for international achievements, Rs 2.32 crore to three medallists at the 2022 Para Asian Games, and Rs 4.52 crore to 78 national-level sportspersons. Saini said the Haryana government has distributed around Rs 730 crore as cash incentives to 17,182 sportspersons over the past 12 years, including Tuesday's awards. Congratulating the awardees, Saini said winning a medal reflects years of dedication, discipline and perseverance, and expressed confidence that Haryana's athletes would continue to bring glory to the state and the country. He said that Haryana, despite having only around 2 per cent of India's population, contributes more than one-third to the country's medal tally in major international sporting events. Referring to the advances made in technology, Saini said artificial intelligence (AI) is making sports training more scientific by helping analyse fitness, assess injury risks and improve performance. However, he said, AI cannot replace an athlete's passion, determination or patriotism. Highlighting government initiatives, Saini said 260 sportspersons have been provided government jobs under the Outstanding Sportspersons Recruitment Rules. The sports gradation policy has been amended to extend the government benefits to those competing in the Haryana State Games, Saini said. He also said the monthly honorarium for recipients of Khel Ratna, Dronacharya, Arjuna, Dhyan Chand and Tenzing Norgay awards has been increased to Rs 20,000, while the Bhim Award winners now receive Rs 5,000 per month. The state has also established 2,000 sports nurseries, besides providing monthly scholarships of Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 to athletes aged 8 to 19 years, and offering a daily diet allowance of Rs 500 to trainees at 25 residential sports academies, Saini said. He said the government has invested Rs 1,100 crore in sports infrastructure in the past 12 years, during which the sports budget increased from Rs 163 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 668.42 crore now. Saini also highlighted the establishment of north India's first A-star scientific training and rehabilitation centre at the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex in Panchkula. Minister of State for Sports, Gaurav Gautam, said the Haryana government has launched ‘Mission-2036’ to help Indian athletes win 36 Olympic medals by strengthening sports infrastructure and providing world-class training facilities. PTI VSD ARI