CHANDIGARH: Punjab Sports and Youth Services Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi has informed that the state government will honor Tokyo Olympics medal winners and participating state players besides gold medallist Neeraj Chopra with cash awards worth Rs 32.67 crore in a special function to be held in Chandigarh on August 12.
Rana Sodhi said that Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh will honour the Olympic players, while Governor VP Singh Badnaur would be the special guest on this occasion.
The Sports Minister said that the Chief Minister has also increased the cash award money for the Olympic medalists with a view to further promote sports in the state. Neeraj Chopra who has deep roots with Punjab, would be honoured with an increased amount of Rs 2.51 crore instead of Rs 2 crore which was announced earlier.
Rana Sodhi said that the cash award money for 11 state players, who were part of the Indian hockey team that brought laurels in Olympics by winning a medal (bronze) after 41 years of drought, has also been increased from Rs 1 crore each to Rs 2.51 crore each. Now the all state hockey players would be given Rs 2.51 crore each.
After this gesture, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President Narinder Batra thanked the Government of Punjab for treating hockey team at par with individual athletes.
"Thank you very much sir for treating team athletes (hockey) at par with individual athletes, this is something which was lacking in our country," said Batra in an official statement.
Notably, Indian hockey team is led by captain Manpreet Singh and Harmanpreet Singh is the deputy. Apart from them, Rupinder Pal Singh, Simranjit Singh, Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh, Shamsher Singh, Varun Kumar, Dilpreet Singh, Hardik Singh and Krishan Pathak were also from Punjab.
Fourth positioned Indian women's hockey team members from state Reena Khokhar and Gurjit Kaur and discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur, who remained on 6th position, will also be honoured with cash prize of Rs 50 lakh each.
Similarly, boxer Simranjit Kaur, shooter Anjum Moudgill and Angadveer Singh, athletes Tejinder Pal Singh Toor and Gurpreet Singh and Paralympic badminton player Palak Kohli, would also be given Rs 21 lakh each.