BENGALURU: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday announced that the state government will give Group A jobs to Olympics and Paralympics medal winners, who are graduates from any stream. The cabinet will give its nod for direct recruitment of sportspersons for government jobs through a selection committee headed by the additional chief secretary, Department of Sports.
Bommai presented the Ekalavya and other awards for sportspersons who have excelled. Medal winners of the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games will be given Group B jobs, and medal winners of national sports events will be given Group C jobs. He claimed that no other state has the policy of giving jobs to sportspersons.
To mark 75 years of Indian Independence, 75 athletes would be “adopted” and trained for the Paris Olympics, Bommai announced. “They will be trained for four years by the best coaches, along with facilities to continue their formal education. We have spent Rs 10 lakh each, and more funds will be given, if required. Khelo India, Fit India and Jeeto India have been started for the same purpose, he added.
He said that 2 per cent of posts are reserved for sportspersons in the Home department. Youth Empowerment and Sports Minister C Narayanagowda, MLA Rizwan Arshad, Karnataka Olympic Association president Govindaraju, additional chief secretary, Sports and Youth Empowerment, Shalini Rajneesh and others were present.