Sports minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer on Thursday said that for the last few decades Punjab had been lagging behind in sports at the national level but the state’s sports policy will restore its glory.
The minister, who was delivering a keynote speech at a sports conclave, said the state government has been continuously working to promote sports culture in the state and tangible results were seen during the Asian Games last year when 32 players from Punjab won 20 medals, breaking a 72-year record. He also honoured World Cup winning hockey Olympian Brigadier Harcharan Singh and junior Indian cricket team captain Uday Saharan on the occasion, .
“Under the new sports policy, money was earmarked for the preparation of every game. For the first time, 58 Punjabi players who participated in the Asian Games were given ₹8 lakh per player for preparation,” he said, adding, “Now ₹15 lakh will be given to each athlete for the preparation of Olympic Games.”
The sports minister said that the main focus of the government was to identify talent and give them opportunities to progress. “A separate cadre of 500 posts has been created for the medal winning players, under which players will get a job guarantee. A sum of ₹74.96 crore has been distributed to 24,164 Punjabi sportsmen who won at the state, national and international level,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}The sports minister said that the main focus of the government was to identify talent and give them opportunities to progress. “A separate cadre of 500 posts has been created for the medal winning players, under which players will get a job guarantee. A sum of ₹74.96 crore has been distributed to 24,164 Punjabi sportsmen who won at the state, national and international level,” he added.
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