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Addiction leads to destruction, stay away from it: Yogi to athletes
U.P. CM Yogi Adityanath urged athletes to avoid drugs, highlighting sports development and honoring medal winners with ₹22.70 crore at a ceremony.
Advising sportspersons to stay away from drugs, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said any kind of addiction leads to destruction and those who turn to drugs don’t achieve anything significant in life.
Speaking at a ceremony held at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan here to honour athletes who brought laurels to the country and Uttar Pradesh on a global scale, the CM shared his mantra for success them. He cautioned them against smartphone addiction too.
In the programme “Jinhonein Badhaya Desh Ka Maan, Aisi Pratibhaon Ko Samman,” 14 Olympians and Paralympic athletes were honoured. At the event, Yogi distributed prize money of ₹22.70 crore to these athletes.
The event was attended by a total of 7 medal-winning Olympians and Paralympians as well as 7 other participants from the Games. The honoured medal winners included Praveen Kumar, Suhas LY, Ajit Singh, Preeti Pal, Simran, Lalit Upadhyay and Raj Kumar Pal.
“Sports facilities are being developed in cities and villages across the state to integrate sports into their lives. Alongside quality training, skilled trainers are also being made available,” the CM added.
To motivate the youth, Yogi shared inspirational stories of the athletes attending the function. “The Khelo India Abhiyan, Fit India Movement and Sansad Khel Pratiyogita have transformed the sports environment across the country,” he added.
He said U.P. has initiated various programmes as part of the national efforts to promote sports. “The double-engine government is continuously focusing on it. Currently, U.P. has 84 stadiums, 67 multi-purpose halls, 38 swimming pools, 15 synthetic hockey stadiums and 3 synthetic running tracks ready,” Yogi said.
As per the CM, the state has developed 2 international cricket stadiums, 16 hostels, 47 state-of-the-art gyms, 20 synthetic tennis courts and 19 dormitories for athletes. Additionally, 2 judo halls, 13 wrestling halls, 6 shooting ranges, 2 indoor volleyball courts, 12 weightlifting halls, and 14 synthetic basketball courts have also been set up, he said.
“The state aims to build playgrounds and open gyms in over 57,000 gram panchayats, mini stadiums in all 826 development blocks and stadiums in all districts,” he added.
Yogi said former athletes are being appointed as trainers to coach young players. He said the U.P. government has introduced Laxman Award for athletes participating in any international competition and the Rani Laxmibai Award for female athletes.
“The state government provides assistance of ₹20,000 to players receiving national-level awards and offers monthly financial support to elderly athletes,” the CM said. He said the Eklavya Krida Kosh has been formed in the state.
As per the CM, the government is committed to providing sufficient funding for athletes. “The youth should immerse themselves in sports and bring glory to the country and the state. The state’s sports department is fully supportive of this endeavour,” he added.
Yogi encouraged the athletes present to showcase their talent on global platforms and strive to win as many medals as possible.
He said the state government has decided to appoint athletes who elevate the state’s and country’s pride in sports as gazetted officers. Specifically, two players will be appointed as deputy superintendents of police, two as naib tehsildars, one as revenue tax officer and two as district youth welfare officers.
*Praveen Kumar—A para high jumper from Gautam Buddh Nagar won the gold medal at the 2024 Paralympics and received a cash prize of ₹6 crore. *Lalit Upadhyay from Varanasi and Rajkumar Pal from Ghazipur, who played for the Indian hockey team, earned bronze medals in the Olympics and were awarded ₹1 crore each.
*IAS officer Suhas LY won a silver medal in para badminton while Ajit Singh from Etawah won a silver in javelin throw in para athletics. Both were awarded ₹4 crore each for their achievements.
*Track athlete Preeti Pal from Muzaffarnagar won bronze medals in both the 100m and 200m race events, receiving a total of ₹4 crore, while Simran from Ghaziabad earned a bronze medal in the 200m race in her category and was awarded ₹2 crore.
Parul Chaudhary, Anu Rani, Priyanka Goswami, Prachi Chaudhary, Sakshi Kasana, Dipesh Kumar and Yash Kumar received incentives of ₹10 lakh each for bringing honour to Uttar Pradesh through their participation in the Paris Olympics and Paralympic Games.
Underscoring the significance of coaches, the CM also felicitated four trainers who coached the athletes for the Paris Olympics and Paralympics. These trainers are Gajendra Singh (para-athlete), Gaurav Khanna (para badminton), Rakesh Kumar Yadav (para-athlete) and Dr Satyapal Singh (para athlete).
