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No govt ever honoured specially-abled players, says Yogi Adityanath
The Uttar Pradesh government presented ₹6 crore for gold, ₹4 crore from silver and ₹2 crore for bronze medallists from state to “boost the morale of players” who brought honour to the country in the Tokyo Paralympics.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that the state has made significant efforts to foster sports culture in the last four and a half years. Speaking at the felicitation ceremony for India’s Tokyo Paralympics medallists in Meerut, Adityanath criticised the previous governments for “not honouring the specially-abled players” despite them making the state and the country proud at national and international competitions.
The Uttar Pradesh government presented ₹6 crore for gold, ₹4 crore from silver and ₹2 crore for bronze medallists from state to “boost the morale of players” who broughhonour to the country in the Tokyo Paralympics. The Adityanath-led government had also announced ₹2 crore for gold, ₹1.5 crore for silver and ₹1 crore for bronze for medallists from other states.
“Each medallist and participant has made the country proud which is why we are felicitating players who belong to other states as well,” he added.
Lauding the struggle and sustained efforts of the athletes who won medals at the Tokyo Paralympics, the chief minister said that the Paralympic athletes have “proved that nothing can stop you if you are determined.”
“Our athletes never let their physical disabilities stop them, instead they made it their strength,” he hailed the athletes during the mega event held at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technical.
Union minister for I&B and Youth Affairs & Sports Anurag Thakur praised the effort of the Uttar Pradesh CM, saying an “atmosphere of ‘fear and corruption’ which used to prevail before 2017 has ended.”
“No place can develop without its citizens feeling safe and now every person in the state has the freedom to follow their dreams freely,” he added.
