Hockey captain laud state, central govts for increasing prize money

Soon after Sports Minister Ajay Maken announced an increase in the prize money for the Indian hockey team, the players praised the state and central governments for considering their efforts. Earlier in the day players of the winning team refused to accept the prize money of rupees 25,000 offered by Hockey India (HI), claiming it to be a meager amount. After much uproar, Makan had announced that under a national scheme, each player is entitled to receive prize money worth rupees 1.5 lakh each. Punjab government also announced a cash award of Rs 25 lakh to the Indian Hockey team.