Chandigarh dept to shell out Rs 4.4 crore in awards for sportspersons

Deepankar Sharda

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 6

The UT Sports Department will finally give cash awards totalling Rs 4.4 crore to national and international achievers who brought laurels to the city from 2013 to 2023. This is perhaps the highest ever amount to be distributed in the history of the department and that too in a single move.

The applications were invited through various channels. A 17-member committee was formed and all applications were scrutinised and players were chosen to be awarded as per their merit and policy. It was mandatory to apply for the cash awards and we tried our best to clear the back log and honour our players. The final date of awarding the sportspersons is still to be decided. Department source

According to sources, a total of 14 sportspersons who brought laurels to the country from 2013 to 2018 will be awarded with approximate prize money of Rs 2.43 crore (as per the old sports policy), while those local players who won medal in various national championships in 2022-23 will be awarded with an approximate cash prize of 1.90 crore.

Among the international achievers, former international hockey player Rupinder Pal Singh has been shortlisted for the highest award of Rs 2 crore. The hockey Olympian, who was earlier awarded with awards from other states as well, will get the highest cash award from Chandigarh for Indian team’s gold medal feat in the 17th Asian Games (2014) in Incheon (South Korea).

Likewise, archer Kapil (2013-14) has been shortlisted for a cash award of Rs 1 lakh for winning the first Asian Archery Grand Prix (Bangkok) in 2014, handball players Deepa and Atul (2014-15) will be awarded with a cash award of Rs 5 lakh each for participation in the 17th Asian Games, skater Sahil Ashat (2014-15) will get Rs 3 lakh for claiming gold medal in the 16th Asian Roller Skating Championship in China, paddler Mukesh Kumar Rs 2 lakh for claiming gold in the PTT Thailand Open in Bangkok, Rs 2 lakh for winning gold in Korea Paralympic Open Factor-40 in South Korea (2015-16) and another Rs 2 lakh for 2016-17 Open Table Tennis Championship (handicap) in Bangkok.

Wrestler Karan Veer Sharma (2014-25) will get a cash award of Rs 1 lakh for bagging bronze in the Junior Asian Championship in Magnolia, skater Gaurav will get Rs 10 lakh for first position in the Special Olympic World Games in the USA, athlete Pankaj Malik (2016-17) Rs 2.25 lakh for silver medal in the 17h Asian Junior Athletics Championship in Vietnam, cyclist Abhishek Rs 5 lakh for winning gold in the 6th Asian Para Road Cycling Championship in Bahrain and boxer Aman (2017-18) Rs 2.25 lakh for winning third position in the 2017 ASBC Asian Junior Boxing Championships in the Philippines, confirmed highly placed officials.

Meanwhile, among the achievers winning medals at national championship, an approximate amount of 1 crore will be awarded to (roller) skaters, Rs 16 lakh to baseball players, Rs 11 lakh to rowers, Rs 8 lakh to hockey players, Rs 7 lakh to judokas and wrestlers, Rs 6 lakh to gymnasts, Rs 4 lakh to fencers, paddlers and taekwondo players, Rs 5 lakh to weightlifters, Rs 3 lakh to kabbadi players and canoeists and kayakers, Rs 2 lakh each to shooters, archers and pugilists, Rs 1 lakh each to shuttlers and cyclists and remaining amount among other sportspersons.

The department plans to award these sportspersons amid much fanfare around the National Sports Day at the Punjab Raj Bhawan, but there are no coaches once again in the list.