Haryana announces cash rewards announced for national medallists

Reaffirming its status as the country's sporting powerhouse, Haryana has introduced a fresh incentive for budding sportspersons. The Cash Award for Encouragement of Sportspersons Scheme, 2024-25 will provide financial rewards to medal winners at the national level who are not covered under any existing financial aid scheme of the sports department.

Boost for budding sportspersons

-Medal winners not covered under any existing scheme to receive cash awards

-Rs 25,000 for gold, Rs 15,000 for silver and Rs 10,000 for bronze

-District sports officer to head the selection committee

-Tournament must be recognised by a national federation/association

-Only Haryana representatives eligible, not players from other states

As per a notification issued by Navdeep Singh Virk, Principal Secretary, Sports Department, a cash award of Rs 25,000 for gold, Rs 15,000 for silver and Rs 10,000 for bronze will be given to eligible sportspersons.

However, the scheme comes with specific conditions. The applicant must not be employed by the Central or state government, must have represented Haryana and will be eligible for only one cash award per financial year. Additionally, the medal must have been won at a national-level tournament organised by a recognised national federation or association after April 1, 2019.

To ensure a fair and transparent selection process, the state government has set up a committee comprising the district sports officer, the senior-most coach in the district, the deputy superintendent and the senior-most coach in the specific sport.

Eligible athletes can apply for the cash award on any working day. The district-level committee will scrutinise applications, verify credentials with the respective federation or association and forward cases to the Directorate of Sports within 15 calendar days. The directorate, in turn, will sanction the award money within 5 days, ensuring swift disbursal of funds.

The scheme is applicable for the financial year 2024-25 and will remain in effect until March 31, 2025.