CHANDIGARH: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday felicitated the state's athletes and coaches who won medals in the recently held 19th Asian Games held in China.
While the gold medal winning athletes were awarded a cash reward of Rs 3 crore, the silver medalists and bronze medalists were honoured with Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 75 lakh respectively.
In addition to the awards, the winners were handed commendation and job offer letters.
At a state-level function in Karnal, where both the medal winners and participating players were present, the Chief Minister said be it the Olympics, Paralympics or Khelo India, Haryanvi sportspersons with their outstanding performances have made the country and the state proud.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister made key announcements for athletes, including the establishment of shooting ranges in Nimana village in Jhajjar district and Sector 32 in Panchkula to promote shooting sports, two archery centres in Tejli Stadium in Yamunanagar district and the District Sports Complex in Faridabad.
The government would formulate a policy to provide sports equipment for local sports events organised in villages and towns to enable athletes can have access to the necessary equipment, he said .
He also announced that winners of smaller and local sports events, which are not included in the list of national games, would receive cash awards, similar to those in mainstream sports, to encourage and promote such local sports.
Before the felicitation ceremony, the Chief Minister inaugurated 10 Khelo India Centres in the state as part of the Khelo India Scheme.
They are located in Ambala, Faridabad, Palwal, Yamunanagar, Jind, Jhajjar, Charkhi Dadri, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, and Bhiwani.
The centres will raise the standards of sports infrastructure in Haryana.
The Chief Minister urged the Union Sports Minister to approve the establishment of Khelo India Centres in the remaining 17 districts, ensuring that centres are opened in all 22 districts.