Rs. 1 crore will be awarded for Olympic silver medalist : CM

Bhopal: Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh has said that a civil reception will be accorded to medal winners of Olympics 2012 including silver medalist Shri Sushil Kumar at Bhopal. Cash prizes worth Rs. one crore will be given to silver medal winners and Rs. 50 lakh each to other medal winners. He also announced to double the prize amount given to winners of international competitions. Shri Chouhan was speaking at the Shikhar Samman function at TT Nagar stadium’s conference hall here today. Paying tributes to hockey wizard Major Dhyanchand, Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that Major Dhyanchand deserves to be honoured with Bharat Ratna first. He said that the days are over when our players used to play for the sake of only participation. Now, they play for country’s pride. He said that victory is linked to India’s glory and self-respect. There is no other way for this except hard work. Spirit and firm determination are also needed. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan invited Sushil Kumar to coach new generation of Madhya Pradesh in wrestling. For this, the State Government will provide all the facilities. Linking participation in games with victory, he said that the number of Olympic medals is inadequate in view of India being rich in sports talents. He exhorted players to win a string of medals in Rio 2016 Olympics. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that hockey talents are welcome in the state. They will be provided all the facilities. Appeal will also be made to the Union Government to allow the state to adopt hockey. The State is ready to hone skills of hockey talents for Rio 2016. Fund crunch will not be allowed in sports promotion in the state. Players should prepare themselves with the spirit to win. They should recognise their talent and capacity and move forwards to bring laurels to the country. He said that Players Welfare Fund has been instituted in the state. Moving further ahead of it, sportspersons are also being provided government jobs. Sports Development Authority is also being established. He said that players should put in optimum hard work. The government will discharge its responsibility sincerely. Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Shri Tukojirao Puar said that state’s players should draw inspiration from Sushil Kumar and add to the State and country’s glory as well. He said that Madhya Pradesh has carved out its own distinct identity in arena of sports due to the efforts made by the State Government. For the first time, the President has honoured Madhya Pradesh for excellence in sports. In his brief address, Shri Sushil Kumar said that he is feeling proud by attending this felicitation function. He said that the goal is to win gold medal in wrestling. Extending best wishes to honoured players, he exhorted them to work hard and win medals for the country. Director Sports Dr. Shailendra Shrivastava welcomed the guests and threw light on the departmental activities. On the occasion, Chief Minister Shri Chouhan released a souvenir on achievements of state’s talented players. A laser show on achievements of state’s players was also organised by the Sports and Youth Welfare Department. Sushri Suhasini Joshi recited Vande Matram and Madhya Pradesh Gaan. Shikhar Khel Alankran 2012 At the function, Eklavya Awards were bestowed on Shri Himanshu Dhakad for swimming, Shri Vishal Vishwakarma for fencing, Shri Bhupendra Yadav for Taekwondo, Ku. Nisha Jatav of Gwalior for wrestling, Ku. Ekta Yadav for sailing, Ku. Mona Sengar for kabaddi, Shri Shubham Raj Patel for wushu, Ku. Priyanka Dabi for throw-ball, Shri Dheeraj Dave for wrestling, Ku. Ria David for softball tennis, Shri Amit Kanerjee and Shri Jainesh Patel for basketball (joint award), Shri Satpal Tomar for canoeing and Ku. Anandita Gupta for squash. In the absence of Ku. Oshin Tawani, her mother Smt. Shivani Tawani received her award for shooting. Similarly, Vikram Awards were given away to Ku. Anjul Namdev for wushu, KU. Latika Bhandari for Taekwondo, Shri Ankit Sharma for athletics, Shri Prakash Mishra for basketball, Shri Kushal Thapa for karate, Shri Nitin Sharma for powerlifting, Shri Abhay Singh for kayaking and canoeing, Ku. Shivangi Jhalani for shooting, Ku. Renu Mahajan for fencing and Ku. Rajni Jha for swimming (disabled). Those honoured with Vishwamitra Awards included Shri Manoj Kumar Dube (karate), Sushri Kamla Rawat (judo) and Shri Dilip Patel (basketball). Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed on Shri Shakeel Ahmad Qureshi for outstanding service to hockey. On the occasion, increased amounts of Eklavya, Vikram and Vishwamitra for the year 2011 were also presented to award winners. Madhya Pradesh Olympic Association president Shri Ramesh Mendola, MLAs Shri Jitendra Daga, Shri Dhruv Narayan Singh, Olympian Tushar Khandekar, international snooker player Shri Kamal Chawla, Madhya Pradesh Poultry Development Corporation Chairman Shri Shaitan Singh Pal, Secretary Sports & Youth Welfare Shri Ashok Shah and a large number of sportspersons, parents, coaches and sports lovers were present on the occasion. High tea in players’ honour Earlier, Chief Minister Shri Chouhan organised a high tea in honour of players which was attended by Shri Sushil Kumar and other felicitated players of the state. Home Minister Shri Umashankar Gupta, Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Shri Tukojirao Puar, Shri Meghraj Jain and Shri Prabhat Jha were also present on the occasion.