Chandigarh: Reiterating the government’s firm commitment to the common man to restore the state’s lost glory in the field of sports, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today felicitated the dedicated spirit and commitment of 147 medal winners in the National Games. Awarded a cash amount of 5.43 crores.
Presiding over the function organized at Municipal Bhawan here today, the Chief Minister said that Punjab has become the first state in the country to have honoured the winners of the National Games. He said that gold medal winners of national games have been honoured with Rs.5 lakh each, silver medalists with Rs.3 lakh each and bronze medalists with Rs.2 lakh each. Bhagwant Mann said that the state government has prepared a road map to give a big boost to sports in Punjab. Addressing the sportspersons, he said, “It is a humble effort of our government to recognize the stupendous achievements of all sportspersons to bring laurels to the state.”
The Chief Minister said that concrete efforts are already being made by the state government in this regard. Bhagwant Mann said that the sportspersons of the state were being honoured with cash prizes to encourage them to achieve achievements in sports and to wean the youth out of the mire of drugs. He said that its main objective was to channel the boundless energy of the youth in a positive direction who could become equal partners in the socio-economic development of the State.
Announcing a monthly scholarship of Rs 16,000 to the sportspersons under the ‘Olympian Balbir Singh Senior Scholarship Scheme’, the Chief Minister said that the state government has taken this big decision to boost the morale of these young sportspersons. He lamented that earlier parents did not want their children to participate in sports but now this initiative would bring a decisive change and create new vistas of sports in the State by providing top-class infrastructure to budding players to participate in sports at the international level. The era will begin. Bhagwant Mann said that the players would be ensured world-class infrastructure with professional coaches, food and other facilities so that they could bring glory to their state and country.
The Chief Minister said that a new sports policy would be implemented soon, in which emphasis would be laid on winning more and more medals in the Olympics and other international competitions. He said that the draft of this policy has been prepared after consulting all the brothers so that sports and players can get a lot of enthusiasm. Bhagwant Mann said that its main objective is to make Punjab a leading state in the field of sports.
Criticizing the previous governments for neglecting sports, the Chief Minister said that due to this callous attitude, the state which has produced many sports stalwarts had lagged behind in the field of sports. However, he stressed that the state government is now recruiting DP and PTI teachers on a war footing to infuse sports culture in the schools. Bhagwant Mann said that the Punjab government was paying special attention to sports and soon world-class sports stadiums would be built in the villages so that the budding talents of the rural people could be nurtured so that the youth could stay away from the drug menace.
The Chief Minister said that our sportspersons have earned laurels for the state and now it is the responsibility of the state government to recognize these achievements. Expressing his personal affinity with the greats and their achievements, Bhagwant Mann specifically mentioned Usain Bolt, Martina Navratilova, Boris Becker, Maria Sharapova, Arjuna Ranatunga and others who have achieved significant sporting achievements. He asked the players to follow in the footsteps of these great players to carve a niche for themselves in the game.
Describing self-belief, hard work and dedication as the keys to success, the Chief Minister exhorted the budding players to have faith in themselves and their abilities in every situation. He said that this self-belief would help him overcome all hurdles and win medals for the country. Bhagwant Mann hoped that the day is not far when the youth of the state would create history by winning medals for Punjab and the country.
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Describing the ‘School of Eminence’ as a revolutionary step to ensure a bright future for the students, the Chief Minister said that it was a big step to make Punjab a leader in the field of education. Bhagwant Mann expressed the hope that these schools would enable the students to compete in competitive exams with students from convent schools, under which special focus would be on career counselling. He said that these schools would play an important role in preparing the students for competitive examinations across the country.
The Chief Minister categorically said that the state government has already increased the sports budget to build new stadiums at the village level so that the talent can be honed at the village level, where natural talent exists, while it was ignored earlier.
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