Panchkula (Face2News)
Haryana Chief Minister, Mr. Manohar Lal said that youth plays a vital role in the development of the Nation and it entirely depends upon them to give direction to the era in which they are living.
The Chief Minister was speaking at a function organized by Haryana Sports Development and Welfare Committee in Panchkula today to thank Chief Minister for increasing honorarium of sports awardees. Union Minister of State of Jal Shakti, Mr. Rattan Lal Kataria, Vidhan Sabha Speaker, Mr. Gian Chand Gupta and Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs, Mr. Sandeep Singh were also present on the occasion and expressed their views during the event.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Manohar Lal said that even though the Haryana Sports Development and Welfare Committee is honouring him today, but, he has come here to appreciate the sportspersons as they are the real inspiration for the youth.Mr. Manohar Lal said that due to the best Sports Policy of the State Government, 33 percent of the total medals in various sports events are being brought by players of Haryana. He said that today the award money being given in Haryana is highest in the country and the world. He further informed that the State Government gives a reward amount of Rs 6 crore is to the players who win gold medal in the Olympics, Rs 4 crore to the silver medalist and Rs 2.5 crore to the bronze medalist. Besides this, due recognition is also given to winners who win medals in other championships too.
The Chief Minister said that January 12 which is the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda is celebrated as National Youth Day and this day symbolizes the fact that Youth is not known by their age group rather their work determines their real age. Swami Vivekananda’s childhood name was Narendra who always worked for social reforms. Today, in the form of Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi there is another Narendra who is also dedicatedly working to give a new direction to India, said Mr. Manohar Lal. He said that it is our duty to ensure that the childhood of every child is safe, secure, educated and cultured, as only then will their future will be bright.
The Chief Minister said for those interested in education, a number of schemes for the education sector, skill development and employment are being run by the State Government. However, if anyone is interested in the field of sports, then they should be encouraged to showcase their talent.
Incidentally, in Haryana, there is no shortage of youth who are interested in sports and they have keen interest in joining defence services and excel in sports. This is the reason that despite being only two percent of the country's population, the participation of Haryana’s youth in the Army is 11 percent, said the Chief Minister.
Mr. Manohar Lal said that due to the best Sports Policy of the State Government, 33 percent of the total medals in various sports events are being brought by players of Haryana. He said that today the award money being given in Haryana is highest in the country and the world. He further informed that the State Government gives a reward amount of Rs 6 crore is to the players who win gold medal in the Olympics, Rs 4 crore to the silver medalist and Rs 2.5 crore to the bronze medalist. Besides this, due recognition is also given to winners who win medals in other championships too.
The Chief Minister said that in the year 2008, an amount of Rs 5000 was given to the Arjun Awardees but now this amount has been increased to Rs 20,000.
While, addressing various Awardees present at the function, the Chief Minister said that by making a renowned player like Mr. Sandeep Singh as the Sports Minister of the State clearly shows the optimistic intentions of the State Government towards promoting Sports.
Mr. Manohar Lal said that under the “Catch Them Young” Policy, more than 500 sports nurseries are being run across Haryana. These sports nurseries were started by the State Government with the aim of polishing the talent of players from an early age.
the ceremony, as a mark of respect, the awardees presented Shawls, Mace and Citation to the Chief Minister. Union Minister of State of Jal Shakti, Mr. Rattan Lal Kataria and Vidhan Sabha Speaker, Mr. Gian Chand Gupta were also honoured with citation and mementos. Similarly, Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs, Mr. Sandeep Singh was presented with a shawl, hockey stick and citation.
Principal Secretary, Sports and Youth Affairs Department, Mr. Yogendra Chaudhary, Deputy Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Mrs. Ashima Brar, Director, Sports and Youth Affairs Department, Mr. S.S Phulia, Municipal Commissioner, Mr. R. K. Singh, along with Dronacharya, Arjuna, Dhyanchand and Tenzing Norgay Awardees from across the state and many senior officials of the State Government were present on this occasion.