Chandigarh, June 13:
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today gave away cash awards amounting to Rs 1.08 crore to two members of Olympic-bound Indian hockey team and players of the women hockey team, who had participated in the London Games qualifiers at New Delhi in February.
Hooda awarded Rs 47 lakh to ace dragflicker Sandeep Singh, which included Rs 11 lakh for qualifying for Olympics and Rs 25 lakh and Rs 11 lakh for scoring five and 11 goals respectively in qualifying championship and Olympic series.
Hooda also gave away Rs 11 lakh to India vice-captain Sardara Singh for helping his team qualify for Olympics. He also handed over Rs 10 lakh to Harpreet Singh for winning gold medal in Asian hockey championship.
The members of Indian women hockey team who got Rs five lakh each as reward included Rani Rampal, Jasjeet Handa, Ritu Rani, Joydeep Kaur and Jaspreet Kaur of Shahabad, Poonam Rani and Savita of Hisar and Deepika Thakur of Yamunanagar.
Haryana Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs, Sukhbir Kataria said that under the Sports Policy, the State Government has given Government jobs to 431 outstanding sportspersons, which included the posts of Inspector and Deputy Superintendent of Police.
The Chief Minister has enhanced the reward money for those who would win medals in Olympic Games, Kataria said on the sidelines of a youth function here.
The winner of gold medal would get Rs 2.50 crore, silver Rs 1.50 crore and the winner of bronze medal would get Rs one crore. (PTI)