‘Prize money hiked’: CM for strong sports culture in HP

Shimla: Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, while presiding over a felicitation ceremony held for international medal winners in Shimla, said the state govt was committed to rewarding the struggles of sportspersons and fostering a strong sports culture in the state.
He said honouring such players reflects the vision of the state govt towards systemic change aimed at making the state self-reliant.
The CM said the present state govt had increased the prize money for players to encourage youth to participate in sports activities. The prize money for athletes overcoming physical challenges has been increased eightfold, ensuring parity with other players, he said, adding that the prize for gold medal winners in the Olympics, Winter Olympics, and Paralympics had been raised from Rs 3 crore to Rs 5 crore, while silver and bronze medallists would now receive Rs 3 crore and Rs 2 crore, respectively. For the Asian Games and Para Asian Games, the prize money for gold medallists increased from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 4 crore, silver medallists from Rs 30 lakh to Rs 2.50 crore, and bronze medallists from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 1.50 crore. Commonwealth Games medallists would now receive Rs 3 crore, Rs 2 crore, and Rs 1 crore for gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively.
He said being a sportsperson, he had special respect for the players and would make every possible effort to provide them with better facilities and sports infrastructure in the state.
Hike in diet money
for players
Sukhu added that the state govt had also hiked diet money for players. The under-17 and under-19 players would now receive Rs 400 and Rs 500 per day for state and national-level competitions, respectively, compared to the earlier Rs 150 and Rs 250. For under-14 players, the allowance has increased to Rs 250 and Rs 400 from Rs 120 and Rs 250, respectively. Sportspersons in sports hostels now receive Rs 400 per day, a significant rise from Rs 150. The previous govt had completely neglected the rights of the players and did nothing to promote sports activities and reward sports personalities of the state, he said.
Apart from this, the present state govt also has revised the travel allowances, with players now entitled to AC three-tier fare for distances up to 200 km and economy-class airfare for longer distances.
MoU to process
plastic waste
Himachal Pradesh rural development department on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding(MoU) with Ambuja Cements Limited to address the issue of non-recyclable plastic waste management in the state. Under this agreement, Ambuja Cements will collaborate with the rural development department to co-process non-recyclable plastic waste in its cement kilns through environmentally sound waste disposal method. As per the MoU, the Ambuja Cement Plant will cater the non-recyclable plastic waste of districts Chamba, Kangra, Shimla and Solan. Presently, 29 plastic waste management units have been made operational by the rural development department.