Tokyo Olympics: Indian hockey team's Punjab players to get ₹2.25 cr each if they win gold

The Punjab Sports and Youth Services minister Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi on Friday announced that hockey players from the state participating in the Tokyo Olympics would be receiving Rs 2.25 crore individually, on winning a team gold medal.

The reward for all Punjab medal winners 

Earlier, prize money worth Rs 2.25 crore was decided to be given to the entire team for winning a gold medal. Sodhi had last month stated that gold winners at the Olympics would get Rs 2.25 crore as prize money, while those winning silver and bronze medals would get Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 1 crore, respectively, besides a government job.

After presiding over a meeting of the Youth Development Board at Punjab Bhawan, Sodhi said, "Out of a total of 20 players from the state of Punjab, 11 players are giving their best in the Indian hockey team competing in Tokyo Olympics."

Punjab Sports minister eyes on 3-4 medals in Olympics

Congratulating the athletes on their dazzling performances in the Olympics, he expressed hope that the country will win three to four medals at the Games. Reviewing the performance of the Punjab Youth Development Board, Sodhi directed the Director of Sports and Youth Services to issue letters to all the Deputy Commissioners of the state to maintain the dignity of all the office bearers of the board and invite them to the official district-level function, besides initiating action to include board members in the District Grievance Redressal Committees.

Minister Sodhi was accompanied by the Chairman of the board Sukhwinder Singh Bindra, and Director Sports, D.P.S. Kharbanda in the meeting.

Minister Sodhi talks about development work launched by the board

Highlighting the work done by the Punjab Youth Development Board during the ongoing COVID pandemic, Bindra said that the board had launched a COVID Helpline for Youth (95772-00003) besides distributing more than 2500 certified PPE kits and insurance worth Rs 25 lakh to 'corona warriors' while also installing three gas crematorium in Sahnewal at a cost of Rs 25 lakh approximately through CSR Funds.

The Punjab Sports and Youth Services Minister also said that office-bearers of the board are continuously motivating industrial heavyweights to contribute under their Corporate-Social Responsibility. Bindra also said that through Corporate-Social Responsibility (CSR) Funds, the board has till now distributed more than 2500 sports kits worth around Rs 1 Crore, while up-gradation of five playgrounds at Rs1 crore in villages of Sahnewal is still underway.

"The board has so far organized 300 free vaccination camps for the youths of Punjab besides spreading the message of 'Mission Fateh' all over the state, and the waving off of fee of more than 9000 students during the pandemic," said board Chairman Bindra. Bindra also informed that the board is involving youngsters of the state in Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh's ambitious projects 'Mission Tandrust Punjab, ' Mission Fateh' and for 'COVID Vaccination campaigns under Mission Fateh-2'.

Notably, athletes from the state of Punjab constitute 15% of the total Indian contingent participating in the Tokyo Olympics, however, the nation is still looking forward to a medal from the state.