CM felicitates Punjabi players of Indian hockey team with cash prizes

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday honoured Punjabi players who were part of the Indian hockey team that won a bronze medal at the recently concluded Paris Olympics with a cash prize of Rs 1 crore each.

In his address, the Chief Minister said it was a historic occasion as sportspersons who had brought laurels to the state and the country were being honoured.

The Chief Minister said it was heartening to see the Indian team beat Australia after a gap of 52 years. “The matches against Spain, England and other teams were also fantastic. The Chief Minister said Harman had single-handedly scored 10 goals in the Olympics and he was happy that the state government was honouring them today.

He said that the third edition of ‘Kheda Wattan Punjab Diya’ would start from August 28 which would act as a catalyst to promote sports in the state.

Besides giving cash prizes and jobs to the medal winners, the state government would also explore the possibility of giving promotions in the jobs already given to them, the Chief Minister said.

Speaking on the occasion, Indian hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh lauded the Chief Minister for providing a conducive environment to promote sports. The Chief Minister handed over cheques of Rs 1 crore each to eight hockey players and Rs 15 lakh each to 11 other athletes who participated in the Olympic Games.