Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday announced that two shooting ranges will be established in Jhajjar and Panchkula while two archery training centres will be set up in Yamunanagar and Faridabad.
Khattar felicitated the players from Haryana who won medals at the recently held Asian Games in China.
At a grand felicitation ceremony organised at Karnal, players, both medal-winners and others who participated at the event, received cash prizes from the chief minister.
Khattar honoured the gold medal-winning athletes with a cash reward of Rs. 3 crore, the silver medalists with Rs 1.5 crore, and bronze medalists with Rs. 75 lakh, along with commendation letters and job offer letters, to recognise their accomplishments.
Addressing the gathering, the chief minister said that be it the Olympics, Paralympics or Khelo India, sportspersons from the state have always made the country, and state proud with their performances.
Khattar announced the establishment of shooting ranges in Nimana village in Jhajjar district and Sector 32 in Panchkula to promote shooting sports in the state.
Two archery centres will be established in Tejli Stadium in Yamunanagar district and District Sports Complex in Faridabad, he said.
Khattar also announced that the government would formulate a policy to provide various sports equipment for local sports events organised in villages and towns so that athletes can have access to necessary equipment.
He also said that winners of smaller and local sports events, which are not included in the list of National Games, would receive cash awards, similar to those in mainstream sports, to encourage and promote such local sports.
According to an official statement, before the felicitation ceremony, the chief minister inaugurated ten 'Khelo India' centres in the state – in Ambala, Faridabad, Palwal, Yamunanagar, Jind, Jhajjar, Charkhi Dadri, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, and Bhiwani. These centres will raise the standards of sports infrastructure in Haryana, he said.
"Approval has been granted for 15 ‘Khelo India’ centres for Haryana by the central Sports Ministry, with 10 centres inaugurated today and 5 more centres scheduled to be established next year in Hisar, Sirsa, Nuh, Sonipat, and Karnal," said Khattar.
About today's event, Khattar said it is not just about honour but also a programme of pride and gratitude.
"We take pride in the fact that Haryana has made its mark in the world of sports. In national and international level competitions, Haryana's participation contributes to about 30-40 per cent of the medals won," he said.
Khattar also expressed gratitude to the parents and coaches of athletes. He urged the athletes to start their preparations for the Olympics to be held next year.
He also highlighted the state government's sports policies, including the setting up 1,100 nurseries to encourage a sports culture from childhood.
He hailed Indian athletes winning the highest-ever total of 107 medals at the Asian Games. The CM said 89 players in the Indian contingent were from Haryana, and they won 30 medals.
Haryana's Power Minister Ranjit Singh Chautala also congratulated the players on the occasion.
