Delhi govt hikes Olympic medal cash prizes, approves free laptop scheme for meritorious students
To support sports and education, the Delhi government announced two big plans on Tuesday. One is to raise the cash prizes for Olympic and Paralympic winners from Delhi. The other is the approval of the "Mukhyamantri Digital Scheme" to give free laptops to bright students.
Minister Ashish Sood said these steps were taken "for Delhi's development, students and youth" during a Cabinet meeting held at the Delhi Secretariat and led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
He said "There were historic decisions made under the Mukhyamantri Khel Prothsahan Yojana. Earlier, Olympic and Paralympic medal winners were awarded Rs 3 crore, Rs 2 crore and Rs 1 crore for gold, silver and bronze medallists, respectively. To encourage the sports ecosystem in Delhi, Olympic gold medallists will now be given Rs 7 crore, silver medallists will receive Rs 5 crore, and bronze medallists Rs 3 crore."
Sood added that Olympic gold and silver winners will be offered Group A government jobs in Delhi, and bronze winners will be offered Group B jobs. Also, young athletes taking part in state and national competitions will get Rs 5 lakh each to support their coaching and training.
Students from Class 6 to 12 will get honorariums. Earlier, winners of the National Games were awarded Rs 3 lakh, Rs 2 lakh, and Rs 1 lakh for gold, silver, and bronze. Now, any medal at a national event will bring Rs 11 lakh. Additionally, "elite sportspersons" competing in national or international tournaments will receive Rs 20 lakh per year.
Sood also spoke about the plan to give free laptops under the "Mukhyamantri Digital Scheme". He said As many as 1,200 meritorious students who passed Class 10 with good marks will be given i7 laptops. This will benefit students from underprivileged backgrounds." He said this is in line with the National Education Policy.
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