Delhi govt hikes cash award for Olympic gold winners to Rs 7 crore; medallists to get govt job

Indian Express

a day ago

Promising government jobs to athletes who bring laurels to the nation, the Delhi government on Tuesday announced a significant hike in cash awards for medal winners, with rewards for Olympic and Paralympic gold medallists being increased to Rs 7 crore from the current Rs 3 crore.
To bridge the disparity between Delhi and other states in supporting athletes, the Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Gupta, approved a revision of the cash incentives under the newly-launched Mukhyamantri Khel Protsahan Yojana, Transport Minister Ashish Sood told mediapersons.
While Olympic and Paralympic Games silver medallists will receive Rs 5 crore, bronze medallists will get Rs 3 crore. Similarly, Asian and Para Asian Games gold medallists will be given Rs 3 crore, while silver medallists will get Rs 2 crore and bronze medallists Rs 1 crore.
Similar rewards were also announced for Commonwealth and Para Commonwealth Games medallists as well as National and Para National Games medallists.
Also, while athletes representing Delhi nationally or internationally will receive an annual financial support of Rs 20 lakh, a support of Rs 5 lakh each was announced for students of classes 6 to 12 who perform at the national or state levels.
Further, the Cabinet approved a government job reservation structure for medal winners. Under this, Group A jobs will be provided to for Olympic gold and silver medallists as well as Asian Games gold medallists.
Group B jobs will be provided to Olympics bronze medallists, Paralympic medallists, Asian Games silver and bronze medallists, Para Asian gold medallists as well as Commonwealth Games gold and silver medallists. Group C jobs, on the other hand, will be provided to Para Asian Games silver and bronze medallists, Commonwealth Games bronze medallists, and Para Commonwealth Games medallists.
'These decisions mark a new era for Delhi's youth… Whether it's standing tall on the Olympic podium or excelling in the classroom, the government is committed to giving every child the resources and recognition they deserve,' said Sood.
Targeting the education sector, the Cabinet cleared the Mukhyamantri Digital Education Scheme to award free laptops. 'As many as 1,200 meritorious students of Class 10 will be awarded free high-performance laptops with i7 configuration. The total budget outlay is Rs 8 crore,' Sood said.
Further, the government approved the establishment of 175 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) labs in government schools, each with 40 computers. Underlining the need for ICT infrastructure in schools, Sood said, 'Not a single functional ICT lab currently exists across Delhi's 1,074 government schools.' The new labs will be built according to CBSE-approved standards and aim to bridge a long-standing infrastructure gap, he added.