Chetan Chauhan, former Indian cricket team opener and sports minister of Uttar Pradesh, has announced Olympic medal winners will be given an additional Rs 3 crore in addition to the one they receive from the Central government and has said the state of Uttar Pradesh is undertaking special efforts to promote women sportspersons.
Former Indian cricketer and sports minister of Uttar Pradesh, Chetan Chauhan has announced that Olympic medal winners will be given an additional Rs 3 crore apart from the one that they receive from the Central government in a bid to encourage sportspersons across the state.
Chauhan was speaking at the closing ceremony of the sports meet in Agra where he declared that the state government had been planning to pump up the rewards in tune with that of the Central government. He also stated that necessary arrangements are being made to step up the quality of football in the state as well.
Urged youngsters to stay fit and healthy, Chauhan said: “The ODI format came in when I was almost at the end of my career. These days there’s Test, ODI, Twenty20 and then the Indian Premier League and so on. It’s very important to stay fit. Back in my days a bowler could bowl at the same speed in the first hour of the day and the last. These days, you can’t see this anymore.”
He further went on to add that the state and the central governments were working in unison to promote local talent, and were driving special campaigns in rural areas.
Referring to women cricketers Deepti Sharma and Poonam Yadav, Chauhan further went on to add: “Special efforts are being undertaken to promote women players, the result of which could be seen at the previous World Cup. The players stated that they want women sportspersons to get opportunities in every discipline and not cricket in order to boost their morale. I would want the governments to support these players financially to help them in the process. The Union Sports minister has stated that there are a few areas that require supervision. We have charted out a few plans and will soon implement it as well.”
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Cricket / by HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times – Mumbai / December 01st, 2017