Haryana honours

The State Government honours six athletes including a paralympic player with Bhim Award

It was a moment of joy for six players from Haryana as they were honoured with the state's highest sports award, 'Bhim Award' by Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia in a award ceremony held at Haryana Raj Bhawan on Wednesday. Those who received Bhima Award were Jitender Kumar (Boxing), Nirmala Devi (Wrestling), Om Prakash (Athletics- Shot put), Dhruv Gautam, Yashdeep Kaur (Roller Skating) and paralympic player Rajesh Kumar (Athletics). The players were honoured with Rs two Lakh, an idol of Bhim, letter of appreciation and a blazer and tie/scarf.

Expressing his feelings on being conferred the Bhim Award, boxer Jitender Kumar said the award means a lot to him. "I am happy that I was chosen for the award. Even though it's bit late but I am thrilled that it came my way. Haryana Government has been supporting us and as a player, it's always encouraging to get an award. My fellow players are also very delighted and believe that the award will motivate them," shared Kumar after the function.

"It's a matter of pride that 137 players have been awarded the Bhim Award from the state so far and 74 Haryana players have been awarded the Arjuna award by the Government of India so far. Many facilities and incentives including 75 percent concession in fare is given to sportsperson in Haryana Roadways buses for taking part in State and National level competitions. The state is leading the way in a new revolution for sports," said Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia during the felicitation ceremony.

Adding further, Pahadia said the budget of the Sports and Youth Affairs Department has been increased to Rs 107.20 Crore in the year 2012-2013 and it will be increased in the coming years. Also present on the ocassion was Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Speaking during the function, Hooda said the state government has given an equal status to the paralympic players by honouring them. "We believe that the paralympic players' achievement are no less than any other player and they also deserve the awards. We have given cash prizes of more than Rs 50 Crore to Haryana players and efforts have been made by the state to provide all the necessary facilities for the sportsperson. We would soon appoint more than 600 coaches in the state for the benefit of the players," said Hooda. Also present on the ocassion were Sukhbir Kataria, Haryana Sports Minister, Hardeep Singh, Principal Secretary, Sports and Youth Affairs Department.

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