Announcing the setting up of a State Sports Fund to promote sports and sportspersons and enhance amount of cash awards being given to the medal winners of National Games, the Haryana Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, said that the Government has a plan to open a Sports Academy and a Sports University in the state.

He also announced the appointment of wrestler Ramesh Kumar Gulia, who won gold medal at international level, as DSP in Haryana Police. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 23rd Haryana State Games organised at the campus of Maharshi Dayanand University in Rohtak, he also talked about the steps taken by the government to promote sports, and added that the number of sports nurseries has now increased to 46 and sports stadiums in the name of former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi were being constructed in 171 villages of the state.

He also said that a modern sports complex was being developed on 90 acres of land in Rohtak. A synthetic athletic track was being laid at Panchkula at a cost of Rs 4 crore and astroturfs had been laid at Gurgaon and Shahbad.

Announcing a bonanza for the sportspersons, the Chief Minister said that now the gold medal winner of National Games would get Rs. 3 lakh, the silver medal winner Rs 2 lakh and the bronze medal winner Rs 1 lakh. Earlier, the medal winners of these games were given Rs. 51000, Rs. 31000 and Rs. 11000, respectively. He said that the state government was spending Rs. 56.48 crore during this financial year for promotion of sports in the state.

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