Chandigarh: Haryana Minister of State for Sports, Sh. Gaurav Gautam, said that all pending cash rewards up to December 31, 2022, for eligible Haryana athletes who participated in national and international competitions have been fully disbursed. Cash rewards for medal winners of the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games and National Games for the years 2023, 2024 and 2025 has also been distributed without any delay. The remaining cash rewards for 2023, 2024 and 2025 will be released to eligible athletes shortly.
Regarding coaches’ awards, the Minister said that a total of 52 applications were received, out of which 31 eligible coaches have been granted awards amounting to Rs.3.56 crore in total.The Minister was responding to a question raised by a member of the house during the Budget Session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha today.
He further said that eligible student-athletes in Haryana are awarded scholarships upon completion of their respective academic session. Scholarships have been released up to the 2023–24 session, and the scrutiny for the 2024–25 session is in its final stage and will be completed soon.
From 2019 to 2023–24, a total of 14,306 players have been given scholarships amounting to Rs. 44.74 crore. Additionally, from July 1, 2024, the government has launched an online portal to ensure the timely and smooth disbursement of cash rewards to eligible athletes. The Minister said that cash rewards are provided on an annual basis, not monthly. Since 2019, a total of 8,234 players have been awarded cash rewards amounting to Rs. 491.22 crore.