CM Manohar Lal conferred Haryana’s highest sports award to 42 sportspersons

The Haryana government on 19 February 2017 conferred the Bhim awards to 42 sportspersons of the state, recognising them for their outstanding performance at the national and international level between the years 2013 and 2017.

The awards were given by the state’s Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki at a function held at Haryana Raj Bhawan.

Key Highlights

• The state’s highest sports award carries a cash prize of ₹5 lakh, an idol of Bhim, a blazer, a scroll of honour and a scarf or a tie.

• In total, the cash conferred to Bhim awardees during the function amounted to about ₹2.10 Cr.

• The awards acknowledged the exceptional performance of 42 sportspersons at both national and international level during the years, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17.

• Some of the awardees included Indian hockey captain Sardar Singh, hockey player Rani Rampla, wrestler Babita Phogat, shooter Anu Raj Singh, boxer Vikas Krishan, golfer Ranbir Saini and the 2016 Rio Paralympics silver medallist, Deepa Malik.

In his congratulatory address, the state’s CM Manohar Lal urged the sports persons to utilize their experience in grooming the younger lot, in order to make Haryana a centre of sports in the country as well as in the world.

Manohar Lal also added that to mark the Swarna Jayanti Year of Haryana, various programmes were being organized in the State including ‘Khel Mahkumbh’, a two-month long programme that would involve holding sporting events at both block and district level.

He also announced the launch of various unique sports policies and several new facilities to ensure the development of the state’s youth right from an early age.

Some of the new sports facilities include:  

• Hockey Astroturf has been constructed at seven different places in the state.

• A synthetic track is being laid in Panchkula.

• An artificial ground for football has already been made functional at Fatehabad.

• The government also plans to build a multi-purpose hall and Yuva Vikas Kendras in all of its districts.

To ensure the implementation of the above the provisions, the State Government has doubled the budget of the Sports and Youth Affairs Department to Rs 401 crore for the year 2016-17.