Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath honored the players who increased the pride of the country and Uttar Pradesh at the global level in Lucknow. During this, CM Yogi also gave the mantra of success to the youth and players. In a program organized to honor the players at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in Lucknow, the Chief Minister said that smart phones have emerged as the biggest challenge for the young generation today.
It affects both the time and labor of the youth. He also said that players should stay away from drugs, drugs are the cause of destruction, the one who goes towards drugs will not be able to be worthy of anyone in life. He said that the youth should prepare themselves, the central and state government are creating a proper environment for them for their facilities. Sports facilities are being developed in the cities and villages of the state to make the youth a part of their lives. Along with good training, good trainers are also being made available. Encouraging the youth towards sports, CM Yogi also shared the inspirational story of the players who came to the felicitation ceremony.
14 Olympians and Paralympic athletes were honored in the program ‘Those who increased the honor of the country, such talents are honored’. In the felicitation ceremony, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath distributed prize money of Rs 22.70 crore to all these players who increased the honor of the state.
A total of 7 medal winners Olympians and Paralympians and 7 other participating Olympians and Paralympians were present. The medal winners who were honored included Praveen Kumar, Suhas LY, Ajit Singh, Preeti Pal, Simran, Lalit Upadhyay and Raj Kumar Pal.
Double engine government changed the sports environment in the country
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that whether the competition is small or big, it provides an opportunity to the players to move forward. Today the sports environment in the country has changed. The results of the planned efforts made for the promotion of sports and players in the last 10 years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are in front of everyone today. Khelo India Abhiyan, Fit India Movement and MP Sports Competition started by Prime Minister Modi have changed the sports environment in the entire country.
CM Yogi said that now leagues have started at the university level and sports competitions at the village level, which have provided a platform for the players to move forward. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh has prepared many types of programs in the efforts being made to promote sports in the country and we are moving forward on it.
Uttar Pradesh is being equipped with sports resources
CM Yogi said that the state government has prepared proper infrastructure for the players. Today the double engine government is constantly paying attention to this. Today 84 stadiums, 67 multi-purpose halls, 38 swimming pools, 15 synthetic hockey stadiums and 3 synthetic running tracks are ready in Uttar Pradesh. Apart from this, 2 international cricket stadiums, 16 hostels, 47 state-of-the-art gyms, 20 synthetic tennis courts and 19 dormitories have been prepared for the players.
At the same time, 2 judo halls, 13 wrestling halls, 6 shooting ranges, 2 indoor volleyball, 12 weightlifting halls, 14 synthetic basketball courts have been prepared in the state. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the state government is working with a big goal in mind to encourage sports and players. The state is moving forward with the goal of building playgrounds and open gyms in all 57 thousand gram panchayats, mini stadiums in all 826 development blocks and stadiums in all districts. Sports resources are being made available to the players at the gram panchayat level.
Financial assistance being provided to players
Chief Minister Yogi said that former players of International, Olympic, Paralympic, Commonwealth, Asian Games and World Championship are being deployed as trainers for the training of young players. CM Yogi said that the state government has announced Laxman Award for players participating in any international competition and Rani Laxmibai Award for women players, in which the government is honoring them with cash as well as a citation. Apart from this, the state government provides assistance of Rs 20 thousand for the players who receive awards at the national level and is also giving financial assistance every month to elderly players. CM Yogi said that Eklavya Krida Kosht has been formed in the state. He said that the first sports university is also being built in the name of Major Dhyanchand in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, while encouraging the youth of the state, said that the state government is not behind in allocating funds to the players. Youth should join the sports world and bring laurels to the country and the state by winning medals. For this, the state’s sports department is with them. CM Yogi called upon the players present at the function that the players of the state should showcase their talent on global platforms and win as many medals as possible. The state government has decided to make gazetted officers to the players of the state who bring pride to the country and the state in sports. 2 players will become Deputy Superintendent of Police, 2 Naib Tehsildar, 1 Goods Tax Officer and 2 players will become District Youth Welfare Officer.
The performance of the players of Uttar Pradesh was excellent in the Paris Olympics and Paralympics. Players from Uttar Pradesh have won six medals including one gold in the Olympics-Paralympics. Gautam Buddha Nagar’s para high jumper Praveen Kumar has won the gold medal in the Paralympics 2024. He was awarded a sum of Rs 6 crore. While playing for the Indian hockey team, Lalit Upadhyay from Varanasi and Rajkumar Pal from Ghazipur won bronze medals in the Olympics. They were given Rs 1 crore each as prize money. UP IAS officer Suhas LY won the silver medal in para badminton and Etawah’s Ajit Singh won the silver medal in the javelin throw event of para athletics. Both were awarded a sum of Rs 4 crore each. Similarly, athlete Preeti Pal from Muzaffarnagar won bronze medals in 100m and 200m, for which she was awarded Rs 4 crore, while Simran from Ghaziabad won the bronze medal in the 200m race of her category, for which she was awarded Rs 2 crore. These players also got awards
Apart from this, Parul Chaudhary, Anu Rani, Priyanka Goswami, Prachi Chaudhary, Sakshi Kasana, Dipesh Kumar and Yash Kumar were awarded incentives of Rs 10 lakh each for bringing laurels to Uttar Pradesh by participating in the Paris Olympics and Paralympics.
Trainers were also honored
CM Yogi also honored four trainers who trained the players for the Paris Olympics and Paralympics. These include Gajendra Singh (Para Athlete), Gaurav Khanna (Para Badminton), Rakesh Kumar Yadav (Para Athlete) and Dr. Satyapal Singh (Para Athlete). The Chief Minister said that honoring the trainers is important, because the trainers are the ones who groom and prepare our players for competitions like the Olympics.
