Olympic gold medallists to get Rs 5 crore award: Gujarat CM Anandi Patel

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Chief Minister Anandi Patel announced cash awards here today, ranging from Rs 25,000 for each player of a bronze medal winning team in national games, to Rs 5 crore for an Olympic gold medal winner.

The announcement came during Raksha Bandhan celebrations at the Gujarat Chief Minister's residence in Gandhinagar today, where she tied rakhis to more than 300 disabled children.

"As a gift from my government to all the talented children of Gujarat on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, we have decided to give Rs 5 crore as cash prize to Olympic gold medal winners from Gujarat. Silver medal winners will get Rs 3 crore and bronze medal winner from this state will get Rs 2 crore," Patel said during her interaction with reporters.

According to an official press release issued here today, winners of Commonwealth and Asian Games would also be given hefty cash prizes by the Gujarat government.

For Asian Games winners, the Gujarat government has announced Rs 2 crore, Rs 1 crore and Rs 50 lakh each to gold, silver and bronze medal winners from Gujarat respectively.

Similarly, the state would award Rs 1 crore, Rs 50 lakh and Rs 25 lakh respectively to gold, silver and bronze medal winners of Commonwealth Games from the state.

To encourage Gujarat-based sportsmen participating in National Games or any national level championships, the prize money would be Rs 3 lakh, Rs 2 lakh and Rs 1 lakh respectively for each individual winner of gold, silver and bronze medal.

For winning teams at such national level games, be it junior or senior level games, Rs 75,000 would be given to each player of a gold medal winning team, while Rs 50,000 would be given to each player of silver medal winning team, while Rs 25,000 would be paid to each player of a bronze medal winning team, the press release said.