Haryana honours its stars
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 4
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said here today that the state government had formulated a comprehensive sports policy aimed at searching talent in the rural and urban areas of the state.

While honouring 13 outstanding sports persons of the state at a function organised by the state Sports and Youth Affairs Department here he also announced the appointment of Sandeep Singh, captain of Indian hockey team, who hails from Haryana, as DSP in recognition of his outstanding performance, which had brought laurels to the state and the country. The sports persons were presented with cash awards ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh, totaling to Rs 10.75 lakh.

Those who were honoured included seven members of the Indian women hockey team, which won gold medal at the recently held Champions Challenge Tournament at Kazan in Russia. The other six were boxers. One of them had won silver medal at the Senior Asian Boxing Championship. Four boxers had won bronze medals at Senior Asian Boxing Championship in China in June last and one player had won bronze medal at the Sub-Junior World Boxing Championship in Armenia in May last.

Women hockey players were Jasdeep Kaur, Jeodeep Kaur, Rani Devi, Ritu, Surender Kaur, Mamta Kharab and Savita. They were presented with Rs 1 lakh each and a memento. Jai Bhagwan, who won silver medal at the Senior Asian Boxing Championship, was presented given Rs 75,000 and a memento. Vijender Singh, Dinesh Kumar, Jitender Kumar and Paramjit were given Rs 50,000 each for winning Bronze medal in Senior Asian Boxing Championship. Sandeep, who won bronze medal at the Sub-Junior World Boxing Championship, was honoured with Rs 1 lakh and a memento.

Hooda also honoured hockey coach M.K. Kaushik and Deputy Director (Hockey) of the state Sports and Youth Affairs Department, Baldev, Singh in recognition of their services in grooming the sports persons. Hooda said there was ample potential of promising sports persons in the state, especially in rural areas. Therefore, sports stadia had been constructed in 168 villages to provide sports infrastructure. The budget for promotion of sports had been increased considerably.

While congratulating the award winners, he reiterated the commitment of the state government to encourage sports persons and promote sports in a big way. Haryana Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs Kiran Choudhry described sports as an international language to brand a state. “We are proud to have promising children, but there is a need to groom them,” she added.

She said the state government’s sports policy would prove a boon for sports persons.