Only Games medal winners to be feted: JOA

The Jharkhand Olympic Association (JOA) has said that only medal winning sportspersons, who hailed from the state and won laurels at the 35th National Games in Kerala, will be feted with cash awards.
"We have sought details of medal winning sportspersons, who represented Jharkhand in the National Games held in January," sports director Anil Kumar Singh said.
Singh said officials of the concerned sports associations have been asked to arrive at Ranchi today and asked to provide residential certificates of medal winning athletes, including those who were from outside state but represented in the National Games.
"We have information about the three medal winning wrestlers, who brought honour to the state in the Kerala games, and asked the concerned association to produce their residential certificates," he said adding that the government has also asked other sports associations to produce details of the medal winning athletes.

The wrestlers hailed from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra but represented Jharkhand in the 35th National Games.
The Office Secretary of Jharkhand Olympic Association (JOA), Shivendu Dubey, who was also present at the meeting with the sports director, said prior to the National Games, the then government had made it clear that only those medal winning athletes, who hailed from Jharkhand, would be honored with cash awards.
As per the government policy, 34th National Games gold medal winning athlete was to get Rs. Three lakhs, Rs. Two lakhs to silver medal winner and Rs. One lakh to bronze medal winner but the then Arjun Munda-headed government had given cash award of Rs.7 lakh, Rs. 5 lakh and Rs. 3 lakh respectively.

Dubey said the policy framed in this regard by the previous government was meant only for the 34th edition of the games.