SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Wednesday honoured the medal winners of National and International Competitions for the years 2021-22 and 2022-23. He extended his congratulations to all the athletes and coaches for their outstanding performances, a DIPR statement said.
“A total of 368 sportspersons, from 17 disciplines, received special cash awards amounting to Rs 1.35 crore directly in their bank accounts through the DBT mode. Notably, Aqsa Gulzar was awarded Rs 12 lakh, while Sohan Kamotra received Rs 8 lakh cash award in the disciplines of Pencak Silat and Chess, respectively,” he said.
During the event, the Lieutenant Governor inaugurated a State-of-the-Art Synthetic Football Turf costing Rs 4.83 crore at Parade Ground, Jammu. Additionally, he laid the foundation stone of the Synthetic Hockey Field at Bandhurakh worth Rs 4.85 crore.
“Under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji, we have built modern sports infrastructure, providing world-class training and mentoring to athletes and all other supports to ensure J&K’s sportspersons are able to achieve excellence in national and international sporting events,” remarked the Lieutenant Governor.
He also extended his felicitations to the Para teams and women athletes for their remarkable feat in major sporting events, expressing optimism for future international successes.
Furthermore, the Lieutenant Governor highlighted the government’s efforts to promote sports across villages, far-flung, and border areas, bridging the gap between talents and opportunities. He emphasised the importance of sports infrastructure, the new sports policy, and youth engagement drives at the Panchayat Level in fostering a robust sports culture.
The Lieutenant Governor commended the endeavours of the Sports Department, Sports Council, and associations for promoting sports activities in Jammu and Kashmir. He reiterated the administration’s commitment to the welfare of sportspersons and expeditious completion of the recruitment process.
