Yogi govt’s sports promotion plans, infra boost put UP on strong wicket
The state is also leading in honouring sports achievers in national and international events with massive cash rewards and job opportunities, ensuring that they continue to bring laurels to Uttar Pradesh.
After Yogi Adityanath assumed office as chief minister in his first term in 2017, he introduced several initiatives to position the state as a frontrunner in sports.
He focused on nurturing sports talent and motivating senior players to excel at the national and international levels. Uttar Pradesh has a formidable sports policy emphasizing infrastructure development, training, and skill enhancement. At the grassroots, the govt has facilitated the construction of sports grounds at village panchayat levels, mini-stadiums at development blocks, district-level stadiums, and a sports university in Meerut.
An international cricket stadium is currently under construction in Varanasi – the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi – which is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
The venue will have a seating capacity of 30,000, which can be extended to 40,000. Besides, the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) has received approval to refurbish Kanpur’s Green Park, one of the oldest Test centres in the country, in line with the latest international standards and architecture.
The state govt has also upgraded sports colleges in Lucknow, Gorakhpur, and Saifai while constructing new ones in Saharanpur, Ballia, Fatehpur, and Mahoba. To motivate sportspersons to improve their performance, the govt is providing gazetted posts in various departments to medal winners.
The govt also announced a cash prize of Rs 6 crore for Olympic gold medalists, Rs 4 crore for silver medalists and Rs 2 crore for those winning bronze. Winners of team events in Olympic Games receive Rs 3 crore for gold, Rs 2 crore for silver, and Rs 1 crore for bronze medal.
In Asian Games, gold medalists are awarded Rs 3 crore, silver medalists Rs 1.5 crore, and bronze medalists get Rs 75 lakh.
Even the winners of the National Games walked away with a handsome amount. The gold medalists get Rs 6 lakh while silver and bronze medals could earn them Rs 4 lakh and Rs 2 lakh, respectively. In the team events, gold, silver and bronze medals fetch every member of the team Rs 2 lakh, Rs 1 lakh and Rs 50,000, respectively.
The Times of India