Haryana to fund development of sports medal winners' villages

Chandigarh : The Haryana government will carry out development work on priority in the villages of the winners of sports medals in the Asian Games and the Olympics, a minister said on Saturday.

Haryana Development and Panchayats Minister O.P. Dhankar said that the villages of medal winning players of Asian Games and Olympic Games belonging to Haryana would be linked with Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Gram Uday Yojana under which development of a village would be carried out with a fund of upto Rs 5 crore.

Dhankar said that the scheme for development of villages would not be limited to gold medallists but it would also be implemented in the villages of silver and bronze medallists.

Keeping Haryana's flag flying high in the medals tally for the country in the recently concluded Jakarta Asian Games, sportspersons from the state have bagged nearly 25 per cent of the total medals. They won 17 medals in these games out of the total 69 medals won by India.

Athletes from Haryana won five gold, five silver and seven bronze medals.

The state's players have excelled in wrestling, boxing, athletics, shooting and other sporting disciplines at the international level.