The Fact News Service
Chandigarh, January 2
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini today participated in the Veer Mata Jija Bai State-Level Felicitation Ceremony organized by the Haryana state unit of Kreeda Bharti in Gurugram in the honor of mothers of medal winners and participating players in Paralympics and Olympic Games.
During the program, the Chief Minister felicitated the mothers of the players who participated in the Paris Olympics and Paralympics in 2024.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said the ceremony, organized in Gurugram-the city of Guru Drona, is a celebration of the role of mothers in the field of sports.
He said felicitating the mothers of players who raised the Indian flag in the country and the world is a matter of pride. The ceremony is an opportunity to express gratitude not only to our players but also to their mothers.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi says that there is a mother behind every big success. It is the responsibility of the society to respect mother. The Chief Minister also congratulated the Haryana state unit of Kreeda Bharti for this unique initiative. He also announced a grant of Rs 21 lakh to the organization.
Nayab Singh Saini, while reminding the historical contribution of mothers, said Mata Jija Bai, in whose name the ceremony has been organized, had prepared her son Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as a true warrior and leader.
Due to her vision and hard work, the country got a great warrior like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who laid the foundation of Swaraj at that time.
Haryana’s success in sports is the result of visionary sports policies
The Chief Minister said Haryana has become the pride of the entire country in the field of sports. The players here are succeeding in the Olympics, Paralympics, Asian and Commonwealth Games.
A player is the heritage of the nation. We have made a sports policy called the ‘Haryana Utkrishta Khiladi Seva Niyam 2021’ to ensure employment for excellent players. Under this, 550 new posts were created in the Sports Department.
Apart from this, 224 medal winning players have been given government jobs. Reservation has been provided to the players in direct recruitment of posts from Class I to Class II.
Haryana is the first state in the country where highest cash prizes are given to the medal winning players. Apart from this, honorarium is also being given to 298 players who have performed excellently.
The Chief Minister said scholarships are being provided to the medal winning students participating in state, national and international sports competitions.
From the year 2014 till now, scholarships of more than Rs 53 crore have been provided to more than 29,000 students. The government has opened sports nurseries to hone the skills of sportspersons from childhood.
At present, there are 1,489 sports nurseries in the state where 37,225 sportspersons are getting training. In these nurseries, players aged from 8 to 14 years and players aged from 15 to 19 years are being given incentives every month.
The Chief Minister said 5 out of 6 medals in Paris Olympics-2024 have been won by the players of Haryana. In the Paralympics also, out of the 29 medals won by the country, 8 medals were won by the players of Haryana.Earlier, 30 players from the state participated in Tokyo Olympics-2020 where India won 7 medals, out of which 4 medals were won by the players of Haryana.
Similarly, the players of Haryana also waved the Indian flag in the Commonwealth Games. 43 players from Haryana participated during the Birmingham Commonwealth Games-2022. In this, the players of Haryana won 20 medals.These achievements are the result of Haryana’s farsighted sports policies.
The Chief Minister said along with physical fitness and sports skills, a player also needs mental balance, discipline and courage. The development of these qualities in a child starts from his mother. The first coach of a player is his mother and there is no coach greater than her.
The Chief Minister said recently, the Central Government has selected the names of many players of the state for the Arjuna Award and Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. These include Manu Bhaker, Saweety Boora and many other names.
During the programme, Industry and Commerce Minister Sh. Rao Narbir Singh said the population of Haryana is around two per cent of the country but despite this, the medal winners in sports have made it the number one state in sports.
He said the medal of a player not only makes the family proud but it also increases the pride of the entire society, state and nation.
Minister of State for Sports Gaurav Gautam said the most selfless relationship is that of a mother. It is a matter of pride to receive the blessings of the mothers of the players who have made the country proud.
While highlighting the achievements of the government, he said Rs 592 crore has been spent on the players in the last decade. The government is working for the welfare of the players and their families, he added.
Gurugram MLA Mukesh Sharma, MLA from Sohna Tejpal Tanwar, National President of Kreeda Bharti Gopal Saini and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
