Maharashtra Cabinet Hikes Cash Prizes for Medal-Winning Athletes and Coaches
The Maharashtra Cabinet has approved a major expansion and revision of the state's cash prize scheme for medal-winning sportspersons and their coaches, bringing events like the National Games, Khelo India, and several para-sports competitions under its purview. The decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting in Mumbai chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Under the revised policy, cash prizes for the National Games have been raised substantially. Gold medal winners will now receive Rs 7 lakh compared to Rs 5 lakh previously. Silver and bronze medal winners will get Rs 5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh respectively, up from the earlier amounts of Rs 3 lakh and Rs 1.5 lakh.
For the World University Games, the state has fixed rewards at Rs 10 lakh for gold, Rs 7 lakh for silver, and Rs 5 lakh for bronze. Khelo India medal winners will be awarded Rs 3 lakh for gold, Rs 2 lakh for silver, and Rs 1 lakh for bronze.
The Cabinet also approved higher rewards for international youth tournaments. Youth Olympics and Youth Paralympics gold medalists will now receive Rs 50 lakh, up from Rs 22.5 lakh, while silver and bronze medalists will receive Rs 30 lakh and Rs 20 lakh respectively.
Major international competitions in tennis, badminton, and hockey have also been included. Winners of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments will be eligible for Rs 3 crore, while runners-up will receive Rs 2 crore. In badminton, winners of the Thomas Cup, Uber Cup, and Sudirman Cup will receive Rs 40 lakh, with runners-up getting Rs 20 lakh. In hockey, champions of the senior Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and Champions Trophy will receive Rs 40 lakh, while runners-up will get Rs 20 lakh. Junior Sultan Johor Cup winners will receive Rs 20 lakh and runners-up Rs 10 lakh.
Coaches will receive a 10 per cent share of the athlete's cash reward, with up to three coaches eligible per athlete. This amount will be split with 30 per cent each for primary and skill-development training, and 40 per cent for advanced training.
The revised framework includes provisions for Deaflympics, IBSA World Championships, Blind Cricket World Cup, and Special Olympics World Games, while relaxing the earlier requirement of mandatory participation by at least eight countries.
