Punjab Sports and YouthServices Minister Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, on Friday, announced that thePunjab hockey players participating in the Tokyo Olympics would now get Rs 2.25crore individually on winning a team gold medal in these coveted games. Earlier,an amount of Rs 2.25 crore was given to the entire team for winning a goldmedal.
Addressing the media afterpresiding over a meeting of Youth Development Board at Punjab Bhawan here, RanaSodhi said that out of total 20 players from Punjab, 11 players are givingtheir best in the Indian hockey team competing in Tokyo Olympics.Congratulating the players on their excellent performance, he expressed hopethat we are going to win 3 to 4 medals in the Olympics.
Reviewing the performance ofthe Punjab Youth Development Board, Rana Sodhi directed the Director Sports& Youth Services to issue letters to all the Deputy Commissioners of thestate to maintain the dignity of all the office bearers of the Board and invitethem to the official district-level function, besides initiating action toinclude board members in the District Grievance Redressal Committees. He wasaccompanied by the Chairman of the board Mr. Sukhwinder Singh Binda andDirector Sports Mr. D.P.S. Kharbanda.
The Cabinet Minister alsoentrusted the office bearers and members of the board with the responsibilityof channelizing defunct youth clubs in villages and urban areas, saying thatthey should visit villages and establish one to one contact with the peopleespecially youngsters so that the grievances of the people could be addressedat the earliest. The Minister said that review of their performance in thisregard will be gauged in next monthly meeting.
Rana Sodhi also discussedsome important issue at length and width such as distribution of sports kits toyoungsters to promote sports culture and health awareness, future plans ofstadiums in the state, involvement of youth directly with board through SocialMedia, bestowing appreciation certificates to corona warriors for relentlesstheir services during COVID times etc.
Highlighting the works doneby the Punjab Youth Development Board during COVID times, Mr. Bindra apprisedthat board has launched COVID Helpline for Youth (95772-00003) besidesdistributing more than 2500 Certified PPE Kits and insurance worth Rs.25 lacsto Corona Warriors and installed three Gas Crematorium in Sahnewal with thecost of Rs.25 lacs approximately through CSR Funds.
He said that office bearersof the board are continuously motivating industrial giants to contribute undertheir cultural-social responsibility. He said that through CSR Funds, the boardis distributing more than 2500 Sports Kits worth around Rs.1 Crore, whileup-gradation of 5 play grounds with Rs.1 crore in villages of Sahnewal isunderway.
He said that the board sofar organized 300 free vaccination camps for Youth of Punjab besides spreadingthe message of 'Mission Fateh' all over State, while fee of more than 9000Students was waived off during pandemic times.
The board has also helpedstudents to return back home, who were held-back in other states due tolockdown. He said that more than 3 lac youngsters are directly connecteddirectly with the board through Social Media. Mr. Bindra informed that theboard is also involving youngsters of the state in Chief Minister CaptainAmarinder Singh's ambitious projects 'Mission Tandrust Punjab, 'Mission Fateh'and for 'COVID Vaccination Camp under Mission Fateh-2'.
On this occasion, SeniorVice Chairman Mr. Prince Pal Khullar, Vice-Chairman Mr. Vikram Kamboj, Mr.Nirmal Dullat, Mrs. Poonam Thakur, Mr. Jaspreet Singh, Dr. Anchal Arora, Mr.Jaswinder Singh Dhunna, Mr. Lakhveer Singh, Mr. Akashdeep Lali, Mr. AvjinderSingh, Dr. Amit Sharma and Dr. Kamaljit Singh Sidhu Deputy Director YouthServices were present.