Thaindian News

Chandigarh, June 29 (IANS) In a possible first, Haryana Wednesday announced an employment guarantee policy to ensure a secure future for the state’s outstanding sportspersons.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who announced the new policy before the media here Wednesday, said that the policy offers employment in government departments, boards and corporations.

The policy will also include reservation of seats for admission to professional or technical institutes and universities.

The government also announced the setting up of Haryana Sports Development Fund with a Rs.5 crore corpus for the benefit of sportspersons. This will provide financial assistance for the welfare of sportspersons and give them grants and assistance for medical aid and training. It would also cover the welfare of former players.

“This has been done to widen the scope of employment opportunities for outstanding sportspersons and to promote sports in a big way,” Hooda said.

He said that the employment opportunities will be offered to sportspersons based on their sporting achievements.

Sportspersons from Haryana had bagged the maximum number of medals, including gold medals, at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games (CWG) and Guangzhou Asian Games last year.

Under the new policy, medal winners at the Olympic Games and gold medal winners at the Asian Games would be offered the post of Class-II gazetted officers in government departments, boards and corporations.

Silver and bronze medal winners at the Asian Games, gold and silver medal winners at the Commonwealth Games and gold medal winners at world championships would be offered Class-III posts, he added.

Hooda said that suitable employment opportunities would also be offered to the participants of the Olympic Games, winners of bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games, winners of silver and bronze medals at world championships and medal winners at Asian championships.

Under the new policy, three per cent seats in professional or technical institutes and universities will be reserved for sportspersons to facilitate their joining such institutions.

“This decision would be implemented from 2011-12 in all Haryana’s government and non-government professional and technical institutes and universities,” he said.

He said that Haryana is the first state in the country to give maximum cash award to medal winners of the Commonwealth and Asian Games. In case of the Commonwealth Games, gold medal winners were given Rs.15 lakh, silver medal winners Rs.10 lakh and bronze medal winners Rs.5 lakh.

In case of the Asian Games, the winners of gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded Rs.25 lakh, Rs.15 lakh and Rs.10 lakh respectively.

Also, funds were given for the development of the native villages of medal winners of the Commonwealth and Asian Games. The villages of gold, silver and bronze medal winners were given Rs.51 lakh, Rs.31 lakh and Rs.21 lakh respectively.

Hooda said that the state government has taken an unprecedented decision to give jobs to all medal winners of the Commonwealth and Asian Games.

“Haryana is the first state in the country to take such a decision. As many as 37 sports persons have been offered jobs in the police department. While the post of deputy superintendent of police (DSP) has been offered to five sportspersons, 18 of them have been offered employment as inspectors and 14 as sub-inspectors,” he said.

Those made DSPs include gold medal winners Vikas Krishan Yadav (boxing), Sanam Krishan Singh (Tennis), Krishna Punia (athletics), Ravinder Sangwan (wrestling) and Paramjit Singh Samota (boxing).

He said that earlier, 12 outstanding sportspersons, including boxer Vijender Singh, had been made DSPs in the Haryana Police.