ITANAGAR, 29 Aug: The state government disbursed annual cash incentives to the meritorious sportspersons of the state on the occasion of National Sports Day on Sunday.
A total of Rs 30 lakhs were disbursed among 66 athletes from nine sports disciplines – archery, boxing, football, judo, kickboxing, karate-do, taekwondo, weightlifting and wushu, Sports Director Tadar Appa said.
As per the sports policy of the state, the coaches concerned will receive 10 percent of the total amount.
Every year, the sports & youth affairs department felicitates the meritorious sportspersons with cash incentives on the National Sports Day as a token of encouragement and recognition of their achievements.
So far, a total of Rs 4,73,94,989 cash incentives have been disbursed since its institution in 2012, Appa said.
Speaking on the occasion, Sports & Youth Affairs Minister Mama Natung said that the state government under the leadership of Chief Minister Pema Khandu is committed to uplifting the sports sector “with a vision to make Arunachal a powerhouse of sports in the years to come.”
Earlier, Natung paid tributes to Maj Dhyan Chand, who built a strong edifice of sports, especially hockey, in India. He also congratulated the Indian hockey team for winning a medal in the Tokyo Olympics after a gap of 40 years.
Sports & Youth Affairs Secretary Anirudh Singh and Sports Authority of Arunachal (SAA) chairman Byabang Taj also spoke.
Officers of the sports & youth affairs department and the Arunachal Olympic Association, the president and general secretaries of the state level sports associations and DSOs also joined the programme.
In the afternoon, a friendly football match was played between SAA Chairman XI and Sports Minister’s XI to mark the National Sports Day. SAA XI defeated Sports Minister’s XI by 7-5 goals.
