Bhubaneswar:The Odisha government will provide Rs 6 crore and a Group A post to ace shuttler Pramod Bhagat, who scripted history by winning a Gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020. "Pramod Bhagat, Para-badminton Gold medal winner at Tokyo Paralympics is eligible for the cash award of Rs 6 crore. He will be handed over the cheque by the Chief Minister after his arrival in Bhubaneswar. He will also be eligible for a Group A level government job," the sports and youth services department said in a statement on Wednesday.
The state government is committed to support the sportspersons and para-sportspersons to achieve their potential, it said. Earlier, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had interacted with the Odisha Olympians and para-Olympians, who had qualified for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics on July 8, 2021 and wished them good luck.
To motivate them, he also announced cash awards for winning medals - Rs 6 crore for Gold medal, Rs 4 crore for Silver and Rs 2.5 crore for a Bronze medal. The government also provided a grant of Rs 15 lakh as support for their preparation for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.