Meet Hayer hails Chief Minister and Finance Minister for development-oriented and pro-people Budget

Praises prioritising Sports Nurseries, Balbir Singh Senior Scholarship Scheme and Sports University in the budget

Chandigarh, March 5:

Punjab Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer on Tuesday congratulated the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann and Finance Minister S. Harpal Singh Cheema for presenting the third Budget.

He described it as a development-oriented and pro-people Budget. Meet Hayer thanked the Chief Minister and the Finance Minister for giving special priority to sports. With this budget, the construction of Sports Nurseries will start in the state. A budget of Rs.272 Crore for sports has been kept.

Meet Hayer said in a press communiqué released here today that the State Government has taken revolutionary steps in the fields of Health, Education, Agriculture, Good Governance, Sports etc. He said that in the field of sports, a special budget has been kept giving priority to Sports Nurseries, Hockey Olympian Balbir Singh Senior scholarship scheme and Sports University.

The Sports Minister said that special attention has been given in today's budget to implement the new sports policy formulated by the Chief Minister to create a sports culture in the state. A total of 1000 sports nurseries are to be established in the state and the government will provide coaching, diet and sports equipment for a total of 60000 players at the rate of 60 players per nursery. A sum of Rs. 50 Crore have been earmarked in the budget today for 250 Nurseries to be set up in the first phase.

Meet Hayer further said that by keeping funds in the current budget for the Hockey Olympian Balbir Singh Senior Scholarship Scheme to give Rs. 16000 and Rs. 12000 respectively to National medal winning players at Senior and Junior levels, this prestigious scheme will start from the new financial year. Similarly, Rs. 34 Crore has been earmarked for the Sports University Patiala to promote education in the fields of sports science, technology, management and coaching.

The Sports Minister further said that a special place has been reserved in the budget for "Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan", which was started on the instructions of the Chief Minister. During the current financial year, 14,728 sportspersons received cash prize money of Rs. 54 Crore and 11 eminent sportspersons were given PCS/ DSP jobs.

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