New policy offers ₹10k pension to retd sportspersons in state

Ranchi: Chief minister Hemant Soren unveiled the new state sports policy on Tuesday which envisages cash rewards for sportspersons, sports infrastructure development in rural and peri-urban Jharkhand and financial support to coaches and support staff across various sporting disciplines.
The new policy, which was drafted after studying the sports policies of Haryana, Punjab and Kerala, also mandates monthly scholarships of up to Rs 6,000 for sportspersons, annual stipend of up to Rs 5,000 for purchasing sporting gear and a monthly pension of Rs 10,000 for the retired sportspersons. The eligibility will be ascertained by the directorate of sports after they formally apply to a dedicated portal.
Athletes from the state, who fetch laurels in national and international championships, will be given cash prizes of up to Rs 2 crore. The coaches and support staff of successful athletes will also be given cash prizes of up to Rs 10 lakh. While the neighbouring Bihar has no such policy, Odisha offers cash reward of Rs 1 crore and monthly pension of Rs 1,200 to retired athletes.
“However, there are some changes to be made in the slabs of cash prizes. I noticed now that in some categories, maximum cash prizes are hovering between Rs 6,000 and Rs 7,000. We will provide a minimum of Rs 50,000 cash reward to successful sportspersons across any discipline,” Soren said.
Speaking at the programme, Soren also said that his government will hire successful athletes from the state as sports teachers in government schools across Jharkhand on a trial basis to harness talents at the grassroots levels.