Rajya Khel Alankaran Samaroh 2024: CM honours 544 talented players from various sports disciplines

Raipur. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, on Thursday, bestowed honours upon 544 talented players from various sports disciplines during the ‘Rajya Khel Alankaran Samaroh 2024’ held at the Deendayal Upadhyay Auditorium in Raipur. Besides, he also honoured families of martyrs in the programme, presided over by Chhattisgarh Assembly Speaker Dr Raman Singh.

In his address, Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai stressed the importance of nurturing talent, stating, “Talent is God’s unique gift to society. When talents flourish, society also flourishes.” He congratulated all the players, highlighting the significance of the award ceremony initiated in honour of Chhattisgarh’s martyrs, which was started by the government led by former Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh.

He expressed regret over the absence of such ceremonies under the previous government’s tenure, stating that “The previous government did not organize any such award ceremony in the state for the last five years. After a considerable delay, these talented players in the state are finally receiving their well-deserved awards.”

Shri Sai highlighted the recent efforts and significant decisions of the state government in promoting sports including plans to establish national and international level residential sports academies in Chhattisgarh, the launch of the ‘Chhattisgarhiya Krida Protsahan Yojana’ to revive traditional sports, and the decision to construct a modern sports stadium in Jashpur, along with indoor stadium complexes in Raigarh and Balodabazar districts.

Chhattisgarh Assembly Speaker Dr Raman Singh praised the dedication of young players, recognizing their efforts to revive the ‘Khel Alankaran Samman’ ceremony. He noted that the ceremony had been halted by the previous government, leading players to take to the streets in protest. As a result of their actions, the ceremony is now being reinstated by the current government, with a commitment to promoting sports activities and supporting players.

Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Shri Tank Ram Verma paid homage to the courageous martyrs and spoke about the initiation of the ‘Utkrisht Khiladi Yojana’ in 2007. He mentioned that 74 players have been employed in the state. A committee has been formed to re-examine applications from players seeking recognition as outstanding players (Utkrisht Khiladi), with the process set to commence soon.

In the programme, a total of 06 players were honoured with the Shaheed Rajiv Pandey Award, 06 with the Shaheed Kaushal Yadav Award, 02 with the Veer Hanuman Singh Award, 27 with the Shaheed Pankaj Vikram Samman, 05 with the Shaheed Vinod Choubey Samman, and 25 with the Chief Minister’s Trophy, all for the year 2019-20. Similarly, for the year 2020-21, 11 players were honoured with the Shaheed Rajiv Pandey Award, 03 with the Shaheed Kaushal Yadav Award, 01 with the Veer Hanuman Singh Award, 16 with the Shaheed Pankaj Vikram Samman, 05 with the Shaheed Vinod Choubey Samman, and 26 selected players were honoured with the Chief Minister’s Trophy. Besides, a total of 269 players who won medals in national competitions were honoured with total award money of Rs 30.36 lakh for the year 2019-20, and as many as 142 players were awarded Rs 19.32 lakh for the year 2020-21.

Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Shri Tank Ram Verma, Education Minister Shri Brijmohan Agrawal, Agriculture Minister Shri Ramvichar Netam, and MP Sunil Soni were present as special guests at the programme. MLAs Rajesh Munat,  Motilal Sahu,  Anuj Sharma,  Indrakumar Sahu, along with other public representatives, office bearers of various sports associations, Sports and Youth Welfare Secretary Shri Himshikhar Gupta, Director of Sports and Youth Welfare Smt. Tanuja Salam, officials of the Sports Department, and a large number of players were also present.