The Minister of Railways D.V.Sadananda Gowda gave away cash awards to those Indian Railway sportspersons, who as a part of Indian contingent, won medals for India at recently concluded Commonwealth Games-2014, (CWG) at Glasgow, Scotland, at a felicitation function in New Delhi today. The cash awards are Rs. 25 lakh for winning Gold Medal, Rs. 20 for Silver Medal and Rs. 15 lakh for winning Bronze Medal
Speaking on the occasion, the Minister of Railways Shri D.V.Sadananda Gowda said that it made the heart of each railway man swell with pride to see the Indian Railways athletes win laurels for the country and kept the country’s flag flying high in the recently concluded 20th CWG held at Glasgow, Scotland from 21st July to 3rd August 2014. He said that whenever there is a call by the country to perform – Indian Railway delivers, whether it is in the field of transportation or in the field of sports. The Railway Minister said that right from 1928 when Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) was constituted, Indian Railways has gone from strength, never waving in our commitment to the promotion of sports. With an annual recruitment to around 500 sportspersons each year, Indian Railways strive to indentify and promote the best sporting talent in the country. Railway coaches also have been instrumental in shaping up the Indian sportspersons and form a sizable part of the national team.
While congratulating the railway sportspersons for their outstanding performance in CWG, the Railway Minister assured railway sportspersons that RSPB will continue to provide all support so that they can concentrate and strive to deliver excellence on the field. He hoped that a sizable contingent from Indian Railways will represent India in the forthcoming Asian Games in South Korea in September 2014 and continue to do the nation proud. Arunendra Kumar, Chairman, Railway Board, stated that sportspersons of Indian railways have been performing well in the sports arena and always shown great enthusiasm. He said the Ministry of Railways is committed to the cause of sports and games in the county and will continue to promote this sector in the best possible way. He also congratulated Railway players who won medal at the Glasgow CWG-14.
In his opening remarks, Member Staff, Railway Board, and President RSPB, Shri A.K..Mital said that Indian Railways takes immense pride in the fact the Railway family has 3 Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, 19 Padamshree, 147 Arjun, 8 Dhyanchand, 6 Dronacharya awardees. The contribution of Railway sportspersons, as a part of Indian contingent in CWG-14, has been significant. Out of total 64 Medals won by India, Railway players bagged 9 Medals. The performance of Railway weightlifters and wrestlers in particular has been remarkable. They have contributed two Gold, four Silver and three Bronze Medals. The names of the Gold Medal winners are – Shri Sushil Kumar: Men’s freestyle 74 kg wrestling (Northern Railway), Shri Satish Sivalingam: Men’s 77 kg weightlifting (Southern Railway) , Silver Medal winners are Shri Mandeep Jangra: Men’s 69 kg boxing (Northern Railway), Shri Chinglensana Singh: Hockey (Western Railway) , Ms. Ayonika Paul: Women’s 10 metre air rifle shooting (Central Railway), Shri Rajeev Tomar: Men’s freestyle 125 kg wrestling (Northern Railway) and Bronze Medal winners are- Ms. Pinki Rani: Women’s 48-51 kg boxing (North Western Railway), Ms. Swati Singh: Women’s 53 kg weightlifting (North Eastern Railway), Shri Omkar Otari: Men’s 69 kg weightlifting (Western Railway)..
He said that Railway Minister’s generous awards will go a long way in encouraging the Railway sportspersons to perform excellently in the international arena as well as reinforcing their faith in Railways’ commitment to the sporting cause. Also present on the occasion among others, were Member Engineering, Railway Board, Shri V.K.Gupta, Member Traffic, Railway Board Shri D.P.Pande, Member Mechanical, Railway Board, Shri Alok Johri and Financial Commissioner Ms. Rashmi Kapoor. Director (Sports) and Secretary RSPB Ms. Rekha Yadav conducted the proceedings.