Railways honour CWG 2018 winners, to form new promotion policy in 1 month

Saikhom Mirabai Chanu

The Railways yesterday gave away handsome monetary rewards to its 15 medal-winning athletes of the 2018 Commonwealth Games, with the Railway Minister Piyush Goyal promising to draft a new and much-better promotion policy for its sportspersons within a month. Felicitating the Gold Coast-returned Railway athletes during a function orgainsed by the Railway Sports Promotion Board here, Goyal announced Rs 25 lakh, Rs 20 lakh and Rs 15 lakh each for its athletes who have won gold, silver and bronze medals respectively.

Goyal also said an immediate promotion to the officer rank for weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, who has bagged the gold in 48kg category in Gold Coast. "Mirabai Chanu will be promoted to the officer rank by tomorrow. By May 26, i.e. on the fourth anniversary of BJP government in Centre we will come with a new promotion policy which will not be based on quota system," Goyal said. "Within the next 30 days we will introduce a new promotion policy which will be largely objective but will be subjective also. We will recognise contribution of all and not just the medal winners," he added. Goyal also asked Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani not to stop Railway athletes who wants to join other government institutions or Public Sector Undertakings because of better opportunities.

Railway athletes have contributed 15 medals to India's impressive 66 medal tally at Gold Coast which includes 10 golds, one silver and four bronze. Some notable medal winners from Railways are champion wrestlers Sushil Kumar, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik among others. Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who was also present during the felicitation function, called for a better co-ordination between the Sports Authority of India and institutions to make India a sports powerhouse. "We have spent Rs 100 crore on the preparations of our athletes for the Commonwealth Games and we will continue to provide samman (respect) and suvidha (assistance) -- Sports Minbistry's two philosophy to our athletes," Rathore said. Rathore also stated that the National Sports Development Fund this year has supported 200 athletes compared to just one when it was first formulated in 2000.

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