Karnataka to revise cash incentive for Asian Games medalists

BENGALURU

Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Sports G. Parameshwara announced on Monday that the cash incentive for Asian Games medallists from Karnataka will be revised and the fresh amount will be declared on Tuesday.

The State government, as per the Budget announcement in 2024, had earmarked a purse of ₹35 lakh, ₹25 lakh, and ₹15 lakh for gold, silver, and bronze medallists at the Commonwealth and Asian Games. But these amounts caused much consternation among athletes because they are meagre in comparison to those handed out by States like Haryana, where the prize for a gold medallist is ₹3 crore.

Mr. Parameshwara also responded to criticism that the State government officials were not quick to congratulate medal winners.

M.R. Poovamma, who clinched a gold medal in the women’s 4x400m relay and a silver in the 4x400m mixed relay, had claimed that not a single official from Karnataka had acknowledged her effort in Aichi-Nagoya. “We tried to contact and congratulate Poovamma while she was in Japan, but could not reach her then,” Mr. Parameshwara said. “Within a couple of hours of her return to India, I personally spoke to her. I have also spoken to several other athletes.”

In another development, the State government finally released the gazette notification that reserves 2% of the jobs across government departments for eligible sportspersons. In all, 34 disciplines have been identified. In order to qualify for recruitment in the general merit, SC, ST, and OBC categories, athletes should have domiciled in Karnataka for at least 10 years and represented the State in at least one national championship recognised by the Union Sports Ministry.

Another important criteria will be the ‘weightage marks’ that each sportsperson will be given, with a gold medal at Olympics and Paralympics carrying the highest marks of 50, and a bronze medal in the Khelo India University (or Inter-University) meet carrying the lowest marks of 12.

For para athletes, the 2% reservation will be limited to those posts identified by the expert committee under Section 33 of The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016.

It is to be noted that reservation for sportspersons in the Police and Forest Departments was increased from 2% to 3% in the Budget tabled by former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in 2023.

When The Hindu reached out to K. Govindaraj, president of the Karnataka Olympic Association, to clarify why this uptick did not find a mention in the notification, he said: “This increase has already been implemented and is part of another gazette notification. It will be made available in a day or two.”