The Jharkhand government has also declared a monthly pension scheme to sportspersons with payments of 5,000-20,000 as a major boost to the sports ecosystem in the state. The move was accepted at a recent state cabinet meeting under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, which shows that the government has a desire of rewarding sporting excellence.
Other than playing national and international matches, the Jharkhand players who have brought laurels to the state through their performance will be allowed to receive a monthly pension according to their performance level under the new policy. The scheme will be beneficial to medal winners in high-profile events like the Olympics, world championships, Asian games, national games and any other recognized games.
The maximum pension will be 20,000 per month to the athletes who have won the best at international events such as the Olympics, and the sportspersons who perform on the national and regional events will get pensions ranging between 5000 and 15000 according to their performance and the category of the event won. The state sports department is likely to announce the detailed eligibility criteria and process soon.
The program will make sportsmen financially independent since most of them cannot afford their sporting careers after retiring or when there are no competitive matches. With the consistent pay, the government is also optimistic that it will ease the financial strains on the players and enable them to concentrate on training, mentoring, or involvement in the development of sports in the state.
Sporting history in Jharkhand is also strong, with special emphasis on hockey, archery, athletics, and cricket, and it has brought a number of nationally and internationally recognized players. Nevertheless, the shortage of financial assistance over a long period of time has frequently been mentioned as a difficulty for athletes in the state. The newly announced pension scheme is considered to be one of the steps towards filling in this gap.
The decision has been embraced by sports experts and associations of sportspeople as a good and encouraging step, which may attract young talent attracted to sports as an alternative career choice. The government is of the view that the scheme will not only be a commemoration of the past, but also it will motivate the next generation of sportspersons.
This announcement makes Jharkhand a part of an increasingly long list of states investing in organized welfare of athletes, which is increasingly supporting the role of sports in social and youth development in general.
