Special incentive of Rs 60 lakh declared by Odisha for Rio Olympic qualifiers

Odisha government on 26 July 2016 announced 60 lakh rupees cash special incentive for six sportswomen of the state who have qualified for the Rio Olympics.

The six sportspersons are sprinters Dutee Chand and Srabani Nanda and four hockey players Deep Grace Ekka, Namita Toppo, Lilima Minz and Sunita Lakra, would receive 10 lakh rupees each.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik has directed the Odisha Mining Corporation to pay the special incentive amount to the six sportswomen. He said that the incentive would be of immense help for them to prepare for the mega event.

While Dutee has qualified to participate in the 100-metre run, Srabani has qualified for 200-metre run event. Both have also qualified for the 4X100-metre relay race. Besides, the four hockey players of the state have found places in the Indian team.

Besides, Patnaik also directed the sports department to increase the cash awards for Olympic qualified sportspersons. He directed that the cash awards be increased to 5 lakh rupees for both group and individual events. Earlier, it was 50000 rupees for group event and one lakh rupees for individual event.