Shillong, April 1: As a mechanism to encourage athletes and coaches who have proven themselves in their respective sports, the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs (DYSA) had notified the Cash Award Scheme for sportspersons in 2022. Since its notification, over 3500 athletes and coaches have received more than Rs. 6 crore from nearly 30 sporting disciplines.
In reference to the concerns raised by stakeholders of certain sports associations, the Directorate of Sports provided an update on the scheme to the athletes of Meghalaya, committing that all eligible applicants under the scheme shall continue to benefit from the initiative.
“Further, ongoing checks and verifications are diligently being undertaken by the department to ensure an accountable process despite the significant number of applications being sent to the department,” a press release issued by the DYSA read.
Since February 2024 alone, over 1300 cash awards amounting to around Rs. 2 crore have been disbursed, including the most recent on March 14, 2024.
More such events shall be announced in the coming months to verify all applications and felicitate awardees, the release further added.
The Cash Award Scheme is available for athletes and coaches of Meghalaya who have won medals in sporting events at state, regional, national, or international events.
The Cash Awards are one-time payments, up to Rs. 75 lakh for an Olympic gold medal.
The Cash Awards are proportioned in value for senior, junior, and sub-junior medals, a standard practice across State Cash Award policies as well as under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
In addition to Cash Awards Scheme, the Sports Scholarship Scheme is another mechanism for athlete incentives in Meghalaya. Athletes are provided with One Year Scholarships starting from Rs. 60,000 a year (Rs. 5000 a month). Over 350 Athletes have been provided with Scholarships for the year 2024-25.
Further, athletes are welcome to submit applications to the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs through their registered Sports Association for training/travel/logistics funding support.
