Stipends announced for winners of Under-16 games

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has announced a package of stipend for the winners of Under-16 games held at national level last year to encourage and support them to showcase their talents at national and international level.

Under the package, a monthly stipend of Rs10,000 would be given to the winners of gold medals, Rs8,000 to the winner of silver medals and Rs5,000 to the winners of bronze medals of Under-16 games. These monthly stipends would be provided to the winners for a period of one year. The chief minister made this announcement in an event held on Thursday in the honor of the winners Under-16 games.

Addressing the event as chief guest, the chief minister said the provincial government was spending a huge amount to promote sport activities in the province and provide standard sport facilities to the players and polish their capabilities adding that ADP of sport department has been increased manifold for the purpose.

He assured them that the provincial government would continue to assist the players in order to enable them to further pursue their careers. He directed the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to activate the bank accounts of players, so that transfer of monthly stipend into the accounts of players could be ensured by March this year.

On this occasion, the chief minister also distributed various sports kits amongst 161 players of Under-16 games. Provincial Minister Shahram Khan Tarakai, Special Assistant to CM Kamran Bangash, Secretary Sport Abid Majeed, Director General Sports and a large number of young players also attended the event. Briefing the participants about the performance of players in Under-16 Games it was informed that 161 players from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa got medals in the games out of which 59 players won gold medals and 34 players got silver medals.

In his address to the event, the chief minister said that promotion of sports activities in the province had been the first priority of his government from the very first day adding that the provincial government has increased the developmental budget of supports department from Rs4,383 million in 2014-15 to Rs.21188 million in 2020-21.

He said that the provincial government has also approved Rs. 7.5 billion for the construction and rehabilitation of sports infrastructure in newly merged areas. Highlighting the developmental initiatives taken by his government in sports sector, Mahmood Khan said that in the current financial year provincial government has approved four sports complexes at District Chitral, Lakki Marwat, Tank and Karak whereas sports complexes in eight districts of the province had already been established.