Madhya Pradesh announces Rs 1 crore, govt jobs for Paralympics medallists

Madhya Pradesh government announced a Rs 1 core cash reward and a government job for the Paralympic medallists from the state on Tuesday.

Four athletes from Madhya Pradesh competed in the Paris Paralympics, with two of them winning medals.

Among the honoured athletes were Kapil Parmar, who secured a bronze medal in blind judo, and Rubina Francis, who won a bronze in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol (SH1) event.

Paralympians from the state - Prachi Yadav and Pooja Ojha - also attended the event. Rubina Francis, however, could not participate in the programme, citing personal reasons.

“India has made significant progress in the Olympics and Paralympics. In the Paralympics too, three players have achieved success. We have announced for Olympic medal winners a reward of Rs one crore and now for the Paralympic medal winners too, we are announcing a reward of Rs one crore each and a government job to them,” Chief Minister Mohan Yadav told reporters after felicitating three Paralympians at the BJP office.

Vishvas Sarang, the Sports Minister of the state, announced a reservation for para-athletes in the state's eleven sports academies. He also introduced plans to launch a talent search program aimed at scouting young para-athletes to strengthen the para-sports ecosystem.

India achieved a historic milestone at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, winning a record 29 medals, surpassing the 19-medal tally from the Tokyo Paralympics.