CM Siddaramaiah promises to hike quota for sportspersons in government jobs

BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has pledged to expand sports reservation quota in government jobs in the state, across all departments.

Presently, 3 per cent reservation is provided to sportspersons in the police and forest departments and the government is poised to positively reconsider this percentage, extending the reservation to 2 per cent in other government sectors, the CM said.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah felicitating tennis player Rohan Bopanna.

Siddaramaiah made the announcement during an event at his home office ‘Krishna’ where he felicitated and awarded athletes and coaches from the state who secured medals in the recent 19th Asian Games in China.

Siddaramaiah expressed immense pride in the achievements of these athletes and the honour they brought to both the country and the state. Karnataka residents take great pride in the success of their fellow Kannadigas, he said.

Indian athletes amassed the highest number of medals in the Games in China, surpassing their previous total of 70 medals with an impressive count of 107.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah felicitating shooter Divya.

The CM pointed out that India has the largest population globally, and ranking first or second in the Asian Games would further enhance the nation’s prestige.

Siddaramaiah also reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to fostering sports and pointed out that in his previous term as Chief Minister he had declared substantial prize money for Asian Games and Olympics victors.

Karnataka was the first state to announce such substantial cash rewards, he said. Recognising the monumental efforts and dedication put forth by the athletes, Siddaramaiah encouraged them to continue striving for success and aspire to win medals at the Olympics.

Youth Empowerment and Sports Minister Nagendra, Chief Minister’s political secretary K Govindaraju, Naseer Ahmed, Youth Empowerment and Sports Department Principal Secretary N Manjunatha Prasad, were among those present during the felicitation.

Medal winners were honoured during the felicitation event, and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recognised and awarded the state’s medal-winning athletes and coaches. The following individuals received cash prizes and acknowledgement for their impressive performances: Rajeshwari Gayakwad-Cricket (Gold), Rohan Bopanna-Tennis, Mixed Doubles (Gold), Mijo Chacko Kurien and Nihal Joel-Athletics, Men’s 4x400m Relay (Reserved Athlete, Gold), Mithun Manjunath-Badminton (Silver), Sai Prateek-Badminton (Silver), Divya-Shooting (Two Silver Medals), Coaches V Tejaswini Bai (Kabaddi-Gold), Ankita B S (Hockey-Bronze), and C A Kuttappa (Chief Boxing Coach-1 Silver and 4 Bronze). (ANI)