The Hindu : National : President, PM greet Bindra

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Tuesday, Aug 12, 2008
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President, PM greet Bindra

Special Correspondent

Accolades, rewards pour in; Lalu gives lifetime rail pass

NEW DELHI: President Pratibha Patil led the nation in congratulating ace shooter Abhinav Bindra for winning the gold medal in the men’s 10-metre air rifle event at the Beijing Olympic Games.

In a message, the President said Mr. Bindra had realised the dream of the people of the country and said his achievement should inspire confidence among sportspersons to reach the pinnacle of any sport at the international level. “It should also be an inspiration for more of our youth to take up sports as a fulltime career,” she said.

Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said Mr. Bindra had done the nation proud.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Leader of the Opposition, L.K. Advani and BJP president Rajnath Singh congratulated the ace shooter and hoped Indian players would clinch more medals.

Union Sports Minister M.S. Gill was particularly impressed by the manner in which Mr. Bindra won the gold even after having had a spinal injury.

Cash rewards total Rs.1.82 crore

Our Chandigarh Staff Reporter writes:

Apart from a place in the history, Mr. Bindra’s Olympic victory has won him cash rewards to the tune of over Rs. 1.82 crore.

The Punjab government announced a reward of Rs.1 crore to Abhinav. The Haryana government pitched in with Rs. 25 lakh and the Chandigarh administration decided to give him with Rs.5 lakh. The Indian Cricket Board, the game’s richest body in the world, announced a reward of Rs.25 lakh for Mr. Bindra, whom it had adopted as part of its efforts to encourage other sports.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh announced a reward of Rs. 10 lakh for Mr. Bindra and his Chhattisgarh counterpart Raman Singh announced Rs.1 lakh. The Madhya Pradesh government declared a cash prize of Rs.5 lakh.

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad announced a free lifetime pass for travel by AC first class for the shooter. The Bihar government has decided to name the Patna Indoor Stadium after Mr. Bindra as well as give him a cash prize of Rs.11 lakh.

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