Olympics standard medals to be given at National Games

Ranchi: A staggering sum of Rs 1.4 crore will be spent on the purchase of medals, to be of the Olympics

standards, for the 34th National Games from February 12 to 26, an official said on Tuesday. Insisting that the forthcoming event will be a historic one, the Deputy Chief Minister and Sports Minister of Jharkhand, Sudesh Mahato said the State will take every step to make the competition a memorable affair. "For this (National Games) not only the best infrastructure has been erected at a cost of about Rs 800 crore but also the medals to be presented to the winners will be of the Olympics standards made at a cost of about Rs 1.4 crore," Mahato told reporters. The yellow metal, which is supposed to be the cynosure of the participating athletes will be worth Rs 5,500 each, said Nitin Madan Kulkarni, the official spokesman of the Games. All in all, an order for 845 gold, 845 silver and 945 bronze medals has been placed with Kolkata based Security, Printing and Minting Corporation of India, Kulkarni added. The event, which has been marred by the corruption allegations and frequent delays, is supposed to host over 12,000 contestants, delegates and media personnel across the country, including dignitaries from various fields. Emphasising the government`s keen interest to absolve itself of all the allegations, Mahato said, "We will show the country our preparations, commitment and skills, besides our rich culture and heritage, which is entirely different from the perception built by some of the wrong people." The State had earlier asked the cricket captain of the Indian team M S Dhoni to grace the occasion as the chief guest, a request which he rightly obliged. PTI