State governments announce decent rewards for hockey team

Zeenews Sports Bureau

New Delhi: Stirred by the eye opening refusal of the Indian hockey team to accept the peanut reward of Rs 25,000 by Hockey India, a number of state governments announced better cash sops for the Asian Champions Trophy winning outfit. Punjab took the lead in awarding the dues to the national sport players as Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal announced a cash reward of Rs 25 lakh for the team. Maharashtra government also took the cue and declared a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for the poverty stricken player Yuvraj Valmiki. Meanwhile, Sports Minister took the battle to Hockey India claiming that the government had liquidated enough funds for the national sport. He wrote on Twitter, “Govt. spent 7.81cr on Hockey Team in last 6 months alone! 5.97cr- National Coaching camps,1.75cr Foreign Visits,8.75 lakh on foreign experts.”