After clinching silver in Olympics 2016, Sindhu sets cash registers ringing

HYDERABAD: A windfall awaits Olympic Silver medallist P.V. Sindhu upon her triumphant return home from Rio. TS Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday announced a cash prize of Rs 5 crore, a 1,000 square yard housing site near the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in upscale Gachibowli, and a highly billed state reception for Sindhu. He also announced a Rs 50 lakh prize to Sindhu’s coach Pullela Gopichand.

This is aside from the Andhra Pradesh government’s generous gesture to Sindhu — a cash prize of Rs 3 crore, a plot of land in capital Amaravati and a Group-1 cadre job in the state administration. CM K. Chandrasekhar Rao showered wholesome praise on Sindhu.

AP government will accord state reception
A windfall awaits Olympic silver medallist P.V. Sindhu upon her triumphant return home from Rio. Telangana state Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao also announced a Rs 1 crore cash award to Sakshi Malik of Haryana, who won bronze in wrestling at the Olympics.

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Notably, the cash award being offered to Sindhu is more than five times the cash award promised by the state government in its new sports policy. As per the offer, a winner of Olympic gold from the state will get Rs 2 crore, while Rs 1 crore for silver medallist and Rs 50 lakh for bronze medallist.

The Chief Minister had, in the past, presented a prize of Rs 2 crore to tennis star Sania Mirza and promised the state government's huge support to other sports personalities under the new sports policy.

Sindhu became the fifth woman in the Indian Olympics history to win a medal and the first woman to win a silver at the Olympics. Earlier, Saina Nehwal had won Bronze in badminton at the 2012 London Olympics.

The prize money decision by the AP government was taken by taken by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu along with his ministers at a Cabinet meeting on Saturday. The AP government will also honour Sindhu's coach, Gopichand, with five acres of land for setting up a coaching centre besides a Rs 50 lakh cash prize. A state reception would be accorded to both before the start of the Assembly session.

Mr Naidu noted Sindhu is the first Indian woman athlete to win Silver at Rio 2016 and praised her ability as a sport star that has made the country proud. He also noted Sindhu as a Telugu girl has been an inspiration for all Indians today.

Mr Naidu congratulated Gopichand for his contributions to Sindhu's remarkable victory and remembered that he had in the past given a plot of land for him to start his sports academy in Gachibowli in Hyderabad. He had also encouraged Karnam Malleswari, he said.