Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has substantially increased the cash rewards for eight sportspersons from the state who won medals at the Asian Games 2026, raising the prize money to Rs 1 crore for gold, Rs 75 lakh for silver and Rs 50 lakh for bronze medals.
According to an official statement from Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s office on Tuesday, the cash reward for a gold medal has been increased from Rs 35 lakh to Rs 1 crore, while the reward for a silver medal has been raised from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 75 lakh and that for a bronze medal from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.
Under the revised scheme, Indian cricketer Shreyanka Patil, who represented the Indian women’s cricket team and won a gold medal, will receive Rs 1 crore. Track athlete M.R. Poovamma, who represented India in the 4×400 mixed relay and won a silver medal and was also part of the 4×400 women’s relay team that secured gold, will receive a total of Rs 1.75 crore.
Tilottama Sen, who won a silver medal in the women’s 50-metre rifle team event in shooting, will receive Rs 75 lakh. Shuttler Ayush R. Shetty, who was part of the Indian men’s badminton team that won a bronze medal, will get Rs 50 lakh. Sneha S.S., who secured a bronze medal in the 4×100 mixed relay in athletics, will also receive Rs 50 lakh.
Golfer Aditi Ashok, who represented India and won a silver medal, will receive Rs 75 lakh. Pranavi S. Urs, who was part of the Indian golf team that won a silver medal and also secured an individual gold medal, will receive a total cash reward of Rs 1.75 crore.
Mohit H.S, a member of the gold-medal-winning men’s hockey team, will receive Rs 1 crore.
The eight sportspersons will also receive an additional Rs 5 lakh each as a subsidy over and above the cash rewards announced for their medals.
The state government has also decided to provide direct appointments to Asian Games and Commonwealth Games medal winners to Group-B posts in government services. Sportspersons interested in taking up government service will be considered for direct appointment through a committee headed by the Chief Secretary.
As part of the Olympics Scheme for 2026-27, Asian Games medal winners Poovamma, Sneha and Shreyanka, along with Commonwealth Games medal winner Shilpa K.S., have been included in the scheme. Each of them will receive Rs 10 lakh to support their preparations for the Olympics.
The government has also issued a notification on October 3 providing a two per cent reservation in direct recruitment to sportspersons in all categories of state government posts, including Group-A, Group-B, Group-C and Group-D posts.
Additionally, the state government has announced a cash incentive of Rs 5 lakh each for 20 sportspersons from Karnataka who participated and represented India at the Asian Games 2026.
Notably, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Youth Empowerment and Sports G. Parameshwara on Monday said the state government is reconsidering the cash awards for sportspersons by comparing them with the incentives offered by other states after senior track athlete Poovamma, a member of the Indian women’s 4×400-metre relay team that won the gold medal at the Asian Games, expressed dissatisfaction over Karnataka’s cash reward of Rs 35 lakh for a gold medal, urging the state government to enhance the cash rewards for medal-winning athletes to provide greater financial support.
She also felt disappointed that no state leaders or district officials called to congratulate her immediately after her win in Japan. She urged the state to improve support and increase financial incentives for future athletes.
(IANS)
