Chennai, July 12: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today announced a slew of measures to improve the statee’s sports infrastructure, including construction of a hockey stadium with astro turf facility at Kovilpatti in the southern Tuticorin district at a cost of Rs seven crores.
An official release here said the hockey stadium would have floodlight facilities, rain water harvesting system, electronic equipment and water sprinkler system.
The decision to set up a astro turf hockey stadium at Kovilapatti was taken considering that hockey was a prominent sport in the district.
In a bid to churn out quality shuttlers from the state the Chief Minister allocated Rs 70 lakh for setting up badminton academies in Chennai, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli and Dharmapuri districts.
Each academy would be allocated Rs 14 lakh for setting up training facilities and procuring modern equipment. Training would be imparted to 15 players for 10 months in these academies, it added.
The release said the government would also hold more inter-university sports meets in athletics, badminton, basketball, football, hockey, kabaddi, tennis, table tennis and volleyball for which Rs one crore has been allocated.
It said the Chief Minister also announced that 194 sportspersons, bagging the first and second prizes in these events would be given a cash ward of Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 each respectively.
It said a cash award of Rs 5,000 each would be given to 50 sportspersons bagging the third prize.
Similar tournaments would also be held among the private universities in the state, it added.
Ms Jayalalithaa also announced hike in the honorarium being given sports coaches from Rs 8,000 to Rs 15,000, the release said, adding that these measures would help more players from Tamil Nadu to participate in various national and international meets.
(UNI)
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