Karnataka Govt. presents Rs. 33 lakh award to Ashwini Ponnappa

Bengaluru: The State government on Thursday felicitated badminton champion Ashwini Ponnappa and presented a cheque for Rs. 33 lakh to her. Ashwini Ponnappa, who is from Bengaluru, won the bronze medal in the mixed doubles and a bronze medal in the women’s doubles badminton at the Commonwealth Games held at Gold Coast, Australia, in April this year. Deputy Chief Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara, who also holds the Youth Empowerment and Sports portfolio, did the honours. Dr. Parameshwara said Ashwini had brought honour and respect to the State and wished her more achievements in the future. He said as a policy, the government will present an award of Rs. 5 crore for any sportsperson from Karnataka for winning a gold medal in the Olympics, Rs. 3 crore for winning silver and Rs. 2 crore for winning bronze medal. Dr. Parameshwara said the government would soon amend the cadre and recruitment rules for direct recruitment of sportspersons into the Police force.