Pension scheme for past medalists is a must – AASL President

President of the AASL , Maj.Gen(rtd) Palitha Fernando  said that how we treat our past medal winners of major championship helps develop the sport and encourages young athlete to take up the sport. Last year India introduced a pension scheme for their Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, Olympic and World Championship (WC) medalists, a scheme Sri Lanka proposed years ago but which did not see light of day.

“During Dayasiri Jayasekara’s tenure as Sports Minister we proposed a scheme to pay a monthly pension for life for our major sports medal winners in four major events (Asian, Commonwealth, Olympic Games and WC). We have very few athletes who have won medals at these events and the cost was only about 20 or so million rupees per year, which is less than the value of a vehicle used by a Government Minister. But unfortunately it did not happen. South Korea started this system, India followed and I believe we should do it too,” said Fernando.

In last February Indian Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju introduced a lifelong monthly pension for medal winners in international events under ‘Pension to Meritorious Sportspersons scheme’. Attaching a written reply to Rajya Sabha, Kiren Rijiu took to his Twitter and apprised about the implementation of the scheme.

The scheme said to be  include sportspersons who are Indian citizens and have won medals in Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and World Cups/ World Championships (in Olympic and Asian Games disciplines). At present, 627 sportspersons are getting a life long monthly pension ranging from Rs. 12,000 to 20,000 under the scheme.

Furthermore, the Sports Ministry apprised about the implementation of ‘Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay National Welfare Fund for Sportsperson’ (PDUNWFS), which caters to sportsperson of yesteryears, now living in indigent conditions and for medical treatment of sportspersons. These schemes are equally applicable to disabled and physically impacted sportspersons.