OREANDA-NEWS. Cash awards of a total of Rs 90 lakhs for the Rio Paralympics 2016 Medal Winners have been announced by Shri Thawaarchand Gehlot, Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment under Awareness Generation and Publicity (AGP) scheme of Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. Shri Gehlot will felicitate these Medal winners at a special felicitation programme.

Gold medal winner Shri Mariyappan Thangavelu and Shri Devendra Jhajharia will be awarded Rs 30 lakh cash prize, Silver medallist Ms. Deepa Malik will be facilitated with Rs 20 lakh and Shri Varun Singh Bhati will be honoured with Rs 10 lakh for winning bronze medal at the Rio Paralympics 2016.

“Indian para-athletes bagged impressive four medals at the Rio Paralympics 2016 and made history. The success of para athletes has made India proud. The department has decided to award cash prize of total Rs 90 lakh to medal winners,” said Shri Thawaarchand Gehlot.

On the best ever performance of Indian Paralympians,the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has already hailed the efforts of para-athletes in his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on 25th September, 2016.

It is worth mentioning that it was India’s best ever performance in Parlympics history. Mariyappan Thangavelu made a leap of 1.89 metres to bag the gold medal while Bhati jumped his personal best of 1.86m to finish third and won Bronze. Devendra Jhajharia clinched Gold in Javelin throw while Deepa Malik bagged Silver in historic short put (first ever Indian women to win a medal at the Paralympics Games).

India sent its biggest-ever contingent of 19 athletes to the Rio Paralympics 2016. More than 4400 athletes from 160 countries participated at the Rio Paralympics 2016 held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from Sep 7-18, 2016.