Kerala Cabinet approves cash award, jobs for Commonwealth Games medallists

Commonwealth Games medallists Eldhose Paul, Abdullah Aboobacker, M. Sreesankar, P. R. Sreejesh and Tresta Jolly were handed cash prizes

Men’s triple jump gold medalist Eldhose Paul, of India stands on the podium during the athletics in the Alexander Stadium at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England | Photo Credit: AP

The Kerala Cabinet on Wednesday bestowed a cash price of ₹20 lakhs on Commonwealth Games gold medallist Eldhose Paul.

It awarded ₹10 lakh each to Commonwealth Games silver medallists Abdullah Aboobacker, M. Sreesankar, P. R. Sreejesh and Tresta Jolly. The cabinet will also give them government jobs reserved for sports persons.

The cabinet awarded ₹10 lakh to Chess Olympiad winner Nihal Sarin. It gifted ₹5 lakh as a consolation prize to S. L. Narayanan, who missed a medal by a small margin at the international competition.

The government will give ₹1,000 as an Onam gift to scheduled caste and scheduled tribe citizens above 60. The cabinet also announced ₹6 lakhs as a grant for SC/ST beneficiaries of the Life Mission housing project.

The cabinet revised the salary of employees of the Kerala Toddy Workers Welfare Board.

The cabinet will give government employment to the children of two forest watchers who died while fighting a wildfire. It also decided to employ Chithra Devi, the wife of a contract forest department employee killed by a wild elephant in Chinnar Wildlife Division.