Indian hockey team midfielder Nilakanta Sharma (Photo | Hockey India)
Imphal, August 6 (PTI): Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh announced that Shanglakpam Nilakanta Sharma, a member of the Indian men's hockey team, which won bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics will get a cash award of 75 lakh and a suitable state government job.
The chief minister spoke to Nilakanta over the phone on Thursday and assured him a suitable state government job. He also congratulated all players of the Indian hockey team on winning the bronze medal.
A resolute Indian men's hockey team rewrote history as it claimed an Olympic medal after 41 years, defeating a plucky Germany 5-4 to win the bronze in an edge-of-the-seat play-off match in the ongoing Tokyo Games on Thursday
Biren told Nilakanta that he will be given a cash award of Rs 75 lakh as announced by him earlier. The chief minister had promised that players from Manipur winning a gold medal in Tokyo Olympic will be given cash awards for Rs 1.2 crore, silver medalists -Rs 1 crore and Rs 75 lakh will be given for a bronze medal winner.
Nilakanta is a resident of Kontha Ahallup Makha Leikai area of Manipur's Imphal East district.
Meanwhile, Shanglakpam Kunjarani Devi, mother of Nilakanta Sharma told PTI over the telephone that she has no words to express her happiness over the winning of bronze medal by her son's hockey team in Tokyo Olympic and added that "all members of her family are very overjoyed at her son's achievement."
People of Nilakanta's locality celebrated the Indian men's hockey team's victory by performing Thabak Chongba, a traditional Manipuri group dance.
