‘CM Punjab to inaugurate Sports Endowment Fund soon’

LAHORE:Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz will inaugurate the Sports Endowment Fund in the coming days. This information was shared by Secretary Youth Affairs Punjab Muzaffar Khan Sial while presiding over an important meeting at Punjab Stadium.

Director General Youth Affairs Punjab Pervez Iqbal, Additional Secretary Farhan Farooq and Deputy Secretary Marhaba Naimat, officers of Pension Fund and Finance Department, Deputy Director Zahoor Ahmed and Legal Consultant Ikram Bari participated in the meeting.

The relevant officers gave a detailed briefing to Secretary Sports Punjab Muzaffar Khan Sial about the Endowment Fund. Addressing the meeting, Secretary Youth Affairs Punjab Muzaffar Khan Sial informed that 200 athletes have been selected for the Punjab Sports Endowment Fund. "Sports Endowment Fund of Rs 2 billion has been established to extend every kind of help to top performing players," he added.

He said that the players were selected from Rising Punjab Games, Pink Games, Summer Sports Games, Summer Sports Camp and trials of all divisions for granting one-year stipend."These best players will be given a stipend of Rs 70,000, Rs 50,000 and Rs 30,000 for one year while the young talented players will be given 10 thousand rupees per month for one year".

He informed that the Committee for Punjab Sports Endowment Fund which included representatives of Sports Federation, Sports Association and Sports Department of Punjab, have selected the players on merit.

Muzaffar Khan Sial further said that besides providing cash awards to athletes, high performance camps will be set up with Sports Endowment Fund. "The top athletes will be extended all possible help for their training, injuries and participation in international events", he informed.

Secretary Youth Affairs Punjab Muzaffar Khan Sial said that under the vision of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz effective steps are being taken for the welfare of the players. DG Youth Affairs Punjab Pervez Iqbal, on this occasion said that talent hunt programmes will be conducted through Sports Endowment Fund besides giving sports scholarships to the deserving players.

"The establishment of Sports Endowment Fund will play an important role for the development of sports culture across the province," he added. He said to ensure the transparency of the whole process, an audit of Sports Endowment Fund will be conducted by the Auditor General of Pakistan every year.