DW BUREAU / Chandigarh In order to restore the pristine glory of Punjab and resuscitate the sports culture in State, the Sports Department has chalked out an elaborate sporting extravaganza 'Punjab Khed Mela'. The 'Khed Mela' would be kickstarted by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand on August 29 (National Sports Day) at Jalandhar. The sports festival would begin with a gala opening ceremony. This was disclosed here today by the Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer at a press conference in the presence of the Principal Secretary Raj Kamal Chaudhary and Director Rajesh Dhiman. The Sports Minister said that under the visionary guidance of the Chief Minister, the State Government is leaving no stone unturned to rejuvenate the sports culture. Congratulating the Indian sports contingent excelling at the Commonwealth Games, the Minister said that the Chief Minister has announced cash prize for the 18 players hailing from Punjab who bagged medals. The players from the State won 3 Silver and 4 Bronze medals. The Silver winners would be richer by Rs. 50 lakh while the Bronze winners would get Rs. 40 lakh. The Men's Field Hockey Team winning Silver medal in Birmingham had 11 players from Punjab namely Captain Manpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Gurjant Singh, Varun Kumar, Shamsher Singh, Hardik Singh, Krishan Pathak, Germanpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh. The Women's Cricket team that won Silver had 2 players Harmanpreet Kaur and Tania Bhatia while in Women's Hockey Gurjeet Kaur bagged Bronze. In Weightlifting, Vikas Thakur won Silver and Harjinder Kaur, Lovepreet Singh and Gurdeep Singh bagged Bronze. Divulging more, the Minister said that in the khed mela, over 4 lakh players from Block to State level in the age group of U-14, U-17, U-21, 21-40 years, 40-50 years and over 50 years would showcase their skills in the recognized sports included in the gradation list. The sports fest would continue for 2 months and the interested players can register themselves online from August 11 to 25. The sports festival would also feature Para Sports events. The State level winners of the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals would get Rs. 10000, Rs. 7000 and Rs. 5000 plus a certificate. Total prize money of Rs. 6 crore would be distributed. All the winning players would be covered in the gradation policy of the State. The dope tests of the winners as well as the other players would also be conducted. The players of the State have abundance of talent, what is needed is to identify and polish the same. Every village and the city of Punjab would be covered in this sporting event. (editor@dailyworld.in)