IANS

Panaji, Jul 30: The Goa government is yet to pay Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra an award of Rs.1 lakh that Chief Minister Digambar Kamat had announced after the ace shooter won a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics last year, Sports Minister Manohar Azgaonkar said here Thursday.

Bindra tops the list of 743 sportspersons, most of whom hail from Goa, who are yet to be paid their cash awards announced by the state government over the last few years for their achievements.

Cumulatively, the cash award tallies up to about Rs.75 lakh in outstanding dues to sports achievers.

"I am aware that the cash prizes have not been awarded. I assure the house that within 15 days from now, all the pending cash award cases will be settled," Azgaonkar told the assembly.

Azgaonkar's assurance followed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Damodar Naik's charge that the state government was virtually insulting sportspersons by not paying them the prize money due to them.