UP government set to appoint Rinku Singh as regional sports officer
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "UP government set to appoint Rinku Singh as regional sports officer")
Rinku Singh Photograph: (AFP)
The Uttar Pradesh government has introduced a major incentive package for athletes, under which those who excel at national and international levels will receive government jobs, cash rewards and prestigious sports honours
Indian cricketer Rinku Singh is expected to be appointed as a Regional Sports Officer (RSO) by the Uttar Pradesh government, according to reports. This move is seen as a reward for his excellent performance and dedication, especially during India’s victory in the 2026 T20 World Cup led by Suryakumar Yadav. Rinku faced a very difficult time during the tournament, as his father was seriously ill and later passed away. He had to travel frequently between the team and Greater Noida, here his father was being treated for late-stage cancer.
The Uttar Pradesh government has introduced a major incentive package for athletes, under which those who perform well at national and international levels will receive government jobs, cash rewards and prestigious sports honours
Apart from Rinku, Rajkumar Pal, who was part of India’s bronze medal-winning hockey team at the Paris Olympics, will be appointed as a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP). The state government is providing jobs to a total of six international medal-winning athletes and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will give appointment letters to them at a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan.
Other athletes receiving jobs include, Paralympic high jump gold medallist Praveen Kumar from Gautam Buddh Nagar is set to be appointed as a DSP. Javelin throw silver medallist Ajit Singh of Etawah will take up the role of District Panchayat Raj Officer, while 200m bronze medallist Simran from Ghaziabad will also be assigned the same position.
At the same event, nine athletes will receive the Lakshman Award and the Rani Lakshmibai Award, each carrying a cash prize of INR 3.11 lakh along with a bronze statuette.
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The government will also distribute a total cash reward of INR 1.64 crore among 14 athletes. In addition, 19 more players will receive financial assistance worth INR 8.75 lakh through the Eklavya Sports Fund.
Lakshman Award (General Category) recipients
- Uttam Singh (Ghazipur)
- Vinay (Varanasi)
- Abhijeet Kumar (Prayagraj)
- Vikrant Balian (Meerut)
- Sagar Dangi (Baghpat)
Rani Lakshmibai Award (General Category) recipients
- Bhanu Pathak (Gorakhpur)
- Deepak Kumar (Ghaziabad)
- Tanya Chaudhary (Saharanpur)
- Tanushree Pandey (Lucknow)
- Om Yadav
- Rajkumar Pal (Ghazipur)
- Yash Kumar (Agra)
- Muskan Yadav (Prayagraj)
- Abhay Singh (Varanasi)
Rani Lakshmibai Award (Para Category)
- Shravan Kumar (Baghpat)
- Yash Tomar (Baghpat)
- Ishan Khan (Baghpat)
- Pragati Kesarwani (Lucknow)
- Vantika Agarwal (Gautam Buddh Nagar)
