Women's hockey team members to get one million each

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced a cash award of Rs one million for each member of the Indian women's hockey team that won the coveted gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.

The announcement of the award was made when the Indian contingent called upon the Prime Minister at his residence in Delhi on Tuesday evening.

"The award is a token of the country's appreciation of the sincere efforts of the women's hockey team in winning the first-ever gold at the Commonwealth Games," a spokesperson in the Prime Minister's Office said.

India braved all odds to overcome favourites England 3-2, via a golden goal, in the final of the women's hockey event.

The Prime Minister's announcement comes a day after Sports Minister Uma Bharti announced a cash bonanza for all the medal winners at the Commonwealth Games.

Bharti, later on Tuesday evening, announced a Rs ten million award for a gold medal at the Olympics.

Earlier, on Tuesday, the victorious Commonwealth Games Indian contingent arrived in Delhi to a rousing reception from a nation starved of sporting glory.

As the flight from London was delayed, hundreds of fans, relatives, schoolchildren and media persons waited for more than four hours at the Indira Gandhi International Airport to welcome the heroes of India's best ever performance at an international event.

Sports Minister Uma Bharti and top officials of the Indian Olympic Association were present at the airport to receive the contingent, which returned with a rich haul of medals and a third-place finish in the final medal tally.

There was beating of drums, fans breaking into impromptu dance and slogan-shouting as the army and para-military bands welcome the contingent.

The athletes, who arrived in two seperate batches at an interval of two hours but came out of the arrival lounge together, were pleasantly surprised and amused to receive such a rousing reception.

Shooters Anjali Vedpathak and Jaspal Rana, both of whom won four gold medals each, and the women's hockey team were the centre of attraction as media persons and photographers jostled with each other to get near to them.

The Commonwealth Games - The Complete Coverage