Rathore made his intentions very clear on the very first day in office when he said that sportspersons are the only VIPs in the country and he showed that those are not just ‘words’ and his ministry will truly work for the athletes by announcing that elite athletes preparing for Tokyo Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games will receive a stipend of Rs 50,000 per month to meet their pocket expenses.
Rathore's announcement meant that the sports ministry has accepted the recommendation of the Olympic Task Force, headed by Abhinav Bindra, in this regard. The government has selected 152 elite athletes under the Target Olympic Podium scheme. All the athletes will get benefit from this decision.
The minister was getting in touch with all the athletes selected under the TOP scheme to get training and competition exposure plan.