New Delhi: There will be windfall for all the medal winners of the Commonwealth Games with the government on Monday announcing a five-time increase in cash rewards.

The announcement means every gold winner of the Commonwealth Games will now get Rs 20 lakh each instead of the Rs 4 lakh earlier. Similarly silver medallists will get Rs 15 lakh and bronze medallists Rs 10 lakh.

Jaspal Rana, who grabbed four gold, a silver and a bronze, will thus rake in cash in the excess of a crore of Rupees. Fellow shooter Anjali Bhagwat, who bagged four gold medals, will make Rs 80 lakh, while the three weightlifters will get Rs 60 lakh each for their triple gold-medal feats.

"It is our way of rewarding the sportspersons who have done India proud by toppling the powerhouses and bringing in an unprecedented medal haul," Sports Minister Uma Bharti said while announcing the cash incentives, immediately after her arrival from Manchester.

Bharti said her ministry had all the support from the Finance Ministry. "The precedent has been set. From now on this trend will continue."

Specially appreciative of the women's hockey team's gold-winning feat, Bharti said, "We have decided to increase the cash reward substantially but the modalities are being worked out. I will speak to each of the team members and see what can be done for them in the form of promotions and long-term benefits."

PTI