New Delhi, Oct 17 : On behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced cash prizes to the Armed Forces personnel, who bagged 16 individual medals (three Gold, six Silver and seven Bronze) and eight team medals (two Gold, three Silver and three Bronze) at the 19th Asian Games at Hangzhou, China. The MoD said that Gold medal winners will be given Rs 25 lakh, Silver medal winners will get Rs 15 lakh and Bronze medal winners will be awarded Rs 10 lakh. A contingent of 88 soldiers, including three sportswomen, participated in 18 disciplines at the Asian Games, which were held from September 23 to October 8, 2023. The Union Defence Minister on October 17 felicitated medal winners, participants and support staff from the Armed Forces, who took part in the recently concluded 19th Asian Games at Hangzhou, China. In his address, Rajnath Singh lauded the efforts of the players, including those who gave their best, but could not win the medals. He reminded them of the 'Flying Sikh' Milkha Singh, who missed a medal in the 400-metre race during the 1960 Olympics in Rome by a whisker, but became a guiding star of Indian athletics. Milkha Singh is an inspiration for all even today, the Union Defence Minister said. Singh exuded confidence that these medals and performance will inspire the country's youth to come forward in sports. "You are not just representing a medal, but are also representing a narrative of excellence of Indian society. You are a great medium to provide inspiration to the youth," he told the players. Rajnath Singh also added that the performance of the players reflected the image of a rapidly growing and powerful 'New India'. "Many studies show that the progress in sports of any nation is more or less proportional to the economic prosperity of that country. In this context, as India is becoming an economically strong nation, our medals are also increasing in every field," he said. He added, "Be it the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund, India's development journey is being discussed everywhere. Recently, American financial company JP Morgan Chase released the 'Government Bond Index -- Emerging Markets' which guides investors. It has included India for the first time. It is the result of our growing economic strength. Now, there is an ambition to become the best; a vision to create the best and action to take the country to greater heights. The world is today recognising India's growth story." Rajnath Singh asserted that the government is making relentless efforts to develop sports culture in India. "On one hand, we have worked to increase awareness about sports among the youth through 'Fit India' and 'Khelo India' campaigns; on the other, through the Target Olympic Podium Scheme, we are committed to increasing India's medal count in the Olympics. Today, our country is taking steps to host the Olympic Games in 2036. I am confident that with the support of the government, our athletes will take India to the top of the medals' tally through their hard work, dedication and passion," he said. /IANS