Steel Ministry undertakings announce Rs. 15 lakh cash prize to Abhinav Bindra

New Delhi, Aug 12 : Union Minister for Steel, Chemicals and Fertilisers Ram Vilas Paswan today announced the three Public Sector Undertakings (PSU) under the Ministry of Steel will give Rs. 15 lakh to Abhinav Bindra, who won the first gold medal in the men''s 10-meter air rifle event for India in Beijing Olympics.

Announcing this Paswan said, the three PSUs including the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) and the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) will contribute Rs. five lakh each.

"The three PSUs will honour all Olympic medal winners. Those winning gold medal will be given Rs. 15 lakh while silver medal winners will be given Rs. 10 lakh and bronze medal winners Rs. five lakh.

SAIL has already announced a five lakh rupees reward for Abinav Bindra.

Bindra hit a near perfect 10.8 in a brilliant final shot to pull ahead of Henri Hakkinen of Finland, who stumbled in his last shot allowing China''s Zhu Qinan, the favourite, to take the silver.

India had only won four individual medals, none of them gold, since sending their first team to the Summer Games in 1928.

The men''s hockey team has won the Olympic tournament eight times, but the last time was in 1980.

ANI