Chandigarh [India], August 6 (ANI): Congress leader and MLA from Thanesar assembly in Haryana, Ashok Arora on Wednesday defended the erstwhile Haryana government’s ‘Padak Lao, Pad Pao’ (Win a medal, get a job) policy, saying it played a crucial role in enabling athletes to focus solely on sporting excellence, after Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini reportedly dismissed the initiative as a mere slogan.Reacting to the Chief Minister’s remarks, Arora credited the policy for Haryana’s sustained success in producing elite athletes and highlighted the state’s contribution to India’s performances at the Commonwealth Games.”India’s performance at the Commonwealth Games has been spectacular. I do not think it is right for the Chief Minister to dismiss the previous Congress government’s initiative as merely a hollow slogan. That slogan was ‘Win a medal, get a job’ — it was part of the sports policy. Haryana contributed 38% of the total medals won at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games; athletes from Haryana alone won 19 of the 38 gold medals. The objective of that slogan was to ensure that athletes did not have to worry about their jobs; had they been preoccupied with employment concerns, they would not have been able to focus entirely on their sport,” Arora told ANI.His remarks came days after India concluded the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games with 39 medals, including 13 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze, to finish fourth in the overall standings for the second successive edition despite competing in a significantly reduced sports programme.Haryana athletes once again played a major role in India’s campaign, winning 10 of the country’s 39 medals, including seven of the 13 gold medals. Boxers Preeti Pawar, Jaismine Lamboria, Sachin Siwach, Sakshi Choudhary and Priya Ghanghas, along with para shot putter Sharmila Dhankar and wrestler Ankush Panghal, were among the state’s gold medallists.The debate over Haryana’s sports policy comes as the state government prepares to honour its Commonwealth Games medallists. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini is scheduled to felicitate the Haryana athletes who represented India in Glasgow at a ceremony on Friday, according to a release issued by the Chief Minister’s Office.Arora also pointed to Haryana’s remarkable contribution during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, where India recorded its best-ever performance by finishing second in the medal standings with 101 medals — comprising 38 gold, 27 silver and 36 bronze. Haryana athletes accounted for 38 per cent of India’s medals at those Games, including 19 of the country’s 38 gold medals.The Glasgow Games also marked the official handover of the Commonwealth Games flag and ceremonial baton to India ahead of the 2030 edition in Ahmedabad.Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha and Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi received the flag during the closing ceremony as India officially began its journey towards hosting the centenary Commonwealth Games. (ANI)(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)