The minister said this at a felicitation ceremony in which the Para athletes, who bagged 19 (5 gold, 8 silver, 6 bronze) medals were honored. Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju and Minister of State for Sports Nisith Pramanik were also present on this occasion.

In Tokyo, India finished 24th in the overall medal tally among 162 nations competing and ranking 20th on the basis of total medals won. India had won 12 medals until 2016 since making its Paralympic Games debut in 1968.

Thakur announced that "The government will continue to support Paralympians with facilities and funding so that Para athletes can achieve even more medals in 2024 and 2028 Olympics. All the Para Athletes are part of Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and this scheme will be taken forward and further strengthened to extend greater support to athletes under the scheme."

"I recall in the 2016 Paralympics, the size of the Indian contingent was 19, while this year the country has won as many as 19 medals! You have shown us that the human spirit is the most powerful of all! Our medal tally has increased by about five times. For the first time, we have won medals in Table Tennis, won multiple medals in Archery, competed for the first time in canoeing and powerlifting. We equaled two world records and we broke even more. Our para-athletes delivered a perfect podium finish!" he said.

The minister opined that the extraordinary performance of athletes has changed the attitude towards Para - Sports in the Country. The government has ensured world-class facilities and when Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself speaks to the sportspersons and encourages them; in fact, during the last interaction, the PM spent nearly two hours speaking to the para-athletes and their families. This has an impact on every section of society, whether be it individual, corporate, sports associations, or any other organisation.

Union Law & Justice Minister Rijiju congratulated all the medal winners and said that you have made India Proud. "All para-athletes who represented the country in Tokyo all are our heroes. You all are the inspiration for everyone. You have shown that everything is possible if you dare to dream," he added.

He asserted that every player's story is inspiring. Sports culture in the country sets in when the players are treated as heroes. I can say Sports culture has now finally arrived in India and the Prime Minister has led this transformational change from the front.

Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Pramanik appreciated that most athletes said they were motivated by the Government's support in the last Paralympic cycle.

President of Paralympic Committee of India Ms. Deepa Malik lauded the Prime Ministers' efforts and initiatives of the Government to make divyang Sportspersons inclusive in society. The support given to para-athletes under TOPS has created history and today everybody is talking about the success of para-athletes, she added.

Ms. Deepa especially highlighted the substantial increase in representation of women athletes and their success with medals at the Tokyo Olympics.