Barcelona Legend Andres Iniesta Set To Retire On Special Date

In the first quarter-final of the day, Uttar Pradesh Hockey defeated Hockey Jharkhand, 4-3. Ujjwal Pal (7') gave Uttar Pradesh Hockey the lead, followed by goals from Ajay Kumar Gond (12'), Prahalad Rajbhar (32'), and Captain Ketan Kushwaha (60'). Meanwhile, Hassa Patras (35', 39') and Purti Ashish Tani (13') scored for Hockey Jharkhand.

In another quarter-final, the Hockey Association of Odisha defeated Dadra & Nagar Haveli And Daman & Diu Hockey, 5-0. Sujit Barla (30', 41') and Mandeep Kerketta (45', 59') scored braces, while Mithles Kerketta (46') also found the back of the net to secure the victory.

Hockey Punjab defeated Hockey Madhya Pradesh, 2-1. Sunny (20', 21') netted twice in quick succession for Hockey Punjab. Captain Aashir Adil Khan (40') scored the only goal for Hockey Madhya Pradesh.

In another quarter-final of the day, Hockey Haryana defeated Hockey Chandigarh, 1-0, in a closely fought contest. Rohit Singh (41') broke the deadlock to secure a semi-final berth for Hockey Haryana.

Uttar Pradesh Hockey will face Hockey Punjab, while Hockey Association of Odisha will face Hockey Haryana, in the Semi-Finals on Wednesday. (ANI)

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Speaking to the media persons, Minister Mahaling said, “The Ayushman Bharat Yojana will be implemented in Odisha very soon. More than 3 crore people from 1 crore family will be issued a new and distinct card under the scheme once the Ayushman Bharat and Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana are rolled out in the State. The beneficiaries can use their cards at any of the 27,000 empanelled hospitals from across the country and can avail cashless treatment.

“The migrant workers, who were earlier facing problems for treatment, will now be able to visit any of the empanelled hospitals and get medical treatment freely,” he added saying people aged 70 or above will also be eligible to apply for the scheme.

While 67 lakh eligible families of the State will be covered in Ayushman Bharat, 33 lakh families will be included in the Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana, the Minister said.

Under these health schemes, a medical coverage of Rs 10 lakh and Rs 5 lakh will be provided to each female and male beneficiary respectively, he added.

Notably, the previous Biju Janata Dal government in Odisha had refused to participate in Ayushman Bharat, asserting that its own health initiative, the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY), now renamed as Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana, was superior.

Launched in September 2018, AB PM-JAY is designed to offer comprehensive health coverage to individuals from economically vulnerable families, ensuring that they receive necessary medical care without incurring catastrophic financial burdens.

The AB PM-JAY scheme covers a wide range of medical procedures across various specialties, including surgery, oncology, and cardiology, and provides cashless treatment in empanelled hospitals.

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Iniesta shared a post on Instagram with the caption, "COMING SOON 8/10/24." The numbers 8 and 24 were donned by the former Catalonian captain during his 18-year tenure with the club.

Despite an illustrious club career, which saw him make 674 appearances for Barcelona ,in which he scored 57 goals and provided 135 assists, during which he won four Champions Leagues, three Club World Cups, nine League tiles, three European Super Cups, six Copa del Reys and seven Spanish Super Cups.

Iniesta’s true legend status came with the Spanish national team as he was one of the pillars of a historic La Roja side that is dubbed as the country’s golden generation.

Iniesta scored a goal in the extra-time of the 2010 World Cup Final against the Netherlands, which led Spain to their first and only FIFA World Cup trophy. Alongside, he was also in the side that lifted the 2002 and 2012 UEFA European Championships.

The 40-year-old midfielder recently attended an event in Spain where he hinted that his future may lie in coaching as he hopes to return to the club where he became a legend.

"I feel like I would like to continue playing football, until I feel that the time has come for me to stop, I will try to play . I would also like to get my coaching qualification and see what the future holds.

"Obviously I would like to return to Barça at some point in my life , because that's how I feel, but I don't know when or how to say now, nor does anyone else. We'll see how things go during this time and then we'll see where we are," Iniesta was quoted saying by Spanish outlet Relevo.

(IANS)

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