National and Rajasthan State level Awards for Sports

National and Rajasthan State Level Awards for Sports recognize the outstanding achievements of athletes who have excelled in various disciplines. These prestigious honors not only encourage excellence in Sports and Yoga but also celebrate the dedication and hard work of sportspersons at both national and state levels.

Previous Years Questions

Year	Question	Marks
2023	Enlist the major achievement of Rajasthan State’s Divyakrati Singh in Sports.	2M
2023	Which father and daughter duo from Rajasthan holds pride to receive Arjun award and in which game ?	2M
2021	Name the paraplayers and their sports who were awarded Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratan Award in 2021.	2M
2021	Name the award for excellence in sports in Rajasthan given annually and write the hierarchy of  its selection committee.	2M
2018	Write short note on Vashisth award in sports.	2M

Arjuna Awards

The Arjuna Award was instituted in 1961 for outstanding international athletes, based on the recommendations of the Ad-hoc Enquiry Committee, All India Council of Sports and on Sports constituted in 1958.

Categories : From the year 2001, the award is given only in disciplines falling under the following categories: 

• Olympic Games / Asian Games / Commonwealth Games / World Cup / World Championship Disciplines and Cricket 
• Indigenous Games 
• Sports for the Physically Challenged 

Condition : player should not have banned or restricted by WADA/NADA 

Eligibility Criteria:

• The sportsperson must have demonstrated outstanding performance at the international level during the last four years.
• Additionally, the individual must exhibit qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, and a sense of discipline.
• In years when the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, or Asian Games are held, the athlete’s achievements up to the conclusion of these events will also be taken into consideration.

Note – Arjuna Award (Lifetime): To be eligible, the sportsperson must have demonstrated excellence at the international level and made an active contribution to the promotion of sports after the conclusion of their active sports career. They must also possess qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, and discipline.

Number of Awards Given in a Year

• Arjuna Award:
  • Ordinarily, only one award shall be given per sports discipline, subject to the availability of deserving candidates.
  • At least one award shall mandatorily be given to athletes in the category of sports for the physically challenged.
  • In case of team sports and gender diversity, the rule of “one award per discipline” may be relaxed.
  • Generally, no more than 15 Arjuna Awards shall be given in a year.
  • However, in the case of exceptional performance in the Olympic, Asian, or Commonwealth Games, this number may exceed 15 with the approval of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
• Arjuna Award (Lifetime):
  • A maximum of three awards may be given in a year, subject to the availability of deserving athletes.

Note: The Arjuna Award comprises a statuette, a certificate, ceremonial attire, and a cash award of ₹15 lakh. It is presented to the recipients at a felicitation ceremony organized by the Government of India at a venue and date decided by the government.

The marking system for these awards is similar to that of the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy.
80% of the total marks are allotted based on the athlete’s performance in sports competitions, while the remaining 20% are awarded by the Selection Committee based on the athlete’s overall profile.

Arjuna Awards Selection Committee

Position	Membership Type
Chairperson	A retired judge of Supreme Court/High Court
Sportspersons of eminence (Olympians or previous Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna or Arjuna Awardees)	4 members
Sports Journalists/Experts/Commentators	3 members
A sportsperson of eminence/sports administrator/sports expert belonging to para sports	1 member
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme Secretariat	Ex-officio member
Executive Director (TEAMS)/Officer in-charge of TEAMS Division, Sports Authority of India	Ex-officio member
Joint Secretary (Sports), Department of Sports	Member Secretary

Important Arjun Awardees

Arjuna Awards 2024 – List of Winners
This year, a total of 32 athletes were honoured with the Arjuna Award, including 17 para-athletes. This is especially noteworthy due to India’s historic performance at the Paris Paralympics with a total of 29 medals.

🅐 Athletics

1. Jyothi Yarraji – Track & Field (Hurdles)
2. Annu Rani – Javelin Throw
3. Preeti Pal – Running (Para Athletics)
4. Jeevanji Deepti – Running (Para Athletics)
5. Ajit Singh – Javelin Throw (Para Athletics)
6. Sachin Sarjerao Khilari – Shot Put (Para Athletics)
7. Dharmbir – Club Throw (Para Athletics)
8. Pranav Surma – Club Throw (Para Athletics)
9. H. Hokato Sema – Shot Put (Para Athletics)
10. Navdeep Singh – Javelin Throw (Para Athletics)
11. Simran – Running (Para Athletics)

🅑 Boxing

12. Nitu – Women’s Flyweight
13. Sweety – Women’s Light Heavyweight

🅒 Chess

14. Vantika Agrawal – Woman Grandmaster

🅓 Hockey

15. Salima Tete – Midfielder, Women’s Hockey Team
16. Abhishek – Defender, Men’s Hockey Team
17. Sanjay – Midfielder, Men’s Hockey Team
18. Jarmanpreet Singh – Defender, Men’s Hockey Team
19. Sukhjeet Singh – Midfielder, Men’s Hockey Team

🅔 Para-Sports

20. Nitesh Kumar – Para-Badminton
21. Thulasimathi Murugesan – Para-Badminton
22. Nithyashree Sumathi Shivan – Para-Badminton
23. Manisha Ramdas – Para-Badminton
24. Kapil Parmar – Para-Judo
25. Mona Agrawal – Para-Shooting
26. Rubina Francis – Para-Shooting
27. Rakesh Kumar – Para-Archery

🅕 Shooting

1. Swapnil Suresh Kusale – Men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions
2. Sarabjot Singh – Men’s 10m Air Pistol

🅖 Squash

3. Abhay Singh – Men’s Singles

🅗 Swimming

4. Sajan Prakash – Men’s Butterfly

🅘 Wrestling

5. Aman – Men’s Freestyle

🏅 Lifetime Arjuna Award

1. Murlikant Rajaram Petkar – India’s first Paralympic gold medalist (Swimming)
2. Sucha Singh – Athletics

 Arjuna Awardees from Rajasthan

S. No.	Sport	Name of Awardee	Year
1	Basketball	Shri Khush Ram	1967
2		Shri Surendra Kumar Kataria	1973
3		Shri Hanuman Singh	1975
4		Shri Radheshyam	1983
5		Shri Ajmer Singh	1982
6	Athletics	Shri Ram Singh	1973
7		Shri Gopal Saini	1980-81
8		Shri Raj Kumar	1984
9		Shri Deen Ram	1990
10		Shri Chand	1998
11		Smt. Krishna Poonia	2009-10
12	Football	Shri Magan Singh Rajvi	1973
13	Volleyball	Shri R.K. Purohit	1983
14		Shri Suresh Mishra	1979
15		Shri Shyamsundar Rao	1974
16	Hockey	Sunita Puri	1966
17		Varsha Soni	1981
18	Archery	Shri Shyam Lal Meena	1989
19		Shri Limba Ram	1991
20		Shri Rajat Chauhan	2016
21	Cricket	Shri Salim Durrani	1961
22		Shri Vijay Manjrekar	1965
23	Kabaddi	Shri Navneet Gautam	2007
24	Swimming	Reema Dutta	1966
25		Shri Bhanwar Singh	1971
26		Manjari Bhargava	1974
27	Weightlifting	Shri Mehrchand Bhaskar	1985
28	Squash	Bhuvneshwari Kumari	1982
29	Shooting	Dr. Karni Singh	1961
30		Rajshree Kumari	1968
31		Bheem Singh	1968
32		Bhuvneshwari Kumari	1969
33		Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore	2003
34		Apurvi Chandela	2016
35	Polo	Col. Maharaj Shri Prem Singh	1961
36		Shri Kishan Singh	1962
37		Rao Raja Hanumant Singh	1964
38	Horse Riding	Shri Khan Mohammad Khan	1973
39		Shri Randhir Singh	1982
40		Shri G.M. Khan	1984
41		Ms. Divyakriti Singh Rathore	2023
42	Golf	Shri Laxman Singh	1982
43	Sailing	Shri Kasam Khan	2002
44		Shri Bajrang Lal Talukdar	2007-08
45		Shri Satish Joshi	2008-09
46	Paralympics	Devendra Kumar Jhajharia	2004
47		Jagsir	2010
48		Sandeep Singh Maan	2016
		Sunder singh gurjar	2018

Major Arjun Award winners of Rajasthan

Shri Magan Singh Rajvi, 1973 : 

•  Former Indian football player.
•  From Dhengsari (Bikaner), Rajasthan.
•  Retired Superintendent of Police (RAC) of Bikaner Range.
• Won Arjuna Award in shooting in 1961.
• Asian Games bronze medal: 1970
• Merdeka Tournament 3rd place: 1970
• Awarded the Arjuna Award in 1973 for his achievements as a football player.

Shri Navneet Gautam, 2007 : 

• Indian professional Kabaddi player.
• Former captain of Jaipur Pinkpanther Pro Kabaddi.
• Was a member of the Kabaddi team that won the gold medal in the Asian Games held in Guangzhou in 2010.
• President Pratibha Patil presented the Arjuna Award for 2006 in 2007.

Mr. Abhijeet Gupta, 2013 :

• From Bhilwara district of Rajasthan.
• Indian player with the Indian Chess Grandmaster title (2008).
• First player to win the Commonwealth Chess Championship five times.
• Awarded the Arjuna Award in 2013.

Shri Meharchand Bhaskar, 1985 : 

• Former Indian national weightlifter.
• From Gadakheda, Buhana (Jhunjhunu).
• Retired from Indian Army.
• Honored with Arjuna Award in 1985.

Ms. Bhuvaneshwari Kumari, 1982 :

• Former women’s squash champion of India.
• Record holder of 16 consecutive times National Champion, Guinness  Book of World Records.
• Awarded with Padmashree and Arjuna Award (1982).
• Granddaughter of Maharaja Tej Singh Bahadur of Alwar. 

Shri Laxman Singh, 1982 :

• Laxman Singh (1952) is an Indian golfer.
• Won individual gold medal for India in the 1982 Asian Games.
• He was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1982 itself.
• His sons Arjun Singh and Ranjit Singh have also represented India in golf.

Ms. Divyakriti Singh Rathore, 2023 :

• Birth – Jaipur, Rajasthan. (Oct. 22, 1999) {Originally Belongs to Nagore}
• Equestrian athlete 
• Won gold medal in the team event in equestrian dressage at the 2022 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China.
• She is the first Indian woman to be awarded the Arjuna Award in Equestrian for outstanding performance in sports and games by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.
• She has been appointed as the election icon for Rajasthan by the Election Commission of India.
• She has won the Times of India Awards (2023) Equestrian Rider of the Year.

Sakshi Kumari (2022)

• Kabaddi
• Arjun award 2022
• Rajasthan Police player

Omprakash Mitharwal (2022)

• Sikar
• Shooting
• Three gold at international level, nine at national level.
• Two bronze in commonwealth games
• Arjun award 2022
• Rajasthan Police 

Mona Agarwal

• Born in Sikar, Rajasthan (currently resides in Jaipur)
• She was affected by polio at the age of just nine months, which impacted both of her lower limbs.
• Mona has also been a pioneer in sitting volleyball for women in India.
• She made her international debut at the World Cup in Osijek, Croatia, in July 2023.
• In April 2024, she won another gold medal at the Para World Cup held in Changwon, Korea.
• In March 2024, she secured a gold medal at the WSPS Para Shooting World Cup held in New Delhi, earning a quota place for the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
• At the Paris 2024 Paralympics, she scored 228.7 points in the 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event, securing third place and winning a bronze medal for India.
• Mona Agarwal was conferred the Arjuna Award for the year 2024.

Dronacharya Awards

The Dronacharya Awards, established in 1985, recognize outstanding coaches who have trained athletes to excel internationally. 

Eligibility Criteria:

• Training Tenure & Performance:
  • Coaches working either full-time or part-time at the Grassroot, Development, or Elite level are eligible.
  • Their trainees must have shown notable achievements in the past 4 years.
  • In Olympic, Asian, and Commonwealth Games years, athletes’ performances will be considered up to the conclusion of those respective events.
• Lifetime Coaching Awards (2 Reserved):
  • A minimum of 20 years of distinguished coaching experience is mandatory.
  • Coaches working at the Grassroot/Development level must have been associated with at least one athlete for a minimum of 5 years.

Disqualification due to Doping Violations:

• Coaches found guilty of encouraging the use of banned substances by WADA/NADA will be eligible only after completing their period of ban/suspension.
• Achievements during the suspension period will not be considered.
• Sportspersons who have already been conferred with Arjuna Award (Lifetime) (erstwhile known as Dhyan Chand Award) will not be eligible to apply for Dronacharya Award.

Note: The award consists of a bronze statue of Dronacharya, a certificate, and a cash prize of ₹10 lakh. (Previously, the cash award was ₹5 lakh, which was increased to ₹10 lakh in 2020.)

• Ordinarily not more than 5 Dronacharya awards could be given in any calendar year. Out of these, 2 will be earmarked for lifetime contribution in coaching.

Position	Membership Type
Chairperson	To be nominated by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports
Sportspersons of eminence (Olympians or previous Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna or Arjuna Awardees)	2 members
Sports Journalists/Experts/ Commentators	2 members
Previous Dronacharya Awardees from different disciplines	3 members
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme Secretariat	Ex-officio member
Joint Secretary (Sports), Department of Sports	Member Secretary
Executive Director (TEAMS)/Officer in-charge of TEAMS Division, Sports Authority of India	Ex-officio member

Dronacharya Award for outstanding coaches in Sports and Games 2024

Regular Category:

S. No.	Name of the Coach	Discipline
1.	Shri Subhash Rana	Para-Shooting
2.	Ms. Deepali Deshpande	Shooting
3.	Shri Sandeep Sangwan	Hockey

Lifetime Category:

S. No.	Name of the Coach	Discipline
1.	Shri S Muralidharan	Badminton
2.	Shri Armando Agnelo Colaco	Football

Extra: 

National Sports Awards 2023: Dronacharya Awards 

• In the regular category L Ganesh Prabhakaran for mallakhamb, Mahavir Saini (Rajasthan ) for para athletics, Lalit Kumar for wrestling, RB Ramesh for chess, and Shivendra Singh for hockey 
• In the lifetime category: Jaskirat Singh Grewal for golf, Bhaskaran E for kabaddi, and Jayanta Kumar Pushilal for table tennis 

Rajasthan: Dronacharya Award Recipients

• Shri Karn Singh
• Shri Shyamsundar Rao
• Shri Anup Kumar
• Shri Maha Singh
• Shri R.D. Singh
• Shri Virendra Poonia
• Shri Sagarmal Dhayal
• Mahavir Prasad Saini (Suratgarh) – A Para-Athletics Coach, he has trained renowned para-athletes such as Sundar Singh Gurjar and Rakesh Bhera.

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Awards

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is given for the spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over the period of the previous four years.

• Given since 1991-92
• Earlier known as Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (Name Change – 6 Aug 2021)
• A medal, a citation and cash amount of 25 lakhs (exempt from Income Tax and Wealth Tax in the year in which it is disbursed.)
• The biggest sports award given in India
• No Award will be made for a second time to the same person.

Eligibility

• The sportsperson must have delivered outstanding and notable performances at the international level (such as the Olympic Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Games, World Championships, or World Cup) during the preceding four years.
• In years when the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, or Asian Games are held, the athlete’s achievements in these events and in other listed international competitions up to the conclusion of these Games will also be considered.

Disqualification/Eligibility in Doping Cases:

• Sportspersons found guilty by WADA/NADA will be eligible only after completion of the penalty/suspension period.
• Achievements during the suspension period will not be considered.
• If an enquiry is pending, the sportsperson will not be considered for the award.

Note – There will be only one award every year to be given to an individualsportsperson. This condition will be relaxed only in exceptional circumstances.

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Awards Selection committee:

Position	Membership Type
Chairperson	Nominated by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports
Sportspersons of eminence (Olympians or previous Major Dhyna Chand Khel Ratna or Arjuna Awardees)	4 members
Sports Journalists/Experts/Commentators	3 members
A sportspersons of eminence/sports administrator/sports expert belonging to para sports	1 member
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme Secretariat	Ex-officio member
Executive Director (TEAMS)/Officer in-charge of TEAMS Division, Sports Authority of India	Ex-officio member
Joint Secretary (Sports), Department of Sports	Member Secretary

Note: No more than one sportsperson from a particular discipline shall be included in the committee.

• 80% weightage will be given for the medals won in various International championships and sports events of the disciplines covered in Olympic Games (Summer, Winter and Paralympics), Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.
• 20% weightage will be given to the marks given by the Selection Committee for assessment of the eligible sportsperson.

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2024

S. No.	Name of the Sportsperson	Sport
1	Shri Gukesh D	Chess
2	Shri Harmanpreet Singh	Hockey
3	Shri Praveen Kumar	Para Athletics
4	Ms. Manu Bhaker	Shooting

List of Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Awardees from Rajasthan

S. No.	Sport	Name of Awardee	Year
1	Shooting	Shri Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore	2004–05
2	Para Shooting	Ms. Avani Lekhara	2021
3	Para Athletics	Shri Devendra Jhajharia	2017
4	Para Badminton	Shri Krishna Nagar	2021

So far, 5 cricketers (4 men + 1 woman) have received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award:

1. Sachin Tendulkar – 1997–98
2. Mahendra Singh Dhoni – 2007
3. Virat Kohli – 2018
4. Rohit Sharma – 2020
5. Mithali Raj – 2021

🥇 Who received the first-ever Khel Ratna Award?

• Men: Viswanathan Anand (Chess) — 1991–92 (the inaugural year)
• Women: Karnam Malleswari (Weightlifting) — 1994–95 (first female recipient)

📌 Interesting Facts:

• Youngest Awardee: Abhinav Bindra (Shooting) — 2001–02
• Only sportsperson to win in two disciplines: Pankaj Advani — Billiards & Snooker

🏆 Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Awardees (2021–2023)

Year	Recipient	Discipline
2021	Neeraj Chopra	Athletics
	Ravi Kumar Dahiya	Freestyle Wrestling
	Lovlina Borgohain	Boxing
	P. R. Sreejesh	Hockey
	Avani Lekhara	Para Shooting
	Sumit Antil	Para Athletics
	Pramod Bhagat	Para Badminton
	Krishna Nagar	Para Badminton
	Manish Narwal	Para Shooting
	Mithali Raj	Cricket
	Sunil Chhetri	Football
	Manpreet Singh	Hockey
2022	Sharath Kamal	Table Tennis
2023	Chirag Shetty	Badminton
2023	Satwiksairaj Rankireddy	Badminton

Guru Vashishtha Awards

Guru Vashishtha Award is instituted to honour the coaches of Rajasthan for their outstanding coaching.  

• By RSSC since 1985-86 
• A coach of Rajasthan whether working in Govt. or in private sector, who has produced players of Rajasthan of national / international repute, as per their performance / achievements in the recognized National / International level competitions, consistently during previous three years as per merit shall be eligible for consideration of award. 
• Coaches receiving the Guru Varishth Award will be honoured by the Council on the date and venue decided and announced in advance. They will be presented with:
  • A certificate of appreciation
  • Blazer cloth and tie
  • A cash prize of ₹5,00,000
  • First-class train fare or bus fare for travel, along with cash for local conveyance
• The awardee will be recognized as a distinguished personality in the field of sports in Rajasthan.
• A coach cannot receive the Guru Varishth Award more than once.
• The award may also be given posthumously.
• The award will be given to Coaches of Rajasthan every year on the recommendation of the Committee  

Guru Vashishtha Awards Selection committee:

S. No.	Designation / Representative	Role
1	Hon’ble Minister of State, Department of Sports	Chairperson
2	Principal Secretary, Department of Sports	Member
3	Arjuna Awardee	Member
4	Dronacharya Awardee	Member
5	President/Secretary of any one sports association recognized by the Sports Council	Member
6	Chief Sports Officer, Rajasthan State Sports Council	Member
7	Sports Journalist	Member
8	Secretary, Rajasthan State Sports Council, Jaipur	Member Secretary

Total Number of Selected Coaches per Financial Year (as per priority) – Maximum 3 (Male/Female)

➤ 2 Coaches (Male/Female)
– To be awarded in the General Athlete Category

➤ 1 Coach (Male/Female)
– For Special Categories – Para / Deaf / UMP / Blind / Lifetime Achievement

Note: The total number of awards in any financial year shall not exceed 3.

First-Time Recipients (1985–86 onwards)

1. 1985–86 – Pokhar Mal (Athletics)
2. 1985–86 – Ramdev Sharma (Cycling)

2017–18

1. Mahesh Kumar Ranga (Cycling)
2. Ramesh Singh (Roll Ball)

Maharana Pratap Awards

• Established: Since 1982
• Awarding Body: Rajasthan State Sports Council

Eligibility Criteria

• Players who have demonstrated outstanding performance at the national and international level during the last four years will be considered for the award.
• The athlete must have achieved excellence in the year of nomination.

Note: Players found guilty of doping by WADA/NADA or any affiliated agency, or those under investigation, will not be eligible for this award.

Eligible Categories for Consideration:

• Medal winners in international competitions
• Participants in international competitions
• Medal winners in national competitions
• Additionally, medal winners of the Paralympic Games, Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and Asian Games (both general and para categories) shall be automatically and mandatorily honoured with the Maharana Pratap Award.

Proposed Number of Awards per Financial Year:

• General Category Athletes – 5 (Male/Female)
• Para / Deaf / Dumb / Blind Athletes – 2 (Male/Female)

Note: In years when the Olympic, Asian, or Commonwealth Games are held, the number of awards may be increased based on the recommendation of the committee and approval of the Chairperson of the Committee, to accommodate medal winners from those events.

Selection Committee (to be constituted by Rajasthan State Sports Council):

S. No.	Designation	Role
1	Chairperson, Rajasthan State Sports Council (Jaipur)	Chairperson
2	Deputy Secretary, Department of Sports	Member
3	Arjuna Awardee	Member
4	Dronacharya Awardee	Member
5	President/Secretary of any one sports association recognized by the Council	Member
6	Chief Sports Officer, Rajasthan State Sports Council	Member
7	Sports Journalist	Member
8	Secretary, Rajasthan State Sports Council, Jaipur	Member Secretary

At the date and venue decided and announced by the Rajasthan State Sports Council, the recipients of the Maharana Pratap Award will be presented with:

• A bronze statue of Maharana Pratap
• A certificate of appreciation
• Blazer cloth and tie
• Cash prize of ₹5,00,000
• Additionally, First Class train fare / bus fare and cash for local conveyance will be provided to the awardees.

No sportsperson shall be awarded the Maharana Pratap Award more than once.

The award may also be conferred posthumously.

First-Time Recipients (1982–83):

• Athletics:
  • Shri Gopal Saini
  • Shri Rajkumar Ahlawat
  • Smt. Hamida Bano
• Women’s Hockey:
  • Smt. Varsha Soni
  • Smt. Gangotri Bhandari
  • Shooting: Dr. Karni Singh
  • Horse Riding: Shri Raghuveer Singh

In 2017, the State Government honored 41 players for achievements between 2008 and 2016.

• Two Brothers Honoured Together: During the ceremony, two brothers from the cycling discipline were honoured with the Maharana Pratap Award: Suresh Bishnoi for the year 2012–13 Rajendra Bishnoi for the year 2013–14

Awardees for 2016–17 and 2017–18 (Total 7 players):

• Sapna – Athletics
• Khetaram – Athletics
• Sarvesh Pareek – Archery
• Suman Dhaka – Para-Athletics
• Manoharlal – Cycling
• Sundar Singh Gurjar – Para-Athletics
• Abhilekh Parashar – Gymnastics