In a bid to ‘streamline and rework the ecosystem of all awards’, the Ministry of Dwelling Affairs (MHA) has really useful that India’s two highest sporting honours, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards, ‘could also be rationalised to kind a single nationwide award’.
The sports activities ministry, in its reply, mentioned they ‘could agree’ with the MHA’s suggestion however a spokesperson mentioned that this yr, the awards will probably be conferred as per the present format.
The MHA – in two separate letters to the sports activities ministry in July and September final yr, which had been inspected by The Indian Express underneath the Proper to Data (RTI) Act – wrote: “Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards could also be rationalised to kind a single Nationwide Award for sportspersons having two classes.” It added: “Awards given through the years have been far more than the quantity prescribed within the tips.”
The MHA additionally famous the rise within the variety of awardees for the Dronacharya and Dhyanchand classes.
As per the federal government tips, there needs to be a complete of 32 awardees throughout the six awards classes, with just a few exceptions allowed in every. Final yr, nonetheless, the awards had been conferred on an unprecedented 74 recipients.
Rohit Sharma, Manika Batra, Vinesh Phogat, Mariyappan Thangavelu, Rani Rampal had been awarded Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in August 2020.
The sports activities ministry replied that the quantity was elevated to ‘encourage’ athletes for the postponed Tokyo Olympics, which will probably be held from July 23 to August eight this yr. “The rise within the variety of awardees is because of the higher efficiency of the sportspersons within the Commonwealth Video games 2018, Asian Video games 2018 and to encourage the sportspersons for the upcoming Olympic Video games 2020,” it wrote.
The sports activities ministry added: “We could agree with the suggestion given by MHA that each these awards could also be rationalised to kind a single Nationwide Award for sportspersons having two classes.” It additional mentioned {that a} ‘new award for sports activities groups is being thought of.’
When requested for the small print relating to the proposed merger of the 2 awards, the sports activities ministry didn’t supply any remark. “In 2021, the framework of the Nationwide Sports activities Awards will probably be much like that of 2020,” it mentioned in an announcement.
Nonetheless, these within the know mentioned that the sports activities ministry has initiated the method of modifying the present tips in order to ‘clearly demarcate the distinction between the Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards’. One of many parameters being thought of for Khel Ratna is that the applicant ought to have already gained the Arjuna Award, on condition that the previous is a better honour. “There was a blurring of the strains, which is now getting sorted,” a supply mentioned.
Aside from ‘rationalising and optimisation of the variety of awards and their classes’, the MHA additionally recommended the creation of a ‘small devoted award cell’ and an enchancment in ‘design, look, really feel of every award, medal, ornament, certificates, token, and so forth’.
The house ministry additionally really useful that the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar and Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad Trophy be merged into one award. However the sports activities ministry mentioned they ‘could not agree’ with this suggestion.
