Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
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| Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna | ||
| Award Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type | Civilian | |
| Category | Sports (Individual / Team) | |
| Instituted | 1991 - 1992 | |
| First Awarded | 1991 - 1992 | |
| Last Awarded | 2005 - 2006 | |
| Total Awarded | 15 | |
| Awarded by | Govt. of India | |
| Award Rank | ||
| none ← Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna → Arjuna Award | ||
The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (RGKR) is India’s highest honour given for achievement in sports. The words "Khel Ratna" literally translate to "Sports Gem" in Hindi. The award is named after the late Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. It carries a medal, a scroll of honour and a substantial cash component. As of 2004-05, when the award was last bestowed, the cash component stands at Rs. 500,000/- (c.11,500 USD)[1]
The award was instituted in the year 1991-92, to supply the lack of a supreme national accolade in the field of sports. The Arjuna awards, which predate the RGKR, have always been given to outstanding sportspersons in each of several sporting disciplines every year. Conversely, the Khel Ratna was devised to be an overarching honour, conferred for outstanding sporting performance, whether by an individual or a team, across all sporting disciplines in a given year.
Contents |
[edit] Selection
A selection committee consisting of eminent people affiliated to sports is constituted every year by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports to evaluate sporting performances. Usually, performance between April 1 of one year to March 31 of the next year is considered. To qualify for this award, a sportsperson or team must take part in discipline that is included in the Olympic Games, the Asian Games or the Commonwealth Games. Professional sportsmen competing in billiards, snooker and chess are also eligible for this honour. A person can receive this award only once in his lifetime and must be nominated for the award by a member of parliament, state governments, the Sports Authority of India or national sports federations.[2] The committee make a recommendation to the ministry, and after this is vetted at various levels in the government, the nominee is invested with the award by the President of India.
Whereas the trend has generally been for one outstanding sportsperson to be honoured every year, that is not mandatory.[3] The award need not be bestowed if no candidate is found to have met historic standards of excellence; conversely, two or more individuals or teams may be honoured in the same year. So far, only once has a team rather than an indivudual been honoured. On two occasions, two individual sportspersons have shared the accolade.
[edit] List of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awardees
| S.No. | Year | Name of the Sportsperson(s) | Sport Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 1991-92 | Viswanathan Anand | Chess |
| 02 | 1992-93 | Geet Sethi | Billiards |
| 03 | 1993-94 | Not Conferred* | - |
| 04 | 1994-95 | Cdr. Homi D. Motivala and Lt. Cdr. P. K. Garg | Yachting (Team Event) |
| 05 | 1995-96 | Karnam Malleswari | Weightlifting |
| 06 | 1996-97 | Leander Paes and Nameirakpam Kunjarani (Joint) | Tennis and Weightlifting respectively |
| 07 | 1997-98 | Sachin Tendulkar | Cricket |
| 08 | 1998-99 | Jyotirmoyee Sikdar | Athletics |
| 09 | 1999-2000 | Dhanraj Pillay | Hockey |
| 10 | 2000-01 | Pullela Gopichand | Badminton |
| 11 | 2001-02 | Abhinav Bindra | Shooting |
| 12 | 2002-03 | Anjali Ved Pathak Bhagwat and K. M. Beenamol (Joint) | Shooting and Athletics respectively |
| 13 | 2003-04 | Anju Bobby George | Athletics |
| 14 | 2004-05 | Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore | Shooting |
| 15 | 2005-06 | Pankaj Advani | Billiards & Snooker |
- The award was not conferred upon any sportsperson or team in the year 1993-94.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Youth Affairs and Sports, Ministry of (2005-08-30). Awards – Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (HTML). NIC. Retrieved on 2006-05-15.
- ^ Tamil Nadu, Sports Development Authority of. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (ASP). Retrieved on 2006-05-15.
- ^ WEBINDIA123.COM. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (HTML). Retrieved on 2006-05-15.
[edit] References
- Government of India. "President presents Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna and Dronacharya Awards", Press Information Bureau, 2001-09-29. Retrieved on 2006-05-15.
- WEBINDIA123.COM. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award Winners (HTML). Retrieved on 2006-05-15.
- Youth Affairs and Sports, Ministry of (2005-08-30). List of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award Winners (HTML). NIC. Retrieved on 2006-05-15.
| Indian Honours System - Civilian Awards |
|---|
| International: Gandhi Peace Prize National: Bharat Ratna - Padma Vibhushan - Padma Bhushan - Padma Shri Literature: Jnanpith Award Fine Arts: Sangeet Natak Akademi award Movies: Dadasaheb Phalke Award Sports: Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award - Arjuna Award Sports Coaching: Dronacharya Award |
| Indian Honours System - Gallantry Awards |
| War Time Awards: Param Vir Chakra - Maha Vir Chakra - Vir Chakra Peace Time Awards: Ashoka Chakra - Kirti Chakra - Shaurya Chakra Distinguished Service Medals: Sena Medal (Army) - Naosena Medal (Navy) - Vayusena Medal (Air Force) |
