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

  1. ^ Youth Affairs and Sports, Ministry of (2005-08-30). Awards – Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (HTML). NIC. Retrieved on 2006-05-15.
  2. ^ Tamil Nadu, Sports Development Authority of. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (ASP). Retrieved on 2006-05-15.
  3. ^ WEBINDIA123.COM. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (HTML). Retrieved on 2006-05-15.

[edit] References


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)
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