President of India Presents Sports and Adventure Awards 2023

• 12 Jan 2024

Source: PIB

Why in News?

Recently, the President of India presided over a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan to bestow the prestigious National Sports and Adventure Awards 2023.

• The awards are administered by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India.

What Awards Were Included in the Ceremony?

• Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award:
  • India's highest sporting honor established in 1991-92.
  • Named after hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand.
  • Given for outstanding performances over 4 years.
  • Notable awardees include MC Mary Kom, PV Sindhu, Sachin Tendulkar, and Virat Kohli.
    • 2023: Chirag Shetty and Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy (badminton).
• Arjuna Award:
  • Instituted in 1961, it was India’s highest sporting honor before the Khel Ratna came into being.
  • Named after the Mahabharata character Arjuna.
  • Awarded for consistent good performance over 4 years.
  • Winners receive a statuette of Arjuna, a certificate, and a cash prize.
  • First awarded to football Olympian PK Banerjee in 1961.
  • First woman awardee: Hockey player Anna Lumsden.
    • 2023: Aditi Gopichand Swami (archery), Mohammed Shami (cricket), Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar (shooting), among others.
• Dronacharya Award:
  • India's highest sports honor for coaches, instituted in 1985.
  • Named after Dronacharya, Arjuna's coach in Mahabharata.
  • Awardees receive a bronze statue of Dronacharya, a certificate, and a cash prize.
  • First woman awardee: Athletics coach Renu Kohli in 2002.
  • Given for both recent accomplishments and lifetime contributions.
    • 2023:
      • Regular Category: Lalit Kumar (wrestling), RB Ramesh (chess) among others.
      • Lifetime Category:Jaskirat Singh Grewal (golf), Bhaskaran E (kabaddi) among others.
• Major Dhyan Chand Award:
  • Instituted in 2002, honors lifetime achievements in sports.
  • Recognizes contributions to the promotion of sports in an individual capacity.
  • First awardees include Olympian boxer Shahuraj Birajdar and hockey player Ashok Diwan.
    • 2023: Manjusha Kanwar (badminton), Vineet Kumar Sharma (hockey), Kavitha Selvaraj (kabaddi).
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy (MAKA):
  • Oldest National Sports Award in India, instituted in 1956–1957.
  • Given to an institution or university for top performance in inter-university tournaments.
  • Award comprises a rolling MAKA Trophy and a cash prize.
  • First awarded to Bombay University in 1956-57.
    • 2023: Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar (overall winner university); Lovely Professional University, Punjab (first runner -up); Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra (second runner-up).
• Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar:
  • Instituted in 2009.
  • Awarded to organizations and individuals for sports promotion and development.
  • Categories include talent identification, corporate social responsibility, employment of sportspersons, and sports for development.
    • 2023: JAIN (Deemed-to-be-University), Odisha Mining Corporation Limited.
• Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award:
  • It has been presented since 1993-1994 and is named after Tenzing Norgay, one of the first two individuals to reach the summit of Mount Everest along with Edmund Hillary in 1953.
  • The recipients are honored for their "outstanding achievement in the field of adventure activities on land, sea and air" over the last three years.
  • The status of this award is considered to be equivalent to the Arjuna Award conferred in the field of sport.
    • 2022: Late Ms. Savita Kanswal (land), Shri Tulsi Chaitanya Mothukuri(water), Shri Anshu Kumar Tiwari (air).

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question: (2023)

Q. Consider the following pairs with regard to sports awards:

1. Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award- For the most spectacular and outstanding performance by a sportsperson over period of last four years
2. Arjuna Award- For the lifetime achievement by sportsperson
3. Dronacharya Award- To honor eminent coaches who have successfully trained sportspersons or teams
4. Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar- To recognize the contribution made by sports persons even after their retirement

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) Only three
(d) All four

Ans: (b)