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).