By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu presented the National Sports and Adventure Awards 2022 (Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Awards-2022, Dronacharya Awards-2022, Arjuna Awards-2022, Dhyan Chand Awards-2022, Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar-2022, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy-2022 and Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards-2021) at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan today in New Delhi.
Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports, Shri Nisith Pramanik, Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports in the august presence of Shri Arjun Munda, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Shri Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Minister of State for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Smt. Renuka Singh Saruta, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs & Education, Shri Shantanu Thakur, Minister of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways and, Justice A M Khanwilkar, Retd. Judge, Supreme Court of India and the Chairperson of the Selection Committee for Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Award, Dronacharya Award and Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy. Smt. Sujata Chaturvedi, Secretary of Department of Sports, Smt. Meeta Rajivlochan, Secretary of Department of Youth Affairs and other senior officers of the Ministry were also present on this occasion.
This year, total 44 Awards have been presented in the National Sports and Adventure Awards, 2022. Most of the athletes who have received the awards have been supported by the Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs; and Sports Authority of India, the Target Olympic Podium Scheme and the Khelo India Scheme since many months. Legendary Table Tennis player Sharath Kamal is the sole recipient of the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award this year.
Sharath has been a part of the TOP scheme since December 2018 and has been imparted the best of infrastructural and equipment training. This year 25 athletes across the Olympic sports, Paralympic sports and Deaflympics sports have received the Arjuna Awards. The Government of India’s flagship Khelo India Scheme has also played a crucial role in giving exposure to these talented youngsters from the scratch to the elite level. Other awards given out in the evening include the Dronacharya Award, Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games, the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar, the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad trophy as well as the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award.
