New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced that the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award will now be known as the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, "respecting the sentiments of citizens across the country".
"I have been getting many requests from citizens across India to name the Khel Ratna Award after Major Dhyan Chand. I thank them for their views. Respecting their sentiment, the Khel Ratna Award will hereby be called the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award! Jai Hind!," the prime minister tweeted.
"Major Dhyan Chand was among India's foremost sportspersons who brought honour and pride for India. It is fitting that our nation's highest sporting honour will be named after him," he said.
The exceptional performance of the men's and women's Hockey Team has captured the imagination of our entire nation, the prime minister said, adding that there is a renewed interest towards the sport that is emerging across the length and breadth of India.
This is a very positive sign for the coming times, he said.
The Khel Ratna award is the highest sporting honour in the nation. The now renamed Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award comes with a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh.
The Khel Ratna award was instituted in 1991-1992 and the first recipient was Chess legend Viswanathan Anand. Among the other winners were Leander Paes, Sachin Tendulkar, Dhanraj Pillay, Pullela Gopichand, Abhinav Bindra, Anju Bobby George, Mary Kom and Rani Rampal in 2020.
