Hours before the ceremony, the death of former athletics coach Purushotham Rai, 79, who was to receive the Dronacharya (lifetime) award in Bengaluru, came as a shock. “I am very excited to be awarded the Khel Ratna,” said Rampal, who became the first woman hockey player to receive the nation’s highest sporting honour. Besides five Khel Ratnas, there were 27 Arjuna Award recipients. The prize money for the Khel Ratna has been increased to Rs 25 lakh from Rs 7.5 lakh, while the Arjuna awardees will receive Rs 15 lakh from the earlier Rs 5 lakh. The Dronacharya (Lifetime) awardees, who were earlier given Rs 5 lakh will now get Rs 15 lakh, while Dronacharya (Regular) will get Rs10 lakh instead of Rs5 lakh.

Source: Hindustan Times August 29, 2020 15:34 UTC