Altogether 74 sportspersons, coaches and institutions were selected for the honours – including an unprecedented five names for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and 27 for the Arjuna Award – more than double the usual number. “This is the first awards ceremony in COVID times during which the President has participated,” Rijiju said. The prize money for the Khel Ratna was increased to Rs 25 lakh from Rs 7.5 lakh while Arjuna awardees, who got Rs 5 lakh last year, received Rs 15 lakh this time. Among the Khel Ratna awardees, table tennis player Manika Batra attended from Pune, women’s hockey captain Rani Rampal and Paralympic gold medallist Mariyappan Thangavelu were at the SAI centre in Bengaluru. Among those receiving the Arjuna Award on Saturday were star sprinter Dutee Chand, woman cricketer Deepti Sharma, archer Atanu Das and men’s hockey team forward Akashdeep Singh.

Source: Indian Express August 29, 2020 19:41 UTC