UPSC Prelims 2023 Q95: National Sports Awards — Explained

Consider the following pairs with regard to sports awards:

1. Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award : For the most spectacular and outstanding performance by a sportsperson over period of last four years

2. Arjuna Award : For the lifetime achievement by a sportsperson

3. Dronacharya Award : To honour eminent coaches who have successfully trained sportspersons or teams

4. Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar : To recognize the contribution made by sportspersons even after their retirement

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

  1. Only one
  2. Only two
  3. Only three
  4. All four

Answer: (b) Only two

Statement-wise explanation

  • 1: correct — The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is India's highest sporting honour. The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports gives it for the most spectacular and outstanding performance in sport by a sportsperson over the previous four years. That is the description in the pair, so it is correctly matched.
  • 2: incorrect — The Arjuna Award is for good performance over the previous four years, together with leadership, sportsmanship and discipline. It is not a lifetime award. At the time of the 2023 exam, lifetime achievement was honoured by a separate award: the Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games.
  • 3: correct — The Dronacharya Award goes to coaches. It honours coaches who have done outstanding and meritorious work on a consistent basis and helped sportspersons or teams excel in international events. The pair describes this correctly.
  • 4: incorrect — The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar was started in 2009. It is given to entities, not retired sportspersons: corporates in the public and private sectors, sports control boards, NGOs, and sports bodies that have played a visible role in promoting and developing sport. It has four categories, such as nurturing young talent and supporting sport through CSR. The 'contribution after retirement' description belongs to the Dhyan Chand lifetime award, so this pair is wrong.

How to eliminate

Partial elimination is possible. Pair 3 is safe from the name alone: Dronacharya was Arjuna's teacher, so the award is for coaches. Pair 2 should look suspicious. Arjuna is the student and performer, not the elder, and India had a separate lifetime award named after Dhyan Chand. Pair 4 has a clue in its name: 'Protsahan' means encouragement or promotion, which points to bodies that promote sport, not to individual athletes after retirement. That leaves pair 1. Its wording ('most spectacular and outstanding performance over the last four years') is close to the official criterion. If you accept pairs 1 and 3 and reject pairs 2 and 4, the count is two. Fact to remember: only the lifetime award (Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement until 2023) honours contribution after retirement. The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar goes to organisations.

Know more

National Sports Awards are given each year by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports. The President presents them at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The 2022 awards were presented on 30 November 2022, and Sharath Kamal (table tennis) received the Khel Ratna.

Award Started Who gets it Basis
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna 1991–92 Sportsperson Most outstanding performance over the previous 4 years
Arjuna Award 1961 Sportsperson Good performance over 4 years, plus leadership, sportsmanship and discipline
Dronacharya Award 1985 Coach Consistent outstanding coaching that produces international results (regular and lifetime categories)
Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement 2002 Retired sportsperson Past performance and continued promotion of sport after retirement
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar 2009 Corporates, PSUs, NGOs, sports bodies Promoting and developing sport
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 1956–57 University Best overall performance in inter-university sport

Facts that are often tested

  • The Khel Ratna was renamed in August 2021, from the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna to the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna.
  • In 2024 the ministry replaced the Dhyan Chand lifetime award with an Arjuna Award (Lifetime). Read new questions carefully: the regular Arjuna Award is still a four-year performance award.
  • The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar has four categories:
  • identification and nurturing of budding or young talent
  • encouragement to sports through CSR
  • employment of sportspersons and sports welfare measures

  • sports for development

  • National Sports Day is 29 August, Major Dhyan Chand's birthday.

In the news

The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports announced the National Sports Awards 2022 in November 2022, a few months before the exam. Sharath Kamal received the Khel Ratna, and the President presented the awards on 30 November 2022. The Khel Ratna's 2021 renaming after Major Dhyan Chand had also kept these awards in the news.