Making a big announcement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced to confer the Khel Ratna award in the name of Major Dhyan Chand. Earlier it was known as Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.

New Delhi: In a big announcement today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award has been renamed as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. PM Modi tweeted that respecting the sentiments of citizens across the country, this award will now be known as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The Khel Ratna Award is the highest sporting honor of the country.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that I am getting many requests from citizens across India to name the Khel Ratna Award after Major Dhyan Chand. I thank him for his thoughts. Honoring his spirit, the Khel Ratna Award will be called Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. Jai Hind!

Khel Ratna Award was instituted in 1991-1992. This award is given to the players who have performed well in various sports. For the first time, this highest award was received by chess legend Viswanathan Anand. Other players honored with this award are Leander Paes, Sachin Tendulkar, Dhanraj Pillay, Pullela Gopichand, Abhinav Bindra, Anju Bobby George, Mary Kom, and Rani Rampal.

There was a ruckus between the BJP-Congress several times over the name change.

The Congress, which came to power in 2014, continued to attack the BJP for the practice of changing the name. Whether it is about changing the names of stations or stadiums, the Congress did not like this move of the government. There was also a controversy when the Ahmedabad cricket stadium was named after Narendra Modi. While the Modi government removed Indira Gandhi's name from the scheme of giving houses to the poor, Congress had protested even then.


In 2020 itself, the name of Rajiv Gandhi was removed by the Modi government.


The Narendra Modi government had removed Rajiv Gandhi's name from the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2020 itself. In 2020, the current women's hockey team captain Rani Rampal was given this award in the name of Khel Ratna only. Now this award will be known as Major Dhyan Chandra Khel Ratna Award. Sports personalities have welcomed this decision of the Modi government. On the other hand, opposition parties have objected to this change.


Know what the celebrities of the sports world have to say


Sports personalities have welcomed the decision of the Modi government. Sports Minister Anurag Thakur tweeted that Major Dhyan Chand gave a new identity to India on the world stage with his extraordinary game and became an inspiration to countless sportspersons. Former cricketer Gautam Gambhir, Olympic medalist wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, former Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, and many people associated with the game, strongly praised this move of the Modi government. On the other hand, Congress, some opposition parties, and players did not like this decision. Olympic medalist boxer Vijender Singh wrote on Twitter that brother can only change this name, in a few days India will also be renamed America.