The Arjuna Award is given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the prize money for these awards for this year has been decided to be Rs.5 lakh
The Arjuna Award is usually given to sportspersons for their outstanding performance in their respective sports.
What is the Arjuna Award And What Is It Given For
The award got its name from Arjuna, which is a character from the epic book of Mahabharata. Arjuna was one of the Pandavas and was also a skilled archer. The award is usually given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports annually.
During 1991-92, before the arrival of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awards, the Arjuna award was considered as the country’s highest sporting honour.
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Arjuna Award Prize Money
This award comprises of a statuette, a certificate, ceremonial dress and the prize money decided for this year’s Arjuna Award is Rs.5 lakh would be given to the deserving winners.
There are certain conditions regarding the award being given. Firstly, an award won’t be made twice for the same person. Secondly, if a sportsperson has died, then that award would be given posthumously.
Deadline for sending Arjuna Award nominations
All the nominations for the Arjuna award should be submitted by June 21, by 5:00p.m. max. The nominations which are submitted after the deadline won’t be acknowledged. The Ministry will not be accountable for any kind of delay.
Because of the pandemic, there is no need to submit hard copies of the nomination. Submitting the scanned copies of the nominations, signed by the nominated player and the recommending authorities should be mailed to [email protected]. There is no need to attach newspaper clippings with the application forms.
Arjuna Award Nominees And Criteria
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports usually invites nominations for the awards from all national Sports Federation, which has been recognized by the Government of India, Indian Olympic Association and also from state governments by January/February every year. Since the sport of Cricket does not have any Sports Federation recognized by the Ministry, so the invitations are selected on the basis of nominations sent by BCCI.
Every agency is allowed to send a maximum of 3 nominations. The Sports Authority of India (SAI), sends the nominations for those unrecognized sports federations with a maximum of three sportspersons from each sports respectively, with Director General, SAI approval.
Eligibility criteria for Arjuna Award winners
In order to be eligible to win the award, a sportsperson shouldn’t just perform good in different international tournaments over the period of four years, but also show qualities such as leadership, sportsman and discipline. In an Olympic/Commonwealth/Asian games year, the sportspersons performance would be judged till the concluding matches of these events.
A sportsperson would be disqualified, if found guilty of using drugs/substance that have been banned by WADA and also depending on the sample submitted by National Anti Doping Agency.
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