Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna is one such gem, which is said to be the highest sports award given in India. The award is named after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. This award is given to honor the players on their victories, in which a medal, a citation, and Rs 7.5 lakh are given to the awardee.
Along with this, a free railway pass facility is also given to the awardee citizens. Through this, the winners of the R. G. Khel Ratna Award and Dhyan Chand Awardee can travel free of cost in first and second-class air-conditioned coaches in Rajdhani or Shatabdi trains.
If you also want to know about Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, then here you are being provided with detailed information about what is Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, who is given this award, the history of this award, prize amount of the award, and more.
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Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna is the highest honor given to sportspersons in India. This honor was started from 1991 to 1992. This award is given to make the players more enthusiastic about the game. That’s why Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna was started to bring appreciation and awareness in the field of sports. The players who are declared winners in the game are awarded the R. G. Khel Ratna award.
The Rajiv Gandhi Ratna Award is given to the players who have won the National Games with good performance. For example, Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia is the 9th wrestler from India to get a gold medal in Asian Games. He received this award in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Asian Games. Along with this, he was awarded a silver medal at the 2018 World Wrestling Championships.
Apart from this, Deepa Malik has become the first female para-athlete to receive the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. Along with this, he was also called in the Himalaya Car Rally. She is the first woman from India to participate in the Himalaya Car Rally.
Important Details About Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
| Year of establishment | 1991-92 |
| Prize money | 7,50,000 |
| First winner | Viswanathan Anand |
| Description | Highest sports award given in India |
Prize Amount of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
The winners of this award are awarded a medal, a certificate of honor, and a cash prize. Till the year 2004-05, players were given Rs 5,00,000/- in cash, but now players get Rs 7,50,000 in cash. The winner is awarded the R. G. Khel Ratna annually. Apart from this, the winners honored by the Government of India also get free railway pass facilities.
List of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award Recipients
| Year | Name of the recipient | Discipline |
| 1991–1992 | Vishwanathan Anand | Chess |
| 1992–1993 | Geet Sethi | Billiards |
| 1993–1994 | Homi Motivala | Yachting (Team event) |
| 1993–1994 | Pushpendra Kumar Garg | Yachting (Team event) |
| 1994–1995 | Karnam Malleshwari | Weightlifting |
| 1995–1996 | Nameirakpam Kunjarani | Weightlifting |
| 1996–1997 | Leander Paes | Tennis |
| 1997–1998 | Sachin Tendulkar | Cricket |
| 1998–1999 | Jyotirmai Sikdar | Athletics |
| 1999–2000 | Dhanraj Pillay | Hockey |
| 2000–2001 | Pullela Gopichand | Badminton |
| 2001 | Abhinav Bindra | Shooting |
| 2002 | K. M. Beenamol | Athletics |
| 2002 | Anjali Bhagwat | Shooting |
| 2003 | Anju Bobby George | Athletics |
| 2004 | Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore | Shooting |
| 2005 | Pankaj Advani | Billiards and Snooker |
| 2006 | Manavjit Singh Sandhu | Shooting |
| 2007 | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Cricket |
| 2009 | Mary Kom | Boxing |
| 2009 | Vijender Singh | Boxing |
| 2009 | Sushil Kumar | Freestyle wrestling |
| 2010 | Saina Nehwal | Badminton |
| 2011 | Gagan Narang | Shooting |
| 2012 | Vijay Kumar | Shooting |
| 2012 | Yogeshwar Dutt | Freestyle wrestling |
| 2013 | Ronjan Sodhi | Shooting |
| 2015 | Sania Mirza | Tennis |
| 2016 | P. V. Sindhu | Badminton |
| 2016 | Dipa Karmakar | Gymnastics |
| 2016 | Jitu Rai | Shooting |
| 2016 | Sakshi Malik | Freestyle wrestling |
| 2017 | Devendra Jhajaria | Paralympic javelin |
| 2017 | Sardara Singh | Hockey |
| 2018 | Saikhom Mirabai Chanu | Weightlifting |
| 2018 | Virat Kohli | Cricket |
| 2019 | Deepa Malik | Paralympic (shot put, javelin, others) |
| 2019 | Bajrang Punia | Freestyle wrestling |
| 2020 | Rohit Sharma | Cricket |
| 2020 | Mariyappan Thangavelu | Paralympic high jump |
| 2020 | Manika Batra | Table tennis |
| 2020 | Vinesh Phogat | Freestyle wrestling |
| 2020 | Rani Rampal | Hockey |
| 2021 | Neeraj Chopra | Athletics |
| 2021 | Ravi Kumar Dahiya | Freestyle wrestling |
| 2021 | Lovlina Borgohain | Boxing |
| 2021 | P. R. Sreejesh | Hockey |
| 2021 | Avani Lekhara | Paralympic shooting |
| 2021 | Sumit Antil | Para-athletics |
| 2021 | Pramod Bhagat | Para-badminton |
| 2021 | Krishna Nagar | Para-badminton |
| 2021 | Manish Narval | Paralympic shooting |
| 2021 | Mithali Raj | Cricket |
| 2021 | Sunil Chhetri | Football |
| 2021 | Manpreet Singh | Hockey |
Conclusion
Here we have provided you with complete information about Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna. It is the most respectable honor given to the sportsperson in India. If you have any questions related to this post, then you can feel free to ask us in the comments section. Keep visiting Janta Yojana to get more useful posts.