Who among the following were awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2024? 1. Shri Gukesh D 2. Shri Harmanpreet Singh 3. Shri Praveen Kumar 4. Ms. Manu Bhaker Select the answer using the code given below:
- (a)1, 2, 3 and 4
- (b)1 and 4 only
- (c)1, 2 and 4 only
- (d)2 and 3 only
Correct — A, 1, 2, 3 and 4. All four sportspersons named in the item received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award for 2024, announced on 2 January 2025 and conferred at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 17 January. Each name carries its own reason. Gukesh D became world chess champion in December 2024, at eighteen the youngest ever to hold the title. Harmanpreet Singh captained the men's hockey team to bronze at the Paris Olympics. Praveen Kumar won gold in the men's high jump T64 at the Paris Paralympics. Manu Bhaker won two bronze medals in shooting at the same Olympics, the first Indian to take two medals at a single Games since independence. Read together they cover an Olympic sport, a team sport, a Paralympic sport and a mind sport — which is why an 'all of them' answer is right here even though such options are usually the trap. The award itself carries Rs 25 lakh; it was instituted in 1991-92 as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and renamed after Major Dhyan Chand on 6 August 2021.
- (b)1 and 4 only — Keeps the two individual Olympic and world-title winners and drops the hockey captain and the para athlete, both of whom were on the same list.
- (c)1, 2 and 4 only — The most tempting wrong code, because it drops only Praveen Kumar. Para athletes are as eligible as any other sportsperson and have won the award repeatedly — Deepa Malik in 2019, Avani Lekhara in 2021.
- (d)2 and 3 only — Drops both the world chess champion and the double Olympic medallist, which is the hardest combination to defend.
The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna is India's highest sporting honour, given for the most outstanding performance by a sportsperson over the preceding four years. It was instituted in 1991-92 as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and renamed on 6 August 2021, days after India's Tokyo Olympics campaign. The other national sports awards run alongside it: the Arjuna Award for consistent outstanding performance, the Dronacharya Award for coaches, the Dhyan Chand Award for lifetime contribution and the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar for institutions that promote sport.
Awards lists are pure recall, so build them around the sporting year rather than around the announcement. The 2024 list is a Paris year list: two of the four are Paris Olympic medallists, one is a Paris Paralympic gold medallist, and the fourth is the world chess champion crowned that December. Once you see that, remembering the four is easier than remembering four unconnected names. The para-athlete slot is the one most often forgotten, and it should not be — the award has gone to para athletes several times. A note on the year label: these are the awards for 2024, announced and conferred in January 2025, so a question may date them either way.
- The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award for 2024 went to Gukesh D (chess), Harmanpreet Singh (hockey), Praveen Kumar (para athletics) and Manu Bhaker (shooting).
- The awards were announced on 2 January 2025 and conferred at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 17 January 2025.
- Gukesh became world chess champion in December 2024; Manu Bhaker won two bronzes at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
- Harmanpreet Singh captained India's men's hockey team to bronze at Paris 2024; Praveen Kumar won high jump T64 gold at the Paris Paralympics.
- The award was instituted in 1991-92 as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and renamed Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna on 6 August 2021; the cash component is Rs 25 lakh.
- Dropping the para athlete from an awards list; the Khel Ratna makes no such distinction.
- Reflexively rejecting the 'all four' option because such options are usually wrong.
- Mixing up the year of performance with the year of conferment — these are the 2024 awards, conferred in January 2025.
As a who-received-it list like this one, or as pairs matching each sports award to what it recognises.
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?
- (a) Only one
- (b) Only two
- (c) Only three
- (d) All four
Answer(b) Only two
The same award seen from the definition side. Knowing that the Khel Ratna rewards four years of performance, that lifetime contribution belongs to the Dhyan Chand Award and that the Protsahan Puraskar honours institutions settles both questions.
Who among the following were selected for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2019?
- (a) Vijay Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt
- (b) Sakshi Malik and Jitu Rai
- (c) Virat Kohli and Mirabai Chanu
- (d) Bajrang Punia and Deepa Malik
Answer(d) Bajrang Punia and Deepa Malik
The same question five years earlier, under the award's older name. Deepa Malik's presence on that list is the direct precedent for Praveen Kumar's on this one — para athletes have long been among the recipients.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is given for outstanding performance over a period of
- (a)One year
- (b)Two years
- (c)Four years
- (d)The sportsperson's whole career
Answer(c) Four years — the citation is for the most spectacular and outstanding performance over the preceding four years; lifetime contribution is recognised by the separate Dhyan Chand Award.
- practice — not a real PYQ
In which year was the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award renamed the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award?
- (a)2018
- (b)2020
- (c)2021
- (d)2023
Answer(c) 2021 — the renaming was announced on 6 August 2021, shortly after India's Tokyo Olympics campaign.