Who is the para-canoe athlete from Madhya Pradesh who was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2023?
- (a)Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar
- (b)Pukhrambam Sushila Chanu
- (c)Prachi Yadav
- (d)Shivendra Singh
Correct — C, Prachi Yadav. The para-canoeist from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, was conferred the Arjuna Award in 2023 for her achievements in para-canoeing. She had earlier represented India at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, and went on to become the first Indian to secure a Paris 2024 Paralympics quota in para-canoeing (via a 4th-place finish at the ICF Sprint and Para-Canoe World Championships), where she reached the KL1 Final A.
- (a)Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar — A rifle shooter from Khargone, Madhya Pradesh, also awarded the Arjuna Award in 2023 (for shooting medals, including at the Asian Games 2023) — but for shooting, not para-canoeing.
- (b)Pukhrambam Sushila Chanu — A field hockey player from Manipur (not Madhya Pradesh), also given the Arjuna Award in 2023 — for hockey, not para-canoeing.
- (d)Shivendra Singh — An Olympian hockey player from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, now a coach with the Indian men's hockey team — not a para-canoeist and not the 2023 Arjuna Award recipient this question asks about.
The Arjuna Award, India's second-highest sporting honour after the Khel Ratna, recognises consistent excellence in a sport over recent years. Prachi Yadav's 2023 Arjuna Award recognised her as a pioneer of Indian para-canoeing — a Paralympic sport in which India had minimal prior representation.
MPPSC pairs 'Madhya Pradesh + Arjuna Award 2023' with other genuine MP-origin or same-year Arjuna awardees from different sports, so simply knowing 'this person is from MP and won an Arjuna Award in 2023' is not enough — the sport (para-canoeing) must be matched too.
- Prachi Yadav (born 29 May 1995, Gwalior, MP) is a pioneering Indian para-canoeist.
- She competed at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and later the Paris 2024 Paralympics (KL1 category, reaching Final A).
- She became the first Indian to secure a Paralympic quota in para-canoeing, via the ICF Sprint and Para-Canoe World Championships.
- Conferred the Arjuna Award in 2023 for her para-canoeing achievements.
- Picking a fellow 2023 Arjuna awardee from Madhya Pradesh (Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar) without checking the specific sport asked.
- Confusing 'para-canoe' with able-bodied canoe/kayak sport.
MPPSC likes 'MP-origin sportsperson + specific award + specific sport' questions — match the person, the sport and the year precisely; 'MP + Arjuna Award 2023' alone is not enough to identify the answer.
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
Same underlying concept — the exact purpose/criteria of India's national sports awards, including the Arjuna Award named in this question — tested via the correct-pairing format.
- practice — not a real PYQ
In which para-sport discipline does Prachi Yadav, the 2023 Arjuna Award winner from Madhya Pradesh, compete?
- (a)Para-athletics
- (b)Para-canoeing
- (c)Para-badminton
- (d)Para-swimming
Answer(b) Para-canoeing.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Prachi Yadav made history by becoming the first Indian to secure a Paralympic quota, ahead of the 2024 Paris Games, in which sport?
- (a)Para-canoeing
- (b)Para-archery
- (c)Para-shooting
- (d)Para-athletics
Answer(a) Para-canoeing.