Master10
Awards & Honours Module

Science & Sports Awards

India recognizes scientific breakthroughs and athletic excellence through specialized national distinctions. In science, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Prize for Science and Technology, instituted in 1958 by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), is awarded annually to Indian scientists under 45 years across seven disciplines: Biological, Chemical, Earth, Engineering, Mathematical, Medical, and Physical Sciences. In sports, the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award (instituted in 1991–92, formerly Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna) is India's highest sporting honour, first awarded to chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand. The Arjuna Award, founded in 1961, recognizes sustained international sports performance, while the Dronacharya Award (instituted in 1985) honors excellence in sports coaching, and the Dhyan Chand Award (2002) recognizes lifetime achievement in sports development.

Key Concepts & Examination Highlights

  • The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize was instituted in 1958 by CSIR for outstanding Indian researchers under the age of 45.
  • Viswanathan Anand was the inaugural recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (now Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna) in 1991–92.
  • The Arjuna Award was instituted in 1961 to recognize consistent outstanding performance in international sports over four years.
  • The Dronacharya Award was established in 1985 to honor elite coaches; wrestling coach Bhalchandra Bhaskar Bhagwat was among the first winners.
  • Karnam Malleswari was the first woman athlete to receive the Khel Ratna Award in 1994–95.
  • The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize is awarded annually across seven scientific disciplines: Biological, Chemical, Earth/Atmosphere, Engineering, Mathematical, Medical, and Physical Sciences.
  • The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna is the highest sporting honor in India, renamed from the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in August 2021.
  • The Dronacharya Award is presented in two categories: Regular Category and Lifetime Category, with a bronze statuette of Guru Dronacharya.
  • The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar was introduced in 2009 to recognize corporate and private entities contributing to sports promotion and development.
  • The Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy, instituted in 1956–57, is awarded annually to the top-performing university in inter-university sports tournaments.
  • Abhinav Bindra received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2001–02, becoming the youngest individual recipient at age 18.
  • The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize is named after the founder-director of CSIR, Sir Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar, and carries a citation, plaque, and cash prize of ₹5 lakh.
  • In August 2023, the Government of India introduced the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar to unify science awards into four categories: Vigyan Ratna, Vigyan Shri, Vigyan Yuva-SSB, and Vigyan Team.
  • The Vigyan Ratna recognizes lifetime achievements and contributions made in any field of science and technology.
  • The Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award recognizes scientists up to the age of 45 years who have made exceptional contributions in science and technology.
  • The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna carries a medallion, certificate, and a cash award of ₹25 lakh, presented annually on National Sports Day (29 August).
  • The Arjuna Award carries a bronze statuette of Arjuna, a scroll, ceremonial dress, and a cash award of ₹15 lakh.
  • The Dronacharya Award in the Regular category carries a bronze statuette of Dronacharya and a cash prize of ₹15 lakh.
  • The Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games was instituted in 2002 to honor veterans who have contributed to sports promotion even after retirement.
  • The Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award is India's highest national recognition for adventure sports across land, sea, and air, equivalent to the Arjuna Award.
  • The first recipients of the Dronacharya Award in 1985 were wrestling coach B.B. Bhagwat, athletics coach O.M. Nambiar (coach of P.T. Usha), and boxing coach Om Prakash Bhardwaj.
  • Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy were jointly awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna for 2023 for their exceptional achievements in international badminton.
  • The Abel Prize is awarded annually by the King of Norway to outstanding mathematicians, modeled after the Nobel Prize and named after Niels Henrik Abel.
  • The Fields Medal is awarded every four years by the International Mathematical Union (IMU) to mathematicians under 40 years of age at the International Congress of Mathematicians.
  • Manjul Bhargava and Akshay Venkatesh are mathematicians of Indian origin who have received the prestigious Fields Medal (Bhargava in 2014 and Venkatesh in 2018).
  • The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Prize for Science and Technology was instituted in 1958 by CSIR in honor of its founder-director, Dr. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar.
  • The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize is awarded annually to Indian scientists under 45 years of age across seven scientific disciplines: Biological, Chemical, Earth/Planetary, Engineering, Mathematical, Medical, and Physical Sciences.
  • K.S. Krishnan was the first recipient of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in Physical Sciences in 1958.
  • The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award (formerly Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna) is India's highest sporting honor, instituted in 1991-92.
  • Chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand was the first recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1991-92.
  • Karnam Malleswari was the first female sportsperson to receive the Khel Ratna Award in 1994-95 after winning bronze in weightlifting.
  • The Khel Ratna Award carries a medallion, a certificate, and a cash prize of ₹25 lakh (revised in 2020).
  • The Arjuna Award was instituted in 1961 by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to recognize outstanding performance in sports and games over four years, carrying a bronze statuette of Arjuna and ₹15 lakh.
  • The Dronacharya Award was instituted in 1985 to honor eminent sports coaches, with O.M. Nambiar (athletics), Om Prakash Bhardwaj (boxing), and Bhalchandra Bhaskar Bhagwat (wrestling) being the inaugural recipients.
  • The Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games was instituted in 2002 to honor sportspersons who contributed to sports promotion after retirement.
  • The Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy was instituted in 1956-57 as a running trophy awarded annually to the overall top-performing university in inter-university tournaments.
  • Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, has won the prestigious MAKA Trophy the most number of times in Indian sports history.
  • The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar was introduced in 2009 to recognize corporate entities, sports control boards, and NGOs contributing to sports development and talent identification.
  • The Fields Medal is awarded every four years by the International Mathematical Union (IMU) to mathematicians under 40 years of age, often considered the Nobel Prize of mathematics.
  • Manjul Bhargava (2014) and Akshay Venkatesh (2018) are mathematicians of Indian origin who have been awarded the prestigious Fields Medal.
  • The Abel Prize was established by the Government of Norway in 2001 to recognize extraordinary lifetime contributions to mathematics, first awarded to Jean-Pierre Serre in 2003.
  • S.R. Srinivasa Varadhan won the Abel Prize in 2007 for his fundamental contributions to probability theory and large deviations.
  • The Turing Award (A.M. Turing Award) is the highest annual distinction in computer science, presented by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) since 1966.
  • Raj Reddy became the first person of Indian origin to win the Turing Award in 1994 (jointly with Edward Feigenbaum) for pioneering artificial intelligence systems.
  • The G.D. Birla Award for Scientific Research was instituted in 1991 by the K.K. Birla Foundation for outstanding research by Indian scientists living and working in India under 50 years.
  • The Infosys Prize is awarded annually by the Infosys Science Foundation across six categories to recognize stellar research and scholarship in contemporary India.
  • The Laureus World Sports Awards were established in 1999 to honor remarkable individual and team athletic achievements, presenting the Laureus Statuette by Cartier.
  • Sachin Tendulkar won the Laureus Sporting Moment Award (2000-2020) for being carried on the shoulders of teammates after India's 2011 Cricket World Cup victory.
  • The Pritzker Architecture Prize was founded in 1979 by Jay A. Pritzker and is considered the highest international honor in architecture.
  • Balkrishna Doshi became the first Indian architect to be conferred the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2018.
Curriculum & Reference Sources: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS)

Sample Solved Questions & Concept Explanations

8 Verified Concept Questions
Q1.EASY

What is India's highest sporting honor, named after the legendary hockey wizard?

Q2.EASY

Which award is presented annually to outstanding coaches and trainers in Indian sports?

Q3.EASY

Who was the first Indian sports personality to be awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 1991–92?

Q4.MEDIUM

The 'Dronacharya Award' (Lifetime Category) confers what cash prize amount along with a bronze statuette of Dronacharya?

Q5.EASY

What is India's highest sporting honour, renamed in August 2021 to honour the legendary field hockey wizard?

Q6.EASY

What is India's premier annual award given to outstanding coaches in sports and games, instituted in 1985?

Q7.EASY

What is India's highest award for scientific research, presented annually by CSIR to scientists under 45 years of age across seven disciplines?

Q8.EASY

Who was the first cricketer to be awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (now Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna) Award in 1997–98?