Hockey stars Dharamvir, Manpreet, Savita recommended for Arjuna
New Delhi, May 3: Experienced midfielder Dharamvir Singh, Manpreet Singh and Indian womens team goalkeeper Savita have been recommended for the Arjuna Award while Sanggai Ibemhal Chanu and former mens captain Bharat Chetri have been recommended for the Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement, Hockey India announced on Thursday
Commenting on the recommendations, Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad, Secretary General of Hockey India, said: "We are happy to endorse these hockey players who have immensely contributed to Indian hockey.
"They have proven their worth with significant performances that has elevated the Indian team to new heights. They have donned the India colours with pride and have given it their all to help the team win several accolades within the country and internationally.
"We at Hockey India are proud of their achievements and are happy to recommend their names for the National awards," he added.
Dharamvir Singh from Punjab formed the midfield in the Indian team and was part of the Gold Medal feat at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
Manpreet Singh captained the Indian squad in the absence of P.R. Sreejesh who was injured last year.
Manpreet was part of the Asia Cup success where India beat Malaysia to lift the title. He also led the Indian Team to a bronze medal at the Odisha Men's Hockey World League Final Bhubaneswar 2017.
Indian women goalkeeper Savita has been a trusted guard in the Indian post over the past few years.
The 27-year-old from Haryana was instrumental in India's historic Asia Cup win last year where she made a stunning save in the penalty shootout that helped India beat higher ranked China in the Final.
Her performance was critical in helping India qualify for the World Cup as Continental Champions after a gap of 13 years.
Former India player Sanggai Ibemhal Chanu, recommended for the Lifetime Achievement Award, was part of the women's team that won the 2002 Commonwealth Games Gold in Manchester followed by a Silver Medal in 2006 in Melbourne.
She also significantly contributed to the team's success at the 2014 Asia Cup here where the team lifted the trophy in front of a home crowd.
Retired senior hockey coach B.S. Chauhan, recommended for the Dronacharya Award, has long served hockey as coach at the Sports Authority of India, Bengaluru.
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Sharad Pawar praised RSS after seeing how it burst fake narrative balloon of LS polls: Fadnavis
Nagpur, Jan 10: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar praised the RSS after realising how the outfit managed to overcome the fake narrative spread by the opposition in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The opposition had claimed BJP wanted to win 400 seats to change the Constitution and end reservations, a narrative which BJP leaders later claimed hit the party hard.
On Pawar praising the RSS recently, the CM said the MVA was successful in creating a fake narrative during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
"When assembly polls were approaching, many people from diverse fields who are inspired by the RSS played their role and burst the balloon of this fake narrative. Sharad Pawar saheb is very intelligent. He would have certainly studied this aspect. He realised that this (RSS) is not a regular political power but a nationalist power. In any competition it is good to praise others," he added.
That is why Pawar may have praised the RSS, Fadnavis said.
Speaking at an interaction with senior editor Vivek Ghalsasi at Late Vilasji Fadnis Jivhala programme here, Fadnavis also said he had asked for organisational work when Eknath Shinde was made chief minister in June 2022, but senior leaders asked him to join the government.
He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him not to behave like an extra-constitutional authority in the government.
He said the decision to become deputy chief minister on the command of the party leadership earned him a lot of praise from the cadre.
After the massive mandate the ruling alliance received in the 2024 assembly polls, Fadnavis said people and party workers would not have been happy if the CM was not from the BJP.
Shinde himself agreed within minutes that the CM must be from the BJP, which itself got 132 seats and was close to a majority of its own in the 288-member assembly, he added.
On Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray meeting him during the winter sessions of the legislature in Nagpur, Fadnavis said he had announced he would not indulge in politics of revenge after becoming CM and all leaders responded positively to it.
On chances of the NCP (SP) and NCP coming closer or reuniting, Fadnavis said, "If you see the developments that took place from 2019 to 2024, I realised never say never and anything can happen. Uddhav Thackeray goes to some other party and Ajit Pawar comes to us. In politics anything can happen though I am not saying this should happen."
He praised BJP leader Arun Gujarati from whom he learnt patience, which he claimed was an important quality in politics along with the ability to take criticism.
In a lighter vein, he said, "I only get angry when I am hungry. If you see me angry then give me something to eat and my anger will go away."
