Kohli, Chanu conferred Khel Ratna; Neeraj, Hima get Arjuna award
New Delhi, Sep 25: Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and world champion weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu were conferred with the country's highest sporting honour -- Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award -- by President Ram Nath Kovind at the annual National Sports Awards ceremony here on Tuesday.
This year's award ceremony was postponed to September 25 from the usual August 29 National Sports Day event due to the clash of dates with the Asian Games in Indonesia.
The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award is given for a 'spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of four years'. Both Kohli and Chanu received a medal, a citation and a cash prize of Rs 7 lakh.
Besides the Khel Ratna, star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, sprinter Hima Das, table tennis star Manika Batra were among the 20 recipients of the prestigious Arjuna award.
The other Arjuna awardees were long distance runner Jinson Johnson, shuttler N.Sikki Reddy, boxer Satish Kumar, woman cricketer Smriti Mandhana, golfer Shubhankar Sharma, hockey stars Manpreet Singh and Savita Punia, Col. Ravi Rathore (Polo), shooters Rahi Sarnobat, Ankur Mittal, Shreyasi Singh, paddler G. Sathiyan, tennis player Rohan Bopanna, wrestler Sumit, Pooja Kadian (Wushu).
Para athlete Ankur Dhama and para shuttler Manoj Sarkar were also conferred with the Arjuna award, that included statuettes, certificates and a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh each.
The President also gave away the Dronacharya awards to C.A. Kuttappa (Boxing), Vijay Sharma (Weightlifting), A. Srinivasa Rao (Table Tennis), Sukhdev Singh Pannu (Athletics).
Among the Dronacharya awardees for lifetime achievement were Clarence Lobo (Hockey), Tarak Sinha (Cricket), Jiwan Kumar Sharma (Judo) and V.R. Beedu (Athletics). The Dronacharya awardees were also given statuettes, certificates and a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh each.
The Dhyan Chand award, that also includes statuettes, certificates and a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh each were given to Satyadev Prasad (Archery), Bharat Kumar Chhetri (Hockey), Bobby Aloysius (Athletics) and Chougule Dadu Dattatray (Wrestling).
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China urges India to join forces against U.S. tariffs amid growing trade tensions
New Delhi: The Chinese Embassy in India has called for solidarity between China and India in the face of escalating trade tensions triggered by the United States’ recent tariff hike.
On 8 April 2025, Yu Jing, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy, highlighted the mutual benefits of China-India trade ties and encouraged both nations to work together to address the challenges posed by the U.S. administration’s tariff policy.
On 2 April 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 10% baseline tariff on all imports, with higher rates for selected countries. As a result, China now faces a cumulative tariff of 54% on its exports to the U.S., while India is subject to a 26% tariff. The move, intended to address trade imbalances, has caused ripples across the global economy.
In response, China has announced a 34% tariff on all U.S. goods, effective from 10 April 2025. President Trump has warned of an additional 50% tariff on Chinese imports unless Beijing retracts its retaliatory measures.
The embassy’s appeal for unity comes as Beijing seeks to build alliances amid increasing trade friction with Washington. However, experts remain sceptical about the possibility of deeper China-India cooperation due to longstanding political and strategic differences between the two neighbours.
