Wrestler Bajrang Punia nominated for Khel Ratna award, says he deserved it
New Delhi, Aug 16: Asian and Commonwealth Games gold-medallist wrestler Bajrang Punia was on Friday nominated for the country's highest sporting honour the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, a year after he threatened to move court for not getting his due.
His name was finalised by a 12-member selection committee on the opening day of a two-day meeting. The panel comprises the likes of Bhaichung Bhutia and M C Mary Kom among others and is headed by Justice (Retd) Mukundakam Sharma.
"Bajrang has been nominated for the Khel Ratna award. His name was a unanimous choice," a source close to the development said.
The source also said that the panel may add another athlete for the top honours on Saturday besides finalising the names for the Arjuna and Dronacharya awards.
Bajrang had threatened to move court after he was snubbed for the Khel Ratna award last year despite being a gold-medallist in both the Asian and Commonwealth Games.
On getting the nod on Friday, Bajrang asserted that he is a deserving candidate of the award.
"My job is to train hard and compete hard. My focus has always been on my performance and not awards. But the recognition does come your way when you do well," Bajrang told PTI from Georgia, where he is training for the World Championships.
"I had the achievements to deserve this award. I have always said that awards should go to the most deserving ones."
Bajrang had last year won the gold medal in the 65-kg freestyle event at the Asian Games held in Jakarta.
He had also won the gold medal in the same category at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Besides, he is a two-time medalist at the world championships and a strong medal hope for India at next year's Tokyo Olympics.
While Bajrang won a bronze in 60kg in 2013 World Championships, he bettered his feat last year by bagging a silver in the 65kg category.
He welcomed the recognition, but Bajrang said he doesn't consider it a motivation ahead of the the World Championships to be held from September 14 to 22 at Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.
"My focus has always been on preparing for the big stage but yes, recognition makes you happy. It is certainly a good news weeks before the World Championship," he said.
"I don't need motivation from outside, I am motivated to do well at the World Championships in Kazakhstan. It (award) does not make any difference to my preparations. Putting on quality performance is my focus and it will remain."
Bajrang is only the fourth wrestler to be finalised for the Khel Ratna award after Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt and Sakshi Malik.
The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award is the highest sporting honour of the country and comprises a medallion, a certificate, and a cash prize of Rs 7.5 lakh.
It is a part of National Sports Awards bestowed on the occasion of National Sports Day by the President of India at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
The National Sports Day is celebrated on August 29 every year to commemorate the birthday anniversary of hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand.
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Pune accident: Porsche car's registration was pending since March due to non-payment of Rs 1,758 fee
Mumbai, May 21: The permanent registration of the luxury Porsche car involved in the accident in which two IT professionals were fatally knocked down by in Pune city was pending since March due to non-payment of Rs 1,758 fees by the owner, top officials of the Maharashtra transport department said on Tuesday.
The electric luxury sports sedan - Porsche Taycan - was being driven allegedly by a prominent builder's 17-year-old son, who the police claim was drunk at the time of the accident that took place in Kalyani Nagar area in the early hours of Sunday.
Maharashtra Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar told PTI that the Porsche car was imported in March by a dealer in Bengaluru and from there it was sent to Maharashtra on a temporary registration.
"When it was produced at the Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO), it was found that a certain registration fee was not paid and the owner was asked to pay the amount for completion of the procedure. However, the vehicle was not brought to the RTO for the completion of the registration process after that," he said.
According to officials, road tax is exempted for electric vehicles registered in Maharashtra, and hence for the registration of this Porsche Taycan model, the registration fees that were applicable were only Rs 1,758 with the break-up of Rs 1,500 hypothecation fees, Rs 200 smart card RC fees and Rs 58 postal charges.
Interestingly, as per Porsche India's website, the ex-showroom price of the vehicle manufacturer's various cars starts at Rs 96 lakh and goes over Rs 1.86 crore. Though the price of the Porsche Taycan model is not given on the website, transport department sources said that it could be in crores.
The officials said that as per their records, the vehicle had a valid temporary registration certificate issued by Karnataka with a validity of six months from March to September 2024.
They said that the Porsche dealer in Bengaluru was not at fault as he had handed over the car after doing the temporary registration. Hence, it was the responsibility of the owner to get it registered at the RTO before plying it on the roads. During the temporary registration period, the vehicles can only be used to drive to and from the RTO.
Bhimanwar said that the teenage boy, who was said to be driving the car, will be barred from getting a driving licence until he turns 25 years of age, and the luxury car will also not be allowed to register at any RTO office for 12 months as its existing temporary registration will be cancelled as per the provisions in the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act.
Under the sub-sections of Section 199A (offenses by juveniles) of the MV Act, the transport authorities can take this action.
Bhimanwar said that their department is going to take stringent action in this case and the Pune RTO has been asked to register the police complaint for violation of provisions in the MV Act
"Whatever violations related to the Motor Vehicles Act happened in the issue, those will be registered in the FIR," Bhimanwar said, adding that they will also invoke the procedure for cancellation of the temporary registration of the vehicle as per the provisions in the act.
"The vehicle will be impounded for 12 months," another top official of the transport department said, adding that there is gross negligence in this case as the vehicle was driven at a speed over 160 kmph, allegedly in an inebriated state as per media reports.
The official said that there are several violations in this case, including driving the vehicle without a driving licence and without its registration, among others.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in a press conference in Pune this evening that the car was purchased in Bengaluru and was brought here.
"As per the primary information, the RTI had carried out its inspection but the tax which was required to be paid was not paid. If there is any violation regarding that, a separate FIR will be registered," he said.
