Kohli, Mirabai named for Khel Ratna
New Delhi, Sep 20 : The Sports Ministry on Thursday approved the names of Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and ace weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu for the country's highest sporting honour -- Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna -- ard, which will be given away by President Ram Nath Kovind at a specially organised function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Tuesday.
Both Kohli and Chanu will be presented a cash prize of Rs 7.5 lakh each apart from a medal and a citation.
The ministry also released the names of 20 Arjuna awardees for the year which includes star woman cricketer Smriti Mandhana, sprinter Hima Das, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and table tennis star Manika Batra, among others.
Apart from these four, the others are Indian hockey stars Manpreet Singh and Savita Punia, long distance runner Jinson Johnson, shuttler N.Sikki Reddy, boxer Satish Kumar, golfer Shubhankar Sharma, Ravi Rathore (Polo), shooters Rahi Sarnobat, Ankur Mittal, Shreyasi Singh, paddler G.Sathiyan, tennis star Rohan Bopanna, wrestler Sumit and Pooja Kadian (Wushu).
Para athletes Ankur Dhama and Manoj Sarkar will also be awarded the Arjuna award, that includes a certificate and a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh each.
Among the winners of the Dronacharya awards are boxing coach Chenanda Achaiah Kuttappa, Vijay Sharma (Weightlifting), A. Srinivasa Rao (TT) and Sukhdev Singh Pannu (Athletics).
The ministry also named Clarence Lobo (Hockey), Tarak Sinha (Cricket), Jiwan Kumar Sharma (Judo) and V.R. Beedu (Athletics) for the Dronacharya Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Satyadev Prasad (Archery), Bharat Kumar Chetri (Hockey), Bobby Aloysius (Athletics) and Chougale Dadu Dattatray (Wrestling) have been named for the Dhyan Chand Award.
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Amravati Express train hits truck in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district; no injuries
Mumbai, Mar 14 (PTI): A speeding truck crashed into a level-crossing gate, got stuck on the railway tracks and was hit by an express train in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district on Friday morning, an official said.
No one was injured in the accident near Bodwad station around 4.30 am, which disrupted rail services on the route for about 6 hours, the official said.
He said the 12111 Amravati Express from Mumbai to Amravati was about to pass through the area when the truck driver lost control over the wheel and rammed the vehicle into a level-crossing gate.
The truck broke the barrier at the rail-road intersection and got stuck on the tracks. The driver alighted and was seeking help when the train hit the vehicle, the official said.
He said the alert loco pilot had spotted the truck on the tracks and slowed down, averting a much bigger accident.
The Central Railway's chief public relations officer Swapnil Nila said the truck had unauthorisedly crossed the track near Bodwad railway station in the Bhusawal division.
He said there were no injuries to the truck driver, cleaner, the railway staff and passengers.
The official said the accident disrupted the traffic, but the movement of trains has now been restored.
Officials from the railways, local police, Government Railway Police and Railway Protection Force rushed to the spot and launched an operation to clear the track.
According to officials, the truck got stuck to the train engine, which blocked rail traffic on the stretch for a few hours, and a gas cutter and earthmover were engaged to remove the truck from the tracks.
The track was cleared around 10.20 am, and the train left for the next station. A case is being registered, and a probe is underway, they said.
12111 Mumbai CSMT-Amravati SF Express reportedly hit a truck near Bodwad after Bhusawal at 4:30 AM today, stranding passengers for hours! #IndianRailways pic.twitter.com/uOJs3Axa3P
— Trains of India (@trainwalebhaiya) March 14, 2025
