Modi govt renames Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna after Dhyan Chand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced that the Khel Ratna award would be renamed after hockey legend major Dhyan Chand.

The Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting honour, had been originally named after former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Announcing the decision on Twitter, Modi wrote, "I have been getting many requests from citizens across India to name the Khel Ratna Award after Major Dhyan Chand. I thank them for their views.

Respecting their sentiment, the Khel Ratna Award will hereby be called the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award!"

Elaborating on the legacy of Dhyan Chand, Modi wrote, "Major Dhyan Chand was among India’s foremost sportspersons who brought honour and pride for India. It is fitting that our nation’s highest sporting honour will be named after him."

Interestingly, Modi made the announcement after tweeting about the "exceptional" performance of the men's and women's hockey teams at the Olympics.

Modi tweeted, "The exceptional performance of the Men’s and Women’s Hockey Team has captured the imagination of our entire nation. There is a renewed interest towards Hockey that is emerging across the length and breadth of India. This is a very positive sign for the coming times."

The Khel Ratna was instituted in 1991-1992 after Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991. The first recipients of the Khel Ratna were chess maestro Viswanathan Anand and billiards champion Geet Sethi.

Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju tweeted, "Thank you PM @narendramodi ji for always honouring & celebrating our true heroes. Our nation’s highest sporting award will hereby be called the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award! A fitting tribute to honour the legend and Indian Sports. Jai Hind."