In a departure from yesteryear, the sports ministry has decided to form a single 12-member elite panel to decide on the various sports awards to b given away on National Sports Day on August 29.
The committee is being headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Mukundakam Sharma will also feature six-time World Championship gold medallist boxer MC Mary Kom, who is still actively participating at international level.
The committee will decide the names for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna, Dronacharya, Major Dhyan Chand and other awards for top sportspersons.
DNA has learnt that apart from the sports secretary Radhey Shyam Jhulaniya, Sports Authority of India (SAI) director general Sandeep Pradhan and Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) CEO Commander Rajesh Rajagopalan, former India football skipper Bhaichung Bhutia, former women's cricket Anjum Chopra, former long-jumper Anju Bobby George and renowned table tennis player Kamlesh Mehta have been named in the elite panel.
Besides the sportspersons, the committee also has sports commentator Charu Sharma and digital media head of a media group. The awards will be given away on the birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand, August 29, celebrated as the National Sports Day.
Mary Kom is also a nominated Member of Parliament (MP) and it is only about her name that fingers have been raised by many athletes.
"We've no problem with government trying out new idea of one selection committee for all awards. But this is a clear case of conflict of interest with an active athlete being named in it," was how a former Olympic boxer told this paper on Thursday.
In the past, the ministry used to form award committee by the mid-July. One is not sure how the committee will be able to scrutinise so many applications in the span of just one week as ministry is expecting the final list of awardees by the end of next week.
One is not sure how the new system will work because the committee needs multiple sittings to vet sizeable number of applications.
The first meeting of this 12-member committee is likely to be convened early next week.
Going by top ministry official, the idea of having just one committee is basically to adopt a system of single window. The committee can clear applicants easily than before as many a time, an Arjuna Award applicant is also eligible for even the Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement award.
No one in the ministry has any specific answer when asked if the ongoing clash between the sports ministry and BCCI over not falling under the purview of National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) can hamper the chances of present Team India players being considered for these coveted awards.
"This is certainly a matter concerning us (ministry) and a meeting has been arranged soon between BCCI CEO Rahul Johri and the hon'ble minister soon. We are hopeful that BCCI will understand the urgency and accept NADA norms as has been the practice around the world," said the senior official.
SQUAD FOR WORLDS
AIBA has named 10 boxers for the Women’s World Boxing Championships to be held in Ulan Ude, Russia, from October 3-13. The squad: Manju Rani (48kg), Mary Kom (51kg), Jamuna Boro (54kg), Neeraj (57kg), Sarita Devi (60kg), Manju Bomboriya (64kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), Saweety Boora (75kg), Nandini (81kg), Kavita Chahal (+81kg)
