What should I do to receive Arjuna Award, asks Sakshi
Indian wrestler Sakshi Malik, on Saturday, expressed disappointment as she was not conferred with the Arjuna Award. The Olympics bronze medalist wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking what medal she should bring to receive the prestigious award. Notably, Sakshi was initially nominated for the award by the National Sports Awards selection committee. However, her name was withdrawn by the committee later on.
An excerpt from Sakshi's recent Tweet
"Honourable Prime Minister @narendramodi jee and honourable sports minister @kirenrijiju jee. I am honoured that I have been bestowed upon with Khel Ratna. Every player has a dream to get all awards. For this, the player toils very hard," her Tweet read.
Reportedly, the final call was taken by the Sports Minister
Earlier, it was reported that both Sakshi Malik and former world champion weightlifter Mirabai Chanu have received the committee's go-ahead for the same. However, the final decision rested with Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju as these two are former Khel Ratna Award winners. While Sakshi won the Khel Ratna in 2016, Mirabai grabbed the honor in 2018 along with Virat Kohli.
Athletes who were nominated for the Arjuna Award
A total of 27 sportsperson have been chosen for the Arjuna Award, including Indian cricketer Ishant Sharma, male recurve archer Atanu Das, women's hockey team player Deepika Thakur, kabaddi player Deepak Hooda, and tennis player Divij Sharan.
'What more medals should I bring?'
Sakshi asked why she was omitted from the list of nominees. "I too have a dream that prior to my name Arjuna awardee is written. What more medals should I bring so that I am honoured with the Arjuna Award? Or I may not be fortunate to get this award in my life as a wrestler?" she further asked in her tweet.
'I have only got assurances, claims Sakshi
The 2016 Rio Games medallist recently claimed the state government hasn't fulfilled the promise of providing her with a job or land. "So far, I have not got any plot (of land) nor a job has been given to me. I had met the Sports Minister and the Chief Minister earlier, but only got assurances," Malik had said on Thursday.
A look at Sakshi Malik's achievements
In 2016, Sakshi Malik became the first Indian female wrestler to win an Olympic medal. Notably, she won the bronze medal in the 58 kg category at the Rio Olympics. She has also won silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games (Glasgow), and bronze at the 2015 Asian Wrestling Championships in Doha. In 2017, she secured the Padma Shree, India's fourth-highest national honor.
