As per the latest sports updates, Sachin Tendulkar’s name was not preferred for the Bharat Ratan Award, it is said that BCCI has not suggested his name for the nomination of this award.
Though, it was said that the two named suggested by the Sports Ministry to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to be nominated for the first Bharat Ratna for a sportsman are those of hockey legend Dhyanchand and the man who first conquered Mt Everest, Tenzing Norgay.
It is not clear that why no other sport’s person name was suggested to the Prime Minister Office for the award. Moreover, the chess federation had suggested Viswanathan Anand’s name and the shooting federation Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra’s name, while the Sports Ministry have said that no other names have been suggested to them for the Bharat Ratan award.
On the other hand, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not preferred master blaster Sachin Tendulkar’s name; it has suggested that the Sports Ministry make that proposal.
In December 2011, the central government has announced to add sportsmen in the eligibility criterion for India’s highest civilian award; the Bharat Ratna can now be given in the appreciation of outstanding service/presentation of the highest order “in any field of human endeavour”.
The Bharat Ratan award was earlier limited to recognizing “exceptional services in arts, literature and science, and in recognition of public services of the highest order.”
Furthermore, changes in the award giving criteria have come into action after Sports Minister Ajay Maken wrote to the Home Ministry in 2011.
While asked to Mr Maken that who he thought should be the first sportsman to get a Bharat Ratna, the minister said that Dhyanchand or Tendulkar would be his first choice for this highest civilian award.
