Manavjit conferred Rajiv Khel Ratna, 14 receive Arjuna Awards

New Delhi, Aug 29 (UNI) World trap shooting champion Manavjit Sandhu led the star parade as President Pratibha Patil conferred on him Rajiv Khel Ratna Award and bestowed Arjuna Awards on 14 other sportspersons at a glittering function at Rashtrapati Bhawan here today.

The packed hall reverbrated with thunderous applause as 29-year-old Sandhu received the honour from President Patil -- her very first award presentation ceremony since she assumed the office last month.

The Rajiv Khel Ratna Award comprises Rs 500,000, a scroll of honour and a medal in recognition of spectacular and most outstanding performance in sports.

Sandhu is the only Indian trap shooter to win a medal -- a Gold -- at the world level last year after a gap of 44 years. Dr Karni Singh was the first when he struck a silver in the 1962 World Championship.

Earlier last year, Sandhu won a bronze at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games and followed it with two silvers at the Doha Asiad in December last year. He has already qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Pentala Harikrishna (chess) was the only awardee who did not turn up and his mother received the award.

Four women Arjuna Award receipents -- Anjum Chopra (cricket), Jyoti Sunita Kullu (women's hockey), Geeta Rani (weightlifting) and Geetika Jakhar (wrestling) -- also received big ovations when their names were called for the honours.

The Arjuna Award, country's oldest sports honour, was started in 1961 and comprises a cheque of Rs 300,000, a statuette of legendary archer Arjuna and a scroll of honour in recognition of outstanding achievements at international competitions.

Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) Amritsar created a record winning the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy for the 20th time.

Vice-chancellor Jai Rup Singh received the trophy for the university.

The MAKA trophy carries a cash prize of Rs. two lakh and a rolling trophy.

Cricket great Kapil Dev chaired the panel that picked the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, the Arjuna Awards and the Dhyan Chand Awards. Badminton legend Prakash Padukone headed the panel that chose Dronacharya Award winners.

The award winners: Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna: Manavjeet Sandhu (Shooting) Arjuna Awards: Jayanta Talukdar (archery), KM Binu (athletics), Chetan Anand (badminton), Vijender (boxing), Pentala Harikrishna (chess), Anjum Chopra (cricket), Jyoti Sunita Kullu (women's hockey), Vijay Kumar (shooting), Sourav Ghosal (squash), Subhajit Saha (table tennis), Geeta Rani (weightlifting), Geetika Jakhar (wrestling), Naveen Gautam (kabaddi) and Rohit Bhakar (badminton-disabled category) Dhyan Chand Awards: Varinder Singh (hockey), Shamsher Singh (kabaddi), Rajendra Singh (wrestling) Dronacharya Awards: RD Singh (athletics/Paralympic Games), Damodaran Chandralal (boxing) and Koneru Ashok (chess) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy: Guru Nanak Dev University (Amritsar) UNI