President Draupadi Murmu honoured hockey player Salima Tete with the prestigious 'Arjuna Award 2024' for her outstanding achievements in hockey. As many as 32 players of the country were awarded this award, including the name of Salima Tete, native of Simdega, Jharkhand. All the players were honoured in a special ceremony organized at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi on 17 January 2025 at 11 am.
Salima Tete, a resident of Barki Chhapar village of Simdega district of Jharkhand, is currently also the captain of the Indian women's hockey team.
After her selection for the Arjuna Award, there is a wave of happiness among the sports lovers of Jharkhand. The Salima you know today, her circumstances were not always like this. Salima Tete has achieved this position by facing many difficulties. Her childhood was full of difficulties.
Salima Tete is the first female hockey player of Jharkhand to be awarded the Arjuna Award. Earlier, Jharkhand's only hockey player, Olympian late Michael Kindo was awarded the Arjuna Award. In the last 10 years, three hockey players from Jharkhand, Silbanus Dungdung and Michael Kindo have been awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Award and now Salima has been awarded the Arjuna Award.
In a grand ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, President Droupadi Murmu conferred the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2024 to D. Gukesh, Manu Bhaker, Harmanpreet Singh, and Praveen Kumar, Paralympian.
Dommaraju Gukesh, at just 18, created history by becoming the youngest World Chess Champion after defeating China’s Ding Liren in Singapore. Following this remarkable feat, Gukesh was honored with the Khel Ratna Award, becoming the second Indian chess player after Viswanathan Anand to achieve this distinction. His meteoric rise has inspired young chess enthusiasts across the country.
Shooter Manu Bhaker, 22, became the first Indian female athlete to win two medals at a single Olympics post-independence. Her resilience shone in Paris, where she claimed bronze in the 10m air pistol individual and 10 m air pistol mixed team events. Bhaker’s incredible achievements earned her the Khel Ratna Award, cementing her place as a trailblazer in Indian shooting.
Indian men’s hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh was recognized for his pivotal role in securing back-to-back Olympic bronze medals in Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024. His leadership and determination have been instrumental in reviving India’s hockey legacy, earning him the Khel Ratna Award.
