Amid clamour for Bharat Ratna for Sachin Tendulkar, the government has modified rules to pave way for eligibility of sportspersons for the highest civilian award of the country. The new rules, providing for eligibility of persons excelling in fields other than art, literature, science and public service for Bharat Ratna, were notified on November 16, Sports Minister Ajay Maken told the media in New Delhi.
Football ace Baichung Bhutia came out in support of the Sports Development Bill, which seeks to bring in accountability and transparency in the country's sports associations, saying it has a provision under which 25 per cent of the posts (in associations) would be reserved for sports persons, which would help them use their expertise.
The sports ministry has promised coaching jobs on the government's payroll to all athletes who return with an Olympic medal from London.
In a bid to prevent Suresh Kalmadi from attending the London Olympics, the Sports Ministry shot off a letter to IOA, requesting the sports body not to facilitate the tainted administrator's visit to UK on "ethical grounds".
Sports minister Ajay Maken has refused to intervene in the selection crisis that has shaken Indian tennis, and left it to the All India Tennis Association to take a final call on the men's doubles combination for the London Olympics.
Sikh militant groups are all set to strike India with a vengeance, reports Vicky Nanjappa.
Bhartiya Janata Party spokesman, Prakash Javadekar, has accused Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs Ajay Maken, for distorting facts in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday by stating that the UPA government had nothing to do with the appointment of Suresh Kalmadi as head of the Commonwealth Games.
Acting Indian Olympic Association President Vijay Kumar Malhotra on Tuesday said that Sports Ministry should also share the blame for the doping scandal that rocked athletics, saying that the coaches and doctors allegedly involved in it are its employees.
Minister for sports and youth affairs, Ajay Maken announced the sacking of India's Ukrainian athletics coach Yuri Ogrodnik on Tuesday.
A miffed Indian Olympic Association hit out at the Sports Ministry for not involving it in Saturday's merger talks to resolve the long-standing dispute between Hockey India and the Indian Hockey Federation.
The government on Thursday announced that it has earmarked Rs 258.39 crore to prepare athletes for the London Olympics, under 'Project Opex 2012'.
The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) has decided to start a new tournament, SAFF Club Championships, with the inaugural edition to be held in Bangladesh from September 1-15.
Union sports minister Ajay Maken, despite not wanting to be 'too intrusive', says he is uncomfortable with the idea of Suresh Kalmadi returning as president of Indian Olympic Association.
After the country's best-ever haul of six medals at the just-concluded London Olympics, the Government has set the goal much higher and the target for the 2020 Games is 25 medals.
In an interview with Neerja Chowdhury, Ajay Maken strongly defended the provisions of his controversial bill, which, he says, he plans to bring before the Cabinet again in its revised version, and once it is cleared, he would introduce it in Parliament in the winter session.
Discarded India goalkeeper Baljit Singh stood out with a man-of-the-match performance as Indian Oil won the Coal India 116th All India Beighton Cup Hockey tournament after a 2-0 victory over ONGC in Kolkata on Friday.
The All India Football Federation has received permission from the Sports Ministry to use the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium for 40 days a year.
India may have lost the right to host the Champions Trophy but there is no threat to the 2012 Olympic qualifiers to be held in India in February as Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), is hopeful of forming an unified body along with Hockey India (HI) before the tournament.
The Sports Ministry is pinning its hope on the Central Information Commission to bring the Board of Control for Crickt in India under the purview of the Right To Information Act. Sports Minister Ajay Maken said he has appealed to the CIC to bring the BCCI under RTI for varied reasons.
The government on Wednesday sacked four Sports Authority of India officials in the wake of the doping scandal which saw eight leading athletes fail dope tests in the last few days. The latest development comes a day after Ukrainian coach, Yuri Ogorodnik, who was training six of these athletes, was given marching orders by sports minister Ajay Maken, who has promised to crack the whip on those found guilty.
Over 9,000 personnel have left central paramilitary forces this year owing to reasons varying from domestic problems to deployment in remote and difficult terrains, besides VRS schemes and death or disability.
Sports Minister Ajay Maken on Wednesday said the government has not yet thought of pulling the Indian athletes out of London Olympics due to row over Dow Chemicals' sponsorship.
Sports Minister Ajay Maken on Monday said the Indian Olympic Association would be asked to elect a new president in case incumbent Suresh Kalmadi is arrested by the CBI and threatened intervention by the Ministry if the IOA fails to act.
Ace marksman Abhinav Bindra was handed a cash award of Rs 4.33 lakh by sports minister Ajay Maken, for his splendid performance at the Asian Shooting Championship in Doha.
The government had intelligence inputs to indicate that Pune was vulnerable to terror attacks, based on which the state police issued detailed security guidelines last year to major commercial establishments, including the German Bakery.A blast in the popular bakery in the city on February 13 had claimed 17 lives.In a reply in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken said, "The suspected main targets in Pune were put under protection."
Embattled Suresh Kalmadi hit back at the Sports Minister, terming his sacking from the chairmanship of Commonwealth Games Organising Committee as "illegal and uncalled for."
Congress observers for Rajasthan on Tuesday recommended disciplinary action against three party leaders, including two ministers, for the crisis in the state, but did not seek any action against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
Tapping of telephone of any individual is permissible under the law and there is a proper mechanism to ensure that such interception is utilised in a strict legal manner, the government said on Tuesday.
Lovely had quit the Congress and joined the BJP in the presence of party president Amit Shah.
With FIH chief, Leandro Negre all set to meet Sports Minister Ajay Maken on Tuesday, Hockey India (HI) on Monday expressed confidence that it will be able to convince the world governing body of the game to restore the Champions Trophy tournament back to the country.
All eyes are on Congress chief Sonia Gandhi as top leaders converged at her 10, Janpath residence in New Delhi on Monday after a series of developments in the last 24 hours in Rajasthan, where a majority of the party MLAs have rebelled against Sachin Pilot and want Ashok Gehlot to continue as the chief minister.
Names of senior party leaders Kharge, Kamal Nath, Digvijaya Singh, Sushilkumar Shinde, Mukul Wasnik and Kumari Selja are now also doing the rounds for the post.
The government on Wednesday issued an ultimatum to Hockey India and the Indian Hockey Federation to merge by July 25, failing which the Sports Ministry will take a decision and intimate the Supreme Court about it.
The Congress leadership on Friday held separate meetings to review its performances in the assembly polls in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, and said its defeat in the two states at the hands of the BJP was unexpected.
"There are reports to indicate that women are being trained in Pakistan and PoK for terrorist activities," Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.
Rattled by the doping scandal that has rocked Indian athletics, the Sports Ministry is planning to bring a new law to deal with the menace in the forthcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.
Government proposes to prepare a National Population Register on the basis of the pilot project on Multi-purpose National Identity Card.
Sacked Ukrainian coach Yuri Ogrodnik on Tuesday defended himself, saying that he has no role in the doping scandal that has hit Indian athletics.
"If our suggestions on development are not heard, there could be any decision any time," said Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Pradeep Kumar Balmachu. On October 1, Congress in-charge of Jharkhand Ajay Maken had told the Koda government in clear terms that the continuation of the party's outside support depended on development in the state and steps taken to check corruption. The chief minister, however, expressed optimism that the problems will be solved.
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