India's power consumption grew 11.45 per cent to 55.37 billion units (BU) in the first half of October this year, mainly driven by buoyancy in industrial and commercial activities, as per government data.
Only Brazilian superstar Neymar Junior (0.68), Ali Ashfaq (0.68) of Maldives and Edin Dzeko (0.63) of Bosnia have a better strike rate then Chhetri.
Former India football captain Baichung Bhutia was given the Lifetime Achievement award, while hockey legend and three-time Olympic gold medallist Balbir Singh Sr was honoured with the Icon of the Century award.
Indian football head coach Igor Stimac hailed Sunil Chhetri, saying the talismanic captain was one of those who "glorified" Indian football with his dedication in the 15 years of his illustrious career. The 35-year-old Chhetri on Friday became only the second Indian after legendary Bhaichung Bhutia to complete 15 years in Indian jersey.
Chhetri is a star striker for both India and Bengaluru FC.
Defending champions India sans star striker Baichung Bhutia failed to impress as they went down 0-1 to Syria in their inconsequential last round-robin match of the Nehru Cup international football tournament in New Delhi, on Saturday. Having already qualified for Monday's final against the same opponents, India rested Bhutia, who had received a yellow card in the tournament opener against Lebanon.
Opposition from national football coach Bob Houghton and captain Bhaichung Bhutia has led to a rethink by the All India Football Federation on the five-foreigner quota in the I-League. The AIFF has also sought views of state associations on the issue.
Bembem hoped the Padma Shri will act as recognition for women's football in India.
Fit-again striker Sunil Chhetri converted a penalty as the Indian football team wound up its Barcelona training tour on a winning note, beating Spanish third division side FC Santboia by a solitary goal in their fourth and final friendly game, High Performance Sports at the outskirts of Barcelona on Wednesday night.
The memory of their nightmarish defeat to Mohun Bagan fresh in their minds, East Bengal will take on an upbeat Salgaocar in their round five I-League encounter at Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Salt Lake in Kolkata on Thursday.
Acting on the Sports Ministry's directive to send nominations for this year's sports awards, the AIFF did not have much trouble in finalising the names.
The committee will also be suggesting measures for making the code acceptable to all the stakeholders so that a balance is struck between autonomy of National Sports Federations.
IM Vijayan lauded Sunil Chhetri for his longevity and urged the youngsters to idolise the 35-year-old's work ethic.
NEC Nijmegen is a professional football club, which competes in the Dutch Eerste Divisie. The club's youth teams feature at the highest level in Dutch Youth Leagues and compete against top European clubs in international tournaments.
Indian national football team slumped to its worst-ever FIFA rankings, 171, in the 209-nation chart.
'Many of us hope that India will soon play well enough to be part of truly global sporting tournaments like the football World Cup and the Olympics,' says Aakar Patel.
Goals from N P Pradeep, Baichung Bhutia, Sunil Chetri and Sushil Kumar Singh gave India a 4-0 victory in the SAFF Championship opener at Maldives National Stadium in Male on Tuesday.
The India football captain admitted there has been a "steady growth" in Indian football since that first day he wore the national shirt.
20 best show-stopping moments from Lakme Fashion Week through the years.
Steven Dias and Sunil Chetri scored a brace and N P Pradeep and skipper Bhaichung Bhutia chipped in with a goal each as India started their Nehru Cup campaign with a bang.
Bhaichung Bhutia struck a brace to help Mohun Bagan beat Air India 2-0 and earn their maiden win in the I-League.
Hockey coach Ramesh Parameswaran applies for Dronacharya Award
The Indian football team beat Recreativo Agueda to register its first victory, after a draw, on its tour of Portugal.
Baichung Bhutia's goal game Mohun Bagan a 1-0 victory in the Kolkata Football League.
Despite being predictable and sluggish at some places, Saina seems like something Parineeti Chopra would be proud of, notes Prateek Sur.
Cricket legend and Indian Air Force's Honorary Group Captain Sachin Tendulkar led the sporting fraternity in lauding Tuesday's air strikes that targetted Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists and trainers in Pakistan.
First came the CD hailing the Left Front's achievements in West Bengal and then came the sharp denial from the soccer trio, including Baichung Bhutia, about their awareness of it being used in the poll campaign for the Assembly elections in April.
'I hail from Sikkim and have strived to make a mark on the national scene. Generally whatever happens in the North-East remains confined to those parts. People from there are hard working and courteous. Only those who have visited and experienced their hospitality will relate to it,' says football star Baichung Bhutia.
Sunil Chhetri, who holds the national record of most international matches and most number of goals, made it clear that retirement plans are currently not on his mind.
'He has agreed to play for us once he is back after a two-month stint with a Malaysian club,' team director Amit Sen said.
After becoming India's highest international goal scorer in Siliguri on Tuesday, football captain Sunil Chhetri thanked former skipper Bhaichung Bhutia for guiding him in his early career.
Skipper Baichung Bhutia's injury is the only worry for India on the eve of the Asian Zone World Cup qualifier.
It may not have been football, but it was certainly 'match of the day'.
From Sania Mirza to Virat Kohli, even the likes of Virender Sehwag has shown that swagger on the runway.
Real Kashmir FC, on Tuesday, became the first football club from Jammu and Kashmir to qualify for the country's top tier I-League
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly was among the first in the Indian sporting fraternity to take to Twitter to pay his tributes to Diego Maradona.
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