MPESB Group · Bite-size lessons
Awards and Sports
About 6 min · General Knowledge · English
Time worked out from the lesson's 394 words at 150 words a minute, plus a minute for each question.
Awards and Sports is a General Knowledge topic in MPESB Group 1/2/3 exams. Questions typically test your knowledge of national and international awards (especially Bharat Ratna, Padma Awards, Nobel Prize), major sports tournaments, recent winners, and famous Indian sportspersons.
Key ideas
- Bharat Ratna is India's highest civilian award, established in 1954. The original 1954 statutes did not provide for posthumous awards, but they were later amended to permit them. The scheme limits it to a maximum of three awards in a year, though this has been exceeded (four in 1999, five in 2024).
- Padma Awards follow a three-tier hierarchy: Padma Vibhushan (exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of high order), Padma Shri (distinguished service). Announced on Republic Day eve.
- Dronacharya Award recognizes outstanding coaches in sports, while Arjuna Award honors consistent outstanding performance by sportspersons over four years.
- Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna (formerly Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna) is India's highest sporting honor, carrying a cash prize of ₹25 lakh.
- Nobel Prize is awarded in six categories: Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Peace, and Economics (added in 1968). The Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo; others in Stockholm.
Watch out for
- Confusing Arjuna and Dronacharya: Students mix up player awards with coach awards. Fix: Arjuna = player (warrior), Dronacharya = coach (Arjuna's guru).
- Wrong Nobel category for Indian winners: Assuming C.V. Raman won Chemistry or Mother Teresa won Literature. Fix: Create a mental map—Raman = Physics (Raman Effect), Teresa = Peace (humanitarian work).
- Mixing up FIFA and Cricket World Cup hosts/winners: Students confuse which country hosted which year. Fix: Focus on recent editions and India-specific wins only.
Quick reference
- Bharat Ratna hierarchy: Bharat Ratna → Padma Vibhushan → Padma Bhushan → Padma Shri
- Khel Ratna = ₹25 lakh; Arjuna = ₹15 lakh; Dronacharya = ₹10 lakh (regular), ₹15 lakh (lifetime)
- India's individual Olympic golds: Abhinav Bindra (2008, Shooting), Neeraj Chopra (2020, Javelin)
- Nobel Peace Prize = Oslo; all other Nobel Prizes = Stockholm
- First ODI Cricket World Cup: 1975, England; India won: 1983, 2011
Check yourself: 3 questions
1. Which Indian cricketer was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in 2014?
2. The Arjuna Award is given for outstanding performance in which field?
3. Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 (held in 2021) in which weight category?
This lesson is cut from the topic's note, not rewritten. Fact-checked on 17 Oct 2026: an AI-assisted check of this note against cited sources; the errors it found were corrected that day. Some errors may remain. The questions are from Shishya's validated question bank.
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