Paralympian Varun Singh Bhati honoured with the Laxman Award by Uttar Pradesh government

Paralympian Varun Singh Bhati honoured with the Laxman Award by Uttar Pradesh government

Varun Singh Bhati with the Laxman award

Varun Singh Bhati with the Laxman award
Varun Singh Bhati with the Laxman award

Varun Singh Bhati, the 25-year-old para high jumper has received the Laxman Award from the Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday. The Laxman Award is given by the UP government to honour eminent players of the state. The sportspersons are honoured with a citation, a bronze statue of Laxman and a cash prize of ₹3.11 lakh.

Bhati won a bronze medal at the paralympic games at Rio de Janeiro in 2016. And another bronze at the World Para Athletics Championships in London in 2017. He has also been bestowed by the Arjuna Award in 2017 for his excellence in the field of sports. The young Paralympian took to Twitter to share a picture with the award as he went on to thank chief minister Yogi Adityanath for the honour.

Amendment of rules to honour Paralympians

para olympian varun bhati with pm
Paralympians with Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Earlier, there was no provision for felicitation of para-sports persons. The government amended the rules in October 2020 which saw Bhati being selected for the Laxman award. Thakur Dhirendra Singh, Jewar MLA, had earlier shared that he had written letters to the government recommending Bhati’s name for the award.

“On Saturday, I received information from Lucknow that Bhati has been selected for the Laxman Award. The prize will encourage Bhati and other local youths to excel in the field of sports,” Singh was quoted by Hindustan Times.

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