NEW DELHI: The Centre has cleared Padma awards for star cricketer and former captain of the Indian cricket team Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Olympic Silver medalist and badminton player PV Sindhu and celebrated badminton coach Pullela Gopichand, among others.
Sindhu became the first Indian woman to win a Silver medal at Olympics last year. In March 2015, she became the youngest recipient of India’s fourth highest civilian honor, the Padma Shri.
Her coach P Gopichand has also been selected for the coveted honours, top Union Home Ministry sources have been quoted in the media as having said, without specifying the Padma category under which they will be honoured on the eve of the Republic Day this year.
Gopichand runs the Gopichand Badminton Academy and has in the past received the Arjuna Award, Dronacharya Award and even Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honour.
