Mariyappan Thangavelu will become only the third Indian Para-athlete to be presented the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award after former Paralympic medallists Devendra Jhajharia and Deepa Malik, both in athletics.

Athlete Sandeep Chaudhary, shooter Manish Narwal and swimmer Suyash Jadhav have also been added to a list of 29 winners of the Arjuna Awards.

The latest additions brings the number of Para-athletes winning the Arjuna Awards to 30, while altogether there have been a total of 47 National Sports Award winners since their inception in 1961.

Para-badminton coach Gaurav Khanna, who has helped the sport rise in India, was recommended for this year's Dronacharya award along with four others.

Indian powerlifting founder and national coach Vijay Munishwar has been included in the list for the Dronacharya Liftetime award for his services to the sport.

J. Ranjit Kumar in athletics and multi-sport athlete Sathya Prakash Tiwari have been named among the Dhyan Chand awardees for their services to sport.

"These recognitions are a big motivation and boost towards the Paralympic Movement in the country and it has come at the right time to motivate our athletes and coaches to work harder towards their Paralympic dreams," said Paralympic Committee of India President Deepa Malik.

Thangavelu had the most stellar year among Para-athletes, having won bronze in the men's high jump T42 at the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in 2019.