Ronjan Sodhi presented with Khel Ratna; Arjuna Award for Virat Kohli

The National Sports Awards were presented on Saturday to the country's top athletes and coaches with shooter Ronjan Sodhi getting the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna -- the country's highest sporting honour -- while cricketer Virat Kohli was among the Arjuna awardees.

The ace shooter received the Khel Ratna award from President Pranab Mukherjee in the presence of a host of Ministers, dignitaries and sportspersons.

Sodhi became the seventh shooter to be honoured with the prestigious award. It is the third consecutive year that the Khel Ratna award has gone to a shooter.

Sodhi, who had a disastrous outing at the London Olympics last year, is a former world number one. He was a double trap gold-medallist at last year's Asian Games, besides being a silver-medallist at the Commonwealth Games. Sodhi, who was the first Indian to win two back-to-back World Cup gold medals, collected his award along with a medal and a cash prize of Rs 7.5 lakh.

Another star attraction at the ceremony was cricketer Kohli, who was given a thunderous applause while receiving the Arjuna award.

However, rising badminton player P V Sindhu, who became the first Indian woman shuttler to clinch a bronze medal at the World Championships, could not be present at the function personally to take the award.

Besides Sindhu, this year's Arjuna awardees list featured a number of female sportspersons. World Championship bronze medallist Kavita Chahal, veteran squash player Joshna Chinappa, former hockey captain Saba Anjum, paddler Mouma Das, wrestler Neha Rathi, shooter Rajkumari Rathore and archer Chekrovolu Swuro, who was part of the silver medal-winning team in the 2011 World Cup.

But this year's awards were marred by controversies since the day the list was announced. Sodhi's selection for the Khel Ratna triggered a protest from shot-putter Krishna Poonia and paralympics silver-medallist long-jumper HS Girisha, both of who felt they deserved the award.

Rising golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar, chess player Abhijeet Gupta, billiards and snooker star Rupesh Shah, wrestler Dharmender Dalal and para-athlete Amit Kumar Saroha were also conferred the Arjuna award.

The choices were made by a selection committee headed by three-time billiards world champion Michael Ferreira along with noted sportspersons Limba Ram, V Devarajan, Zafar Iqbal, Vandana Rao, Anjali Bhagwat, Indu Puri, Shakti Singh, Ravi Shastri, Kripa Shankar Patel and Surinder Khanna, besides a few other bureaucrats.

The Dronacharya Award, which is the top recognition for coaches in the country, was conferred on long-serving archery coach Purnima Mahato, women's hockey coach Narendra Singh Saini, wrestling coach Raj Singh, athletics coach K P Thomas and boxing coach Mahavir Singh.

The Arjuna and Dronacharya awardees also recieved a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh each.

The Dhyan Chand Award, given for the life-time contribution to sports development, was conferred on Jagraj Singh Mann (Athletics), Gundeep Kumar (Hockey), Vinod Kumar (Wrestling) and Sukhbir Singh Tokas (Para-Sports).

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna: Ronjan Sodhi

Arjuna Award: Chekrovolu Swuro (Archery), P V Sindhu (Badminton), Kavita Chahal (Boxing), Rupesh Shah (Billiards & Snooker), Virat Kohli (Cricket), Abhijeet Gupta (Chess), Gagan Jeet Bhullar (Golf), Saba Anjum (Hockey), Rajkumari Rathore (Shooting), Joshna Chinnappa (Squash), Mouma Das (Table Tennis), Neha Rathi (Wrestling), Dharmender Dalal (Wrestling), Amit Kumar Saroha (Para Athletics).

Dronacharya Awards: Poornima Mahato (Archery), Mahavir Singh (Boxing), Narinder Singh Saini (Hockey), K P Thomas (Athletics), Raj Singh (Wrestling).

Dhyan Chand Awards: Mary D'souza Sequeira (Athletics), Syed Ali (Hockey), Anil Mann (Wrestling), Girraj Singh (Para Sports).