Solapur, Apr 15: Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today said that master blaster Sachin Tendulkar be honoured with Bharat Ratna award.Speaking to reporters in Pandharpur town of Solapur district, Pawar said he extended full support to growing demand of bestowing the highest civilian honour to Tendulkar.
Interestingly, Union Sports Minister Ajay Maken today said that his ministry would ask the Home Ministry to include sports in the criteria for Bharat Ratna, after calls for bestowing Tendulkar with the coveted award got louder following India's World Cup triumph.
However, the government has already stated that bestowing ‘Bharat Ratna' to sports persons would require tweaking of criteria that has been laid down for the country's highest civilian honour.
The ‘Bharat Ratna' was started in 1954 and has so far been given to 41 eminent personalities, none of whom are sports persons, the reason being the criteria for the coveted honour. PTI
