Scheme of Awarding Eklavya Award, Sardar Patel Award and Jaidipsinhji Award

What is the Eklavya, Sardar Patel and Jaidipsinhji Award scheme?

Scheme of Awarding Eklavya Award, Sardar Patel Award and Jaidipsinhji Award is the state sports honours scheme of the Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities Department, Government of Gujarat, implemented by the Sports Authority of Gujarat (SAG). The scheme recognises sportspersons of the state who have performed notably at state, national or international level, and it attaches a cash prize to each honour rather than a certificate alone.

Three named awards run in parallel, each split into a senior and a junior category, giving six award slots. The Eklavya Award is the state's top sports honour and carries the largest purse. The Sardar Patel Award sits one tier below it. The Jaidipsinhji Award is the third tier. Together they cover a range from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1,00,000, which lets the state recognise both a seasoned international competitor and a promising school-age athlete under the same scheme.

The cash matters more than it might appear. In most disciplines outside cricket, a Gujarat athlete's income between competitions is close to nothing, and the equipment and travel costs are constant. A Rs 1,00,000 Eklavya award covers a serious block of training. Equally important is the recognition itself, because a state sports award is a documented credential that counts in sports quota recruitment and in admissions.

Key features

• Gujarat's state sports awards, run by the Sports Authority of Gujarat.
• Six categories, senior and junior for each of the three named awards.
• Cash prizes from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1,00,000.
• Open to performances at state, national or international level.
• Applied through the SAG portal, with achievement certificates verified.

How much does each award carry?

Read the table as a ladder rather than six unrelated prizes. An Eklavya Junior award and a Sardar Patel Senior award carry the same Rs 50,000, which tells you how the state weighs an exceptional junior against a solid senior performer. The junior categories are not consolation prizes. The Eklavya Junior purse is twice the Sardar Patel Junior purse and five times the Jaidipsinhji Junior purse.

You do not choose which award you receive. You apply under the scheme with your achievements documented, and the selection committee constituted by the Sports Authority of Gujarat decides which honour, if any, your record merits in that cycle. The awards are conferred in a limited number each year, so a strong application can be unsuccessful simply because a stronger record was filed in the same discipline the same year. Reapplying in a later cycle after adding to your record is normal and expected.

Who is eligible for the Gujarat state sports awards?

You can apply if:

• You are a resident of Gujarat.
• You have made notable achievements in sports at state, national or international level.
• You can produce certificates and official results for every performance you claim, issued by the recognised federation or association.
• You can establish your age, which decides whether you are considered in the senior or the junior category.
• You are registered as a Player on the Sports Authority of Gujarat portal.

You cannot apply if:

• You are not a resident of Gujarat.
• You have no documented competitive record at state level or above.
• Your achievements are only in unrecognised events. Privately organised tournaments styled as "national" or "international" but not held under a recognised federation are not eligible.
• You are a coach, official or physical education teacher applying for your own contribution; these three awards recognise sportspersons, so such an applicant is not eligible here.

The eligibility published on the scheme record also states that the applicant should be male. Gujarat honours women athletes through parallel award categories rather than excluding them from state sports recognition, so a woman sportsperson should ask the Sports Authority of Gujarat which award window is open to her in the current cycle. This is a detail to confirm directly with SAG before preparing a file.

What documents are required?

Assemble the certificates in date order and label each one with the event, level and result. A selection committee reading dozens of files gives a well-ordered application a real advantage, and a strong record buried in an unsorted bundle is easy to undervalue.

How to apply for the Eklavya, Sardar Patel or Jaidipsinhji Award

1. Open the Sports Authority of Gujarat homepage at sportsauthority.gujarat.gov.in.
2. Click the Registration button on the upper right of the page.
3. Fill in all the required details on the registration form; personal particulars, discipline, district and contact details — and submit it.
4. Check the email address you registered with for your login credentials.
5. Return to the portal, select Player as the user type and log in.
6. Click the award scheme name from the list shown to a logged-in player and open the application.
7. Enter your competitive record year by year and upload every achievement certificate, along with residence proof, age proof, Aadhaar and bank details.
8. Submit the application and keep the reference number; be ready to produce the original certificates for offline verification when SAG calls for them.

How to apply if you do not have a computer

The award application runs through the SAG portal, so some digital access is needed. Three practical routes exist.

1. Ask your district sports officer at the Khel Gujarat district centre to register you and file the application.
2. Ask the recognised state association for your discipline, which routinely handles award nominations and can scan and endorse your certificates.
3. Use a Common Service Centre to register, scan the certificates cleanly and complete the upload.

How to check your application status

1. Log in to sportsauthority.gujarat.gov.in as a Player with the credentials emailed to you.
2. Open the award scheme from your dashboard to see whether the application is submitted, under scrutiny, shortlisted or closed for the cycle.
3. If SAG asks for original certificates, present them at the Gandhinagar office or wherever the notice directs, within the time stated.
4. Award results are announced by the Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities Department; an award not conferred in one cycle does not bar a fresh application in a later cycle.

Why state sports award applications fail

• Unrecognised events claimed, where the organising body is not affiliated to the national federation for the discipline.
• Certificates missing or illegible, with the federation's seal or signature cut off in the scan.
• Age proof not attached, so the applicant cannot be placed in the senior or junior category.
• Record filed without dates or levels, leaving the committee unable to weigh the achievements.
• Stronger competing record in the same discipline in the same cycle; not a defect in your file, and a reason to apply again.
• Bank account name mismatch, which delays the transfer after the award is announced.

Where to get help

• Sports Authority of Gujarat, Administrative Building, Sector 13-B, near Kh-3 Circle, Gandhinagar 382016.
• Office of the Director General, SAG to 079-23263650, dg-sag@gujarat.gov.in.
• Office of the Secretary, SAG to 079-23263651, sec-sag@gujarat.gov.in.
• District sports officer at your nearest Khel Gujarat district centre.
• Mari Yojana (mariyojana.gujarat.gov.in), the state's citizen scheme directory, where this scheme is listed as scheme number 531.

The six award amounts above are what the state currently publishes for this scheme. Award purses and category definitions are revised by government resolution from time to time, so read the current cycle's notification on the Sports Authority of Gujarat portal before you rely on any figure.