Sachin Tendulkar closer to get Bharat Ratna?

Sachin Tendulkar is a step closer to getting India's top award. Home ministry has recommended sports be made a category for Bharat Ratna consideration.

The home ministry has written to the Prime Minister's Office to include sports as a category in Bharat Ratna. The recommendation will pave way for cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar to be awarded India's highest civilian award.

If awarded, Sachin will become the country's first sportsperson to bag Bharat Ratna and the clamour has specially grown especially after Sachin helped India lift the World Cup earlier this year.

Tendulkar deserves to get Bharat Ratna, says Deshmukh

Newly-elected president of the Mumbai Cricket Association, Vilasrao Deshmukh, on Friday said that Sachin Tendulkar deserved to get Bharat Ratna and no one would object if the champion cricketer got the country's highest civilian award.

"Sachin deserves Bharat Ratna. Being the president of Mumbai Cricket Association, I would talk to the sports minister, home minister and Prime Minister and request them to change the norms for the award to include sportspersons too in its category of recipients," Deshmukh said.

Deshmukh chaired the first managing committee meeting of the MCA after his election to the president's post at the biennial polls of the association held on July 15. The former Maharashtra CM had vanquished former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar comfortably in a straight contest to succeed another politician, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, as the MCA president.