We don't give Dronacharya Award for yoga: Sports Minister Vijay Goel clarifies on Gurmeet Ram Rahim row

Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel on the recommendation of Dronacharya Award to Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim said that it's a subject of AYUSH Ministry, adding that till now no award has been given in yoga.

"Yoga is very important and our government is encouraging it further but it's a subject of AYUSH Ministry and not the Sports Ministry. We have never given any award in yoga till now. Therefore it's not in our consideration to give award in yoga at any level," said Goel.

#Yoga is very important and our Government is encouraging Yoga, but it is a subject of @moayush and not @IndiaSports.
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— Vijay Goel (@VijayGoelBJP) June 1, 2017

We (@IndiaSports) have never given any award in #yoga, it’s not our subject. Giving award in Yoga is not under our consideration. 2/2

— Vijay Goel (@VijayGoelBJP) June 1, 2017

After trying his hand in film making and even bagging a few best-actor awards, Singh has now put the Sports Ministry in a fix by applying for the prestigious Dronacharya Award, India's highest recognition for excellence in sports coaching.

The head of Haryana's Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda sect, Rahim has applied for the award through the Yoga Federation of India (YFI) for apparently producing the world, Asian and national-level champions in the field of yoga. The application has created a problem for the Sports Ministry, as the discipline of yoga had been discontinued as a sport by the ministry itself in December 2016.

Yoga was recognised as a sport in September 2015 after the direct intervention of the Prime Minister's Office.