A statement issued by Major General GS Chaudhary, Joint Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, said, "In exercise of the powers conferred by Para-31 of the Territorial Forces Regulations, 1948, pursuant to Order No. 3(E) dated 9th May 2025, the President, Sexual Sub-Sub Major Neeraj Chopra, PVSM, Padma Shri, VSM, Village and Post Office award the post to Khandra, Panipat, Haryana. Neeraj, who was earlier recruited as a Junior Commissioned Officer in the Indian Army on August 26, 2016 to the rank of Naib Subedar, was awarded the Arjuna Award two years later.
Before being promoted to the rank of Subedar in 2021, he received the Khel Ratna and Vishisht Seva Medal for his meritorious service. Two years after he was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, the Indian Armed Forces' highest peacetime medal, in 2022, he was promoted to the rank of Subedar Major. In 2022, the former world champion was also named the recipient of the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award. Neeraj will begin his season in the Doha Diamond League, after which he will compete at the 71st Janusz Kussosinski Memorial, World Athletics Continental Tour (Silver Level) Meet in Chorzow, Poland on May 23.
He is also set to participate in the Ostrava Golden Spike 2025 Athletics Meet in the Czech Republic city on June 24, hoping to be lucky for the third time after missing the previous two editions due to injuries. He was originally supposed to be the face of the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic to be held at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on May 24 but it was suspended indefinitely due to the India-Pakistan border tensions.