The long-awaited Biju Patnaik Sports Award, the highest sports award of Odisha conferred on the occasion of National Sports Day on Friday for the period of 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, at Jayadev Bhawan here.
The Biju Patnaik Award for outstanding performance in promotion of sports and games for the State, the awards constituted in four different categories, life time achievement award, outstanding performance award for current year, outstanding coach award and sports journalist award.
“It has been planned to construct swimming complex and multi-purpose indoor halls at all the district headquarters from this financial year,” said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik before handing over Biju Patnaik Sports Awards, Biju Patnaik Bravery Awards and State Youth Awards here.
Stating that his government’s priority was on the development of sports and youths, Patnaik said “Development of playgrounds in urban areas which are shrinking in the process of urbanisation is also in the focus of the State Government.”
Among the sports persons who received awards were Arjun Award winner Rachita Homyar Mistry and Olympian Anuradha Biswal received life time achievement in promotion of sports and games for the year 2010 and 2013 respectively. Rachita received Rs1.5 lakhs and Anuradha Rs3 lakhs.
Pratima Puhan, K Ravi Kumar, Minati Sethi, Debasis Das received the outstanding players of the years 2010,2011,2012 and 2013 respectively and carried cash prize of Rs1 lakh each for Puhan, Kumar and Sethi. Das was given Rs2 lakh.
Ashok Kumar Mishra, Gangadhar Behera and Jose Jacob were also given awards as the outstanding coaches.
Tapan Kumar Swain, Debasis Sundaray, Sarbeswar Mohanty and Umakanta Mishra were felicitated with outstanding sports journalists for the year 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively.
Social activist linkan Subudhi was conferred with Biju Patnaik Bravery Award for the year 2013-14 while Ganesh Chandra Jena, Devidutta Panda and Jogabyasa Bhoi were honoured for scaling Mount Everest and other highest continental peaks. While Ganesh received cash award of Rs3 lakhs, Devidutta and Jogabyasa Bhoi got Rs9 lakhs each.
A total of 32 persons including Sahaya, a social service and national development organisation were honoured on the occasion.