Bhubaneswar: The prestigious ‘Ekalabya Puraskar’ given every year to encourage young sports talents of the state was presented to Hockey star Namita Toppo for the year 2020.
She was honoured for her performances from 1st April 2018 to 31st March 2020 at both national and international levels. Complying with COVID-19 restrictions, Ms Toppo was presented with citation, trophy and Rs 5 lakh cash in a simple and short program.
On this occasion, weightlifter Ms. Sneha Soren and badminton star Ms. Rutaparna Panda also were honoured with a citation and Rs 50,000 cash awards each.
Also Read – Cyclist Swasti Singh gets Ekalabya Puraskar
Joining the event through internet, Hon’ble Ex- M.P & Trustee Mr. Baijayant Panda congratulated the three great young talents. He also assured that this award will continue to encourage the future sportspersons of Odisha.
Ekalabya Puraskar, instituted by IMPaCT managed by IMFA, the leading Ferro Alloys producer in the country, in the year 1993, has come a long way to be recognized as the most prestigious sports award in Odisha, drawing parallels with many national awards.
A mere look at the career graph of many of the past awardees confirms that over the years, it has been a morale booster for the best sporting talents in the state.
The award is given every year to young sportspersons of Odisha in recognition of their outstanding performances in the preceding two years.
PNN