22-Apr-2007 105
Woman international rower Pravasini Dwibedy received the Ekalabya Award for the year 2006 at a function in Bhubaneswar today.
State Energy Minister Surjya Narayan Patro handed over the award, which carried a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh.
Besides Pravasini, young woman athletes Namita Samal and Gitanjali Jena were felicitated with citation and cash award of Rs 10,000 each.
State Sports Minister Debasis Nayak, Rajya Sabha Member Baijayant Panda were present at the investiture ceremony.
Instituted in the year 1993 by Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust, a charitable wing of IMFA Group, Ekalabya Award assumed greater importance this year as the prize money was enhanced from Rs 75,000 to Rs 1 lakh.
Congratulating the awardees on the occasion, IMPaCT trustee Baijayant Panda said ``This is the first time in the 14-year-long history of Ekalabya Award that women made a clean sweep of all the three positions.``
Past 13 recipients of award include Rachita Panda, Anuradha Biswal (both athletics): Shiv Sundar Das, Sanjay Raul, Debasis Mohanty, Rashmi Ranjan Parida (all cricket): Dillip Tirkey, Lazrus Barla, Ignace Tirkey, Prabodh Tirkey, William Xalxo, Gloria Dung Dung and Subhadra Pradhan (all hockey).
But despite receiving the award, 21-year-old Pravasini, regarded as the best woman rower of the country with as many as 50 National and three Asian medals in her kitty, remained unhappy without a job.
A trainee of SAI’s Watersports Centre at Jagatpur, Pravasini said she would invest the prize money for constructing a new house for her family.
Earlier this year, Pravasini received Rs 1.4 lakh from Orissa Cricket Association for winning two gold and two silver medals at the Guwahati National Games and Rs 20,000 from the State Sports Department for outstanding performance during the year.
