Bhubaneswar, Aug 27 (PTI) International tennis player Debasis Sahoo was on Sunday selected for the prestigious Ekalabya Puraskar for 2023.
The Ekalabya Puraskar committee comprising jury members drawn from different walks of life were unanimous in selecting Debasis for the prestigious award at a meeting here.
Debasis, a rising tennis player who has 4 international and 11 titles at the national level, emerged as the clear winner.
He will get a cash award of Rs 5 lakh along with a citation at the Ekalabya Puraskar award ceremony to be held at a later date.
Besides Debasis, two other sportspersons will also be felicitated for their remarkable performances in various international and national-level events in their respective fields. They are athlete Bapi Hnasda and weightlifter Jyoshna Sabar. Both will receive a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh each along with citations.
Ekalabya Puraskar, instituted by IMPaCT in 1993 and managed by IMFA, the leading ferro alloys producer in the country, has come a long way to be recognized as the most prestigious sports award of Odisha, drawing parallels with many national awards.
The award is given every year to young sportspersons of Odisha in recognition of their outstanding performance in the preceding two years.
Announcing the names of the award winners, Baijayant Panda, chairperson of Ekalabya Puraskar Committee and trustee of IMPaCT said, “IMPaCT has been in continuous pursuit to recognize and foster excellence in sports and literature besides contributing to the general welfare of the society at large”.
He said Ekalabya Puraskar is instituted to encourage and inspire young sportspersons of the state to perform at national and international arena. PTI AAM AAM MNB
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