Pravasini picked for Ekalabya Award
Apr 02, 2007
The New Indian Express

International woman rower Pravasini Dwivedy has been chosen to receive the 14th Ekalabya Award for the year 2006.

A committee, comprising members drawn from different walks of life, unanimously selected Pravasini among the 16 shortlisted candidates for the prestigious award at a meeting here on Sunday.

The award, instituted in 1993 by Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust, a charitable wing of IMFA Group, assumed greater importance as the incentive that goes with it was enhanced from Rs 75,000 to Rs 1 lakh.

Announcing the names of the awardees and the hike in prize money, IMPaCT trustee Baijayant Panda said the gesture of IMFA would inspire young sportspersons to bring greater national and international laurels for the State.

Besides Pravasini, young athletes Namita Samal and Gitanjali Jena were picked for the two runners-up positions of the award. They will be given citations and Rs 10,000 each.

This is the first time in 14 years that women made a clean sweep of the Ekalabya Awards.

Athlete Rachita Mistry (nee Panda), cricketer Shiv Sundar Das, Debasis Mohanty, Rashmi Ranjan Parida; hockey internationals Dillip Tirkey, Probodh Tirkey, Ignace Tirkey and William Xalxo are some of the past recipient of the award.

The 21-year-old Pravasini, regarded as the best woman rower of the country, will receive a statute, Rs 1 lakh and a citation. She has won around 50 National and three Asian medals till date.

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