Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik felicitated ace para shuttler of Odisha and the gold medal winner in Tokyo Paralympics Pramod Bhagat at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium, here on Friday.
Congratulating Pramod, the chief minister said, “It gives me immense pleasure to felicitate you on your outstanding achievement. Your victory was a proud moment for the entire nation and will remain forever so. You have truly redefined how sports can uplift and empower lives. You have inspired a generation of sportspersons and para sportspersons to create their own destiny. I wish you all the very best for greater glories. We will continue to support you in your journey ahead.”
Naveen handed over a cash award of Rs 6 crore to Pramod, who is the country’s first medal winner in para badminton in Olympics. The olympian has also been offered a Group A level government job.
On his part, Pramod expressed his gratitude to the chief minister for his continuous support and motivation in his Olympic journey.
Minister for Sports and Youth Services Tusharkanti Behera; Chairman, Hockey Promotion Council Dilip Tirkey; secretary to Chief Minister VK Pandian; commissioner-cum-secretary, Sports and Youth Services department R Vineel Krishna, sportspersons and officials of the Sports department were present on the occasion.
