Naveen Presents Cash Awards To Odisha’s Outstanding Visually-Challenged Cricketers

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday felicitated seven visually-challenged cricketers from Odisha for their fantastic performances at the International Blind Sports Federation IBSA World Games in Birmingham recently.

The Indian women’s team won gold medal beating Australia in the final, while the Indian men’s team nagged silver.

While the Odisha quartet of Padmini Tudu, Basanti Hansda, Jhili Birua and Phula Soren helped Indian women’s team lift the crown, there were three male players from Odisha — Md Jafar Iqbal, Nakula Badanayak and Pankaj Bhue – who shone for the Indian men’s team.

In recognition of their outstanding accomplishments, the Odisha CM presented a cash prize of Rs 20 lakh to each of the four female players from the state, and Rs 15 lakh each to the men’s trio.

Congratulating the cricketers, Naveen said, “The players have made us all proud with their outstanding achievements in spite of all the challenges they faced in reaching this level. Their remarkable talent, dedication and hard work is an inspiration for all.”