Bhubaneswar: The 33rd Ekalabya Puraskar was conferred on ace shuttler Swetaparna Panda at a glittering function in Odisha capital on Sunday.
The 20-year-old rising star received a cash prize of Rs 7 lakh and a trophy.
The Cuttack girl, who trained at the Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad earlier, has won 4 BWF International Challenge/Series doubles titles with her sister and partner Rutaparna.
In addition, weightlifter Pritismita Bhoi and tennis player Aahaan were honoured with citations for their outstanding performances on both national and international stages. Both also received a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakh each.
Advocate general Pitambar Acharya, who was the chief guest of the evening, gave away the awards in the presence of advisor to chief minister Prakash Mishra, chairman Ekalabya Puraskar Committee and Trustee of IMPaCT Baijayant Panda and the jury members.
Convenor of the committee Aswini Prasad Mohanty and trustee of IMPaCT Paramita Panda were present among others.
Ekalabya Puraskar was instituted by IMPaCT in 1993 and is managed by IMFA, the leading Ferro Alloys producer in the country. The award is given every year to young sportspersons of Odisha in recognition of their outstanding performance in the preceding two years to inspire future generations to strive for excellence in sports.