Prakruti Mishra Receives Natl Award Amid Row Over President Honouring Only 11

New Delhi: Ollywood actress Prakruti Mishra, who had received a special mention for her role in Odia film ‘Hello Arsi’, received the national award from Union Information and Broadcasting minister Smriti Irani and Minister of State Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Thursday.

In a departure from tradition,  President Ram Nath Kovind presented only 11 awards while the rest were given away by Irani and Rathore. Expressing displeasure, as many as 65 awardees skipped the ceremony.

When asked on the issue, Prakruti said, “It would have been an honour to receive the national award from the President. Nevertheless, it was a whole different feeling holding the national award, the highest recognition for the team’s hard work. I hope to bring more laurels for Odisha in future.”

The awardees were informed about the decision on Wednesday.

The 11 chosen for the President’s segment included actors Vinod Khanna and Sridevi, who have been honoured posthumously, and Oscar winning composer AR Rahman.

The event was organised in two phases – first set of awards were given away by Union Minister Smriti Irani and Minister of State Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore while the second set was presented by the President from 5.30 pm.