Pratyasa Ray, a budding swimmer star, has been picked for the coveted Ekalabya Puraskar in 2024, according to an official. Ray won six medals – four gold, one silver, and one bronze – in the Khelo India University Games in Guwahati in February this year. At a meeting in Bhubaneswar, the Ekalabya Puraskar committee, which consisted of panel members from several sectors, unanimously selected Ray for the coveted award. Ray will get a monetary reward of Rs 7 lakh (up from Rs 5 lakh before), as well as a citation, during a ceremony to be conducted later.
Sprinter Dondapati Mrutyam Jayaram and badminton player Tanvi Patri will also be honored for their outstanding results in international and national-level competitions in their respective sports. Each citation winner will receive a monetary reward of Rs 1.5 lakh (increased from Rs 1 lakh), as well as citations, at the award event.
Ekalabya Puraskar was established by the nonprofit organization IMPaCT in 1993 and is maintained by IMFA, the country’s major ferroalloys producer. It is presently regarded as the most prestigious sports award in Odisha. The award is awarded annually to young Odisha athletes in appreciation of their remarkable achievements in the previous two years.