Shuttler Rutaparna Panda Receives 29th Ekalabya Puraskar 

Internationally acclaimed woman shuttler from Odisha, Rutaparna Panda was conferred with the prestigious 29th Ekalabya Puraskar for the year 2021 at a function in Bhubaneswar on Monday.

Rutaparna received Rs 5 lakh cash award and a citation at the event organised at Mayfair Convention Hall today. The event was attended by Odisha Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal, Padma Shri Dilip Tirkey and BJP National Vice President, Chairperson of Ekalabya Puraskar Committee and Trustee of IMPaCT Baijayant Panda, among others. 

Apart from Rutaparna, cyclist Swasti Singh and football player Pyari Xaxa received Rs 50,000 each along with citations on the occasion. 

The award, instituted by the Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT), the charitable wing of the IMFA Group, in 1993, is conferred every year on young sportspersons of Odisha in recognition of their outstanding performances in the preceding two years.  

Sharing her excitement, Rutaparna said, "It’s a dream for every young sportsperson in Odisha to win the Ekalabya Puraskar. I am feeling very proud after being conferred with the prestigious award because I had been nurturing the dream of winning Ekalabya Puraskar since a long time. The award will motivate me to do well and bring laurels for India as well as Odisha." 

"Even after winning many accolades, whenever a sportsperson receives the Ekalabya Puraskar and says that he/she had a dream of winning the prestigious award, it validates the efforts we have been putting in to encourage young sportspersons from Odisha. In that light, I am fully confident that Rutaparna Panda, Swasti Singh and Pyari Xaxa will achieve a lot of success in coming years," said Jay Panda.