In a grand award ceremony held at Bhubaneswar on Tuesday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik presented the prestigious Biju Patnaik Sports Award to Cyclist Swasti Singh for her exceptional performance in the field of sports.

Swasti Singh was celebrated for her extraordinary achievements and dedication to cycling, which has brought laurels to the state of Odisha. In recognition of her remarkable talent, she was conferred with the Biju Patnaik Sports Award for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games. The Chief Minister presented her with a cash award of Rs 2 lakh as a token of appreciation and encouragement for her continued pursuit of excellence in sports.

The Chief Minister also acknowledged other eminent personalities who have made remarkable contributions to the sports arena. Hockey Coach Peter Tirkey and Football Coach Rajendra Prasad Singh were conferred with the lifetime achievement award, a testament to their unwavering dedication and guidance in shaping the future of young sportsperson. Each coach was presented with a cash award of Rs 3 lakhs in recognition of their outstanding careers.

The realm of coaching and sports journalism was also celebrated during the ceremony. Coach Pradeep Kumar Sarangi and Sports Journalist Ajay Kumar Das were felicitated with the Biju Patnaik Sports Award for Excellence in Coaching and Biju Patnaik Award for Excellence in Sports Journalism, respectively. Their invaluable contributions have played a pivotal role in shaping the sports landscape of Odisha. Each awardee received a cash prize of Rs. 1 Lakh from the Chief Minister.

Odisha Police was awarded Biju Patnaik Award for sports promotion for the organisational efforts towards promotion of sports and providing jobs for sportspersons. DG of Police Sunil Bansal and ADG R K Sharma received the award from the Chief Minister.

Para badminton player, Deep Ranjan Bisoyee was named the Best Para Sportsperson of the year and was presented with a cash award of Rs 1 Lakh. Sabita Toppo, an upcoming athlete with immense potential, was celebrated as the Best Upcoming Athlete and was awarded Rs. 1 Lakh.

The crucial role played by technical officials was also highlighted during the event. Brigadier Bibhu Bhushan Nayak was felicitated with Rs 1 Lakh in recognition to his contribution to the sporting ecosystem.

Late Saroj Kumar Das, and Late Sudarshan Swain have displayed remarkable courage and valour in the most challenging circumstances, serving as shining examples of bravery for our society. Chief Minister Patnaik honoured their sacrifice with the Bravery Awards, which was received by their family members.

The award ceremony highlighted Odisha’s strong commitment to acknowledging and fostering excellence in sports. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik congratulated all the award winners and extended his gratitude for the unwavering dedication of athletes, coaches, and individuals who played a pivotal role in advancing the sports landscape of the state.

Earlier at the award ceremony, Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera, Chairman Hockey Promotion Council Dilip Tirkey, Secretary, Sports Vineel Krishna and Director Sports, Siddhartha Das felicitated a total of 388 athletes who have received 899 cash awards amounting to ₹2,02,30,000 for their excellence in their respective sports discipline.

The programme was being organised by the Department of Tourism, Govt. of Odisha in association with Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management, Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India.

Prof. Annapurna Panda, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and Guest of Honour was Prasant Panda, Company Secretary and Division Manager (Marketing), OTDC.

In his welcome address Dr. Md. Sabir Hussain, Nodal Officer and Head, IITTM welcomed all the guests present on dais and congratulated the participants on successful completion. He elaborated the outcome of the MDP and the significance of training.

In her concluding remarks Adyasha Das, Coordinator MDP presented a detailed report of the various sessions, interactive activities and study visits that were components of the training programme.

Dr. Annapurna Panda gave an eloquent address about how OTDC represented a home away from home for diaspora Indians. She gave several comparative examples about tourism and hospitality in the USA and India. The formal vote of thanks was proposed by Dr. B Swajan Assistant Professor and S. Pradhan, Assistant Professor, hosted the event. Certificates were distributed to all successful participants.

On this occasion, the Sports Minister felicitated Padmini Rout, the reigning national women chess champion, with a cash award of Sixty Thousand Rupees for her exceptional performance in the 49th National Women’s Chess Championship. Padmini’s remarkable talent and dedication to the game have earned her the prestigious titles of International Master (IM) and Woman Grandmaster, making her a beacon of inspiration for aspiring chess players across the nation and ‘PRO- CHESS -TA’ aims to nurture many more chess players like her.

The Professional Chess Training Academy will serve as a milestone facility for Odisha’s commitment towards providing budding chess players an environment to learn, grow and excel. The institution will be led by Fide Trainer and International Master Satyapragyan, who will mentor the students in developing their talent to a completely new level.

Speaking at the inauguration about the government’s vision for sports development, Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera reiterated the commitment to establishing more such sports academies across various disciplines. He said, “I am delighted to inaugurate the Professional Training Chess Academy. We have conducted several programs earlier to promote Chess and the response from children and parents were very encouraging. This along with the performance of our elite players at the national and international level has boosted us to set up this academy.”

We are guided by our visionary Chief Minister Naveeen Patnaik, and through such initiatives we are trying to create a platform for Odisha’s chess players to shine at the national and international stages, bringing pride to our state and country. I extend my gratitude to everybody who is working towards making this vision a reality.”

Padmini Rout shared, “This is a great development for chess in Odisha. Those who are passionate about chess in the region will have a support system to guide them while they strive to pursue excellence in the game. I am grateful to the Government of Odisha for felicitating me today and forever supporting me in my journey and also giving aspiring Chess players this opportunity.”

Joint Secretary of the All India Chess Federation, Ranjan Mohanty, expressed his appreciation to the Government of Odisha for their remarkable support and establishment of Professional Chess Training Academy on this International Chess Day. He shared, “This Chess Academy, located in the heart of the city, has already garnered immense interest from students, parents, and chess enthusiasts across the state. The launch of this academy signals a bright future for chess in Odisha, and it promises to nurture and empower young minds to make their mark in the national and global chess arena, representing Odisha and India.”

International Master Satyapragyan Swayangsu shared, “I am grateful to the Government of Odisha’s vision to make Odisha the biggest chess literate city in this country. In my entire professional career never have I come across a state of art academy having all the latest technology as well as a dedicated library for students. I want to thank the government of Odisha for confiding in me such a massive and important responsibility for supporting Odisha talent and making them masters of chess.”

The inauguration ceremony was also graced by Sports Director Siddhartha Das, Joint Secretary Sports & Youth Services Department, Shubhranshu Mishra, Joint Secretary All India Chess Federation Ranjan Mohanty, Honorary Secretary All Odisha Chess Association Debabrata Dhatta & Fide Trainer and International Master Satyapragyan Swayangsu. Several reputed Chess players including Saina Salonika were part of this.

Addressing the closing ceremony as chief guest, Archaeologist and Chairman of National Monument Authority (NMA) Kishor Kumar Basa highlighted the importance of judicial archives and lauded the effort of Chief Justice of Orissa High Court Dr. S Muralidhar in establishing the centre at Cuttack. He said just like judicial process is conversation between the judge and lawyers, history is the conversation between the historian and the facts. Historians are always concerned with the elements of change and elements of continuity, he added.
He said tracing the judicial history of India from the ancient period to the modern period is a challenge. He urged the historians and students of judicial history to explore the possibility of inscriptions serving as sources of information about the judicial system of ancient period.

Speaking on the occasion, Justice S Muralidhar informed the participants the background of judicial history project undertaken by the High Court. Highlighting the importance of record keeping, he said records are the soul of the functioning of a court but ironically, recordkeeping is the most neglected part in the courts across the country. He added that in absence of records the proceedings in the trial courts get stalled for years together and realizing this the High Court first took the step of digitizing the trial court records and sending them back to the trial courts which helped them revive very old matters. The Chief Justice discussed the advantages of digitization and archiving of judicial records.
Eminent historians and scholars from across the country and students of various educational institutions participated in the conference. Professor Partha Chatterjee, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and of Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies was the distinguished guest in the conference. Among others, Dr Amar Farooqui, Dr Anirudh Deshpande, Dr Ashok Anshouman, Dr Jatin Nayak, Umakanta Mishra, Dr Sasmiti Rani Sasini, Dr Sanjay Garg, Dr Karuna Mahil, Dr Bhavani Raman, Dr Prakash R, Dr Aparna Balachandran and Bidisha Chakrobarty presented papers on different topics.

Eminent historians Dr Prabhu Prasad Mohapatra, Dr Suranjan Das, Dr Nivedita Mohanty and Dr Lalatendu Das Mohapatra also participated in the deliberations.
The conference has its genesis in the judicial history project undertaken by the High Court of Orissa in the Centre for Judicial Archives which was established on 1st May, 2022. In 2021 after establishment of Record Room Digitization Centre (RRDC) when preservation of old case records was taken up, documents dating back to the early 19th century containing information on the functioning of the erstwhile judicial system were discovered.
Justice Sashikanta Mishra offered the vote of thanks.