Paralympic gold winner Pramod Bhagat to get Rs 6 cr cash prize: Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Wednesday said it will provide a cash prize of Rs 6 crore to Pramod Bhagat, who won the gold in badminton in the recently concluded Tokyo Paralympic Games an official said.

Bhagat, a resident of Odisha’s Bargarh district, claimed the gold medal defeating Great Britain’s Daniel Bethell in men’s singles SL3 class, in which athletes with lower limb impairment are allowed to compete.

Bhagat will be handed over the cheque by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik after his arrival in Bhubaneswar. He will also be eligible for a Group-A level government job, an official statement said.

Earlier, the Odisha government has given a cash prize of Rs 2.5 crore each to Odia players Birendra Lakra and Amit Rohidas, two members of the Indian men’s hockey team after their arrival here. The team won the bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics.

Though the Indian women’s hockey team lost 3-4 to Great Britain in a hard-fought bronze play-off in the Tokyo Olympics, the state government has given Rs 50 lakh each to Odia players Deep Grace Ekka and Namita Toppno for their brilliant performance.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had interacted with the Odisha Olympians and Para-Olympians who had qualified for the Tokyo Olympics on July 8 and wished them good luck.

To motivate the players, Patnaik had also announced a cash award for achieving medals, Rs 6 crore for a gold medal, Rs 4 crore for silver and Rs 2.5 crore for bronze. A grant of Rs 15 lakh was also provided as support for their preparation for Tokyo Olympics and Para-Olympics.

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