Cash incentives for Biju Patnaik Dkhyata Protsahan Award enhanced

Bhubaneswar, May 7: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today announced the enhancement of cash incentives for Biju Patnaik Dakhyata Award for the winners of the World Skills Competition to be held in Shanghai in China in October this year. Speaking at a function organised to honour the winners at Convention Centre, Lok Seva Bhawan, the CM said that Odisha will put the best resources available towards training the winners as they go through the gruelling preparations for the World Skills Competition in October 2022. He announced that from this edition onwards, the gold medal winner in the World Skill competitions will get an award of Rs 1 crore, silver medallist will get Rs 50 lakh and the bronze medallist will get Rs 25 lakh.  He also said that the institution which nurtures the gold medal winner will get Rs 5 crore for setting up the Biju Patnaik Centre of Excellence. Setting the goal more challenging he set the target of 2-3-4 for the participants at WSC in Sanghai. He said, ‘We have kept the goal of 2-3-4, bringing 2 golds, 3 silvers and 4 bronzes for the country from the youth of Odisha.’ Wishing the competitors at World Skills Competition, he said, “From now onwards, may all of you have ‘Shanghai on my mind, India in my heart’, as you work towards making this dream a reality.” Congratulating the competitors the Chief Minister said that Odisha stood first in the India Skills competition held in January 2022 with 59 medals in total. He congratulated all the winners, their parents, their coaches, institutions and industry partners for this great achievement. He also thanked the National Skill Development Corporation for the support. Patnaik further said that these medals come from traditional skills to the latest in technology proving the range and versatility of our boys and girls. In standing with our commitment to promoting girls in technical education, girls have brought the state national honours in areas that are traditionally male dominated.