Odisha govt felicitates shooter, para athlete

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has felicitated two sportspersons from the state — shooter Shriyanka Sadangi and para athlete Jayanti Behera — for their recent triumph in international events.

Patnaik presented a cash reward of Rs 15 lakh to Behera and Rs 2 lakh to Sadangi at a function here on Saturday, lauding them for their success and for inspiring budding talents.

Sadangi had won a bronze medal at the ISSF World Cup Shooting in Cairo, while Behera clinched three medals at the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai.

Both the awardees hailed Patnaik’s “vision and initiatives” for improving the sports infrastructure in Odisha.

The felicitation of Sadangi and Behera came a day after Olympian Dutee Chand alleged that the Odisha government was only promoting hockey.

“You are only concentrating on Hockey India and promoting it with government funds. There is no money for other sports, particularly athletics. This is why the state has been unable to produce international athletes for a long time,” Chand had said in a Facebook post on Friday, which she later deleted.