Biju Patnaik Sports Award renamed as Odisha Rajya Krida Samman
Bhubaneswar, Jul 20: The newly elected BJP government has renamed the Biju Patnaik Sports Award as ‘Odisha Rajya Krida Samman’.
Odisha Sports and Youth Services Department on Friday issued guidelines for the ‘Rajya Krida Samman’ which will be awarded in eight categories annually, subject to availability of suitable candidates. The cash rewards remain unchanged.
According to the guidelines, the lifetime achievement award for promoting sports will carry a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh, while Rs 2 lakh will be awarded for outstanding performance in sports, and Rs 1 lakh for excellence in coaching.
Similarly, a cash award of Rs 1 lakh will be given in each of the following categories - best contribution to sports promotion, excellence in sports journalism, para-sports person of the year, upcoming athlete of the year (junior category), and sports technical official/support staff of the year.
The award recipient must be a resident of Odisha and free of any criminal convictions. It will be conferred only once per lifetime per category and can be awarded posthumously to the next of kin.
The Sports and Youth Services Department secretary will constitute a five-member scrutiny committee comprising senior officials and coaches of the department with sports director or the seniormost officer of the department as head of the panel.
The awards will be presented in a special ceremony on National Sports Day (August 29) every year.
The BJP government plans to rename several popular schemes from the previous BJD administration, including the LAaccMI (Location Accessible Multi-modal Initiative) rural bus service, Mo Bus city service, and Aahaar (Rs 5 per meal scheme).
Objecting to BJP's move, the BJD appealed to the government to refrain from taking such a decision "which will hurt the people of Odisha".
Speaking to reporters, senior BJD MLA Arun Sahoo said Biju Patnaik was not an individual but an institution. "He was a national asset and was honoured by three different countries. By removing his name from a sports award, what does the state government wants to prove?" he asked.
On the other hand, state BJP spokesperson Dillip Mallick said the state government took the step after thoroughly examining it. "Not only Biju Patnaik but many legendary leaders and sports personalities have contributed for the development of Odisha," he said.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
