Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The renowned Biju Patnaik Sports Awards were given out by the Odisha government on National Sports Day to notable athletes and coaches in honor of their exceptional achievements to sports at the state and national levels. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi was the chief guest of honor at the Lokseva Bhavan award ceremony. He gave the winners, who had been honored for their accomplishments in a variety of sports, their prizes and diplomas. Chief Minister Majhi presented Rudra Prasad Mallick with the Biju Patnaik Sahasikata Puraskar, along with a citation and ₹2 lakhs in cash.
Weightlifter Suchismita Bhoi won a ₹2 lakh cash prize for being named the Best Upcoming Athlete. Hockey player Lazarus Barla received a trophy and ₹4 lakhs in cash as a thank you for his lifetime contributions to sports and games. Kishore Kumar Jena, a javelin thrower, won the Outstanding Sportsperson Award and was given a trophy and ₹3 lakhs in cash. Hockey coach Bijaya Kumar Lakra received ₹2 lakhs as part of the Excellence in Coaching Award. Mohammed Zafar Iqbal, a cricket player, won ₹2 lakhs in cash as the Outstanding Differently-Abled Sportsperson. Each of the two winners—Sukesh Ranjan Behera for Excellence in Sports Journalism and Rupaniwta Panda for Outstanding Technical Officer Award—received ₹2 lakhs.
During the event, NALCO received recognition as the recipient of the Outstanding Sponsor Award. Additionally present were Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, Sports Secretary Bhaskar Sarma, Sports Director Siddharth Das, and Minister of Sports and Youth Services Suryabanshi Suraj. To celebrate National Sports Day and pay tribute to the victorious athletes and coaches, a number of department officials from the sports department, senior representatives of numerous sports associations, and other dignitaries were also in attendance.
