Naveen seeks continued support for UNESCO Kalinga Prize

Bhubaneswar: Former Odisha chief minister and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Naveen Patnaik, has urged Union Minister for Science & Technology, Jitendra Singh, to continue supporting the UNESCO Kalinga Prize, an international award given to individuals for contributions towards the popularisation of Science.

Patnaik on Monday wrote a letter to the Union minister seeking his intervention for the continuation of the Central government’s support for the award. Notably, the Central government has recently informed the Kalinga Foundation Trust through email that various awards instituted by science ministries/ departments and their autonomous institutes are being rationalised.Therefore, it will not be possible to support the coveted prize in its present form.

“UNESCO Kalinga Prize is one of the prestigious international awards in the field of Science. It was instituted by the legendary Biju Patnaik and, since its inception in 1952, has so far been awarded to 72 great scientists including 7 Nobel laureates, such as Louis de Brogile, Julian Huxley, Bertrand Russel, Karl von Frisch, Arthur C Clarke, Fred Hoyle and Sergei Kapitza among others,” wrote Patnaik in the letter shared on X.

He further mentioned that the UNESCO Kalinga prize was made possible with a generous grant of 1000 pounds to Unesco, Paris, from Kalinga Foundation Trust in the year 1951 of which ‘Biju Babu’ (Biju Patnaik) was the Founder President.Patnaik asserted that UNESCO Kalinga Prize is the only international award from India in the field of popularisation of Science.

Patnaik also stated that this award has been a highly coveted prize and has also become a symbol of Odia identity at the international level over the years.

The veteran leader noted that it was decided when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister in 2002 that the Department of Science and Technology, the Government of India, Odisha government and Kalinga Foundation Trust will act as the Partners/ Donors for the prize and share the expenses of UNESCO Kalinga Prize in the ratio of 6:4:4.

“However, I am now pained to learn that the Ministry of Science & Technology has decided to stop supporting this Prize.

The ‘Kalinga Prize’ is not just a symbol of ‘Odia pride’ but it had set a legacy for independent India in the comity of nations globally. Imagine the kind of efforts Biju babu would have put as a 36-year-old young man travelling all the way to Paris and to negotiate with UNESCO to set up an International Prize for popularisation of Science,” Naveen Patnaik said.

Patnaik said that the foresight and courage of Biju babu, who has named the award as Kalinga Prize, has inspired many generations of Odias and lifted the spirit of people of Odisha.

“Thus ‘Kalinga prize’ is not just an international award but it is a great legacy which people of Odisha are proud of and identify with. In this context, I would like to draw your kind attention and request you to personally intervene for continuation of UNESCO Kalinga Prize and honour the Odia ‘identity and pride’ associated with it,” urged Patnaik.