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Kalinga award may be scrapped

The Kalinga Award may be discontinued as its jury feels that the award money is too meagre to have any international significance.

Biju Patnaik had instituted the prestigious award for science and technology and the onus is on his son Naveen to keep it alive after half a century.

The award had given Orissa international fame. Biju Patnaik had formed the Kalinga Trust in 1950, with Dr Harekrushna Mahatab as its president. Patnaik had donated 10,000 pounds and the annual interest of 1,000 pounds was the prize money.

This award got international recognition with a four-member jury (one each from India, Cuba, Cairo and Venezuela) of UNESCO.

Many internationally reputed scientists and technologists have been conferred the award over the years. They include Jayant Narlikar, Jagjit Singh and V Subramanyam and six scientists who were later presented the Nobel Prize.

In 1991, the jury had written to the trust that with only a thousand pounds as prize money, the award was losing its standing and to make it prestigious the money should be substantially hiked. But the trust did not bother to respond.

Nine years later, in a letter dated August 31, the jury recommended a curtains down for the award unless the prize money was pegged at a minimum Rs50 lakh.

The trust approached the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of Orissa in a letter dated October 16, 2000 for aid. But the department had no such provision and the trust was private.

A high-level meeting was held with Science and Technology Minister Pratap Swain and Indian representative of the Kalinga Award jury Professor Trilochan Pradhan.

No decision was taken and the file now lies with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

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