KISS University’s sports talent Jyotsna Shabar receives Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar
New Delhi: Jyotsna Shabar from Odisha was awarded at the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar Award ceremony today. A student of the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), she received the award from President of India, Draupadi Murmu.
The award is given to students for extraordinary achievements in the fields of bravery, social service, environment, sports, art and culture, and science and technology.
KISS student Jyotsna has achieved unique success in women’s weightlifting. She won the gold medal in the 40 kg category at the Asian Youth Weightlifting Championship held in Doha in 2024 and set an Asian record by lifting 135 kg. She also won a silver medal in her category at the IWF World Youth Championships held in Lima, Peru this year. This talented athlete has also won medals in 2023 and 2024, making her state, country, and ‘KISS’ University proud.
Jyotsna’s native place is a rural pocket of Gajapati district. Her father is Kirtan Shabar, and her mother is Gajamari Shabar. She has won the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar due to her talent.
The President honored 20 students selected from 18 states and union territories today. Suman Sarkar from West Bengal was honored for art, Ajay from Agra, Uttar Pradesh, was honored for bravery, and emerging cricketer Vaibhav Suryavanshi was honored as a sportsperson.
President Draupadi Murmu presented the awards at a ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
Many KISS University sportspersons like Jyotsna have achieved success at national and international levels, enhancing the prestige of their community, state, and country. KISS is recognized as the largest tribal residential school in the world.
