State-level Mathematics Olympiad recipients with chief minister Naveen Patnaik at the award ceremony in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, June 10: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today felicitated recipients of the state-level Mathematics Olympiad organised by the Institute of Mathematics and Applications and Orissa Mathematical Society here.

Around 155 students from various parts of the state received this prestigious award.

“Knowledge of mathematics is fundamental to the progress of the state and to stimulate further interest in this subject. The government has introduced a new scholarship programme known as Pathani Samanta scheme. Under this, around 6,000 students from Class VI to XII in rural areas will receive a scholarship of Rs 200 to Rs 500 per month,” said Naveen.

He also released a quarterly magazine, Gyanit Bichitra, for aspiring mathematics Olympiads.

A student of Class VIII, Spandan Kumar Sahu of DAV Public School, Jagatsinghpur, and Prateek Sahu, a Class XII student of DAV public School, Chandrasekharpur, bagged the gold medal of Junior Mathematics Olympiad (JMO) and Regional Mathematics Olympiad (RMO), respectively. They also received additional prize money of Rs 1,500 each, which was given by Hadibandhu Pattanayak, secretary of Orissa Mathematical Society, in memory of his father K. Pattanayak. The silver medals at the JMO and RMO level was given to 12 students.

“It feels good to receive such a prestigious award and that too from the hands of the chief minister. My mother, who is my role model, motivated me to participate in this competition. This award inspires me to work harder. My favourite subject is mathematics and I want to pursue electrical engineering from IIT,” said gold medalist Spandan Sahu.

It was a big day for Class VIII student Prativa Das of Saraswati Sishu Vidya Mandir, Berhampur. “I love mathematics. I did not take any coaching classes. I study for five to six hours everyday and aim to become a doctor,” said Prativa.

While addressing the event, Hadibandhu Pattanayak further underlined the importance of the subject.

“Neglect of mathematics is a matter of humiliation for our state and I request the chief minister to initiate steps for its promotion and popularisation,” he said.

Other distinguished guests present were Usha Devi, minister of textile and handloom and science and technology; director of Institute of Materials and Minerals Technology, B.K. Sharma, secretary of science and technology department, D.N. Gupta and Swadheenananda Pattanayak, director of Institute of Mathematics and Application.