Dutee Chand felicitated, given Rs 3 crore

Odisha-born star athlete Dutee Chand, who clinched two silver medals at the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, was accorded a rousing welcome on her arrival here and presented a cheque of Rs 3 crore by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Patnaik, who had earlier announced a total cash prize of Rs 3 crore for Chand for bringing laurels to the state and the country, felicitated her and presented her the cheque at the state secretariat here.

He had announced Rs 1.5 crore each for Chand for winning silver medals in women's 100m and 200 metre sprint.

The chief minister also announced that all assistance would be provided to the sprinter for her preparations and training for the next Olympics.

As soon as Chand arrived here, she was given a rousing welcome by common people, her admirers and sports enthusiasts at the Biju Patnaik International Airport.

The athlete has became the first Indian woman after PT Usha to get two sprint medals in a single edition of the quadrennial continental Games.

Dutee had been suspended by the International Association for Athletics Federation in 2014 under its hyperandrogenism policy, but she won the case at the Court of Arbitration for Sports.