From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Sep 24: National Cycling Athlete Pavithra Kurthakoti from Gadag district was presented with the latest Aergon - 18 E119 brand bicycle specially imported from Canada by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in Bengaluru on Friday.
The bicycle imported by State Youth Empowerment and Sports Department from Canada costing Rs 5 lakh was presented by the Chief Minister to enable Pavithra to prepare and participate in international cycling competitions.
Pavithra Kurthakoti is the daughter of Ashok and Renuka of Kadakol village of Shirahatti taluk of Gadag district. She is presently in the PUC first year at VDFT Girls College. While the father is working as an agricultural labourer, the mother is working as a cooking assistant in the local government primary school for the mid-day meal programme.
A keen cycling enthusiast Pavithra participated in the cycling events by raising money from donors to buy a bicycle and has won prizes in different competitions. When the Chief Minister was participating in a phone-in TV debate in a Kannada channel, Pavithra called and requested that she be provided with a modern bicycle to enable her to participate in the National Cycling Competition being held in Patiala, and the Chief Minister readily agreed to help her.
Pavithra has been selected for the National level Games Championship being held in Patiala in Punjab as a member of the Khelo India Team and was in need of an international standard bicycle to get herself prepared and take part in the event.
The State Youth Empowerment and Sports Department Additional Chief Secretary Dr Shalini Rajneesh mobilized the money to get the bicycle imported from Canada by raising contributions from donors under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds and ensured that the latest model of bicycle was imported from Canada within 8 days.
Youth Empowerment and Sports Minister Dr Narayana Gowda, Public Works Minister C C Patil, Housing Minister S T Somashekar, Transport Minister B Sriramulu, BDA Chairman S R Vishwanath and legislator Ravikumar were present when the Chief Minister handed over the bicycle to Pavithra.
Pavithra’s achievements:
• Secured the 5th place in the 158 kms road cycling race held in Kurukshetra in 2018;
• Won 9th place in the National MTB Cycling event held in Pune in 2019;
• Bagged the 3rd place in the State-level MTB Mountain Bicycle event held in Mysuru in 2021; and
• Got 3rd place in the National MTB Mountain Bicycle event held in Gadag in 2021.