The Unesco Kalinga Prize for popularisation of science has been plunged into uncertainty with the Centre refusing to give its share for this award.

The prize carries $40,000, a certificate and an Albert Einstein silver medal. It was created in 1952, following a donation of £1000 from Biju Patnaik, founder-president of the Kalinga Foundation Trust, a charitable trust.

The prize money and other expenses are shared equally between the government of India, the Kalinga Foundation Trust and the Odisha government in a ratio of 6:4:4.

President of Kalinga Foundation Trust, Bimal Das, said: “Now Kalinga Foundation Trust has received an email from the department of science and technology (DST), Government of India wherein they have mentioned that various awards instituted by science ministries/ departments and their autonomous institutes are being rationalised. Therefore, it will not be possible to support the Unesco Kalinga Prize in its present form.”

Secretary of Kalinga Foundation Trust and former minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, said: “We are hopeful that the Indian government would certainly reconsider its decision in funding the award. This is an international award. Both the government of India and Odisha government’s prestige are involved in it.”

Nayak said 72 great scientists and science communicators, including seven Nobel laureates, five Indian scientists and six distinguished lady science communicators, have been decorated with these coveted awards from 1952 to 2023.

Joint managing trustee of Kalinga Foundation Trust, Dr Chitta Ranjan Mishra, said: “From 1952, Unesco started presenting the Kalinga Prize for popularisation of science. The Kalinga Prize was presented annually from 1952 to 2005 to world-famous scientists and science communicators for their outstanding contribution to popularisation of science.”