Rio Paralympics silver medallist Deepa Malik was named as the recipient of the New Zealand Prime Minister’s Sir Edmund Hillary Fellowship for 2019 in recognition of her inspiring achievements.

• Deepa Malik had won the silver medal in shot put event in Rio in 2016.
• The Fellowship Program aims to strengthen the relationship between India and New Zealand by showcasing the different aspects of the warm friendship between the two countries

Sir Edmund Percival Hillary was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer and Philanthropist. Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest on 29 May 1953.