Achyuta Samanta Elected as President of Indian Science Congress Association
NEW DELHI, February 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Second Person From Odisha to be ISCA President
Noted educationist, social entrepreneur and Founder of KIIT & KISS, Dr. Achyuta Samanta has been elected as President of Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA). He is the president elect for the year 2016-17 and will assume office for the year 2017-18. Dr. Samanta is only the second person from Odisha to be elected president of the prestigious science body in its 102 years history, after a gap of 55 years. Previously, Prof. Prana Krushna Parija, an eminent Odia scientist, was elected as president of the 47th session of the ISCA in 1960 held at Mumbai. Many eminent personalities, including former Prime Ministers Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Dr. Manmohan Singh held this office in the past.
Dr. Samanta has been the member of Executive Council of ISCA since 2011. He made an example by organizing the 99th Session of the Indian Science Congress in 2012, which was held in KIIT University. He has also been the member of many prestigious educational and other national level apex bodies, including UGC (2008-2014), AICTE, National Coir Board, CAPART, NCTE and members of academic councils of two central universities. He was the only person from Odisha to be the member of both UGC and AICTE.
Expressing happiness over his election, Dr. Samanta said, it is good news for Odisha and he will work to highlight the state's achievements in the fields of science and technology in India and abroad. "There is a misconception that people of other states are at the top most positions of various apex educational bodies, and now this misconception will change as Odisha has got a chance," said Dr. Samanta, who is working towards the development of the country and his state through education and social service. "It has become possible only because of God's blessings and good wishes from the people of the state", he added.
During the 103rd Session of the Indian Science Congress in Mysore, Dr. Samanta was the Chief Guest of National Children's Science Congress. Former President of India, Late Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam had graced the occasion as the Chief Guest for past many years.
In a related development, Prof. P. P. Mathur, VC, KIIT University has been elected as the General Secretary of ISCA for the term 2016-19. It is rare for two persons from a single university to be elected as president and secretary of ISCA, which is the oldest association of science academicians and scientists of India, which has more than 60,000 members. Many educationists, scientists and intellectuals congratulated Dr. Samanta for this new assignment. Establishing an institute is not a big achievement, but if the fame of the institute could reach everywhere across the globe, then it is a pride for the entire country, they opined.
Dr. Achyuta Samanta has been relentlessly working for the upliftment of the poor indigenous community in Odisha for the last two and a half decades. His passion led him to establish Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), a free residential institute for 25,000 tribal children. He also founded KIIT, a group of professional institutes, to make this social enterprise sustainable through a unique and innovative financial model. Dr. Samanta has been honoured with numerous national and international recognitions for his noble work, including Gusi Peace Prize International in 2014 and Isa Award for Service to Humanity.
Dr. Achyuta Samanta is the founder of globally visible KIIT (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology), a multi-disciplinary university with a current student strength of 25,000 aborigine children. KISS (Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences) provides free accommodation, food, healthcare and education from kindergarten to post-graduation (KG to PG) with vocational training. Dr. Samanta is the Founder and propagator of "ART OF GIVING" (philosophy of life), a concept aimed at bringing peace to human minds around the globe.
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