NEW DELHI, June 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
KIIT & KISS Founder, Dr. Achyuta Samanta Receives Top Civilian Award of Bahrain, Which Includes Certificate, Gold Medal and $1 Million Cash Prize
Dr. Achyuta Samanta, noted social entrepreneur and reformer from India, was honoured with 'Isa Award for Service to Humanity', a top civilian award of the Kingdom of Bahrain, on June 3, 2015. The "man with Midas touch" received a certificate of appreciation, a 21K gold medal and $1 million cash prize at the hands of His Majesty King Hamad of Bahrain at a special ceremony.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150630/10126013 )
The honour is in recognition of Dr. Samanta's humanitarian social care and education. "Dr. Achyuta Samanta has based his services to humanity on constant diligence, as he strived to find effective initiatives that would eradicate poverty, hunger, and illiteracy, while working on providing the less fortunate with job opportunities and a better standard of living," said His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in his keynote address. This prestigious international award is given every two years to exceptional individuals or organisations whose selfless actions produced long-term benefit to the general public, enhanced efforts in finding solutions to humanitarian and social problems and issues, and adopted creative ideas and theories to raise the standard of life.
Dr. Achyuta Samanta has been relentlessly working for the uplift of poorest 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. KISS has received worldwide recognition as an effective model of empowerment of indigenous people through education. His model is now being replicated in many states of India as well as abroad. Dr. Samanta has been honoured with numerous national and international recognitions for his noble work, including Gusi Peace Prize International in 2014.
The Award is named after the Late Amir Shaik Isa Bin Salman-Al Khalifa, the former ruler of Bahrain. The recipient of the award is chosen by an expert panel representing each continent chaired by Swede Jan Paulsson, while the board chairman is Deputy Premier Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa. In a fiercely contested nomination process worldwide, Dr. Samanta's name could clinch the award after physical verification of his creations, home and native place. A jury member Mohammed Bensaissa of Marroco put it on record, "Dr. Samanta is the most worthy candidate because he has overcome so many obstacles to help the community."
Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Premier and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the 'Isa Award for Service to Humanity', Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa said, "Jury decided, unanimously, to grant the award to Samanta for his pioneering and outstanding efforts in saving thousands of children, belonging to various ethnicities and religions, from poverty, homelessness and deprivation and opened up new horizons of hope, work and production. The recipient of the award is chosen by an expert panel representing each continent chaired by Swede Jan Paulsson. In a fiercely contested nomination process worldwide, Dr. Samanta's name could clinch the award after physical verification of his creations, home and native place."
It is a matter of great pride for Dr. Achyuta Samanta to be the first ever Indian to put his feet on the Red Carpet spread out for him from the airport to the palace where the King His Majesty Hamad greeted him personally along with his Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and other distinguished personalities of the Kingdom. The ceremony was attended by galaxies of luminaries from Bahrain, Members of Diplomatic Missions in Bahrain and invited guests from across the globe, where Dr. Samanta addressed the gathering.
Dr. Achyuta Samanta also had one-to-one meeting with His Majesty the King and the Ministers, besides delivering a one-hour address at the National University of Bahrain. Expressing gratitude to the His Majesty King of Bahrain and the award's Board of Trustees for considering him worthy of the honour, Samanta said, "It is not only a matter of great pride for me, but also for Odisha and Odia people."
About Dr. Achyuta Samanta:
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 and one-of-its-kind home for 25,000 poorest-of-the-poor indigenous aborigine children KISS (Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences), which provides free accommodation, food, healthcare and education from kindergarten to post-graduation (KG to PG) with vocational training, KIIT International School (KIS)- the one and only one with International Baccalaureate Affiliation in the eastern part of India, and KIMS (Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences) - a medical college with 2000 bedded hospital. He is the Founder and propagator of 'Art of Giving' (philosophy of life), a concept aimed at bringing peace to human mind around the globe.
Media Contact:
Babita Garg
[email protected]
+91-9873401918
Sanguine Solutions
Share this article