ENARADA, Mysuru, January 6, 2016
As curtains were drawn for the 103rd Indian Science Congress, Dr Achyuta Samanta has been elected as the general president for the 105th Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) scheduled for 2017-18. Dr Samanta, who is a well-known educationist for setting up renowned institutions like KIIT University and KISS, is currently serving as member of ISCA’s executive committee.
Popularise basic sciences
“Now my aim is to popularise the basic and applied science courses in our country. These days, students are getting lured towards engineering and technology and as a result, the basic sciences have taken a big hit. So, my role is now to motivate more and more young minds to pursue basic sciences. The strengthening of basic science courses is directly linked to the development of our country. So, I will personally take interest in motivating students.”
Torch bearer
He is considered as a torch bearer for drastically improving educational scenario in India in general and Odisha in particular. Odisha was considered as a backward state as for as top quality education institutions were considered. However, with a great vision and constant effort, Dr Samanta through setting up of institutions like KIIT and KIIS created a special place for Odisha in the global map.
31 doctorates to his credit
Dr Samanta’s efforts have been so widely recognised that he has been honoured with 31 honorary doctorates so far, a unique record in itself. He shares a close association with ISCA. In fact, he was applauded by the scientists all across the country when he successfully conducted the 99th Indian Science Congress at KIIT University campus in Bhubaneswar in 2012.
About Dr Achyuta Samanta
Dr. Samanta withstood the vagaries of circumstances to rise tall, not by material richness but by ethical values of life. Setting up KIIT-a world class university all by himself with less than Rs 5,000 in his pocket is now history. He dreamed of a world where poverty would not stand as a hindrance to one’s education. In his effort’s he created a slice of heaven on earth, christened it as Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), for 25,000 neglected and underprivileged tribal children living beyond our ‘civilised’ world. Today, KISS is providing free residential education to kids from KG to PG and fast spreading to different parts of the country. Dr Samanta is also credited to have kick-started a unique social initiative-Art of Giving which motivates people to help one another voluntarily. KIIT University, despite being relatively young always gives priority to research and utilization of the benefits of research for creating a world sans hunger and ignorance. KIIT has made a beginning through its unique experiment called KISS that works relentlessly to empower the poorest of the poor under-privileged sections of the society through education and sustainable livelihood.
About Indian Science Congress Association
The Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) is a professional body under Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. ISCA is a premiere scientific organization of the country established in 1914. ISCA has been promoting science and inculcating the spirit of science through its multifarious activities. ISCA meets in the first week of January in an Annual Congress of scientists, science administrators, policy makers and the general public to give a stronger impulse and a more systematic direction to scientific inquiry, to promote interaction of societies and individuals interested in science in different parts of the country and to focus more general attention to the objectives pure and applied sciences. ISCA brings together scientists both from India and abroad for mutual interaction in the cause of national development. The annual congress of the association has been held every year since 1914.
