Bhubaneswar: Bansidhar & Ila Panda Foundation (BIPF), the social development arm of Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys Limited (IMFA), felicitated the recipients of Professor Ghanashyam Dash Scholarship (PGDS) for Higher Education for the academic year 2025-2026.
This was the 20h year of PGDS initiative, under which scholarship is awarded to six meritorious students (Odisha domicile) to facilitate higher education in the fields of engineering, medicine and liberal arts across India.
This year, there are four recipients pursuing MBBS, Chumki Jena (AIIMS, Bhubaneswar), Annapurna Chakrabarty (SCB Medical College & Hospital, Cuttack), Gyana Ranjan Behera (Shri Jagannath Medical College & Hospital, Puri), Dhableswar Pujari (Saheed Laxman Nayak Medical College & Hospital, Koraput,) and Naba Jyoti Giri enrolled in B.Tech Computer Science at NIT Rourkela.
Every year meritorious students, pursuing professional degrees in engineering, medicine, STEM and liberal arts, receive this prestigious scholarship. The selected candidates get up to 90% of the academic fee and eligible expenses for 4-year course amounting up to Rs six lakhs per recipient.
Instituted in 2005 by IMFA, this scholarship is named after renowned historian Late Prof Ghanashyam Dash, father of late Ila Panda; is to provide equal opportunity through financial assistance to facilitate higher education.
Since 2016, BIPF has taken over the mantle of this scholarship and has added a new dimension by introducing “UTSAAH”, a meaningful segment for mentorship. All recipients will receive mentoring, coaching, and virtual sessions over 20 modules, specifically designed to help them strengthen academic focus, time management, career prospects, mental wellness, AI skills, life and social skills, identify their inner potential, networking opportunities, hone their oratory and leadership traits, and unleash their capability for a well-planned trajectory.
Congratulating the recipients, Shaifalika Panda, Trustee & Founder CEO, Bansidhar & Ila Panda Foundation, said “Education is fundamental; for every individual educated, the impact uplifts families and transforms entire communities. By supporting meritorious students, we fuel their potential to become enablers to national growth. To further strengthen their path to success we undertake a mentorship program to help students develop leadership qualities and agile skills to make informed choices in this constantly evolving world.”
