Bhubaneswar: The prestigious Mahatma Award was conferred on Achyuta Samanta, the founder of KIIT and KISS in Bhubaneswar, on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti in New Delhi on Tuesday.
The award, presented by the Aditya Birla Group, honours individuals who have made remarkable contributions to education and social service. Samanta received the award in recognition of his significant efforts in these fields.
The Mahatma Award, initiated by renowned CSR activist Amit Sachdeva, has been awarded since 2016 to distinguished individuals and organisations contributing to societal development. Previous recipients included Ratan Tata, Azim Premji, Bindeshwar Pathak and Shabana Azmi.
Samanta, who has dedicated over 33 years to education and social work, has focused on uplifting marginalised and tribal communities, aligning with Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of eradicating inequality. Through KISS, Samanta has accelerated these efforts over the past three decades, the selection committee for the award stated.
In his acceptance speech, Samanta expressed his gratitude and dedicated the award to the KIIT and KISS family. He also thanked Mugdha Arora, Director, Mahatma Awards and Managing Editor, CSR Good Book as well as the organising committee for the recognition.
This year’s ceremony also honoured scholar and author Sudha Murty, renowned Odissi and Bharatanatyam dancer Sonal Mansingh. Former Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi, and social worker Rajashree Birla were present at the event.
