Burla/Sambalpur: Odisha Industries Minister Sampad Chandra Swain congratulated student of Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT), Burla, Ekta Priyadarshini on securing All India Rank (AIR) 1 in GATE 2026 examination in Chemical Engineering.
““Heartfelt congratulations to Ms. Ekta Priyadarshini… on securing All India Rank (AIR) 1… Your hard work, dedication, and academic excellence have brought immense pride to the university and our state. May Mahaprabhu bless you with continued success. Best wishes for your bright future!” the minister posted on X.
Heartfelt congratulations to Ms. Ekta Priyadarshini, a final-year student of Chemical Engineering at Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT), Burla, on securing All India Rank (AIR) 1 in the prestigious GATE 2026 examination. Your hard work, dedication, and academic… pic.twitter.com/7Mg4FLGfo3
— Sampad Swain (@SampadSwainBJP) May 28, 2026
The final-year BTech Chemical Engineering students scored 87.33 marks in the GATE CH 2026 paper, topping the subject across the country. This is reportedly the first time a student from VSSUT (formerly UCE Burla) has achieved AIR 1 in GATE in the institution’s 70-year history.
University and State Pride
VSSUT officially congratulated her, with Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dipak Kumar Sahoo personally appreciating her dedication, perseverance and academic excellence that have brought immense pride to the university.
The university fraternity extended best wishes for her future endeavours.
A Testament to Discipline and Passion
The 23-year-old from Odisha credits her success to consistent self-study, discipline, quality-focused preparation starting from her third year of her BTech programme, and self-belief. Despite the challenges of balancing academics with competitive exam preparation, she maintained a structured routine and deep interest in chemical engineering fundamentals.
In interviews, she highlighted the evolving relevance of Chemical Engineering, especially with integration of AI in process optimisation and industrial applications.
