The prestigious Mahatma Award was conferred upon the Founder of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) Dr Achyuta Samanta on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti in New Delhi.

This award, presented by the Aditya Birla Group, honours individuals who have made remarkable contributions to education and social service. Dr Samanta received the award in recognition of his significant efforts in these fields.

The Mahatma Award, initiated by renowned Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activist Amit Sachdeva, has been awarded since 2016 to distinguished individuals and organisations contributing to societal development.

Previous recipients include luminaries such as Ratan Tata, Azim Premji, Bindeshwar Pathak, and Shabana Azmi.

A selection committee carefully evaluates each nominee’s contributions before bestowing the award.

Dr Samanta, who has dedicated over 33 years to education and social work, has focused on uplifting marginalized and tribal communities, aligning with Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of eradicating inequality.

Through KISS, Dr Samanta has accelerated these efforts over the past three decades.

This year’s ceremony also honoured prominent figures such as 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 also present at the event.

In his acceptance speech, Dr Samanta expressed his gratitude and dedicated the award to the KIIT and KISS family. He also thanked Mugdha Arora, Director, Mahatma Awards, Managing Editor, CSR Good Book as well as the organising committee for the recognition.