Interview Times A prominent social philanthropist, Samanta has dedicated his life decades after decades to serve the underprivileged community. He offers free education and food to over 25000 children throughout India and abroad under one roof.
Dr Samanta was born in 1965 in Kalarabanka, a village in Cuttack District, Odisha, to Late Neelima Rani Samanta and Late Shri Anadi Charan Samanta. There are seven siblings in his family.
Having earned a Masters of Science in Chemistry from Utkal University in 1987 and a Doctorate in Social Sciences from the University of North Texas at age 22, he embarked on a teaching career. He has received four national and international fellowships: ISTE, CSI, ICA, and APACH.
Dr Achyuta Samanta, educationist, philanthropist, and founder of the Kalinga Institute of Social Science (KISS) and KIIT, is Asia’s largest NGO creating education for all tribes with just Rs 5,000 (US $100).
Dr Samanta founded KIIT (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology) in 1993 to provide quality education in the eastern part of the country. During the time when Odisha was not aware of tribal education, both institutes were established.
Currently, Dr Samanta is a Member of Parliament. He was elected to the Kandhamal Constituency of Odisha to serve the tribal-dominated communities. He can use his political horns to offer them a better life. His MP avatar has seen him launch a series of activities and programmes to sustain their development. The achievements range from setting up a 500-bed hospital to improving health care services in the region to granting free education and providing jobs.
Dr Samanta has received 44 honorary doctorates from prestigious universities in India and abroad. Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) are today promising educational institutions. They are documented in the Limca Book of Records on four counts and have created four Guinness World Records.
—–Ends—–
