In India’s core infrastructure landscape, executing mega-scale mining and metallurgical ventures demands more than technical proficiency; it requires navigating complex land, regulatory, and socio-economic dynamics. With a distinguished career spanning over 33 years, Sri Prasanna Kumar Panda stands out as one of the sector’s most accomplished leaders. Serving as Executive Vice President (EVP) – Land & Public Relations (L&PR) at Jindal Steel’s Angul plant since April 2025, Panda has forged a reputation for seamlessly integrating industrial growth with grassroots community trust.
Panda’s professional foundation rests on a balanced blend of engineering and management. Holding a degree in Civil Engineering alongside an MBA in Marketing from Sambalpur University, he brings a structured, techno-commercial perspective to every assignment. Over three decades, his expertise has spanned project management, steel plant infrastructure development, coal and iron ore mining administration, statutory clearances, land acquisition, and Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R).
A defining early milestone in his journey was his instrumental contribution to the execution of Jindal Steel’s 6 MTPA integrated steel and power plant at Angul. Later, as Senior Vice President and Cluster Head at Adani Group, he steered the Talabira-II and III open-cast coal mine projects in Odisha from initial blueprints to active commercial production. Under his stewardship, the team secured critical statutory approvals in an exceptional 11-month timeframe. In FY 2023–24, the project achieved a record 12.7 million tonnes of coal production while delivering a 48 percent EBITDA, demonstrating his operational and financial discipline.
Returning to Jindal Steel to anchor its next chapter of expansion, Panda has driven major strategic initiatives at the Angul facility. To support the plant’s Phase II capacity enhancement, he spearheaded the physical possession of 1,126 acres of private land, coordinated the operationalization of the Utkal-B1 coal mine, and structured comprehensive R&R packages for nearly 1,700 project-affected families.
At the core of Panda’s management philosophy is the conviction that industrial expansion and social equity must advance in tandem. For him, the benchmark of a project’s viability extends far beyond production volumes and balance sheets; true success lies in earning the enduring trust of host communities. His developmental blueprint emphasizes sustainable industrial practices, local youth employment, skill development, access to quality healthcare and education, and environmental protection.
Outside the boardroom, Panda is an avid sports enthusiast who represented his college and university in cricket and table tennis pursuits that continue to inform his collaborative, team-oriented leadership style.
Through his rare synthesis of engineering acumen, commercial foresight, decisive administrative leadership, and genuine social empathy, Prasanna Kumar Panda continues to play a pivotal role in advancing Odisha’s industrial transformation and India’s resource self-reliance.
