Basant Behera

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

Very happy and honoured to welcome Padma Bhushan Param Pujya Didi Maa Sadhvi Ritambhara Ji to our KIIT & KISS campuses today.

Didi Maa spent a good amount of time at KISS, went around the campus, saw the facilities and interacted with our lovable KISSians. She told us that she had heard about KISS earlier, but seeing the work with her own eyes and at such a large scale made her very happy and surprised.

Her words touched me deeply because Didi Maa herself has been doing wonderful work for children, women and society through Vatsalyagram for many years.

When someone who has devoted her own life to service appreciates our small effort at KISS, it gives me great encouragement.

My sincere respect and gratitude to Param Pujya Didi Maa Ji for her blessings, kind words and affection for our children.

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

We were honoured to welcome Smt. Vijaya K. Rahatkar, Hon’ble Chairperson, National Commission for Women, to our KIIT & KISS campuses today.

She spent time at KISS, visited different facilities and interacted closely with our lovable KISSians. I was especially happy to see her engaging with our girl students, listening to them with affection and encouraging them to dream big and move ahead with confidence.

Her appreciation for KISS and for the confidence and aspirations of our children meant a lot to us.

I am grateful to Smt. Rahatkar Ji for her visit, her kind words and the affection she showed towards our children.

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

Today, 40,000 tribal children of KISS, Bhubaneswar, are feeling very proud and happy to know that Ms Nikita Porwal, Miss World India, while representing our country on the Miss World stage, has spoken about KISS before the world.

Ms Porwal had spent a few days with my lovable KISSians. She stayed with them, interacted with them and saw closely the reality from which many of these children have come, as well as the dreams they carry in their hearts.

Prayers and best wishes from all 40,000 children of KISS to Ms Porwal for her success on the world stage. May she make India proud.

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

75th Honorary Doctorate

Deeply humbled to receive my 75th Honorary Doctorate from Maharaja Ganga Singh University, Bikaner, a State University of Rajasthan, at a Special Convocation held at Lok Bhavan, Jaipur today.

It was a matter of great honour to receive the degree from Hon’ble Governor of Rajasthan and Chancellor of the University, Shri Haribhau Bagde. I am grateful to Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister and Higher & Technical Education Minister Dr Prem Chand Bairwa, the Hon’ble Ministers and MLAs, the leadership of Maharaja Ganga Singh University and all the distinguished persons present on this special occasion.

This honour is very special to me. It is my 75th Honorary Doctorate, conferred by a government university through a Special Convocation at Lok Bhavan. Such recognition gives me more strength and also greater responsibility to continue working for the people in society.

Above all, this honour has come just two days before the 10th Punyatithi of my beloved mother, Nilimarani Samanta. I dedicate it to her sacred memory, her struggles, sacrifices and blessings. Whatever little I have been able to do in life is because of the values she gave me.

My heartfelt gratitude to Maharaja Ganga Singh University, especially the Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, Dr Manoj Dixit, and everyone associated with this honour. It will always remain very close to my heart.

[Basant Behera @basantbehera3]

Jyotirmayee Nayak’s achievement is indeed special for all of us. KIIT Alumna Wins Indian Idol, making her alma mater and the entire state of Odisha proud. Wishing her a bright musical career ahead. #KIITianJyotirmayee @KIITUniversity @achyuta_samanta

[Basant Behera @basantbehera3]

@KIITUniversity @achyuta_samanta Jyotirmayee Nayak’s achievement is indeed special for all of us. KIIT Alumna Wins Indian Idol, making her alma mater and the entire state of Odisha proud. Wishing her a bright musical career ahead. #KIITianJyotirmayee @KIITUniversity @achyuta_samanta

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

Heartiest congratulations to my lovable KIITian and Odisha’s pride, Jyotirmayee Nayak, on winning Indian Idol Season 16. By becoming the first Odia to win the title, she has created history and made the entire KIIT, KISS and KIMS family very happy.

Just a few days ago, when she visited KIIT & KISS before the Grand Finale, we welcomed her with great affection and gave her our blessings. Today, seeing her lift the trophy gives me immense happiness. Her talent, hard work and humble nature have brought her this success.

My heartfelt thanks to everyone in Odisha and across the country who supported and voted for her. May Mahaprabhu bless our lovable Jyotirmayee with many more achievements in her musical career.

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

Very happy to share that 13 of my lovable KISSians have qualified for the prestigious National Fellowship for Higher Education of ST Students, enabling them to pursue Ph.D. programmes with a fellowship stipend of ₹45,000 per month. Of the 13 students who qualified, two belong to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups. This gives me special happiness.

At KISS, education is not limited to the classroom. Along with their regular studies, our students are guided and groomed for competitive examinations and other important opportunities. A large number of KISS students continue to achieve success in different fields.

This is the beauty of KISS. Children from humble tribal backgrounds are moving forward through education, building a good future for themselves and also becoming capable of supporting their parents and families.

I am sure these young scholars will become good researchers and contribute to society through their knowledge. Heartiest congratulations to all of them, their teachers and mentors. My best wishes for their research journey ahead.

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

Met with my 11 lovable KISSians who qualified in the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination and congratulated them personally.

All of them belong to different tribal communities and come from humble backgrounds, and many are the first in their families. 3 of them are from Jharkhand, and it gives me even greater happiness that 9 of them are girls.

I was very happy to sit with them and listen as they spoke about their dreams of becoming doctors. I encouraged them to study with discipline, remain humble and always remember that medicine is a service to humanity.

[Basant Behera @basantbehera3]

@achyuta_samanta Congratulations!

[Basant Behera @basantbehera3]

@achyuta_samanta @Leander 🙏

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

During my short visit to Seattle, USA, I was happy to meet and interact with three distinguished personalities. I shared about KIIT, KISS and our small efforts for tribal children, healthcare and society. We also had meaningful discussions on education, health, inclusive development, and future academic and research collaboration.

I met Shri M. Hari Menon Ji, President, Global Growth & Opportunity, Gates Foundation. He has been closely associated with the Foundation’s work in India for many years.

I was also happy to meet Mr David A. Zapolsky, Chief Global Affairs & Legal Officer of Amazon, at the Amazon Corporate Headquarters. He had earlier visited our KIIT and KISS campuses and appreciated our work. He was kind enough to personally take me around the Amazon Headquarters with much affection.

I also met Ms Colleen Ferguson, Hon’ble First Lady of Washington State. She gave her good wishes for KIIT and KISS with much love and affection.

My special thanks to Shri Prakash Gupta Ji, Hon’ble Consul General of India in Seattle, for his warmth and support. I also thank all the distinguished personalities for their time, affection and good wishes for KIIT & KISS.

[KISS - Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences @kissfoundation]

The KISS family is proud to confer the KISS Humanitarian Award upon Smt. Nita Mukesh Ambani, recognising her extraordinary commitment to humanitarian service and community empowerment.

Through her visionary leadership and philanthropic initiatives, she has made a profound impact on education, healthcare, sports, and rural development, touching countless lives across India.

The KISS Humanitarian Award celebrates individuals whose work reflects compassion, service, and dedication to social transformation, values that resonate deeply with the mission envisioned by our Founder, Dr Achyuta Samanta.

Her visit and this honour mark an inspiring moment for the entire KISS community.

[Basant Behera @basantbehera3]

@kissfoundation 🙏

[Basant Behera @basantbehera3]

@achyuta_samanta 🙏

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

I am very happy to share that KIIT -DU has been ranked the best among all private and government universities in Odisha and placed 294th in Asia in the QS Asia University Rankings 2026.
A total of 1,526 universities participated this year, including 550 new entrants.
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[Basant Behera @basantbehera3]

@achyuta_samanta @Leander 🙏

[Basant Behera @basantbehera3]

@achyuta_samanta 🙏

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

KISS has always been my dream work — built with care, affection & dedication. Home to 80K poor tribal children whose lives are transformed every day through education & values.
Today, I interacted with my KISSians, guiding them on careers & giving back to their communities.

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

श्रद्धा, समर्पण और निष्ठा के प्रतीक माननीय गृहमंत्री श्री @AmitShah जी को जन्मदिन की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ।
आपके नेतृत्व ने देश को एकता, सुरक्षा और विकास की दिशा में अग्रसर किया है।
@kissfoundation के 40,000 आदिवासी बच्चों की ओर से प्रार्थना है कि ईश्वर आपको स्वस्थ और दीर्घायु रखें।