~ 538 students felicitated with the Fellowship this year on the inaugural day ~
Sukinda: The seventh edition of ‘Arunima’, a three-day programme by Tata Steel Foundation (TSF) kicked-off today in the premises of Sukinda College, under Sukinda block of Jajpur district of Odisha. The annual event provides a one-stop platform for the communities proximate to Tata Steel’s Sukinda, Bamnipal and Kalinganagar operations, where their efforts are recognised and the community is enlightened on the growth journey that the region has ventured upon.
The inaugural day commenced with the Jyoti Fellowship ceremony where 538 meritorious students from economically weaker SC/ST families were felicitated with fellowship. A total of around Rs 67 lakhs were disbursed this year as part of the fellowship grant. Apart from this, top39 students were also presented tablets to facilitate their studies.
Er PritiranjanGharai, Honb’le Minister of Rural Development, Skill Development graced the inaugural day function as Chief Guest along with PadmashriDaitari Nayak aka Canal Man of Odisha. Among others present on the occasion were Mr Dibya Ranjan Baral, Chairman, Sukinda block, Ms Bhagyalaxmi Rout, Vice Chairman Sukinda block, Mr Ambika Prasad Nanda, Head, CSR, Odisha, Tata Steel, Mr Jiren Xavier Topno, Head, Tribal Identity, Tata Steel, Mr Debanjan Mukharjee, Unit Head, TSF, Sukinda and Mr Allen Joseph, Unit Head, TSF, Kalinganagar.
Addressing the gathering, Er Pritiranjan Garai said, “I appreciate the efforts of Tata Steel Foundation for taking continuous efforts in supporting education for meritorious students. The government will provide support and take steps in the process to include more and more students from the nearby areas.”
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ambika Prasad Nanda stated, “This year, Arunima will take the conversation on water-related issues further and will focus on discussions on aconcerted and sustainable approach towards water related issues. The goal is to involve the community in designing sustainable solutions to solve various issues related to water in the region.”
This edition of ‘Arunima’, comprises three key components – Jyoti Fellowship, women entrepreneurs’ conclave and farmers’ meet on agricultural practices. Like the last three years, the theme for ‘Arunima 2022’ is based on a strong felt need to focus on water in the ecosystem and is also inspired by the United Nations’ mission of declaring 2018-28 as the ‘Water Action Decade’. During this three-day event, youths, changemakers, community leaders, thinkers and experts will come together to take the conversation and implementation action ahead. ‘Arunima 2022’ focusses on raising awareness on the Right to Water and public involvement in defining and implementing a local strategy towards water protection.
It is worth mentioning here that ‘Arunima’ is a community-based event that was conceptualized in 2017 to lay emphasis on co-creation of solutions and meaningful dialoguing opportunities for the community including youth, women and farmers at Jajpur ecosystem.
