Odisha MP aspires to set up free edu institutes across country

Buoyed by the success of Odisha's Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, which provides free education to nearly 30,000 tribal students, it's founder Achyuta Samanta has said he aspired to launch similar projects in other states to fight social ills of poverty and naxalism.

In his home state, the Kandhamal MP said ten new centres would come up soon in tribal-dominated areas, in addition to the parent institute at Bhubaneswar and satellite units elsewhere in Odisha.

Samanta, during his interaction with media on Saturday night, a day after he appeared on the hot seat of 'Kaun Banega Crorepati', said institutes, such as the one founded by him, could go a long way in fighting poverty, as "many talented children fail to complete their education for want of money".

In partnership with an NGO, the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) is working to set up an academy at Joka area, on the southern outskirts of Kolkata, he said.

"It (the Joka institute)is expected to start functioning from next year," he told reporters.

The 54-year-old professor, one of the seven siblings from a poor family of Cuttack district, said efforts were on to launch similar initiatives in Jharkhand and Bihar.

"Plans are also afoot to repeat our success in Bangladesh. KISS is working with an NGO to start a centre exclusively for girls at Jessore area of the neighbouring country, and another for boys at Dhaka, in partnership with a private university," Samanta, who shared screen space with host Amitabh Bachchan on the November 15 KBC show, maintained.

Talking about his experience on the show, where actress Tapsee Pannu was her co-participant, the parliamentarian said, "I had a great time. Encouraging words from Bachchan ji motivated us to work with greater energy."
Praising Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who is also the BJD president, the parliamentarian said, "The CM has always inspired me to work for the success of KISS as well as KIIT, which receives students from across the country and abroad."