KISS education cover for Dana Majhi's three daughters

The New Indian Express, Sept 11, 2016

BHUBANESWAR: Dana Majhi, the poor tribal who shot into fame for walking a 10 km stretch carrying the body of his wife, will no longer have to worry about the education of his daughters. City-based Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) has come forward to admit his three daughters - Chandini, Sonei and Pramila - to the institution that provides free education and boarding to tribal children from across the State.

The KISS administration took the decision after many tribal organisations of the backward Kalahandi district, including Biswabasu Sabar Samaj, District Tribal Society, All Odisha Banjara Samaj, Tribal Employees Sangram Samiti, and local MLA Dibyasankar Mishra requested the authorities concerned to take educational responsibility of the girls.

Representatives from these tribal organisations along with Dana Majhi reached Bhubaneswar on Saturday and met Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT & KISS, to press the demand. Samanta agreed to admit Chandini, Sonei and Pramila to the institute. The tribal representatives from the district also requested KISS authorities to open a branch of the institute in Kalahandi. A branch of KISS will start functioning in Kalahandi from the coming academic year, the authorities hinted. Though land for the purpose was purchased in 2011, work has not progressed due to paucity of funds. The tribal organisations’ members also requested to admit 100 more children from Dana’s Melghar village and nearby areas to KISS, which also agreed to it in principle. Samanta informed the tribal representatives about financial assistance from Government of Bahrain to Dana Majhi. He has already discussed with the Ambassador of Bahrain in New Delhi in this regard, he informed.

An amount of ` nine lakh will be given to Dana whenever he visits the Embassy of Bahrain in New Delhi with a representative of KISS, Samanta added. As per advice of the Ambassador of Bahrain, the amount will be deposited in the accounts of daughters of Dana as fixed deposits, he informed.

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Letter to CM: Thank you for Vedanta group financed Govt. medical college in Kalahandi

Dear Honorable Chief Minister Mr. Patnaik,

I thank you very much and appreciate your initiative to establish a Govt. medical college and hospital in Kalahandi with the finnacial help from Vedanta group. I have been writing to you as well as Vedanta group since 2009 to establish a medical college and hospital with the help of Vedanta group in Kalahandi. I am personally happy that even though in late, the state Govt. has responded positively in this regard. 

If you recall my letter dated on Aug 1, 2011, I had emphasized that "people of Kalahandi were hopeless for the proposed WODC initiated medical college. I also learned that Vedanta's initiative to take WODC initiated medical college in Kalahandi could not be materialised due to other involved private parties. In this circumstance why the state Government is not pursuing to Vedanta to build a fresh medical college and hospital in Kalahandi, one of the demand critic of Vedanta's is also advocating?"

Indeed all the local concerns regarding Sardar Raja Medical college came out to be true and the Sardar Raja medical college did not succeed as expected. I am glad that state Govt. has taken a course correction over this years and reacted positively by bringing Vedanta group to establish a Govt. medical college. This will help in subsidizing local anger against failure of Sardar Raja medical college and fulfill the demand of local people of Kalahandi.

I have also been advocating to engage Vedanta group to establish Vedanta Kalahandi University in the region (a proposal earlier sent to both state Govt. and VAL in 2010) to bring higher education development in the region. Such an University will help in generating quality human resources in the local level and inspire local population towards higher education. Since higher education is directly related to improving living standard and quality of life of people, it will bring greater benefits in KBK region. In addition,  a national standard University by Vedanta group in Kalahandi might give a positive flux to silent critics and help in establishing world class Vedanta University at Puri. 

Establishing educational institutions will have a win-win impact for both Vedanta group, state Govt. and local population in the region.  

Once again my sincere thanks to you on behalf of people of Kalahandi and KBK region.  I hope state Govt. will facilitate more such proposal to bring positive change in the KBK region in quality education and health care facilities. 

With best regards