BHUBANESWAR: Six students who have been selected for the prestigious Professor Ghanashyam Dash scholarship for higher education were felicitated by the Bansidhar & Ila Panda Foundation (BIPF) here on Saturday.
Instituted in 2005 by IMFA, the scholarship honours the legacy of renowned scholar and historian late Prof Ghanashyam Dash, father of late Ila Panda. The scholarship will support the meritorious students in pursuing professional degrees in engineering, medicine, STEM and liberal arts by covering 90 per cent of academic fees and eligible expenses for their four-year degree, amounting up to `6 lakh per recipient.
The students include Sandip Subhrajit Sahoo of IIT-Hyderabad and Tarini Prasad Mishra of IIT-BHU, Varanasi. Four others are pursuing MBBS - Satyajeet Parida and Alok Kumar Sahoo at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, Dibya Jyoti Jena at SCB Medical College & Hospital, Cuttack, and Ariyan Sahoo at FM Medical College & Hospital, Balasore.
Speaking on the occasion, managing director of IMFA and trustee of the foundation Subhrakant Panda said education is a powerful catalyst for social transformation and economic progress. “Through the Professor Ghanashyam Dash scholarship, we invest in future leaders who will drive innovation and change in our society and the mentorship component reflects our commitment to nurture the holistic development of these bright young minds and help them achieve their full potential,” he said.
Under the mentorship component, all scholarship recipients will be paired with executive mentors from IMFA’s employee volunteer scheme. The mentorship will provide students with professional counselling, moral support, academic guidance and networking opportunities, helping them unlock their full potential and chart a well-planned career trajectory.