STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Achyuta Samanta, noted social entrepreneur from India, is among 15 laureates selected for the prestigious Gusi Peace Prize for the year 2014. The list was announced recently by Gusi Peace Prize International, a Philippines-based awarding body. Samanta was selected for the award for his efforts and achievements in poverty alleviation through education and humanitarianism. The award ceremony, to be telecast live in more than 46 countries, will take place in Manila on November 26, 2014 in presence of 2500 distinguished persons from all over the world.
Samanta is only the third Indian and first person from the State of Odisha to receive this award since its inception. Acclaimed as ‘Asia’s Nobel Peace Prize’, the selection for Gusi Peace Prize is made following strict scrutiny by an international jury having members from US, Europe, Australia and Asia. The list of awardees is duly approved by the Philippines Senate.
Samanta has been relentlessly working for the uplift of poorest of the poor indigenous community in Odisha for the last two and a half decades. His passion to provide a level playing field to this most neglected section of the society led him to establish Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), a free residential institute for 22,500 tribal children. He also founded KIIT, a group of professional institutes, to support this social enterprise. KISS has received worldwide recognition as an effective model of empowerment of indigenous people through education. His model is now being replicated in many States of India as well as abroad.
Along with Samanta, 14 other eminent personalities from Austria, China, Congo, Germany, Bangladesh, Iran, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Nepal, France, Philippines, Poland and Saudi Arabia would be decorated this year.
The award is conferred in categories including academics, scientific research and discovery, physiology or medicine, chemistry, physics, journalism, statesmanship, philanthropy or humanitarianism, economics, cinematic excellence, performing arts, visual arts, engineering technology, religion, politics, poverty alleviation, literature, cultural heritage, internationalism, architecture, archeology, ecosystem and biodiversity and biology.