The 16th edition of the ‘India Conference 2019’, has invited Dr Achyuta Samanta, Member of Parliament, (Rajya Sabha) and the Founder, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) to deliver a talk during the conference to be held at the Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School in the United States of America on February 15, 2019.

This conference, to be held from February 16 to 17, is one of the largest student-run conferences in USA, bringing together India’s thought leaders for discussions and brainstorming sessions to unravel the interesting times that lay ahead of the country.

The theme of the conference this year—‘India at an inflection point’, will see eminent speakers where Dr Samanta will also share his experiences of struggle and growth in Odisha, as India tread on the direction towards a significant position in the global village.

The conference will have an eclectic mix of politicians, business leaders, entertainment intellectuals, spiritual leaders, philanthropists, government officials, educationists among many other who will gather to discuss key issues and India’s path towards global leadership.

The illustrious list of other co-speakers with Prof Samanta includes Sadhguru, Barkha Dutt, Aruna Roy, Tanushree Dutta, Asaduddin Owaisi, Pinky Anand and many more. He is one of the first Odias to deliver the talk.

Hailed as a social reformer who brought about a revolution in education for the poor and underprivileged, Dr Samanta has taken the long road of hardships and challenges to bring forth the two institutions of repute—KIIT and KISS.

While KIIT has become the most acclaimed and recognised Indian university that provides professional education to more than 30,000 Indian students and nearly 40 from other countries, KISS is the world’s largest tribal educational university which is completely residential and free of cost. KISS is home to more than 27,000 poorest of the poor tribal children who are given education from kindergarten to post graduation along with other avenues for comprehensive development.

Dr Samanta’s hard work and social service has impacted the society in a big way. It is not difficult to imagine the number of children who could be prone to join Maoists or become naxalists or be trafficked. Many would have died due to malnutrition or become a liability for their parents. However, with these institutes, Dr Samanta has managed to arrest these unfortunate events by way of educating the children and giving them a decent life. Today they are being groomed to become world leaders and are offered an equal opportunity to work in the mainstream and earn a good life.

Dr Samatha’s efforts towards improving the social fabric of the country is a story of success and paves the way for the brighter future of India as a global power.