A team of dignitaries, comprising Additional Chief Secretary of West Bengal Kasinath Behera, Director General of Expenditure of National Election Commission, New Delhi Prasanna Kumar Das, well-known industrialist and coordinator of Jagannath Mandir Seva Samiti of Kolkata Parsuram Bisoyi and renowned academician Prof SN Patra visited well-known orphanage ‘Kalinga Ashram,’ located in Brahmapur-lathi-Tamana-Chikiti Road on last Sunday to assess the damage caused to the famous orphanage center by Phailin and the relief and rehabilitation assistance given by the Government.
The trip of these top bureaucrats was purely personal and on humanitarian ground, sources said. During their visit, the members interacted with the chief of the ashram committee Ramesh Panda and also with the ashram inmates. The ashram was started in 2000 after the 1999 Super Cyclone in Ganjam district with the objective of helping the orphaned tribal children.
Currently, there are 45 tribal orphans residing in the ashram ranging from 5 to 16 years of age and the entire day to day expenditure on their maintenance is being borne out of voluntary subscriptions given by the people of the area and free food grains by the local farmers, said trust president Ramesh Panda. The team presented a bank draft of Rs 70,000 collected from the donors of Kolkata.
Among others, well known businessman Tapan Jena, Aryabhatt Group of Institutions chief Sudhir Rout, Prof Sanatan Gouda of Chikiti Science College, ashram coordinator Balaji Patra and office coordinator Manoj Jena were also present in the function.