11,856 Meritorious Students Awarded Scholarships Worth Over Rs.18 Crores

Keonjhar: The DMF Scholarship-2023 distribution ceremony took place on Saturday at the Keonjhar Auditorium. District Collector Ashish Thakare presided over the ceremony, and Odisha Government’s School and Mass Education Minister, Shri Sudam Marndi, graced the occasion as the chief guest. A total of 11,856 students from various categories were awarded scholarship grants exceeding 18 crore rupees.

Addressing the gathering, the chief guest, Mr. Marndi, emphasized that a robust education system is the cornerstone of a progressive nation. To this end, the Odisha Government is unwavering in its commitment to enhance the state’s educational framework. The government’s transformative initiatives, such as the 5T program for school transformation and the adoption of modern teaching methods, have yielded significant success. In this context, the special DMF scholarship provided by the Keonjhar District Administration and the District Mineral Fund (DMF) is a laudable endeavor. He envisioned that while Keonjhar district is renowned globally for its iron ore mining today, it will gain international recognition in the field of education through these efforts.

Similarly, District Collector Shri Thakare said that the Hon’ble Chief Minister and the Government of Odisha have given utmost importance to the strengthening of the education system. Following the same path, we are continuing the work in Keonjhar district. From school transformation to quality teaching, mid-day meals, and above all DMF Scholarship is a milestone in this direction. On this occasion, the District Collector announced a special scholarship ‘DMF Ananya’ for the female students of Keonjhar district, ‘DMF UTKARSHA’ for the students of the district enrolled in national-level educational institutes, a Higher Secondary Scholarship (HSS) for plus two students and extension of mid-day meal for the ninth and tenth class students in Govt Schools of Keonjhar district.

A dedicated portal (scholarship.dmfkeonjhar.in) was launched by the Chief Guest and the scholarship amounts were transferred to the bank accounts of meritorious students. Eligible students can apply for the scholarship through this portal. Today, 9,991 meritorious students of Keonjhar district who passed the matriculation examination from government high schools were awarded a total scholarship amount of Rs.14.47 crore, with the 13 block toppers receiving their certificates from the chief guest. Similarly, 389 meritorious students who passed matric from Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya (OAV) were given a scholarship amount of Rs.73.85 lakhs, with 11 students receiving their certificates from the Chief guest.Additionally, 1,472 meritorious students in the higher secondary category were granted scholarships amounting to Rs. 3.33 crores, and 4 students received certificates from the chief guest.

Padmini Ojha, a student at Dharanidhar Higher Secondary School, shared her experiences with the DMF Scholarship in front of the guests. Similarly, Maheshwar Mahalik, a student at IIT Bombay, and Arun Kumar Mahant, studying at VIMSAR Burla, virtually conveyed their messages as beneficiaries of the DMF UTKARSHA Scholarship. Their parents received certificates on their behalf.

During the event, 9 candidates who successfully passed the Odisha Civil Service (OCS)-2021 examination from Keonjhar district were felicitated by the Chief Guest. These individuals are Pranab Ranjan Sahoo, Aditya Mohapatra, Archana Barik, Jyoti Prakash Sahoo, Khetramohan Jagdish Chandra Parei, Ghanshyam Mahanta, Purnachandra Majhi, Nilamani Dehuri, and Umakant Hembram.

The program commenced at 11:30 AM with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp. Mr. Sanjeev Barik, Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations in Keonjhar, introduced the esteemed guests. Subsequently, District Collector Shri Thakare honored the guests, including the chief guest. Mr. Bishnu Prasad Acharya, Chief Executive Officer of the District Mineral Foundation, delivered the welcome address. Following this, Mr. Dhanraj HD, Divisional Forest Officer of Keonjhar, Mr. Nitin Kusalkar, Superintendent of Police, Patna MLA, and Keonjhar District Planning Committee Chairperson, Mr. Jagannath Naik, along with Keonjhar Sadar MLA Mohan Charan Majhi, who attended as the guest of honor, delivered their speeches. The vote of thanks was delivered by District Education Officer Ms. Gaurirani Naik. Sub-collectors of Keonjhar, Anandapur, and Champua were also present at the event.

The ceremony witnessed the attendance of more than 900 individuals, including students from various schools, parents, teachers, block education officers, and officials from various departments of the district administration. To ensure wider participation, the entire program was virtually broadcast, and students and teachers from 440 district high schools were able to join.