Berhampur, February 17, 2026: As many as 633 meritorious students from economically weaker Scheduled Caste families received Tata Steel Foundation (TSF)’s Jyoti Fellowship at the 8th edition of “Arunima 2026” held at the Berhampur University. Organised by the Foundation’s Gopalpur Unit, the two-day flagship community-based initiative brought together students, women leaders, farmers, domain experts and public representatives.
The Conclave was graced by Shri Krushna Chandra Nayak, Hon’ble MLA, Chatrapur, Smt. Sarmistha Pradhan, Chairman, Notified Area Council, Chatrapur, Padma Shri awardees Patayat Sahu, Dr. Sabarmatee, Shri Simanchal Patra, Dr. Biswa Ranjan Pradhan, Project Scientist, IIT Bhubaneswar, Dr. Gobinda Chandra Acharya, Principal Scientist, Central Horticultural Experiment Station, Bhubaneswar, Bharat Bhusan Sahoo, District Fisheries Officer, Ganjam, Smt. Raimati Ghiuria, popularly known as the Millet Queen from Koraput, Retd. Prof. Ratna Sahu, Smt. Sandhyarani Muni, Director, Munico Food Pvt. Ltd., Rakesh Kumar Patro, Head – Corporate Services, Tata Steel Special Economic Zone Limited (TSSEZL) and Dr. Jayant Kumar Tripathy, Unit Lead (TSF) – Gopalpur.
Aimed at serving as an integrated platform for advancing education, youth leadership, women empowerment and sustainable livelihood development across TSF’s operational villages, the conclave engaged 538 farmers from across the Gopalpur region in meaningful dialogues on diversified, climate-resilient and market-linked livelihood practices. Around 345 women leaders from TSF’s operational villages also participated at the event and deliberated on women leadership, gender mainstreaming, entrepreneurship and strengthening dignified and sustainable livelihoods for women.
On the occasion, five Youth Change Makers were felicitated for their grassroots efforts in child marriage prevention, menstrual hygiene awareness and adolescent education while 30 progressive farmers were felicitated for boosting incomes through agriculture and allied activities. The key highlight of the event was the launch of Information Education and Communication (IEC) materials on organic input production and sustainable farming to improve soil health, reduce chemical dependency and enhance farm profitability. The technical sessions covered natural farming, herbal plantation, probiotic crop practices, natural resource management and fisheries schemes.
