Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday inaugurated the Balasore branch of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), Emami-KISS Residential School, through virtual mode. It’s a free residential school like KISS-Bhubaneswar.

“Today I am very much happy to inaugurate the Emami-KISS. On this occasion I congratulate the people of Balasore, especially the children,” Naveen said at the event.

“Education is the most powerful medium and brings the biggest transformation in one’s life. The state government has given more importance to education and is transforming schools under the 5T (teamwork, technology, transparency, transformation and time limit) programme. More than 4,000 high schools have been transformed as of today. It has created interest among students,” he said.

He said that KISS has taken initiative to open fully free residential schools for poor and underprivileged tribal children in 30 districts of Odisha. He appreciated the joint initiative of Emami and KISS.

Aswini Kumar Patra, minister of tourism, Odia language, literature & culture, excise, said KISS founder Achyuta Samanta has brought transformation in lakhs of poor tribal children through education.

Balasore’s BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi congratulated Samanta for bringing a ray of light in the lives of lakhs of poor and underprivileged tribal children. “We all the people of Odisha, irrespective of our caste, creed and political affiliation, should support wholeheartedly to Samanta for this great initiative.”

In his welcome address, Samanta said the new residential school has come up on a sprawling eco-friendly and Wi-Fi green campus. The campus has been built in collaboration with the Emami Group. It has entailed an investment of Rs 50 crore for land and infrastructural development and setting up of mechanised kitchen, a 25-bed hospital, furniture and fixture and other facilities in the 1,20,000sq ft built-up area.

“The Emami Group has provided Rs.14 crore and the remaining Rs.36 crore have been provided by KIIT. The Emami-KISS is a fully free residential school like KISS-Bhubaneswar. In the first phase, the school will have the strength of 1,200 students from Standard I to Standard XII and provide quality education to poor and underprivileged children under the CBSE curriculum. Emami-KISS would be an asset of the people of Balasore,” he said.

Balasore district’s Remuna MLA Sudhansu Sekhar Parida also spoke on the occasion. Susil Goenka, representative of the Emami Group, was present.