The Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya unveiled the Minati Mohapatra Cycling Velodrome at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology-Kalinga Institute of Social Science (KIIT-KISS) campus. The cycling track is named in respect of Minati Mohapatra, the first Arjun Awardee from Odisha in cycling.During the inauguration, the union minister highlighted the significance of the occasion and remarked, “Today is an important day for me, what I witnessed aligns with the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a nation where education and sports go hand in hand.”As per the KIIT-KISS, official statement, the minister also focused on the significance of education in shaping a country’s future, mentioning Acharya Chanakya and stating, “I am satisfied that the country’s future is in the capable hands of educationists like Dr. Samanta. KIIT, KISS, and KIMS are nurturing students who will grow into responsible citizens. Wherever I go, I will share the best practices I observed here.”Samanta, the founder of KIIT, KISS, and KIMS showed his gratitude for the minister’s visit and talked about the intentions to expand the sports infrastructure at the institute in the upcoming time. He stated, “With the minister’s blessings, we aim to expand our facilities further and provide more opportunities for budding athletes.”The secretary general of the Cycling Federation of India Maninder Pal Singh appreciated the minister’s passion for sports. He said, “The minister is a cycling enthusiast himself, and his contribution to promoting sports across the country is remarkable.”Moreover, Minati Mohapatra said expressing his gratitude “I am speechless. People say Samanta is like a god to us. This is the greatest honor of my life.”The institute is committed to health and welfare, the event concluded with a vote of thanks by the vice-chancellor, Deepak Kumar Behera.
