Changemakers in Odisha honoured with Shambhavi Puraskar 2026
Pravati Parida, Deputy Chief Minister of Odisha, attended the event as Chief Guest, while Jayant Rastogi, Global CEO of Magic Bus India Foundation, was the Guest of Honour: Reports
BHUBANESWAR: The Bansidhar & Ila Panda Foundation (BIPF) celebrated 15 years of its social development journey while presenting the 13th edition of the Shambhavi Puraskar, a prestigious recognition honouring grassroots changemakers in Odisha. The ceremony was held at Mayfair Convention and attended by senior government officials, development leaders and civil society representatives.
Pravati Parida, Deputy Chief Minister of Odisha, attended the event as Chief Guest, while Jayant Rastogi, Global CEO of Magic Bus India Foundation, was the Guest of Honour.
Over the past 15 years, BIPF has implemented community-led development programmes across six districts in Odisha, reaching nearly 690 villages and positively impacting more than 2.7 million people. To mark the milestone, a commemorative coffee table book documenting the foundation’s journey and initiatives was unveiled by Parida.
Instituted in 2013, the Shambhavi Puraskar recognises individuals and organisations driving transformative change at the grassroots level. This year, two organisations — Sathee Parivar and Balangir Gramodyog Samiti (BGS) — were honoured with the award. Each received a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh along with a citation and crest.
Sathee Parivar was recognised for its work in preventing snakebite fatalities in Angul district through community awareness, government partnerships and village-level rapid response teams. Over the past three years, the organisation has trained more than 9,800 volunteers and helped save 490 lives.
Balangir Gramodyog Samiti was honoured for advancing agricultural transformation among marginalised communities. Since 2020, the organisation has supported 3,612 farmers across 29 villages in Tureikela block through training, agricultural inputs and market linkages. It has also strengthened 39 Farmer Producer Groups comprising 2,812 women farmers, while crop diversification initiatives have benefited over 2,500 cultivators by improving soil health, climate resilience and farm incomes.
The Jury Commendation Certificate, carrying a cash award of Rs 1 lakh, was presented to Dr. Sasmita Meher of Bargarh for her efforts to revive and modernise Odisha’s textile heritage while enabling sustainable livelihoods for nearly 100 marginalised women.
In a special category, the Shambhavi Youth Icon Award was conferred on Sarmilata Pradhan and Yamuna Pradhan from Kandhamal district for empowering young girls through football and raising awareness against child marriage.