Yet another feather has been attached to Dr. Achyuta Samanta for his selfless and dedicated contribution towards the society, particularly in the field of education. Czech University of Life Sciences (CULS), Prague with a legacy since 1788 decided to confer the highest degree of the University, Honoris Causa, called OPS, on Dr. Samanta on 11.03.2013. The degree conferred on Dr. Samanta has been ratified by the Czech Parliament since CULS is a prominent public University of Czech Republic.

The process of selection for an outstanding human being who despite all odds could empower 20,000 Tribal Children through education took almost 2 years, since the Rector of the CULS along with some prominent members visited Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) without even informing KISS or KIIT authorities. Dr. Samanta will be the first OPS Laureate from Asia to be honoured by a prominent University in Europe. Two other professors from Germany are being honoured along with Dr. Samanta.

Czech University of Life Science was set up in 1788 under the former Austrian Empire. Subsequently it became a separate technical institute in 1845 and in 1906, it was renamed Czech Technical University, which ultimately became Czech University of Life Sciences. During its history of nearly 300 years, it is the first that an Asian would receive such a prestigious Degree from CULS, one of the most prestigious Universities in Central Europe.

In the award ceremony, Rectors, Deans, from all the universities across Czech Republic representatives from the Czech President, various High Commissioners, including the High Commissioner of India, would grace the occasion to applaud Dr. Samanta’s remarkable achievement.