Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurates Minati Mohapatra Cycling Velodrome at KIIT-KISS campus

NEW DELHI: The union minister of youth affairs and sports Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the Minati Mohapatra Cycling Velodrome at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology - Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KIIT-KISS) campus. The velodrome is named in honor of Minati Mohapatra, the first Arjun Awardee from Odisha in cycling, the official KIIT-KISS statement said.

While inaugurating the Velodrome, the union minister reflected on the significance of the occasion and said: “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.”

According to the KIIT-KISS, official statement, the minister also emphasized the importance of education in shaping a nation’s future, quoting Acharya Chanakya, and said: “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.”

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Minati Mohapatra Cycling Velodrome at KIIT-KISS

The founder of KIIT, KISS, and KIMS, Samanta expressed his gratitude for the minister’s visit and highlighted about the plans to double the sports infrastructure at KIIT and KISS in the coming years. He added: “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 praised the minister’s passion for sports. He further adds: “The minister is a cycling enthusiast himself, and his contribution to promoting sports across the country is remarkable.”

Minati Mohapatra expressed gratitude and said: “I am speechless. People say Samanta is like a god to us. This is the greatest honor of my life.”

The KIIT vice-chancellor Saranjit Singh highlighted the minister’s achievements during his tenure as union health minister, and KISS vice-chancellor Deepak Kumar Behera delivered the vote of thanks, the official KIIT-KISS statement said.

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