Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) is the only university in the world exclusively for indigenous students. Founded by eminent educator and social activist Dr Achyuta Samanta, KISS imparts education from Kindergarten to Post Graduate as well as Doctoral programmes to the tribal students. It is home for 60,000 tribal children as of now (30,000 existing and over 30,000 alumni).

Eminent personalities from Odisha, who have brought pride to the state at national and international stage, have joined in different positions as the Chancellor, Pro-Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Director General of KISS Deemed to be University.

Satya S Tripathi, a former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), has taken over as the Chancellor of KISS Deemed to be University. Tripathi, who hails from Cuttack district in Odisha, has 40 years of rich and varied experience, which includes key positions in the UN around the world. He is also Secretary-General of the Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet.

Dr Upendra Tripathy, IAS (Retd), who has served with the Government of India as a Secretary in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, has joined as the Pro-Chancellor. Dr Tripathy, who belongs to Ganjam district of Odisha, had also been the first Director-General of the International Solar Alliance, the first treaty-based international organisation headquartered in India.

Professor Deepak Kumar Behera from Sambalpur district is an internationally acclaimed anthropologist who took charge as the Vice-Chancellor. Prior to joining KISS, he has served as the Vice-Chancellor of Sambalpur University, Berhampur University and Rajendra University, Balangir. Professor Behera has the distinction of being the only anthropologist in India to become the Vice-Chancellor of three different universities.

Professor Pitabasa Sahoo, Dean, Department of Development Studies at Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, Tamil Nadu has joined as the Pro-Vice Chancellor on deputation. Hailing from Keonjhar, he has 20 years of research experience in the domain of Tribal Development, Regional Studies, Rural Development, Sustainable Development and Social Sector Development with agencies like United Nations Development Programme, World Food Programme, Norwegian Aid, World Bank etc.

Similarly, an IPS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, Dr Kanhu Charan Mahali has joined as the Director-General, KISS Deemed to be University after his retirement as Additional Director General. A tribal from Mayurbhanj district, he is an efficient administrator with over 34 years of experience in various capacities.

KISS Alumni Association, KISS Students’ Association and KISS Adivasi Parents’ Association congratulated them for joining. They thanked Dr Achyuta Samanta and confidently expressed that with the appointment of experienced senior administrators and academicians at the helm of affairs, KISS would soon become a center of excellence in tribal studies.