Devbrat Patnaik

Bhubaneswar:  Senior leaders of the State and thousands whose lives late Dr Bansidhar Panda had impacted, paid tributes to the industrialist and founder of Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys Ltd (IMFA), on his first death anniversary today.

BJP leaders Dharmendra Pradhan and Jual Oram took to Twitter to offer tributes to the architect of modern industrial revolution in Odisha.

Remembering his father, BJP national vice president Baijayant 'Jay' Panda mentioned how his visions had an impact on generations to come. "A year ago we lost our father. He was ailing & seeking moksha, had lived a full life, created thousands of jobs, contributed enormously to society & was widely loved & respected.. It was also a turning point for me, the extreme pettiness of "friends" clarified my path forward," tweeted Jay Panda.

A prayer meeting was organised at the IMFA head office in Bhubaneswar today in presence of Jay Panda, Jagi Mangat Panda and senior officials of the company.

[caption id="attachment_372500" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Pic from prayer meeting[/caption]

“Dr.Bansidhar Panda, was a caring n cheerful father in law, a man of principles, a loving father and an extremely intelligent/respected man.I treasure the time spent with you dad.. Will always miss you,” tweeted Jagi Panda.

[caption id="attachment_372499" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Bansidhar Panda with his two sons Baijayant Panda, Subhrakant Panda and two daughters Paramita and Nita Ganapati.[/caption]

Bansidhar Panda was instrumental in setting up industries that contributed to Odisha’s development in a big way.

A renowned research scientist, Bansidhar Panda had embarked upon a journey with a vision to bring industrial revolution after returning from the United States and chose Therubali, a remote outpost in the erstwhile undivided Koraput district of Odisha to give wings to his dreams and had set up IMFA in 1961.

Beyond business, he was also known for his philanthropic activities and love for literature. Much before the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Panda had been instrumental in instilling the culture of inclusive growth in IMFA.

Dr. Panda received Degrees from Benaras Hindu University, Harvard University and Michigan Technological University.

Bansidhar Panda was conferred honoris causa or honorary degrees by the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela in 2015.

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