Two Odisha ITI Students Felicitated By PM Modi
Their journeys began in small villages of Kandhamal and Ganjam and culminated on stage at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, where PM Narendra Modi honoured them.
Berhampur:
Pramod Dalpati from Kandhamal district and Jeetendra Pradhan from Ganjam district were among the 46 toppers from across India who were felicitated at the ceremony. While one of them was honoured for topping the All-India rankings in Electronics Mechanic Trade, the other was awarded in Electrician Trade.
When two ITI students from Odisha walked on to the stage to be honoured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 4th Kaushal Deekshant Samaroh 2025 held on October 4 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, it filled the heart of Odias with pride. Both ITI-alumnus were awarded for topping in their trades in the All India Trade Test held in August 2025.
Belonging to Lankagarh village in Tumudibandh block of Kandhamal district, Pramod is the eldest son of Rajendra and Sangita Dalpati. After completing his schooling in his village, he went to Bhubaneswar to pursue a diploma. However, financial constraints forced him to discontinue studies after a year. Later, he enrolled in his local college and eventually joined the Government ITI in Phulbani, where he excelled.
an emotional Pramod Dalpati, an alumnus of Government ITI, Phulbani, said, “I never even imagined that I would get the opportunity to stand on a stage and receive an award from the Prime Minister.” Pramod always had a fascination for electronics since childhood. To quench his thirst for knowledge, he used to dismantle and repair broken devices to understand how they worked. Little did he realise that his play with discarded gadgets would one day make him the All India Topper in Electronics Mechanic Trade and East Zone Best Student this year.
“ITI students are self-reliant so they need not chase jobs. If we strengthen both our practical and theoretical knowledge, we can create opportunities for ourselves,” he said. Similarly, Jeetendra Pradhan, an alumnus of Government ITI, Hinjilicut in Ganjam district, expressed his happiness at making Odisha proud by topping in his trade. “I had promised myself that I would make my state proud someday. That dream has finally come true,” Jitendra said.
He credited his success to the Head of Trade at Government ITI, Phulbani, Sudhanshu Kumar Raj, besides hailing the institution’s consistent record of excellence that inspired him to carve a niche.
The eldest son of Sudarshan and Janaki Pradhan from Phasiguda village in Digapahandi block, Jeetendra completed his education at Khemundi College before enrolling in ITI Hinjilicut (2018–2020). Later, he received advanced training at NSTI Bhubaneswar, where he topped the All India Examination in Electrician Trade.
Jeetendra, who had earlier worked with Tata Power, believes ITI education plays an important role in strengthening India’s technical workforce. “It trains and equips with the perfect knowledge and also gives hands-on experience to handle projects. All these boost confidence and prepare youth for self-employment as well as industry roles,” he said.The Chairperson of Government ITI, Hinjilicut, expressed happiness about his achievement, stating that the institute continues to produce skilled and dedicated students every year.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi also took to social media X and congratulated the two students on their achievement and wished them success in future endeavours.
State Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena also extended his greetings, while several educationists from across Odisha lauded both the achievers for getting recognised nationally and bringing laurels to the state’s ITI institutions.
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