Bhubaneswar: The Deen Dayal Sparsh award ceremony was held at the Post Master General’s office in Bhubaneswar Friday. The main objective of the award is to reinforce the efforts aimed towards increasing the reach of philately. The award was given to students 10 students each from Class VI to IX. Each student received a cash award of Rs 6,000 along with certificates of excellence for the year 2018-19. Around 40 students from different districts who are doing great work in the field of philately received the award Friday.
Speaking on the occasion, Santosh Kumar Kamila, Chief Post Master General, Odisha Circle, said, “Philately is the collection and study of postage stamps. Basically it’s a collection which is a hobby and it has many educational benefits as it teaches a lot about the socio economic, political reality of the period in which the stamp is issued. India has the largest number of post offices –1.55 lakh, while Odisha has 8,215 post offices. There is no place in India where the Postal Department is not offering its services. From electronic post to many other facilities, the Postal Department is there to offer its service to the denizens. It’s great news that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release a postage stamp on the 200 years of Paika Rebelion at IIT Angul December 24.”
Sahadeva Sahoo, retired IAS and ex-Chief Secretary of Government of Odisha, graced the occasion as the chief guest. Speaking on the occasion, he said, “Children must acquire knowledge which later on arms them to face the world. Gift your children with My Stamp, comprising a collection of 12 stamps and having a picture of the concerned person on a stamp, for just Rs 300.”