Bhubaneswar: Stressing the urgency of addressing global environmental challenges, speakers at the 44th Foundation Day and Award Ceremony of the Orissa Environmental Society (OES), held in the city Saturday, called for collective action to protect and preserve nature.
The event was attended by OES working president Jayakrushna Panigrahi, former Police DG and OPSC chairman Satyajit Mohanty, UNDP Odisha head Abha Mishra, and other dignitaries.
Mohanty, in his address, highlighted that challenges such as global warming, pollution, and biodiversity loss pose serious threats to ecological balance.
He urged greater public participation in initiatives aimed at preserving environmental quality. Delivering the Prasanna Kumar Dash Memorial Lecture on the theme “Funding Resilience, Not Disasters, Through Nature-Based Solutions,” Mishra emphasised the need to invest in sustainable, nature-based strategies to address and mitigate environmental crises.
On the occasion, several eminent personalities were felicitated for their outstanding contributions. Former Principal of CET (now OUTR) Prof. B. Seetarama Patro received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his multifaceted contributions.
The Environment Excellence Award was presented to former Director of IMD, Bhubaneswar, Sarat Kumar Sahu, while Excellence in Environmental Reporting was conferred on Gopal Krishna Mohapatra, Editor of Prameya.
Other awardees included Nikunja Bihari Sahu, who received the Environment and Science Popularisation Award, and Utkal Ranjan Mohanty, honoured with the Nature Conservation Award.
