Odisha’s Prasanta Mahakud gets India Youth Prize 2018

New Delhi: Prasanta Mahakud, a 33-year youth from Odisha’s Keonjhar district, has bagged the prestigious ‘India Youth Prize 2018’ award for exemplary leadership in social service.

Mahakud, member of International Youth Committee (IYC), has demonstrated a selfless commitment to create positive change in IYC to achieve the objective of the organisation.

The India Youth Prize 2018 is instituted by the International Youth Committee to recognize works of 22 numbers of youth around the world in various fields on the eve of International Youth Empowerment Day at Constitutions Club of India, New Delhi.

The award, which was presented in New Delhi on Tuesday, carries one memento, certificate and a citation.

“I hope this will help me reach out to a wider audience and encourage more people to get involved in social activities. The world’s population is around seven billion and some people see this as a burden. I see it as a huge opportunity and a youth social responsibility. If we can get 10% more youth into social fields, we can solve a lot of problems such as poverty, hunger and illiteracy,” Mahakud said.

Mahakud is also co-founder of a school named Dream Land Public School and spearheading various campaigns to ensure that every child has equal opportunities to access basic necessities.

Eminent people including renowned politicians, diplomats, authors, artists, academicians and youth leaders from 40 countries witnessed the glittering ceremony of gala awards’ ceremony in New Delhi on Tuesday.