By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR:The ‘Dr Bansidhar Panda Gold Medal’ for 2026 was awarded to Mr. Manas Nayak, a student of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at NIT Rourkela, at the institute’s 24th Annual Convocation held on September 12th. Prof Abhay Karandikar, Member, NITI Aayog, was the Chief Guest at the convocation.
The Gold Medal was instituted in 2019 in memory of IMFA’s Founder, Dr Bansidhar Panda, and is awarded annually to the topper of the batch in the B.Tech programme in the field of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at NIT Rourkela.
A research scientist educated at Harvard University and Michigan Technological University; Dr Panda had a lifelong commitment to technical education and institution-building. He also served as Chairman of the Board of Governors of NIT Rourkela from 2002 to 2007. In recognition of his contributions to industry and the metallurgical landscape of Odisha, NIT Rourkela conferred an honorary doctorate on him in 2015. IMFA established the endowment to carry forward Dr Panda’s commitment to recognise excellence in metallurgy and inspire future generations of engineers.
Congratulating Mr. Nayak on his achievement, Mr. Sanjaya Kumar Satapathy, Chief Human Resources Officer of IMFA, said, “The Dr Bansidhar Panda Gold Medal recognises academic excellence in the field of metallurgical and materials engineering, and encouraging young engineers to pursue excellence with purpose. It is particularly meaningful to honour Dr Panda’s legacy at NIT Rourkela, an institution with which IMFA shares a long and valued association. We congratulate Mr. Manas Nayak and wish him success in his future endeavours.”
Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys Ltd (IMFA), incorporated in 1961 and headquartered in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, is India’s largest fully integrated producer of value-added ferro chrome with an installed furnace capacity of 289 MVA capable of producing 434,000 tonnes per annum (tpa). The company operates captive chrome ore mines at Sukinda and Mahagiri, along with manufacturing complexes at Therubali, Choudwar and Kalinganagar. It also has captive power generation capacity comprising 200 MW coal-based and 4.55 MWp solar. IMFA’s operations are benchmarked to international standards and are ISO 9001 (Quality Management Systems) certified.
With the greenfield ferro chrome project in Kalinganagar, total furnace capacity will stand at 355 MVA (534,000 tpa). Chrome Ore requirement for the enhanced smelting capacity will be entirely met from the company’s captive chrome ore mines and supported by hybrid renewable power. As part of its diversification strategy, a 120 kLD grain-based ethanol plant is being set up at Therubali, Odisha.
