Chief Minister of Odisha Felicitates Winners of The 17th Edition of Young Astronomer Talent Search

~ Organised by Tata Steel in association with Pathani Samanta Planetarium~

~ More than 80,000 students from 30 districts participated in the 17th edition of YATS ~

Top 5 winners of the 17th Edition of Young Astronomer Talent Search (YATS) 2023 were felicitated by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik today at Pathani Samanta Planetarium( PSP) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Organized by Tata Steel in association with PSP operating under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of Odisha, this edition of YATS saw the participation of more than 80,000 students from 30 districts in the State.

Present at the award ceremony were Shri Ashok Chandra Panda, Hon’ble Minister, Science & Technology, Public Enterprises, Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disability, Government of Odisha, Smt. Chithra Arumugam, IAS, Principal Secretary, Science and Technology, Dr. Yeddula Vijay, IAS, Joint Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Government of Odisha and Shri Chanakya Chaudhary, Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel.

Addressing the gathering, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik said, “I congratulate all the students who participated in the activities organised as part of Young Astronomer Talent Search. My congratulations to the district toppers who are selected for the finals and the Top 20 winners. I am glad that over 80 thousand students from across 30 districts of our State are participating in this competition. My congratulations to Tata Steel and Pathani Samanta Planetarium for conducting this unique event successfully year after year, and I wish the programme the very best for its future editions.”

Shri Chanakya Chaudhary, Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel, said, “The growing number of participants in each edition of YATS is a resounding testimony to its value and success, particularly among Odisha’s youth.  The 2023 edition of YATS also comes on the heels of India’s most successful space mission yet -- Chandrayaan-3 which added a lot more excitement among our young scientists.  It is also very encouraging to see so many young minds turning their attention to astronomy and unchartered areas of space missions and technologies that will prove invaluable to India’s future. I am extremely happy to congratulate the winners of YATS 2023 and every single participant who made it such a grand success.”

The competition included an open quiz for students of classes 6 to 8, conducted physically in schools and a multiple-choice questions assessment for students of classes 9 and 10, conducted in schools and online. A total of 20 winners including the top 5, along with their teachers, will be taken on an exposure visit to one of the facilities of the Indian Space Research Organisation around June 2024, where they will have the opportunity to interact with ace space scientists of the country."

Since its inception 17 years ago till date, more than 3,50,000 young science enthusiasts in Odisha have actively participated in YATS, which highlights the program’s enduring impact. Notably, 180 students have had the privilege of visiting various facilities of ISRO in India.

About Tata Steel

·         Tata Steel group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 35 million tonnes per annum.

·         It is one of the world's most geographically diversified steel producers, with operations and commercial presence across the world.

·         The group recorded a consolidated turnover of ~US$30.3 billion in the financial year ending March 31, 2023.

·         A Great Place to Work-CertifiedTM organisation, Tata Steel Limited, together with its subsidiaries, associates, and joint ventures, is spread across five continents with an employee base of over 77,000.

·         Tata Steel has announced its major sustainability objectives including Net Zero Carbon by 2045, Net Zero Water consumption by 2030, improving Ambient Air Quality and No Net loss in Biodiversity by 2030.

·         The Company has been on a multi-year digital-enabled business transformation journey intending to be the leader in ‘Digital Steel making by 2025’. The Company has received the World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse recognition for its Jamshedpur, Kalinganagar and IJmuiden Plants.

·         Tata Steel aspires to have 25% diverse workforce by 2025. The Company has been recognised with the World Economic Forum’s Global Diversity Equity & Inclusion Lighthouse 2023.

·         The Company has been a part of the DJSI Emerging Markets Index since 2012 and has been consistently ranked amongst top 10 steel companies in the DJSI Corporate Sustainability Assessment since 2016.

·         Tata Steel’s Jamshedpur Plant is India’s first site to receive ResponsibleSteelTM Certification.

·         Received Prime Minister’s Trophy for the best performing integrated steel plant for 2016-17, 2023 Steel Sustainability Champion recognition from worldsteel for six years in a row, 2022 ‘Supplier Engagement Leader’ recognition by CDP, Top performer in Iron and Steel sector in Dun & Bradstreet's India's top 500 companies 2022, Ranked as the 2023 most valuable Mining and Metals brand in India by Brand Finance, and ‘Most Ethical Company’ award 2021 from Ethisphere Institute.

·         Received 2023 ERM (Enterprise Risk Management) Award of Distinction at the RIMS ERM Conference 2023, ‘Masters of Risk’ - Metals & Mining Sector recognition at The India Risk Management Awards for the seventh consecutive year, and Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting FY20 from ICAI, among several others.