Bhubaneswar: Six students from Odisha brought laurels to the state by securing top national ranks at the National Students’ Convocation–2025 of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI) held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
The prestigious event was graced by President Droupadi Murmu, who addressed the convocation and felicitated 247 meritorious students from across the country.
In her keynote address, the President commended the role of Cost and Management Accountants (CMAs) in India’s economic progress and underscored their potential in driving sustainable development.
“CMAs are no longer just accountants — they are architects of sustainable businesses and contributors to national development,” she said, urging students to play an active role in the realization of Viksit Bharat 2047.
The six Odia students who stood out at the national level include:
- Sunita Dhal (AIR–7),
- Ashim Kumar Dhal (AIR–36),
- Shreekant Kumar Rout (AIR–40) – June 2024 Final,
- Sawan Kumar Agarwal (AIR–16),
- Liza Panigrahi (AIR–28) – Intermediate, and
- Vedanta Sharma (AIR–26) – Final, December 2024 term.
The event saw the participation of Deepti Gaur Mukerjee, Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, as Guest of Honour. She emphasized the evolving role of CMAs in enabling India to reach its $30 trillion economic target through innovation, agility, and ethical finance.
ICMAI President CMA Bibhuti Bhusan Nayak, Vice President CMA TCA Srinivasa Prasad, and other council members addressed the gathering, congratulating the graduating students and highlighting the institute’s legacy of excellence since its inception in 1944.
After the inaugural session, a Presentation Ceremony was held for the National Awards for Excellence in Cost Management – 2024 and the CMA Awards – 2024. The event was graced by Bhartruhari Mahtab, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) and Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Finance and CMA Sadanand Date, Director General, National Investigation Agency (NIA). CMA Bibhuti Bhusan Nayak, President of ICMAI, highlighted the growing importance of cost management in modern organizations, emphasizing its critical role in promoting sustainability and creating long-term value.
The National Awards for Excellence in Cost Management – 2024 were presented to selected companies under broad categories, including Manufacturing – Public Sector (Mega, Large & Medium), Public Sector (Mega, Medium, Small & Micro), and the Service Sector (Transportation & Logistics; Power Distribution & Transmission; Infrastructure & Construction; Consulting; City Gas Distribution; and Banking, Financial Services & Insurance (BFSI)). These awards recognized the adoption of qualitative cost management practices by organizations, setting benchmarks for industry excellence.
In total, 26 (twenty-six) organisations across India were recognized and awarded for their outstanding performance in cost management. Among them, from Odisha, TP Central Odisha Distribution Ltd (TPCODL) was awarded 3rd Prize in the Power Distribution & Transmission category.
On behalf of TPCODL, CMA Hemant Goel, CFO; CMA Siba Prasad Kar, CGM (Finance); and CMA Sudhansu Kumar Sahu, Sr. GM (Finance), received the award from Bhartruhari Mahtab, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) and Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Finance.
In addition, the CMA Awards–2024 honoured 24 finance professionals for leadership and service excellence. Odisha was represented prominently, with seven awardees:
- CMA Pradip Kumar Das, CMD, IREDA Ltd.
- CMA (Dr.) Prasanna Kumar Acharya, Director (Finance), NLC India Ltd.
- CMA Ramesh Kumar Dash, Former Director (Finance), GRSE Ltd.
- CMA (Dr.) Bijay Kumar Mohanty, Director (Finance), IREDA Ltd.
- CMA Gagan Bihari Swain, Director (Finance), OPGC Ltd. & CEO, OCPL
- CMA Srikanta Kumar Sahoo, Director (Finance), OPTCL
- CMA Ramsankar Mishra, Sr. Manager – Corporate Accounts, MRPL
All are esteemed members of the ICMAI Bhubaneswar Chapter, adding to the state’s professional prestige.
Over 1,200 delegates, including students, professionals, and dignitaries, attended the convocation, which was live-streamed globally to more than 100,000 CMA members and 600,000 students.
