Baipariguda:16th Aug 2025: Harshita Priyadarshini Mohanty, a Class IX student from Prakash Vidyalaya, Jeypore, has brought pride to India, Odisha, and Koraput district by winning the International Young Environmentalist Award.
The annual competition, organized by Action for Nature in San Francisco, USA, invites participants aged 8–16 from across the globe to present their environmental conservation work. This year, 457 participants from 43 countries and 22 U.S. states took part.
Harshita secured second place in the under-14 category for her initiatives in traditional indigenous seed conservation, large-scale cultivation, and awareness on diverse food habits. She received a prize of USD 400, a certificate, and support from the organizers to promote her work internationally.
Known for her efforts in conserving native varieties of paddy, millet, and pulses, Harshita has been honored multiple times at the district, state, and national levels, receiving awards such as Scale of Odisha Krushak Ratna, Idea Young Star 2024, Prakruti Bandhu, Food Hero, India Book of Records, and the Professor Radhamohan Radha Seed Bank Award.
This year, she is the only awardee from India, earning accolades from intellectuals, organizations, and schools across the state.
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