Bhubaneswar: Jyotiranjan Barik has done the state proud by clinching the top position in the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) examinations this year. He has emerged as all-India topper with an overall score of 959.
A final-year student of agricultural engineering of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Jyotiranjan attained the feat without any formal coaching.
"I studied for around four hours a day. My classes at college were really helpful. I made it a point to gather as much knowledge as I could during the classes," said the 23-year-old student.
While he was confident of securing a good rank, making it to the top was unexpected.
"I was surprised to see the results. My parents got emotional and my teachers are really happy," said the Cuttack resident.
Barik wishes to pursue MTech in soil and water conservation engineering from IIT, Kharagpur.
"I want to get a PhD degree and become a scientist in future," he added.
Good wishes have poured in for the young lad on social media platforms ever since the results were announced.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik has also wished Jyotiranjan on his success. Naveen tweeted: "Delighted to learn that Odia student from Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) Jyotiranjan Barik has topped the all India Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering #GATEExam2018. Many congratulations to him and wishing him all success in his career."
Vice-chancellor of OUAT S.N. Pasupalak said: "It is indeed a proud moment for the university. Our aim has always been to give quality and holistic knowledge to the students and we are happy that our students are making it big on the national level."
The exam is held to seek admission and/or receive financial assistance to M.E./M.Tech and Ph.D. programmes at IITs, IISc, NITs, GFTIs and other universities in India. This year, it was conducted on February 3, 4, 10 and 11 for 23 subjects. The exam was hosted by IIT, Guwahati.
The GATE scores also being used by various public sector undertakings (PSUs) in their recruitment process.
Criminals held
Paradip police arrested three criminals who had committed three robberies in officers' colony area of the Paradip port township. They are being interrogated as their involvement was being suspected in several other thefts and snatching cases. Search is also on to arrest their accomplices, police said.
