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

The 11th edition of the Young Astronomer Talent Search (YATS), an annual competition organised for the school children of Odisha to create awareness on space science and astronomy, was launched today by Shri Badri Narayan Patra, Minister, School & Mass Education and Science & Technology, Government of Odisha at the State Secretariat. The theme for this year’s YATS is ‘India’s contribution to space science’.

Shri V V Yadav, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of Odisha, Shri Kailash Chandra Sahoo, Director of Pathani Samanta Planetarium, Shri Arun Misra, Vice President, Project Gopalpur, Tata Steel and Managing Director, Tata Steel SEZ, Shri Sarvesh Kumar, Chief, Brand Management & Strategic Communications, Tata Steel and Shri Manikanta Naik, Chief Resident Executive, Tata Steel were also present on the occasion.

Unveiling the information docket on YATS 2017-18, Shri Patra said, “I commend Tata Steel and Pathani Samanta Planetarium for organising such a unique initiative to promote science and spread awareness on Pathani Samanta. Science and Technology is a key tool to bringing about exponential development in the society and initiatives like YATS are an excellent platform to foster and build scientific temper among students across the state.”

Reinforcing Tata Steel’s commitment for doing its bit in aiding development in Odisha, Shri Misra said, “The 10th edition of YATS had reached out to more than 33,000 students across 27 districts of the state. This time we want to take it a notch higher and make it much more memorable and a valuable experience for students.”

On the occasion, Shri Yadav said, “We are pleased to be associated with Tata Steel Young Astronomer Search. We are happy to learn that this time Tata Steel is planning to reach out to more number of rural students as science and technology knows no barrier of language, location or region. We look forward to a great edition of YATS this year and would extend our full support to the team”.

Organised  by Tata Steel in association with Pathani Samanta Planetarium since 2007, YATS promotes the contribution of Samanta Chandra Sekhar Harichandan Mahapatra who is popularly known as Pathani Samanta, the legendary astronomer of Odisha in the field of astronomy. It seeks to identify and promote the talent of high school students in the field of space science by providing platforms to express and test their knowledge.

The format of the competition comprises an essay competition for students of standards IX-X and an open quiz on space science for students of standard VII-VIII.

The theme has been decided to celebrate the strides India has made especially recently in the areas of space science and astronomy. Indian is making an impact globally in this field and there has been a renewed vigor that this area is witnessing in current times. The essay topics are derived from the theme.

The top two winners from each participating district will be invited the Grand Finale to be held on December 12-13, 2017 at Pathani Samanta Planetarium in Bhubaneswar. During this event, top 20 winners of YATS 2017-18 will be selected after a final round of evaluation and felicitated on the occasion. Later in May 2018 they will be taken by Tata Steel on an exposure visit to one of the facilities of ISRO.

About Tata Steel
Tata Steel Group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 27.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) as on March 31, 2017. It is the world's second-most geographically-diversified steel producer, with operations in 26 countries and a commercial presence in over 50 countries. The Group recorded a consolidated turnover of US $18.12 billion (INR 117,420 crore) in FY17. Tata Steel Group is spread across five continents with an employee base of nearly 74,000. Having bagged the Deming Application Prize and Deming Grand Prize for continuous improvement in 2008 and 2012 respectively, Tata Steel has now been recognised as the global ‘Industry Leader’ in ‘Steel category’ by Dow Jones Sustainability Index (2015). Besides being a member of the World Steel Climate Action Programme, Tata Steel has also been felicitated with several awards including the Prime Minister’s Trophy for the best performing integrated steel plant for 2013-14 (received in 2017), Best Risk Management by CNBC TV18 (2016), ‘Best-in-class Manufacturing’ award from TIME India (2016) and the ‘Most Ethical Company’ award from the Ethisphere Institute (2016), IIM Sustainability Award (2015), among several others.

Disclaimer
Statements in this press release describing the Company’s performance may be “forward looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws and regulations. Actual results may differ materially from those directly or indirectly expressed, inferred or implied. Important factors that could make a difference to the Company’s operations include, among others, economic conditions affecting demand/ supply and price conditions in the domestic and overseas markets in which the Company operates, changes in or due to the environment, Government regulations, laws, statutes, judicial pronouncements and/ or other incidental factors.

Kulvin Suri
Chief, Corporate Communications, India & SEA
Tata Steel