Prasanna Kumar Motupalli, Chairman and Managing Director of NLC India Limited, was conferred with the prestigious "CMD of the Year” Award at the Utkarsh Odisha Business Leadership Awards ceremony, hosted by “The Interview Times” held at Bhubaneswar on April 1, 2025. A series of events were organised on the occasion of “Utkarsh Divas”, celebrating the foundation day of Odisha. The final event was the “Utkarsh Odisha Business Leadership Awards” function held at Bhubaneswar on April 1, 2025 organised by “The Interview Times”. During the function, NLCIL CMD Prasanna Kumar Motupalli was conferred with the “CMD of the Year” award. The award was presented by Dr. Ravi Narayan Behera, Member of Parliament, Jajpur in the presence of Sudarshan Sahoo, Padma Vibhishan awardee and Sulochana Das, Mayor, Bhubaneshwar and other dignitaries. In his address, Dr Ravi Narayana Behera, MP, lauded Shri Prasanna Kumar Motupalli’s outstanding contributions to Odisha’s growth, particularly in enhancing power generation capacity and steering NLCIL’s sustainable development initiatives. During the CMD Roundtable 2025 on Energy & Sustainability, Prasanna Kumar Motupalli highlighted Odisha's rich natural resources as a vital catalyst for India’s development. He showcased NLCIL’s impactful projects in the state, including the Talabira II & III coal mines in the Sambalpur and Jharsuguda districts of Odisha. He also recalled that the foundation stone for Phase-I NLC India Talabira Thermal Power Plant (NTTPP) – a 3x800 MW (2400 MW) was laid by Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2024 in Sambalpur, Odisha. A Power Purchase Agreement for NTTPP has also been signed with the Government of Odisha. Prasanna Kumar Motupalli also noted that NLCIL had won two new mines in Odisha —Machchakata and New Patrapara South coal mines in Angul district of Odisha. He pointed out that NLC India was actively engaging with the Odisha government to explore the repurposing of mined-out lands for Solar and Pumped Storage projects, presenting promising opportunities for sustainable growth. He underscored the importance of responsible mineral resource management to ensure long-term environmental sustainability. He stated that Odisha would play a pivotal role in enhancing India's per capita energy consumption and advancing Viksit Bharat, providing Disha to the nation in achieving its net-zero targets. He also highlighted NLCIL’s social responsibility initiatives and socio-economic upliftment efforts aimed at benefiting Odisha. Expressing his gratitude, Prasanna Kumar thanked “The Interview Times” for recognizing his contributions and applauded their impactful journalism over the past decade. This prestigious award is a testament to Prasanna Kumar Motupalli’s visionary leadership and dedication to fostering growth and sustainability in Odisha.