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Odisha Govt
The proceedings of the Odisha Assembly were disrupted for the fourth consecutive day on Friday, following frequent adjournments as the opposition BJD and Congress demanded resignation of Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling over the fire incident in a hospital that left 12 patients dead. The House witnessed noisy scenes from the very beginning when it assembled for the Question Hour at 10.30 AM. Holding placards and shouting anti-government slogans, the opposition members trooped into the well of the House and demanded resignation of the minister holding the state government responsible for the death of 12 patients at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. The fire incident took place at the trauma care ICU of the premier government hospital early on March 16. The agitating members attempted to climb the Speaker's podium and were prevented by the marshals. Opposition MLAs raised slogans like "Ram Naam Satya Hai" and "(CM) Mohan Majhi Hai Hai" when Speaker Surama Padhy allowed Scho
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan on Sunday disbursed over Rs 5,100 crore for more than one crore women beneficiaries of the state's flagship Subhadra Yojana, coinciding with International Women's Day. Majhi disbursed the fourth instalment of the Yojana at a special event held in Puri. Several state ministers joined the programme virtually from different districts. An amount of Rs 5,000 each was credited to the bank accounts of 1.02 crore women, who have already received a similar amount in three instalments. Addressing the gathering, Majhi said his government has succeeded in empowering the women of the state through the Subhadra Yojana. The scheme has socially and economically empowered the women and made them self-reliant. Becoming financially independent, the Subhadra beneficiaries have created a special identity for them in society, he added. The chief minister said the empowerment of Subhadra beneficiaries will accelerate the process to build a prosperous and Viksit Odisha.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday laid foundation stones for a Rs 100-crore textile park and a Rs 187-crore disaster recovery and data centre in his native Keonjhar district. Addressing a meeting on Dharanidhar University campus, Majhi said, "The state government is committed to making Keonjhar a diversified industrial hub. The mineral-rich district will witness a multi-sector hub of industrial growth. Our vision is to build a golden Keonjhar." Hindalco will set up a garment manufacturing unit on seven acres, producing 24 lakh garments annually, including brands such as Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly and Peter England, for domestic and global markets. "It's a matter of privilege for all of us and this project supports Odisha's broader goal of expanding value-added industries beyond mining and heavy manufacturing," he added. Hindalco's president (corporate affairs) Ardhendu Mohapatra said, "This apparel manufacturing unit reflects our commitment to creati
The Odisha government on Tuesday invoked the Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 1988, prohibiting strikes by doctors and other healthcare staff, as agitating doctors carried on with their boycott of outpatient department (OPD) services across state-run health facilities. Under the order, strikes in the form of cessation of work by doctors, nursing officers, pharmacists, paramedics, technicians and Class III and IV employees, including contractual staff, engaged in government hospitals and dispensaries have been banned for six months with effect from Tuesday, an official notification said. Doctors in government hospitals and health centres have been boycotting OPD services since December 26, initially for one hour a day, which was extended to two hours from 9 am to 11 am starting January 5. Emergency services, inpatient care and surgeries, however, have continued uninterrupted. The agitation, under the banner of the Odisha Medical Service Association (OMSA), has been ongoing sinc
The high-pitched election campaign for Nuapada by-election in Odisha ended on Sunday evening after weeks of rallies and road shows by senior leaders. The bypoll, necessitated following the death of BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia on September 8, is the first electoral battle after the BJP formed the government in the state last year. Though the electioneering started from the 11th day memorial meeting of the late MLA, it gained momentum after Dholakia's son Jay joined the BJP on October 11 after quitting his late father's party, BJD. Dhokalia was elected to the assembly on a BJD ticket in 2009, 2019 and 2024. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, his Chhattisgarh counterpart Vishnu Deo Sai, BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik, deputy chief ministers from Odisha and Chhattisgarh, Union minister Jual Oram, a dozen ministers and MPs and around 100 MLAs from the two states campaigned in the seat. The seat also saw road shows for the first time. The Congress has fielded Ghasiram Majhi, a local tribal le
The Odisha government on Saturday imposed a seven-month-long ban on sea fishing activity within 20 km of the coast at the river mouths of Dhamra, Devi and Rusikulya as part of its annual Olive Ridley turtle conservation programme, officials said. The ban on sea-fishing, however, remains enforced round-the-year in the Gahirmatha coast, which is widely regarded as the largest habitation corridor of these highly endangered marine species. Besides, Gahirmatha has been accorded the status of a marine sanctuary in view of the congregation of turtles, said forest officials. The ban on sea fishing activity would remain effective from November 1 to May 31. It ensures the safety of marine animals during their breeding and mating season, said officials, adding that the ban has been clamped in accordance with Sections 2, 7 and 4 of Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act (OMFRA), 1982 and provisions of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The ban will be strictly implemented as it is done every year to
The disaster management teams in Odisha are on high alert due to a brewing cyclonic storm in the Bay of Bengal, which is forecast to bring heavy rainfall to the state from October 27.While the cyclone is not expected to make a direct landfall in Odisha, it is still likely to cause widespread downpours and gusty winds.Revenue & Disaster Management Minister, Suresh Pujari, assured that the state is prepared for the cyclonic storm expected to hit on October 22nd or 29th. He affirmed that the health, water, resource, and energy departments are ready to tackle the situation."Odisha is highly vulnerable to natural disasters such as heavy rainfall, flooding, river swelling, and cyclones. We are preparing for an impending cyclonic storm predicted to hit its coast on the 22nd or 29th. Departments, including Health, Water Resources, Energy, and Agriculture, are fully prepared. Local Administrations across Odisha, especially in vulnerable areas, have made arrangements for relief centres, ..
Heavy rain continued to lash Odisha on Thursday as the depression in the Bay of Bengal intensified into a deep depression and is moving towards the coast prompting the state government to deploy men and machinery in identified vulnerable districts to tackle the situation, an official said. Almost all parts of the state have received heavy rain since Wednesday, especially the coastal and southern region. The IMD issued an alert for heavy rains for all the 30 districts of Odisha on Thursday. In a statement, the IMD said that the deep depression formed on Wednesday night over the Bay of Bay of Bengal is moving towards the coast with a speed of 17 kmph. The system at 5.30 AM of Thursday lays centered at about 190 km south-southeast of Gopalpur, 190 km east-southeast of Kalingapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 230 km south of Puri (Odisha), 250 km east of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 310 km south-southwest of Paradip (Odisha), it said. The system is very likely to cross Odisha and adjoinin
The Odisha government is planning to supply broken rice for ethanol production, with more farmers taking up paddy cultivation following an increase in the procurement rate, officials said on Tuesday. The state has the main ethanol plant in Bargarh district, which uses both rice grain and rice straw to produce the item for fuel blending, they said. There are smaller ethanol plants in the state as well, utilising grain feedstock, with the Food Corporation of India (FCI) allocating surplus rice to them for the ethanol blended petrol (EBP) programme. A discussion regarding the proposal was held at the first meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for procurement for the Kharif 2025-26 season on Monday, officials said. The meeting, chaired by Deputy CM KV Singh Deo, who is in charge of the Agriculture and Farmer Empowerment Department, discussed the preparation of a roadmap for post-paddy purchase management, they said. The government has planned to procure the Kharif crops by the e
PC chip major Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan is likely to visit Odisha later this year for the ground-breaking ceremony of 3D Glass Solutions' semiconductor plant, a senior state government official said on Wednesday. The ground-breaking ceremony of the silicon carbide company SicSem is scheduled for next month, and the commercial production of chips is expected to start in two years, Odisha Electronics and IT Department Principal Secretary Vishal Kumar Dev told PTI. "Chief Minister (Mohan Charan Majhi) was here, and they (SiCSem and 3DGS) have given a commitment to start the unit soon. SiCSem's ground-breaking will be done next month, and the other company, 3D Glass Solutions (3DGS), they are looking for a date from Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan. He plans to visit Odisha also. That is when the ground-breaking will happen. Hopefully, in the next two to three months," Dev said. 3D Glass semiconductor packaging unit to be set up by Heterogeneous Integration Packaging Solutions Pvt Ltd, which is backed
More than 170 villages in Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts of North Odisha were under flood water for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, even as the IMD has warned of heavy rainfall in the next few days due to fresh low pressure area in the Bay of Bengal, officials said. While 130 villages under three blocks of Baliapal, Bhograi and Jaleswar were flooded by the water of river Subarnarekha, around 45 villages in Jajpur are inundated by Baitarani flood water. Dhamnagar and Bhandaripokhari blocks of Bhadrak district are also affected. Some villages in Keonjhar and Sundergarh districts have also been hit by the flood, officials said. "Jajpur district has been severely hit due to a breach on the embankment of Kani river, a tributary of Baitarani river. I am going to the affected areas in Jajpur," Revenue and Disaster Management minister Suresh Pujari said, adding that relief and rescue operations are in full swing in affected districts. The minister said many people have been .