Page 4 - Odisha Economy

LS polls: Opposition remembers people only during elections, says Patnaik

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday alleged that his opponents remember the people of the state only during elections and have no sincerity towards them. Addressing back-to-back election rallies in Bhawanipatna and Khariar in the Kalahandi Lok Sabha constituency, Patnaik claimed that they disappeared after the elections. "Leaders of the opposition party tell lies to the people and shed crocodile tears during elections. They are only seen during elections and then they disappear," he said. He asked the people if his government's social welfare schemes were helping them, to which they responded with a loud "yes". Urging the people to vote for candidates of his party in the twin polls, he said, "Please bless Naveen Patnaik and vote twice on the conch symbol, one for the MP and another for the MLA." The chief minister was accompanied by his close aide VK Pandian, who claimed that Patnaik will take oath as the chief minister for the sixth time on June 9. He also criticised

BJP reduced Odisha's central funding, PM 'neglecting' people of state: Cong

The Congress on Monday said the BJP has steadily reduced Odisha's central funding in recent years and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "neglecting" the people of the state. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions to the prime minister ahead of his rallies in Odisha. "Why has Odisha's central funding steadily decreased? Will the PM commit to legal status for the SC-ST sub-plan? Will the Sitalapalli wagon factory ever be completed?" Ramesh said in a post on X. Elaborating on what he said were "jumla details", Ramesh alleged that Odisha has suffered "gross neglect" at the hands of the Modi government. "In their usual style, the BJP has steadily reduced Odisha's Central funding in recent years. According to CAG reports, Central transfers as percentage of Revenue Receipts have been consistently decreasing from 57 per cent in 2017-18 to 38 per cent in 2021-22," he said. Similarly, the CAG noted that the state's share of Union taxes, as a percentage of revenue ...

Odisha example before Andhra

Will Andhra Pradesh follow the Odisha model, voting differently in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections? Or will Odisha follow Andhra Pradesh, voting in new faces in both?

Odisha Cong asks ticket aspirants to deposit Rs 50k for campaign material

The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) has asked candidates aspiring for party tickets in the Lok Sabha and Odisha Assembly elections to deposit Rs 50,000 each for supply of campaign materials. OPCC president Sarat Pattanayak has written letter to the prospective candidates in this regard. Pattnayak said the OPCC is open to accept cheques of Rs 50,000 from shortlisted candidates on behalf of the party to supply branding and campaign materials of an equivalent value to them. "The cheque will be in favour of OPCC and not in the name of any individual leader...," he said. The party had received about 3,000 applications from aspirants for 147 Odisha assembly seats and 21 Lok Sabha constituencies. Pattnayak did not disclose the number of shortlisted candidates who have paid the amount. Sources, however, said that many aspirants have already deposited cheques for the stated amount. The Congress state leadership justified the collection of funds from candidates and maintained that

Adani Ports set to buy 95% of Odisha's Gopalpur Port for $162 million

Adani Ports will purchase a 56% stake in Gopalpur Port from real-estate conglomerate Shapoorji Pallonji Group (SP Group) and a 39% stake from Orissa Stevedores

BJD-BJP alliance possible in Odisha: Saffron party to decide today

The BJP is likely to announce its decision on the possible formation of an alliance with the BJD in Odisha on Wednesday ahead of the Lok Sabha and assembly polls in the state, sources said. Top state BJP leaders held a series of meetings in Delhi for the past three days, they said. The BJD is not ready to reveal its cards, while the state BJP leaders - president Manmohan Samal, election in-charge Vijay Pal Singh Tomar and others - have been camping in the national capital. BJP state leaders held a series of meetings at the residence of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the sources said. A section of state BJP leaders were against stitching an alliance with the BJD, which dumped the saffron party ahead of the 2009 general elections, months after a riot in Kandhamal the previous year, they said. The issue of alliance between the BJD and BJP came for discussion after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Odisha on March 5. The next day, the BJD held a meeting of its senior ...

PM Modi virtually inaugurates over 270 railway projects in Odisha

Over 270 railway projects were unveiled in Odisha on Tuesday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, officials said. Among these are new railway lines, signalling systems, good sheds and a new Vande Bharat Express that will operate between Visakhapatnam and Bhubaneswar, they said. These were unveiled by the PM virtually from Ahmedabad along with other railway projects across the country. The new Vande Bharat Express train will operate six days a week, except Saturdays. This will be the state's third Vande Bharat Express train. The first two operate on the Puri-Howrah and Puri-Rourkela routes. The PM also inaugurated the Rs 234-crore Haridaspur-Byree section (16.8 km) of the Bhadrak-Nergundi third line, the Rs 131-crore Damanjodi-Baiguda section (14.6 km) of the Korapur-Raigada doubling project, Rs 167-crore Singapur Road-Rayagada section (9.2 km) of the Vijianagam-Titlagarh third line and the Rs 123-crore Similiguda-Araku-Gorapur (21.6 km) section of the Kotavlasa-Koraput doubling ...

Odisha govt approves seven key projects with Rs 80,125 crore investment

The Odisha government has approved seven key projects with an investment of Rs 80,125 crore in different sectors, an official said. The projects received the state government's nod at a High-Level Clearance Authority (HLCA) meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday. These investments are expected to create job opportunities for 24,552 people in various sectors, including steel, green energy, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals, the official said. These projects are spread over Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Jharsuguda, Ganjam, and Bhadrak districts, he said. Granules Life Sciences Private Limited, a leading producer of paracetamol in India, has proposed to set up its pharmaceutical unit at Tata SEZ, Gopalpur in Ganjam district. The company aims to produce 4 billion units of paracetamol, metformin, ibuprofen and other pharma products, for which it will pump in Rs 1,100 crore in the Ganjam plant, generating jobs for around 1,500 people. Granules CZRO Private Limited will also

PM to unveil development projects worth over Rs 19,600 cr in Odisha today

The projects are from sectors including oil and gas, railways, roads, transport and highways and atomic energy

Odisha approves 27 new industrial projects worth Rs 6,134 crore

The Odisha government has approved 27 new industrial projects to the tune of Rs 6,134 crore across sectors, a senior official said on Saturday. The proposals got the state government's nod at a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary P K Jena on Friday. The potential sectors include aluminium, renewable power, manufacturing, aerospace and defence, food processing, apparel and textiles and IT infrastructure, the official said. The proposed projects are likely to create employment for 42,275 people, Jena said.

LS polls: Odisha extends farmers' welfare scheme 'KALIA' for another 3 yrs

Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections, the Odisha government on Thursday decided to extend its farmers' welfare scheme 'KALIA' for another three years, sanctioning a total outlay of Rs 6,029.70 crore for the purpose. The state cabinet headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik approved three proposals in this regard, Agriculture and Farmers' Empowerment Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain told reporters. He said the state has been implementing the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme since 2018-19 as a majority of the population of the state is directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. Similarly, the state had implemented the KALIA scholarship to ensure the educational development of the children of KALIA beneficiaries so that they avail of professional and technical education in different educational institutions, Swain said. For hassle-free and smooth implementation of this welfare scheme and to bring the ..

RVNL's order book touches Rs 65,000-cr mark, plans to add foreign projects

Public Sector Undertaking RVNL's order book has touched Rs 65,000 crore, 50 per cent of which are railway projects, the company has said. RVNL is also looking for new projects in off-shore markets including Central Asia and UAE and Western Asia, the management said in an investors call. "We have got an order book of around Rs 65,000 crore, which roughly constitutes 50 per cent from the nomination, that is the typical railway projects, and 50 per cent from the market. In time to come, we should maintain an order book of around Rs 75,000 crore," top management officials said in reply to a question. Of the total order book, the share of the Vande Bharat trains was around Rs 9,000 crore, and Rs 7,000 crore was for several metro projects. The company has also bagged projects in the electrification and transmission lines among others. RVNL is also diversifying to other segments and eyeing many projects in the foreign countries, they said. On growth plans in offshore markets, the managem

Veteran BJD leader, 10-time Odisha MLA V Sugnana Kumari Deo dies at 87

Veteran BJD leader and 10-time Odisha MLA V Sugnana Kumari Deo died at a private hospital in Chennai on Saturday while undergoing treatment, officials said. She was 87. Deo breathed her last at about 1 am after Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and other senior party leaders met her at the hospital on Friday night, they said. She belonged to the royal family of Khallikote. Odisha Governor Raghubar Das, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and many other dignitaries expressed their condolence on the demise of Deo. "Saddened to know about the demise of V Sugnana Kumar Deo. She was a very senior leader of BJD and she made a lot of contributions towards the party. She has left her mark in the public service by representing both Khalikote and Kabisuryanagar. She was elected to the Assembly 10 times, It is an irreparable loss. May her soul rest in peace and my deepest condolence to the bereaved family", Patnaik said in a post on X. Deo was first elected to

Politics should not be done on sensitive crime issues: Odisha CM Patnaik

Recalling the efforts made by his government during the COVID-19 pandemic, CM Patnaik said that oxygen produced in Odisha saved thousands of lives throughout the country

BJP-BJD 'partnership' in Odisha, alleges Rahul Gandhi ahead of LS polls

Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that the BJP and BJD has a "partnership" in Odisha and the Congress has been opposing them to protect the interest of the people of the state. Gandhi resumed his 'Bharat Joda Nyay Yatra' in Odisha's steel city here. In a brief speech, he said: "As you know Naveen Patnaik and Narendra Modi run a partnership government in Odisha. They both have joined hands and work in tandem. I find in Parliament that BJD supports the BJP. The BJD people also disturb us at the instance of BJP". Gandhi claimed that it is the Congress party alone which has been opposing the BJD-BJP combine for the people of Odisha. Gandhi said: "I have come to Odisha to open a shop of love in the market of hatred. ('Nafrat ki bazaar me mohabbat ki dukan khulne aaya hu')". The Congress leader also came down heavily on Odisha's BJD government saying that as many as 30 lakh people from the state have migrated as labourers to other states for livelihood as the state government "was not

PM meets Padma awardees in Odisha, acknowledges their 'rich contributions'

The Prime Minister said that it was a privilege to meet Krishna Patel, a celebrated Sambalpuri folk singer, whom the Government of India had conferred the Padma Shri in 2023

PM Modi lays foundation stones of projects worth Rs 68,000 crore in Odisha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for projects worth over Rs 68,000 crore. Besides inaugurating the 400-crore permanent campus of IIM, Sambalpur, Modi unveiled several infrastructure projects across various sectors such as power, roads and railways. Modi had laid the foundation stone for the IIM campus in 2021. The PM also flagged off the Puri-Sonepur-Puri weekly express, which will improve connectivity in the region, and dedicated the Jharsuguda Head Post Office Heritage Building to the nation. He also inaugurated the 412-km DhamraAngul pipeline section of the Jagdishpur-Haldia and Bokaro-Dhamra pipeline project (JHBDPL)'. Built at a cost of around Rs 2,450 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga', the project will connect Odisha with the National Gas Grid. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Governor Raghubar Das and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan were present at the function.

PM Modi to visit Odisha, address first public meeting in state in 5 yrs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Odisha on Saturday afternoon to unveil projects worth Rs 68,400 crore, including the new campus of IIM-Sambalpur, officials said. During the visit, Modi will address a public meeting, his first in the state in nearly five years. The prime minister will reach the Jharsuguda airport around 1 pm, and head to the IIM-Sambalpur campus where CM Naveen Patnaik, Governor Raghubar Das and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will join him, they said. Besides the Rs 400-crore campus, Modi will also unveil infrastructure projects worth Rs 68,000 crore. These projects span sectors such as power, roads and railways. Modi will address a public meeting at Remed Ground around 3 pm, before leaving for Guwahati, officials said. He had addressed the last public meeting in the state in April 2019 in Kendrapara in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls and assembly elections in the state, which were held simultaneously. The prime minister visited the state

Odisha govt's anti-tribal schemes only to woo adivasis ahead of polls: BJP

Terming the ruling BJD in Odisha as anti-tribal, opposition BJP alleged that the state government rolled out special packages for tribals only to woo them ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and the assembly elections. The BJD's programmes for adivasis are a poll gimmick to mislead the one-crore tribal population in the state, Opposition chief whip Mohan Charan Majhi told reporters here on Tuesday. They were actually planning to grab tribal land for corporate houses by amending the Odisha Scheduled Areas Transfer of Immovable Property (by Scheduled Tribes) Regulation. However, the government failed in its bid in the wake of strong protests from different quarters, Majhi claimed. The Odisha Cabinet on Monday withdrew its earlier decision on tribal land transfer to non-tribals. The BJP leader also mocked the cabinet's approval of a new scheme Laghu Bana Jatiya Drabya Kraya (LABHA) to assure minimum support prices for minor forest produces. With the elections approaching, the state govern

Odisha has created new history in all areas of development, says CM Patnaik

Odisha is on the path of transformation. In the last twenty years, the state has created new history in all areas of development, said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday