Page 8 - Odisha Government

In touch with state govt: PM Modi cautions as 'Cyclone Michaung' approaches

He also urged BJP workers in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh to join the relief and rescue efforts and support the local administration

60 projects worth more than Rs 18K cr sanctioned from OMBADC fund: Official

The Odisha government has sanctioned 60 projects worth more than Rs 18,000 crore from Odisha Mineral Bearing Area Development Corporation (OMBADC) funds till October this year, an official said. OMBADC chief executive officer G Rajesh said this during the meeting of the board of directors of the corporation held under the chairmanship of chief secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena on Thursday. OMBADC, a special-purpose vehicle of the Government of Odisha, was incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013 in December 2014. Rajesh said that the board has approved 60 projects under different sectors amounting to more than Rs 18,000 crore against the total collection of Rs 20,700 crore till October 2023. The 18 departments, which are executing the OMBADC projects, have utilised 72 per cent of the released amount which stands at Rs 10,868 crore, he said. The highest expenditure of 93 per cent has been made by the Housing and Urban Development department followed by Panchayati Raj and Drinking Wate

Odisha to provide free online NEET, JEE coaching to class 11, 12 students

The Odisha government has decided to provide free online NEET and JEE coaching to class 11 and 12 students of various higher secondary schools in the state. Higher Secondary Education Director Raghuram R Iyer wrote a letter to principals of all government and non-government aided plus-II colleges in this regard on Wednesday. "It has been decided to provide supplementary online coaching to National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)/Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) aspirants pursuing their studies in government and non-government aided higher secondary schools for enhancement of their competitive ability," Iyer said. The coaching will be provided in the virtual mode. Hence, the principals of higher secondary schools that don't have smart classrooms with interactive panels or smart TVs were asked to install the system. The director said that many of the higher secondary schools have received assistance for the development of smart classrooms under a scheme of the Planning and ...

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik's former private secretary Pandian joins BJD

"What favours Pandian is there is no negative wave against him in the party," said Brahmananda Satpathy, senior political science professor

Odisha govt to redevelop 26 ancient temples in CM Patnaik's home turf

The Odisha government has sanctioned Rs 42.51 crore for the redevelopment of 26 ancient shrines in the Ganjam district, an official said on Thursday. Renovation, restoration and reconstruction of the ancient shrines located in 12 of the 13 assembly constituencies, except Berhampur, in Ganjam, the home turf of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, will be undertaken with the fund, he said. The Works Department will execute the project, he added. The district administration has recommended the government for renovation and infrastructure development of these old and historic temples on the basis of public demand, the official said. Earlier, the government had sanctioned Rs 48.97 crore for the district for giving a facelift to 997 village temples. The tenders for execution of the projects are under process, said Assistant Chief Engineer (Works) Durga Charan Behera. Among these 26 shrines is the 300-year-old Marda temple in Polasara block, known as Sharan Shrikshetra, where the deities of t

Puri heritage corridor project to open to the public on Jan 17 : SJTMC

Gajapati Maharaja of Puri, Divyasingha Deb Friday said the much awaited Puri Herritage Corridor (Srimandir Parikrama) will be dedicated to the devotees on January 17, 2024. Deb, who is the chief religious functionary of the famed temple besides being the chairman of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee, visited the spot earlier in the day. Deb, who is considered the first servitor of the sibling deities Lord Jagannath, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra, later said, Many of the works are nearing completion and it will be open to the public on January 17, 2023. A special puja and havan' will be organised on the occasion. Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Ranjan Kumar Das said the Parikrama project will be inaugurated in a lavish programme with the help of the district administration. He said a grand puja will be held for about five days on the occasion and is likely to be witnessed by large number of people from here and abroad. The temple'

Who is VK Pandian? Odisha's ex-IAS given cabinet minister rank in 24 hrs

VK Pandian hails from Tamil Nadu and began his career as an IAS officer in the Punjab cadre

President Droupadi Murmu appoints new governors of Odisha, Tripura

President Droupadi Murmu has appointed Raghubar Das as Governor of Odisha, and Indra Sena Reddy Nallu as Governor of Tripura

Odisha should lead way in making roadmap for millets for next decade: CM

Odisha should aim to become a centre of excellence for other states and countries, the CM further added

Odisha inks agreement, to set up 5 multispeciality hospitals at Rs 500 cr

The Odisha government signed agreements with private healthcare players for building five affordable multispeciality hospitals in the state, officials said on Thursday. These hospitals, which will have 100 to 200 beds, will be set up in PPP mode in Angul, Barbil, Bhadrak and Jharsuguda, they said. This is first-of-a-kind initiative by any state to develop healthcare facilities in PPP (public private partnership) mode, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said. "Private healthcare operators have a major role in fulfilling this mandate. Therefore, we are encouraging private investments in the health sector to set up institutions at district levels," he said. Stating that the development of healthcare infrastructure is a priority of his government, Patnaik said the state's Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana has been a great support for 1 crore families. According to the Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) signed by the Health and Family Welfare Department on Wednesday, a consortium of Utkal Healthc

Odisha nods proposal to expand coverage of infra scheme to govt hospitals

The Odisha government has approved a proposal to expand the coverage of a scheme to all health centres to improve infrastructure in these facilities in four years, an official said on Wednesday. The state government had earlier decided to transform 147 health facilities under the Ama Hospital scheme in the first phase. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, the state Health and Family Welfare Department said, "After careful consideration, #Odisha government is pleased to accord in-principle approval for expansion of #AmaHospital scheme" to all district and sub-divisional hospitals, community and primary health centres in the state in the next four years. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has "approved expansion of the scheme to all government health facilities", the official said. These health facilities would be renovated in different phases in the next four years, he said. 'Ama Hospital' is a scheme of the government to improve infrastructure and ensure enough manpower in the state-run ...

Odisha clears 19 investment projects worth Rs 3,663 cr; to employ 13,500

The Odisha government on Saturday approved 19 investment projects worth Rs 3,663 crore. These projects, approved during a meeting of the State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena, are expected to generate employment for over 13,500 people, an official statement said. The EPIC Group, a Hong Kong-based apparel manufacturer renowned for serving some of the world's leading brands, is poised to bolster foreign direct investment (FDI) in Odisha, it said. Trimetro Garments India Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of the EPIC Group, is planning to invest Rs 376.85 crore for the establishment of its apparel manufacturing facility in Khurda district, it said. The state government has approved proposals of several steel companies including Nezone Steel Utkal LLP, Advance Steel Tubes Limited, Nirmal Steels Private Limited, Rungta Mines Ltd, Ferro Tech India Pvt Ltd, and Super Sonic Logistics Pvt Ltd. Collectively, these companie

Patnaik announces Rs 10 lakh cash support for Asian Game qualified athletes

Ahead of the Hangzhou Asian Games in China, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday announced a financial support for the state's athletes who are set to participate in the upcoming sports event. Each Asian Games-bound athlete will receive Rs 10 lakh each, to support their training, preparation, and participation in the prestigious sporting event, an official release issued by the chief minister's office said. The Asian Games, known for bringing together elite athletes from across the continent, offer a platform to showcase the dedication and talent of athletes. The Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games in China, to be held from September 23 to October 8, this year. Thirteen athletes from Odisha will participate in the Asian Games. They include Kishore Jena in athletics; Anshika Bharati, Ritu Kaudi and Sonali Swain in rowing; Anupama Swain in Ju-Jitsu; Neha Devi Leichondam in Kayaking and Canoeing; Pyari Xaxa in football; Deep Grace Ekka and Amit Rohidas in hockey and Dumuni Marndi,

Odisha govt to promote employment-generating projects on unutilised land

The Odisha government has decided to promote employment-intensive projects on unutilised land acquired earlier for industrial purposes, officials said. The decision was taken at a meeting of senior officers at the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) on Tuesday after it received grievances from people on the non-utilisation of industrial land. During public hearings in Brajarajnagar, Jharsuguda, it was brought to the notice of the CMO that large tracts of industrial land leased to Orient Paper Mills are lying unutilised and therefore, can be put to better use. The matter has been enquired by Collector, Jharsuguda and the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO), and a report was presented in the meeting, an official release said. "Keeping in view of the larger public interest, it was decided to explore alternative options for utilising the land for setting up employment-intensive projects," an official said, adding that the Jharsuguda district administration and IDC

Odisha asks forest, agri depts to plant palm trees to mitigate lightning

The Odisha government has asked the Forest and Agriculture departments to take up massive palm tree plantation as an effective mitigation measure to avoid death of people due to lightning strike in rural areas. The decision in this regard was taken at an inter-departmental meeting convened by Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Satyabrata Sahu. "Inter-departmental meeting held by SRC for undertaking disaster resilient projects under Disaster Mitigation Fund. @ForestDeptt & @krushibibhag asked to take up massive Palm tree plantation in reserve forest area and other vulnerable districts as a #Lightning mitigation measures," the SRC said in a post in X. The SRC's decision came in the wake of many people, mostly farmers losing their lives due to lightning strikes while working in agricultural fields. As many as 281 lightning deaths were reported in 2021-22, most of them from rural areas. Stating that environmentalists and weather experts have opined that rampant felling of palm trees ...

Patnaik-led Odisha govt approves 9 industrial projects worth Rs 873 crore

Odisha Government's State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) has approved nine industrial projects worth Rs 873.57 crore, said officials

First phase of Odisha metro rail project to cover 26 km, have 20 stations

The first phase of Odisha's proposed metro rail project will cover a distance of around 26 km and have 20 stations, according to the DPR submitted by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had sanctioned the project on April 1, 2023. The first phase will connect Bhubaneswar airport to Trishulia in Cuttack. The DMRC submitted the detailed project report (DPR) to Chief Secretary P K Jena on Wednesday, officials said. The DPR was completed after conducting traffic survey, geo-technical investigation, topographic survey, environmental and social impact assessments, they said. The project will be later extended to Khurda, Puri and other areas of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack city, the officials said.

23 years and counting: Naveen Patnaik becomes 2nd longest-serving CM

Patnaik, the five-time Chief Minister of Odisha, took charge on March 5, 2000, and has been holding the post for the last 23 years and 139 days

Odisha CM announces Rs 56 cr incentives for kendu leaf pluckers, binders

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced Rs 56-crore financial assistance for over 8 lakh kendu leaf puckers and others engaged in such a trade. In the third phase of the 2022 crop year, a 25 per cent bonus will be given to 7.75 lakh kendu leaf pluckers and a 5 per cent incentive to 40,000 binders and temporary workers, according to a release issued by the Chief Ministers' Office on Wednesday. A total amount of Rs 56.23 crore will be given to the kendu leaf workers, it said. In the first phase of the 2022 crop year, Rs 1,000 was given to each kendu leaf plucker, and Rs 1,500 to each binder and temporary worker, the CMO release said, adding that Rs 83.34 crore of financial assistance was provided then. Similarly, in the second tranche, Rs 1,000 was given to each kendu leaf plucker along with Rs 200 for water bottles and Rs 160 for chappals. During this phase, binders and temporary workers were given Rs 1,500 each, and thus the total financial aid was Rs 111.21 crore, the .

Odisha to invest Rs 75,000 cr for development of water resources in 5 years

The CM said that the Water Resources Department is implementing 5-T principles in letter and spirit