Page 16 - Odisha

Army officer 'torture': Polygraph tests of 5 police personnel completed

The Crime Branch of Odisha Police informed the judicial commission headed by Justice CR Dash that the polygraph tests of all five police personnel in connection with the alleged torture of an Army officer and sexual assault of his fiancee in custody has been completed. The commission was also apprised that the brain mapping and narco-analysis tests of former inspector in-charge of Bharatpur police station, Dinakrushna Mishra, have been conducted at Gandhinagar in Gujarat. An Army officer was allegedly subjected to torture and his fiancee to sexual assault by policemen when they went to the Bharatpur police station on September 15 to lodge a complaint of road rage. The Odisha Police had earlier suspended the five police personnel, including the IIC of Bharatpur police station, in connection with the incident. Seven engineering students were also arrested on the basis of the road rage complaint and later released on bail. "We have completed the polygraph tests of the suspended five .

Vedanta to invest Rs 1 trillion in various projects across Odisha

The firm added that this would create a massive industrial complex for downstream industries, as aluminium has hundreds of applications in sectors such as automotive, power, construction, and railways

President Droupadi Murmu on three-day visit to Odisha from October 23

President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to embark on a three-day visit to Odisha from October 23, during which she will lay the foundation of several key railway and development projects in the state, an official release said. President Murmu will land at Bangriposi Helipad in Mayurbhanj district at 9.55 am on October 23. From there, she will proceed to Bangriposi railway station by road and lay the foundation of three new railway lines -- Bangriposi-Gorumahisani, Buramara-Chakulia and Badampahar-Kendujhargarh, it said. These projects, sanctioned by the Ministry of Railways, are expected to enhance connectivity and economic growth in the region. Murmu is also scheduled to virtually lay the foundation of three projects Tribal Research Centre, Dandabose Airport, and a sub-divisional hospital. Later in the day, the President will fly to Rangamathia and visit Uparbeda Government Upper Primary School in her village. On October 24, the President will visit Jagannath Temple in Puri and see

OSSC CGL prelims admit card 2024 out today, here's how to download

The admit cards for the Combined Graduate Level (CGL) Prelims Examination 2024 have been released today. Here's all you need to know

Odisha launches Gramodaya scheme for welfare programs in LWE hit villages

The Odisha government has launched Gramodaya, a new scheme to ensure that welfare programmes reach the people living in the Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected districts, an official said. This initiative will cover 583 villages spread across 10 LWE-affected districts of the state, the official said. The notification for the initiative was issued by the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department on Tuesday, a day after Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi made such an announcement at the meeting of the chief ministers of LWE-affected states chaired by Union Home minister Amit Shah at New Delhi on Monday. The initiative will be implemented in the districts of Bargarh, Balangir, Boudh, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Nuapada and Rayagada. The objective of the programme is to converge all the departments of the state government which will work together to ensure effective development of the LWE hit areas. However, there is no special budgetary allocation for the

Odisha enhances gratuity limit for regular govt employees to Rs 20 lakh

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday raised the gratuity limit for government employees from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 20 lakh. This raise applies to the Death-Cum-Retirement Gratuity (DCRG) and is effective retroactively from January 1, 2024, for all regular state government employees, according to an official release from the Chief Minister's Office. The decision follows requests from various service associations in the state for an increase in the DCRG ceiling. The move aligns with the central government's recent adjustment to the retirement and death gratuity under the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 2021, which also took effect from January 1, 2024.

Over 10 mn women registered under Subhadra Yojana: Odisha dy CM Parida

Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida on Tuesday said more than one crore women have registered themselves under the Subhadra Yojana, a financial assistance scheme launched by the BJP government in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the ambitious women-centric scheme on September 17, and on that day, the first instalment of Rs 5,000 was sent directly to the bank accounts of around 25.11 lakh beneficiaries. "Over one crore women have already come forward and registered themselves to get benefits of the Subhadra Yojana, which has created a history in Odisha," the deputy CM said. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi would release the first instalment to another 35 lakh women on October 9 at Baripada in Mayurbhanj district, said Parida, who is in charge of the Women and Child Development Department. Subhadra Yojana, the financial assistance scheme named after the sister of Lord Jagannath, was one of the major promises made by the BJP for women in its election ..

Private bus operators call off proposed strike in 14 Odisha districts

Private bus operators in 14 districts of Odisha have decided to call off their proposed strike after a meeting with Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena on their demand in Berhampur on Monday. The private bus owners' associations in the 14 south and western Odisha districts had announced to go on a 24-hour strike beginning at 6 pm on Monday, opposing LAccMI bus service from blocks to district headquarters. Loknath Padhi, president of Private Bus Owners Association, Baliguda, who was present during the meeting with the Transport minister said, "We have decided to call off our strike from this evening as the minister has assured us that he will certainly look into our demand." The state government has decided to run AC buses from blocks to district headquarter towns under Location Accessible Multi-modal Initiative (LAccMI) scheme at an affordable price of Rs 10 per woman passenger while the private buses are charging Rs 60 to 80 per passenger, he said. "If the LAccMI buses start ..

Odisha CM on 3-day visit to Delhi to attend meet on Maoist-related issues

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday left for New Delhi on a three-day official visit. Majhi is scheduled to attend a review meeting on Maoist-related issues organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday morning, officials said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair the meeting with the chief ministers of left-wing extremism (LWE) affected states at Vigyan Bhawan. In addition to Majhi, Chief Ministers from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh are expected to participate in the meeting. The Chief Minister is scheduled to return on Tuesday.

Bhubaneswar Airport capacity to rise to 8 mn per year: Aviation minister

Ram Mohan Naidu further said that the NDA government was formed in Odisha and the effort was to take the state forward in the civil aviation sector

1st state-sponsored census in Odisha reveals presence of 696 leopards

The first state-sponsored leopard census conducted in Odisha has revealed the presence of 696 leopards in different forest areas of the state, officials said. The census report was released by the state's Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia during an event to celebrate the State Wildlife Week here on Thursday. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had conducted the last leopard census in Odisha in 2022, during which 568 leopards were found. The population of leopards in the state was 760, as per the 2018 NTCA census. Commenting on the All Odisha Leopard Estimation', Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Wildlife, Susanta Nanda said about 200 leopards were located in the Similipal Tiger Reserve and surrounding areas, which is the highest in the state. The Satkosia landscape turned out to be another promising site for these animals, boasting the second-highest leopard population in the state at 150, Nanda said. During the cen

Five more Khelo India Centres to be opened in 5 districts of Odisha

At least five new Khelo India Centres (KICs) under a central scheme will be opened in five districts of Odisha in three disciplines, officials said on Sunday. The new KICs will be opened in Ganjam, Gajapati, Jharsuguda, Nayagarh and Deogarh districts. While the Khelo India Basketball centre will be opened at the Government Queen of the Mission High School in Ganjam district, the Khelo India Kho-Kho centres will be opened at Government SVT High School and RK Government School in the Gajapati and Jharsuguda districts, respectively. The centre for football will be opened at Teleibani PS High School and Narayana Government High School in the Deoghar and Nayagarh districts, respectively. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has recently informed the Odisha government about the opening of the centres after the project was approved by the competent authority on Thursday. The SAI would be given funds to run the centres. The coach or mentors for the proposed five centres in each discipline

Odisha to distribute 'Subhadra' money to another 4 mn women on Oct 9: Dy CM

The Odisha government will release the first instalment (Rs 5,000) to more than 40 lakh beneficiaries under its flagship women-centric programme Subhadra Yojana on October 9, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida said here on Sunday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the ambitious Subhadra scheme of the BJP government on his birthday, on September 17 this year. On that day, the first instalment of Rs 5,000 was sent directly to the bank accounts of about 25.11 lakh beneficiaries. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, in the presence of several other dignitaries, would release the first instalment of money to over 40 lakh women on October 9 at Baripada in Mayurbhanj district during the Durga Puja festival, she said. Stating that about 96 lakh women have registered themselves under the scheme so far, she informed that all those who can apply on or before October 7 and become eligible, will get the money on October 9. Mayurbhanj was selected for the second phase of release of the .

Odisha grants 180-day maternity, 15-day paternity leave for surrogacy

Odisha's policy aims to support families by providing much-needed time for bonding and caregiving, regardless of the method of childbirth

Odisha rains: Schools in Puri shut; heavy rainfall floods Konark Temple

Odisha rainfall: Flooding has created difficulties for tourists at the Konark Sun Temple near Puri, with some wading through knee-deep water as the temple entrance remains submerged

Tirupati laddoo row: Odisha officials to test ghee at Jagannath Temple

The row over the Tirupati temple erupted last week after Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu alleged that adulterated ghee was being used at the temple during the regime of his predecessor Jaganmohan Reddy

'JSW group not withdrawing Rs 40,000 crore EV project from Odisha'

The JSW group is not "withdrawing" its proposed Rs 40,000 crore electric vehicle (EV) and battery project from Odisha, a senior company official said on Tuesday. The company's announcement comes after a section of media reported that the JSW group plans to shift its EV and battery project from the eastern state to Maharashtra. Asked about media reports, Ranjan Nayak, executive vice president of corporate strategy, office of chairman and managing director said, "We are not withdrawing the EV and battery project from Odisha". The JSW group had on February 10, 2024, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Odisha government for establishment of an integrated electric vehicle and EV battery manufacturing project at an investment of Rs 40,000 crore in the state. At Naraj in Cuttack district, the JSW group had planned to set up an EV vehicle and component manufacturing plant, while at Paradip in Jagatsinghpur district, it proposed to establish a copper smelter and lithium ...

JSW group moves Rs 40,000 crore EV initiative to Maharashtra from Odisha

The JSW Group is relocating its Rs 40,000 crore EV and battery project from Odisha to Maharashtra, seven months after finalising an agreement with the state government

Odisha 'to join' Ayushman Bharat: All about health insurance scheme

It offers comprehensive coverage that includes 1,949 medical procedures across 27 medical specialties

Odisha CM orders inquiry into Army officer's torture, assault on fiancee

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday ordered a judicial inquiry into the alleged torture of an Army officer and the sexual assault of his fiancee at a police station here. The state government is committed to taking strict action against all persons or officials who are found guilty, the chief minister said. He issued the order for judicial inquiry after a discussion with his deputy chief ministers K V Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari, Law Minister Pritihiviraj Harichandan and senior officers. According to a statement released by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), the judicial inquiry will be presided over by Justice Chittaranjan Das and the report will be filed within 60 days. The state government also requested the Orissa High Court to supervise the investigation being carried out by the Crime Branch of the Odisha Police. While emphasising on the rule of the law, Chief Minister Majhi said the state government respects the Indian Army. "T