Page 17 - Odisha

Cyclone Dana updates: Odisha schools closed; tourists asked to leave Puri

Cyclone Dana: Heavy rainfall is likely to occur in Odisha and Andaman and Nicobar Islands due to the impact of the cyclone

Severe cyclonic storm to lash WB and Odisha, bring torrential rain: IMD

The low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal on Monday intensified and is likely to turn into a severe cyclonic storm by October 23 and reach the coasts adjoining Odisha and West Bengal the next day, bringing heavy rain in the two states for three days till Friday, the Met office said. Advising fishermen not to venture into the sea between October 23 and 25, the weathermen warned that wind speed is likely to reach 60 kilometres per hour (kmph) along and off the Odisha-West Bengal coasts from Wednesday and gradually increase to 100-110 kmph, gusting to 120 kmph, from October 24 night till October 25 morning. The India Meteorological Department said, "the system is very likely to cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island during the night of October 24 and early morning October 25 as a severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph with gusting 120 kmph." The IMD has issued a red warning (take action) of heavy to very heavy rainfall (7 to 20 cm) .

President Murmu's Odisha visit postponed in view of impending cyclone

President Droupadi Murmu's scheduled three-day visit to Odisha from Wednesday has been postponed in view of the impending cyclone that is likely to hit the state's coast on October 25. Murmu was scheduled to visit Bangriposi, Uparbeda, Rairangpur, Puri and Bhubaneswar during her stay. I am directed to convey that due to unavoidable circumstances the visit of the Hon'ble President from 23rd to 25th October, 2024 stands postponed, a communication from the President's secretariat to the Odisha chief secretary read. Sources said that her tour has been postponed in view of the impending cyclone that would hit Odisha coast by October 25. President Murmu was scheduled to land at Bangriposi Helipad in Mayurbhanj district on October 23 to lay the foundation of three new railway lines and three other developmental projects. Officials said that the President was scheduled to visit Puri the next day to have a darshan of Lord Jagannath and to attend the 75th-anniversary celebration of Gopaband

Low-pressure area formed over Bay of Bengal, Odisha on high alert

The cyclonic circulation over the Andaman sea on Monday intensified into a low-pressure area and is likely to turn into a cyclonic storm by October 23 which will impact Odisha-West Bengal coast, the IMD said. The India Meteorological Department in a special message said Sunday's upper air cyclonic circulation over North Andaman Sea and adjoining Bay of Bengal has formed a low-pressure area over the eastcentral Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Andaman Sea in the early morning. "It is very likely to intensify into a depression by October 22 morning and into a cyclonic storm by October 23, over eastcentral Bay of Bengal," the IMD said. The system is very likely to reach northwest Bay of Bengal off Odisha-West Bengal coasts by October 24 morning, it said. The IMD has advised fishermen to return to shore by Monday evening and not to venture into the sea till October 26. Though the IMD has not so far revealed the possible place of the landfall of the cyclone which will turn into a seve

Odisha to usher in new era of industrial development, says CM Majhi

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday said his government is fully committed to ushering in a new era of industrial development and asked industrialists to invest in the state. Odisha is poised to become a modern hub of industrial and economic activity, Majhi said while addressing industry leaders at a session of "Investment Opportunity in Odisha" in Mumbai. "I am proud to declare that Odisha, India's best-kept secret, is now ready to be explored," Majhi said, according to an official release issued by the Odisha CMO. The state plans similar conferences and road shows in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Europe and Singapore to attract Rs 5 lakh crore investments for Odisha in the next five years. He highlighted Odisha's high GDP growth and the advantages of its geographical location, natural resources, coastline, infrastructure and ports. The state plans to hold its "Utkarsh Odisha Make in Odisha Conclave 2025", scheduled for January 28-29, 2025, in Bhubaneswar. Majhi said O

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