Page 21 - Odisha

CM Majhi mourns devotee's death during Rath Yatra, announces ex gratia

Chief Minister Majhi announced Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia to the kin of the deceased who died during chariot pulling in Puri

Odisha Police to use AI for traffic, crowd management during Rath Yatra

The Rath Yatra, also known as the Chariot festival, is believed to be as old as the Jagannath Temple in Puri. This year, Lord Jagannath Yatra will take place on July 7

Vedanta group chairman Agarwal, Odisha CM discuss areas of collaboration

Vedanta group on Saturday said its Chairman Anil Agarwal met Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and discussed new areas of collaboration to accelerate the state's transformative journey and enhance its industrial development. During the meeting, Agarwal reiterated the group's commitment to the progress of the state, Vedanta said in a statement. The discussion focused on identifying new areas of collaboration that could further accelerate Odisha's transformative journey, enhancing the state's industrial and socio-economic development, it said. "My meeting with Majhi Ji was highly productive, and we discussed our shared vision for Odisha's growth. Under his capable leadership, our longstanding partnership will continue to thrive, driving the state to greater heights," Agarwal said. Vedanta group has made significant investments in Odisha, amounting to more than Rs 1 lakh crore. This is the conglomerate's largest ever investment anywhere in the world. These investments have led

Surrogate mothers also have right to avail maternity leave, says Orissa HC

Orissa High Court has recently ruled that female employees who become mothers through surrogacy have the same right to maternity leave and other benefits as provided to natural and adoptive mothers. The single judge bench of Justice S K Panigrahi gave the ruling on June 25 while hearing a petition filed by Supriya Jena, a female Odisha Finance Service (OFS) officer, in 2020. Jena became a mother through surrogacy, but she was denied 180 days maternity leave by her higher authority in the Odisha government. So, she moved the high court against the government. The court observed that a leave of 180 days is granted to female government servants on the adoption of a child up to one year of age in line with maternity leave as admissible to natural mothers for proper care of the adopted child. However, there is no provision for maternity leave for the purpose of rearing a child blessed through surrogacy, it said. "If the government could provide maternity leave to an adoptive mother, it

Former Odisha minister Surendra Nath Naik passes away at 87 due to illness

Former Odisha minister and senior BJD leader Surendra Nath Naik died here on Friday morning, his family said. He was 87. Naik was suffering from age-related ailments and died at his residence here, his family said. He was elected to the Odisha Assembly seven times from the Kakatpur constituency on Utkal Congress, Janata Dal and BJD tickets between 1971 and 2009. Naik had served as the minister of several departments, including excise, revenue, agriculture, school and mass education and panchayati raj under the leadership of Biju Patnaik and Naveen Patnaik. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Deputy Chief Ministers K V Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, Speaker Surama Padhi and several others paid floral tribute to the politician in the state assembly. Majhi said Odisha has "lost a tall leader and the vacuum created by his demise will remain unfilled". He expressed condolences to the bereaved family of Naik. In a post on X, Singh Deo said, Heartfelt condolences on the passing of

Railways to invest Rs 1 trn in Odisha over next 5 years, says Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said new railway projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore will be implemented in Odisha in the next five years. Vaishnaw said this while addressing a felicitation programme organised by Odisha BJP here to felicitate the party's 20 MPs and 78 MLAs elected in recently held Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in the state. The Congress government and then the BJD government have neglected the development of the railway sector in Odisha. So, with the formation of a double-engine government of BJP in Odisha and Centre, now, the gap created during the past years, will be met by creating a new record in these five years, he said. Though many mega railway projects have been sanctioned, those were delayed due to delay in land acquisition by the previous BJD government, said Vaishnaw, adding, "Now double engine government is formed and the pace of the railway projects will be accelerated." The Union minister said the allocation to Odisha in the railway budget has b

Odisha CM Majhi urges Jaishankar to establish UAE consulate in state

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for a UAE consulate in the state. Majhi raised the demand while meeting Jaishankar at his residence in New Delhi. The meeting was also attended by Deputy CMs Kanak Vardhan Singhdeo and Pravati Parida, according to a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO). Since many people from Odisha are working in Dubai, a UAE consulate will be very helpful, Majhi said. He also drew the attention of Jaishankar to the eight people from Odisha stranded in Dubai and sought his support for their safe return. Jaishankar promised the CM that he would take urgent steps in this regard, the statement said. Majhi also discussed measures to attract foreign tourists to the state, including the setting up of an international tourism centre. Later, the CM met Union Health Minister JP Nadda, whom he urged for setting up medical colleges in those districts of the state that don't have one. Expansio

Odisha okays investment proposal worth Rs 903 cr in renewable energy sector

The Odisha government on Thursday approved investment proposals worth Rs 903.41 crore in the renewable energy (RE) sector, according to an official statement. The single window committee (SWC) of the Energy Department led by Principal Secretary Vishal Kumar Dev cleared the investment proposals with an aim to meet the state's RE target of 10 GW by 2030. The panel approved the proposal of HPCL Renewable & Green Energy Ltd to set up a 48-MW wind energy project at Umerkote in Nabarangpur district, while ONGC Tripura Power Company Ltd got the go-ahead to develop a 49.5-MW wind energy project in Astaranga in Puri district, the statement said. The total investment for these two wind energy projects stands at Rs 881.28 crore, it said. Till date, the SWC of Energy Department has approved investment proposals totaling Rs 3,723.57 crore with 499.48-MW capacity in the sector.

Odisha govt asks collectors to be prepared for possible flood situation

The Odisha government has asked all district collectors and municipal commissioners to remain fully prepared for probable flood situation in the monsoon season. In a letter to all collectors and municipal commissioners, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Satyabrata Sahu on Monday said IMD has forecasted that an intense spell of rainfall due to active monsoon would occur throughout the state from June 26. "As a result, there may be instances of flash floods, flood like situation, waterlogging and landslides at different locations. Keeping this in mind, you are requested to take immediate action," Sahu told the collectors. He said the field-level functionaries should not leave the headquarters and they should be deployed in strategic locations of flash flood or waterlogging and ready to meet any eventuality. As low-lying areas in urban pockets may have waterlogging and roads may be submerged, the SRC directed the urban local bodies (ULBs) to keep the drains and storm water channels ..

New Odisha govt seeks higher allocation of funds for infra development

The new BJP government in Odisha has submitted a memorandum to the Centre seeking the expansion of Paradip port, a second AIIMS at Sambalpur and higher allocation of funds to further accelerate infrastructure development in the state. The memorandum was submitted by Odisha Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo who attended the meeting of finance ministers of the states before the Union Budget. The meeting was chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on Saturday. The Odisha government memorandum sought higher allocation under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SACI), 2024-25 to further accelerate infrastructure development, an official release said. Apart from the demand for the establishment of a second AIIMS at Sambalpur, the state government also sought expeditious completion of National Highways, specifically the Coastal Highway and Capital Region Ring Road (CRRR) projects, in Odisha. The new BJP government in Odisha also .

Tata Steel, ICAR-NRRI join Odisha govt to reclaim acidic soils in state

Tata Steel and Odisha government have decided to implement a sustainable agricultural initiative to reclaim acidic soils in the state, an official said. The collaboration aims to utilize industrial waste, such as basic oxygen furnace (LD) slag and fly ash, as soil amendments to reclaim acidic soils in Odisha. The first consignment of LD slag was flagged off from Tata Steel Meramandali (TSM) plant in Dhenkanal district on June 18, the official said. The project, titled "Economic and Environment-Friendly Utilisation of Basic Slag and Fly Ash as Soil Amendments to Reclaim Acid Soils of Odisha (SAFAR)," is being spearheaded by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-National Rice Research Institute (ICAR-NRRI) in Cuttack, Odisha. The initiative is part of the Odisha government's "Waste to Wealth" programme, which promotes a circular economy. "We are pleased to collaborate with the Government of Odisha and ICAR-NRRI on this important initiative," said Rajiv Mangal, vice ...

Former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik to be leader of opposition in Assembly

Former CM Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday said he would be the leader of the opposition in the Odisha assembly. Speaking to reporters, Patnaik said the decision was taken at the BJD's legislature party meeting. "We had a meeting of the MLAs of the BJD. I congratulated and thanked them. They have elected me as the leader of the opposition and leader of the BJD legislature party," he said. Senior MLA Prasanna Acharya was named the deputy leader of the opposition, while former speaker Pramila Mallik would be the chief whip of the opposition in the House. Patnaik named Pratap Keshari Deb as the deputy chief whip of the opposition in the assembly. The BJD, which ruled the state for 24 years, lost power to the BJP in the recently concluded assembly elections.

Can Naveen Patnaik's BJD make a comeback in Odisha? It's a tricky course

With a 40.22% vote share in Assembly polls, it remains Odisha's preeminent party but is untested in the Opposition space

Odisha CM Majhi allocates portfolios to ministers, keeps home, finance

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday allocated portfolios to his council of ministers, keeping home, finance and several other departments to himself, according to an order issued by the Raj Bhavan. Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo was given the charge of Agriculture and Farmers' Empowerment and Energy departments. The other deputy chief minister Pravati Parida, a debutant MLA and the lone female in the 16-member council of ministers, has been assigned Women and Child Development, Mission Shakti and Tourism department. Majhi was sworn in as the state's first BJP chief minister here on Wednesday. The other departments which are also held by the chief minister are general administration and public grievances, information and public relations, water resources and planning and convergence. Veteran BJP leader Suresh Pujari was allocated Revenue and Disaster Management, while Rabi Narayan Naik, a farmer leader, was given Rural Development, Panchayati Raj & Drinking ...

Who is Mohan Charan Majhi? Key details about Odisha's 15th Chief Minister

Replacing former BJD CM Naveen Patnaik, Mohan Majhi was named the Chief Minister of Odisha after BJP swept the 2024 Assembly polls in Odisha

Tribal leader Mohan Majhi to be Odisha's first BJP CM on Wednesday

This will be the first time a CM in the state will be from the BJP after it ousted the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government in the recently held Assembly elections

BJP's tribal leader Mohan Charan Majhi becomes Odisha CM, gets 2 deputy CMs

BJP's tribal leader Mohan Charan Majhi will be the new chief minister of Odisha, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced here on Tuesday. KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida were made deputy chief ministers of the state, he said. The decisions were taken at the BJP legislature party meeting attended by Singh and Union minister Bhupender Yadav as observers. Mohan Majhi has been elected by the legislature party unanimously, Singh told reporters. Mohan Charan Majhi, 52, defeated Mina Majhi of the BJD by 11,577 votes from the Keonjhar assembly constituency. The chief whip of the BJP in the previous assembly, he was elected to the assembly for the fourth time. KV Singh Seo who was named a deputy chief minister defeated Saroj Kumar Meher of the BJD by 1357 votes from Patnagarh, while the other deputy CM Pravati Parida beat BJD leader Dilip Kumar Nayak by 4588 votes from Nimapara. The new government will take oath at Janata Maidan here on Wednesday.

Mohan Majhi: Journey from village sarpanch to Odisha Chief Minister

Mohan Charan Majhi, BJP's tribal leader who was named the 15th chief minister of Odisha, kicked off his political career as a village sarpanch nearly three decades ago. Hailing from Raikala village in the tribal-dominated and mineral-rich Keonjhar district, Majhi (52), the son of a watchman, has been elected to the Odisha assembly on four occasions 2000, 2004, 2019 and 2024. Majhi, a graduate, was the village head from 1997-2000. He was also the secretary of the BJP's Adivasi Morcha before being elected as an MLA from Keonjhar in 2000. In the 2024 assembly elections, he retained the Keonjhar seat by defeating BJD's Mina Majhi. He was the opposition chief whip in the previous Odisha assembly, countering the BJD government on several key issues. In his first reaction after he was named the CM, Majhi said: Due to the blessings of Lord Jagannath, the BJP achieved majority in Odisha and is going to form the government in the state. I would like to thank the 4.5 crore Odias who voted fo

Mohan Charan Majhi to be new Odisha Chief Minister

Senior BJP leader Mohan Charan Majhi will be the new chief minister of Odisha, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced on Tuesday in Bhubaneswar.

BJP legislature party to meet today to choose Odisha's new CM: Leader

A week after the announcement of the assembly poll results in Odisha where the BJP got a majority in the 147-member House, its legislature party in the state is all set to hold its first meeting on Tuesday to select the chief minister, a saffron camp leader said. Balasore MP Pratap Sarangi said the meeting will take place at 4:30 pm at the BJP's state headquarters. Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Bhupender Yadav reached Bhubaneswar to attend the meeting as observers, he said. On June 4, the BJP secured a majority by winning 78 of the 147 assembly seats. As Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan became a minister in the third Narendra Modi government, the focus is now on Suresh Pujari, who was elected from Brajarajnagar assembly seat and BJP's Odisha unit president Manmohan Samal, another party leader said. Even though Samal was defeated in the assembly elections in the Chandbali seat by a margin of 1,916 votes, his name was being considered for the chief minister's post as he contribu