Page 32 - Odisha

REC to finance 2 green hydrogen, thermal project worth Rs 40,000 crore

State-owned REC Ltd on Monday announced signing of initial pacts to finance two green hydrogen and a thermal power project in Odisha. REC has signed an MoU with Odisha Power Generation Corporation (OPGC) to finance Rs 9,538 crore for development of two units of a thermal power project in Jharsuguda, Odisha, the company said in a statement. The collaboration will contribute significantly to the state's power generation capacity and energy infrastructure, REC said. Under a partnership with Acme Group, REC will provide a funding of Rs 16,000 crore for a green hydrogen and ammonia facility proposed at Gopalpur in the state. It has also entered into an MoU with Avaada Group, pledging Rs 15,000 crore for a green hydrogen and ammonia facility at Gopalpur, REC said. The total worth of all MoUs is Rs 40,538 crore. "This initiative underscores the importance of sustainable and clean energy solutions for the future. We are committed to supporting energy transition initiatives in India. We a

Dress code for devotees at Jagannath temple in Puri from Jan 1; details

The Jagannath temple police and the temple servitors would keep an eye on anyone wearing indecent clothes, said a temple official

Police arrests 32 people in connection with cough syrup racket in Odisha

Thirty-two people were arrested in Odisha's Sambalpur district on Monday after police busted a racket that dealt in codeine-laced cough syrups, officials said. Acting on a tip-off, personnel of the Dhanupali, Ainthapali and Sadar police stations raided a shop near Jhankarpada and seized 5,400 bottles of banned cough syrups. Six people were arrested from the spot, they said. These cough syrups contained codeine phosphate, a derivative of opium, and is a psychotropic substance, Sambalpur Sadar's sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Pradip Kumar Sahu said. During interrogation, those arrested told the police that they regularly procure these cough syrups from Kolkata and supply those to drug peddlers in Sambalpur town, he said. With the help of a diary that was seized from one of the accused persons, 26 people were arrested. They were planning to sell the cough syrup during Dussehra, police said. Along with those arrested, police also seized Rs 12,000 in cash and two motorcycles. Be

Balasore tragedy: Unclaimed bodies to be disposed in scientific manner

According to the statement, BMC will provide two to three body carriers for the smooth transportation of bodies from the AIIMS in Bhubaneswar to the cremation ground

JSP to make Angul facility India's largest single-location steel plant: MD

Jindal Steel and Power (JSP) is planning to make its Angul unit India's largest single-location steel manufacturing facility, its Managing Director Bimlendra Jha has said. Currently, the capacity of the Odisha plant is being ramped up to 11.6 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) from the existing 5.6 MTPA, Jha told PTI in an interaction. "We are more than doubling the capacity in Angul by next year...we have ambitions to further double it up to 24 MTPA, making it India's largest single-location steel plant," the managing director said without sharing any timeline for the plan. The steel plant in Raigarh will also undergo an expansion of up to 9.6 MTPA from the current 3.6 MTPA, the company said in a statement. On the expansion of the Angul plant, Jha said the company aims to complete the trial production by the end of 2023 and commercial production by next year. On the outlook for the sector, Jha said India is on a growth trajectory. The government's thrust on infrastructure projects h

Bhubaneswar to get Rs 5,900 cr metro, foundation stone to be laid on Jan 1

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the Bhubaneswar metro rail project on January 1 next year, officials said. Patnaik also approved its detailed project report (DPR) of over Rs 5,900 crore, which will be borne by the state government, they said. "The chief minister is slated to lay the foundation stone for the project on January 1, 2024," an official said. Patnaik approved the DPR while reviewing the status of Phase-I of the metro rail project. "The DPR has been approved at a total cost of Rs 5,929 crore, which will be fully borne by the state government," the official said. Work on the project will start soon and the target for completion is 48 months, another official said. "The Bhubaneswar metro is a landmark project for Odisha... It will further strengthen the public transport in the city and enable its economic growth," Patnaik said. The Bhubaneswar Metro Rail Corporation -- a fully owned entity of the Odisha government -- has

CM Patnaik approves Rs 5,929 cr DPR for Bhubaneswar metro rail project

It will be fully borne by the Govt of Odisha. It will be taken up as a 5T initiative of the state govt, CM said in a statement

Asian Games: Odisha announces cash awards Rs 5 lakh for each of hockey team

A day after Odisha government announced a cash award of Rs 5 lakh each to players and staff members of Indian Men's Hockey Team, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday said Odia defender Amit Rohidas will also be given an additional Rs 1.5 crore for his role in country's historic gold win at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. Congratulating the Indian men's hockey team for winning gold at the Asian Games, Patnaik expressed his heartfelt congratulations to Amit Rohidas, acknowledging his outstanding performance and calling him an "inspiration" for youngsters not only across Odisha but also throughout India. "Amit Rohidas' remarkable achievements exemplify the spirit of perseverance and excellence. He has become a symbol of hope and pride for aspiring athletes in our state and beyond. His success story resonates with every individual striving to achieve greatness, and we are immensely proud of his accomplishments," Patnaik said in a statement. Describing Amit Rohidas as a "true son

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 ...

CAG suspects corruption in distribution of student scholarship in Odisha

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has suspected fraud and corruption in the implementation of the post-matric scholarship (PMS) scheme under direct benefit transfer (DBT) in Odisha. In its report on the performance audit of the implementation of DBT in payment of PMS to eligible students in the state, which was laid before the state assembly on Tuesday, the CAG said, "Due to the absence of detailed checklist for inspection of private educational institutions, 5,185 beneficiaries of 15 ineligible institutions, had been granted PMS, amounting to Rs 15.79 crore, during financial years 2016-17 to 2016-20." The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, in its revised guidelines issued in May 2018, made it mandatory for the inspection of private educational institutions by officials nominated by the district collectors. However, the CAG noted that there was no provision for inspection of private educational institutions, for sanctioning PMS. Joint physical inspections

Odisha's GST collections rose by 12.85% to Rs 4,249 cr in September

Odisha's GST collections increased by 12.85 per cent to Rs 4,249.12 crore in September, officials said on Sunday. The state had collected a gross GST revenue of Rs 3,765.17 crore in the same month last year, they said. The collection to be retained by the state (OGST+IGST settlement) was Rs 1,651.58 crore, against 1,157.08 crore in September 2022, a growth of 42.74 percent, they added. The state generated 20.66 lakh waybills in September, as compared to 17.66 lakh waybills during the corresponding period of last year. Helped by improved compliance, overall GST collections in the country increased by 10 per cent to over Rs 1.62 lakh crore in September, crossing the Rs 1.6 lakh crore mark for the fourth time during the current financial year.

NLC India completes PPAs for 2,400 MW coal-fired Talabira plant in Odisha

NLC India on Thursday said it has completed Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for its upcoming 2,400 MW Talabira Supercritical Thermal Power Plant (STPP) in Sambalpur district of Odisha. Power transmission company GRIDCO Ltd on Thursday signed the PPA to source 800 MW of electricity from the 3x800 MW coal-fired plant being set up at an investment of about Rs 19,422 crore, NLC India said in a statement. "NLC India Ltd (NLCIL) and GRIDCO Ltd signed a PPA today (Thursday) in GRIDCO Ltd in Bhubaneswar for 400 MW for stage-1 and 400 MW for stage-2. With this agreement, NLCIL has achieved full capacity of 2,400 MW of its Talabira Super Thermal Power Station Stage-I," it said. The agreement was signed between M Prasanna Kumar, Chairman & Managing Director (CMD), NLC India Ltd, and Trilochan Panda, Managing Director, in presence of other senior company officials. NLC India has already signed a similar agreement in the past with Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Pondicherry for 1,500 MW, 400 MW, and .

16,372 died in natural calamities in Odisha in last five years: Minister

As many as 16,372 people have died in various natural calamities in Odisha in the last five years, Disaster Management Minister Sudam Marndi informed the assembly on Thursday. In reply to a question from BJP MLA Kusum Tete, Marndi said 16,372 people have died in natural calamities such as cyclone, lightning strike, fire accident, boat capsize, drowning, flood, heatwave, whirlwind, heavy rain and snakebite from 2018-19 to 2022-23. While 7,874 people drowned, 5,219 died due to snakebites and lightning strikes killed 2,058 people in Odisha in the last five years, he said. Similarly, 759 people died in fire accidents, 140 in cyclones, 46 in boat capsize incidents, 73 in floods, 141 due to heatwaves, while whirlwinds and heavy rain accounted for 31 deaths each. As per the statement of the minister, Mayurbhanj district has registered the highest number of 1,444 disaster deaths during the period, followed by Ganjam (1,162), Balasore (1,139) and Keonjhar (1,115). Boudh reported the lowest

OPCC launches 'Ghar Ghar Congress' campaign to reach voters in Odisha

The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Monday launched Ghar Ghar Congress' campaign to reach out to voters ahead of the simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly polls. The drive has been launched to create awareness among voters about the failures of the BJD government in power in the state for 23 years and the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, PCC campaign committee chairman Bijay Patnaik said. It will continue till October 15, he said. Launching the drive in Gajapati district, Patnaik said people are aware of the anti-democratic rule of the BJD government and the BJP. They want a change and only Congress can provide them good governance. He also conducted door-to-door campaign in Paralekhamundi town to seek the people's support for the party. The Congress leader said the party had led the Independence movement and initiated all developmental activities in the country. In Odisha, major irrigation projects including Hirakud, Indravati and Upper Kolab, roads, hydro

LIVE: Court extends TDP Chief Naidu's judicial custody till October 5

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BJP to campaign on women's reservation Bill in 50,000 villages of Odisha

The BJP on Saturday announced that it will launch an awareness campaign on the Women's Reservation Bill in all 50,000 villages of Odisha and highlight Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts towards women empowerment. This was announced by senior party leader and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in presence of BJP state president Manmohan Samal. "The party will rope in local organisations to hold awareness meetings in 50,000 villages in Odisha. At present, Lok Sabha has 81 women MPs which will increase to 182 after the implementation of the bill. While the Odisha Assembly has 18 women MLAs, it will increase to 49," Pradhan told reporters here at the BJP's state headquarters. The bill to reserve one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women received the parliamentary nod on Thursday as the Rajya Sabha unanimously voted in its favour. The Lok Sabha passed it on Wednesday. It will now require the approval of a majority of the state assemblies. The ..

LIVE updates: Curfew reimposed in Manipur's Imphal valley, say officials

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Over 1,000 security personnel deployed for Odisha Assembly session

Over 1,000 security personnel including 125 police officers have been deployed under a three-tier security arrangement in and around the Odisha Assembly for the monsoon session beginning Friday, an official said. Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) Sunil Bansal on Thursday reviewed the security arrangements. Police commissioner Soumendra Priyadarsi, ADG (law and order) Sanjay Kumar and director intelligence Sanjeeb Panda briefed the DGP about the security arrangements made for the session. As it is an important session during which the supplementary budget will be placed, a three-tier security arrangement internal, campus and peripheral has been made in and around the Assembly, said the DGP. Bhubaneswar DCP will directly look after the security arrangements under the supervision of the police commissioner, he said. He informed that 30 platoons (one platoon comprises 30 personnel) of police force along with officers of the commissionorate police have been mobilised for the ...

Odisha CM Patnaik disburses financial assistance to over 4 million farmers

He stated that to date financial assistance worth Rs 12,500 crore has been given to the farmers of the state under 'Kalia Yojana'