Page 35 - Odisha

Odisha notifies PPP policy to attract private investment in public infra

The Odisha government has notified a new Public Private Partnership (PPP) Policy, 2023 to attract private investment in the construction of public infrastructure. The new policy notified by the state Finance Department will be applicable to all infrastructure projects including roads, bridges, ports, railways, airports, irrigation, helipads, industrial parks, logistic hubs, water supply, power, tourism, sports, healthcare, education, and inland waterways implemented through the PPP route. The government has also made a provision for levying user fees to boost the commercial viability of the projects and the amenability of private sector participation, according to a notification. As per the policy, projects with capital expenditure up to Rs 10 crore will be approved by the director of the PPP Cell of the state government, provided that these projects do not require any assistance from the Odisha Infrastructure Development Fund (OIDF) or the state Viability Gap Funding (VGF). For it

Heavy rainfall warnings issued in parts of Odisha, thunderstorms predicted

Earlier, the IMD has predicted heavy rainfall over parts of North Odisha for the next 48 hours till Monday

Former Indian Hockey captain Prabodh Tirkey joins Congress in Odisha

Former Indian hockey captain Prabodh Tirkey on Monday joined the Congress at the party's Odisha unit headquarters here and expressed his desire to contest the assembly elections next year. He joined the party in the presence of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Sarat Pattanayak, its state in-charge A Chella Kumar and other senior leaders. The former hockey player has expressed his desire to contest the next assembly elections from the Talsara segment in the tribal-dominated Sundergarh district. Tirkey said he decided to join the party as the "work of Rahul Gandhi deeply influenced" him and asserted that his family has a "long association with the Congress". Claiming that the people in the Talsara area are "neglected", he said the "tribals do not get any benefit from government schemes". Tirkey made his debut in the Junior Asia Cup in 2000. He was the national captain of sub-junior, junior and India-A teams and finally became the India senior team captain. He played 135

Odisha CM flags off 190 police vehicles to enhance operational capabilities

The official press note added further that a total of 224 vehicles of different makes will be added to the police fleet in 2023-24 at the cost of Rs 33 crore

10 killed in lightning strikes in six districts of Odisha: Official

At least 10 people were killed in lightning strikes in six districts of Odisha, which witnessed heavy rainfall on Saturday, an official said. Lightning strikes claimed the lives of four people in Khurda district, two in Bolangir and one each in Angul, Boudh, Jagatsinghpur and Dhenkanal, the office of the special relief commissioner said. Three persons in Khurda were also injured in lightning strikes, it said. The coastal region of Odisha, including the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, witnessed heavy rain with lightning strikes, the official said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast a similar situation in several parts of the state in the next four days. A cyclonic circulation has activated the monsoon which caused heavy rainfall across the state, the statement said.. The twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded 126 mm and 95.8 mm of rainfall respectively during a 90-minute spell in the afternoon. The state recorded 36,597 CC (cloud to cloud) lightni

Former Odisha Assembly Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro passes away at 75

Surjya Narayan Patro took over as the Speaker in 2019 and resigned from the post in 2022

Balasore tragedy: 3 Railway officials charged with culpable homicide

The CBI on Saturday filed a charge sheet against three arrested Railways officials for alleged culpable homicide not amounting to murder and destruction of evidence in connection with the June 2 Balasore train accident case, officials said. The CBI had arrested the three -- senior section engineer (Signals) Arun Kumar Mahanta, section engineer Amir Khand and technician Pappu Kumar, all posted in Balasore district -- on July 7 in connection with its probe in the accident involving three trains which left 296 people dead and over 1,200 injured. The accident took place on June 2 when the Coromandel Express crashed into a stationary freight train at Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district, and some of its derailed coaches fell onto the adjacent tracks and collided with the oncoming Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express. In its charge sheet filed before Special CBI court in Bhubaneswar, the CBI has charged the accused under Indian Penal Code Section 304 part II (culpable homicide not amounting

Odisha extends health scheme benefits to children in 5 to 18 yrs age group

Odisha government has extended the benefits of the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) health scheme to children aged between 5 and 18 years whose names are not in the list but their parents are enrolled. The health and family welfare department has informed all BSKY empanelled hospitals in this regard through a letter on Tuesday. The letter said, "It has come to the notice of the State Health Assurance Society that in some cases even though a family is covered under National Food Security Act (NFSA)/State Food Security Scheme (SFSS), the names of some child members of a family are left out of the database. This is due to non-availability of vacant slots in that block for addition of new members to the NFSA/SFSS database. As a result, it is not possible on the part of the hospital to register and authenticate such child beneficiaries for cashless treatment under BSKY." The department said in order to overcome the issue, the government has approved BSKY benefits to the child members o

Odisha CM distributes land rights certificates to 65,000 slum dwellers

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik distributed land right certificates to the 65,000 poor families living in the slums of five metropolitan cities

Noel Tata's masterstroke in retail

His value lifestyle brand Zudio signals a coming of age of retail in small town India

ACME Group to invest nearly $3.3 bn in green hydrogen project in Odisha

ACME Group will acquire 343 acres of land in Gopalpur Industrial Park, developed by the Tata Steel Special Economic Zone in the state

Balasore tragedy: Level crossing repair done without approval, says CBI

Repair work at a level crossing near Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Odisha's Balasore where the June 2 train crash took place was allegedly conducted without the approval of senior divisional signal and telecom engineer and without an approved circuit diagram. The CBI made the submission before a special court in Bhubaneswar alleging that one of the reasons behind the accident was the repair work at level crossing (LC) gate number 94 near Bahanaga Bazar station done by Senior Section Engineer (Signal In-charge) Arun Kumar Mahanta using the circuit diagram of another LC gate no. 79, officials said on Thursday. The allegations were refuted by Mahanta claiming that LC gate no. 94 at KM 255/11-13 had not been working properly, but the higher officials did not take "active action" for the same. He had said that the supervision work in question was entrusted to some other persons, hence he was not responsible for the accident. The CBI had arrested Mahanta and two other railway officia

Centre to set up Rs 12,000-cr inland waterway on Brahmani river in Odisha

The inland waterway will be developed on the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) model

Odisha approves nine new industrial projects to generate 2,500 jobs

The Odisha government on Monday approved nine new projects worth investment of Rs 873 crore which will create employment opportunities for 2,500 people in the state, an official said. The approval was made at the State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) meeting chaired by chief secretary PK Jena. Petronet LNG Limited's compressed biogas and fermented organic manure plant will be set up with an annual capacity of 33,065 M in Deogarh district, the official said. Pearl Precision Products Private Limited also received the approval for a cutting-edge plastic faucet, water tank, pipes, and fittings manufacturing unit at Paradeep Plastic Park in Jagatsinghpur district. Indopet Polyplast Private Limited has received the nod to establish a high-capacity manufacturing unit for food-grade pet bottles, jars and pre-forms, with an annual capacity of 8,000 MT in Khurda district, the official said. The state government also approved TRL Krosaki Refractories Limited's proposal. The

SC collegium recommends 4 names as judges of Orissa, Gauhati and Kerala HCs

A three-judge collegium headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud on Thursday recommended the names of two judicial officers, one advocate and one additional judge for appointment as judges of the high courts of Orissa, Gauhati and Kerala. The collegium, which also comprises Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sanjiv Khanna, recommended the names of advocate Sibo Sankar Mishra and judicial officer Ananda Chandra Behera as judges of the Orissa High Court. It recommended the name of judicial officer Budi Habung for appointment as a judge of the Gauhati High Court. It also recommended that Additional Judge Justice C S Sudha be appointed as Permanent Judge of the Kerala High Court. The collegium resolution uploaded on the apex court website stated that the Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court in consultation with his two senior-most colleagues recommended their names of Mishra and Behera on January 17, 2023. The chief Minister and the governor of Odisha have concurred with the ...

Low pressure area formed over Bay of Bengal, Odisha faces heavy rain

With formation of a low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal on Thursday, the IMD forecast very heavy rainfall at several places of Odisha till August 19, prompting the state government to put the district authorities on alert. The cyclonic circulation over the northwest Bay of Bengal has intensified into a low pressure area and under its influence, an intense cloud band is now moving across coastal Odisha into the interior districts, the IMD said. Forecasting rainfall till August 19, the Regional Meteorological Centre here said that heavy rain lashed several parts of the state during the day. By 5.30 PM of Thursday, Khurda has received maximum rainfall of 78 mm followed by 67.8 mm in Keonjhar, 62.2 mm in Puri, 56.2 mm in Bhubaneswar, 56.2 mm in Titlagarh, 54 mm in Nabarangpur and 41,6 mm in Balasore, the met office said. Issuing orange warning (be prepared) for 15 districts, the IMD also said that the low pressure will trigger heavy to very heavy rainfall (7 to 20cm) for one or tw

1st phase of Odisha metro rail project to cover 26 km, feature 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). Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had sanctioned the project on April 1, 2023. The first phase will connect Bhubaneswar Airport and 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.

Hatsun Agro inaugurates 200th outlet under IBACO brand in Hyderabad

Dairy products maker Hatsun Agro Products has set up its 200th outlet under the premium ice cream brand IBACO in Hyderabad on Wednesday. The store has been set up in Pragathi Nagar, Hyderabad and would offer various flavors including almond crunch, cotton candy, sea salt caramel pecan and Belgian chocolate among others. "IBACO is our brand that started serving ice cream in scoops. We are known for our innovation and out-of-the-box thinking to bring out unique and never tasted before flavours," company chairman RG Chandramogan said. "I am happy that we have reached a milestone with the launch of the 200th outlet," he added. The Chennai-based company has presence in Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Kerala, Odisha, Goa and Gujarat.

Rajdhani Tejas Express flagged off, Odisha to get 2nd Vande Bharat soon

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw along with Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Monday flagged off the Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express with Tejas coaches from here and announced that Odisha will get the second Vande Bharat express train soon. Monday's operation was a trial run and the train will run as Rajdhani-Tejas Express from August 19. Addressing a gathering at the Bhubaneswar railway station, Vaishnaw said the second Vande Bharat train service between Rourkela and Bhubaneswar will begin soon. It will pass through Sundergarh, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Angul, Talcher and other places, he said. While flagging off the first Vande Bharat Express between Puri and Howrah on May 18, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised another semi high-speed train for Odisha. In keeping with that promise, the second Vande Bharat will run soon from Rourkela to Bhubaneswar, Vaishnaw said. The Railway Minister said Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Tejas Express will have ultra modern facilities like ..

Students of Odisha to get free ride on Vande Bharat Express: Vaishnaw

The Union Minister performed Bhumi Pujan of Saraswati Vidya Mandir school on Sunday and also interacted with the students