Page 38 - Odisha

Amit Shah to visit Odisha, to hold meetings on left-wing extremism

Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah is scheduled to pay a two-day visit to Odisha from Friday, during which he will attend official meetings. Shah will reach the Biju Patnaik International Airport here at 10.40 pm on Friday and launch a national highway project the next day, officials said. He is also slated to attend meetings on left-wing extremism and disaster management on Saturday. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is likely to attend the meeting, they said. There is, however, no official confirmation about a possible meeting between Shah and Patnaik. But Shah is scheduled to attend a meeting at the airport lounge before leaving for the national capital on Saturday evening, the officials said but did not specify who would be present in it. The union minister's sudden visit and his review meetings on left-wing extremism and disaster management assume significance as these will take place after the ruling BJD announced its support to the Delhi Ordinance Bill and its

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Centre gives nod to change of names of four villages, 1 railway station

The central government has given its nod to change the name of a railway station in Odisha and four villages, three of whom belong to Rajasthan, officials said. The no objection certificate (NOC) has been given to change the name of revenue village "Khimawaton ka Khera" as "Khimsinghji ka Khera" in Kanod tehsil of Udaipur district, "Bengti Kala" village as "Bengti Harbuji' in Phalodi tehsil in Jodhpur district and "Bhundvaa" village as "Bhandavpura" in Sayla tehsil in Jalore district. All these villages belong to Rajasthan. The NOC has also been given to the change of name of 'Amanullapur' village as Jamuna Nagar in Uttar Pradesh's Sitapur district. The home ministry gave its nod to change of name of "Ratnagiri Road railway station" as "Udayagiri-Ratnagiri Road railway station" in Haridaspur-Paradip, in Khordha division in Odisha. The home ministry gives its consent to the change of name of any place or station after taking no-objections from the Ministry of Railways, Department o

NLC plans to set up 2,400 MW thermal plant in Odisha for Rs 19,422 crore

NLC India Ltd is planning to set up a 2,400 MW coal-based plant in Odisha. The plant will be set up at an investment of Rs 19,422 crore at Talabira in Odisha, the Ministry of Coal said in a statement on Wednesday. "NLC has planned a 3x800 MW thermal plant in Odisha. This is a pithead thermal plant near Talabira coal mines of NLC with a project cost of Rs 19,422 crore," it said. On the status of the project, the ministry said the land acquisition and other related clearances are at an advanced stage. It is expected that work on the project will commence by the end of this year and will be completed by 2028-29, according to the statement. The plant will supply 1,450 MW of power to Tamil Nadu, 100 MW to Puducherry and 400 MW to Kerala, the ministry said. Tamil Nadu-based NLC, under the Ministry of Coal, operates three opencast lignite mines with a total installed capacity of 30 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) at Neyveli. Besides, it has an opencast lignite mine at Barsingsar in Raj

Heavy to very heavy rainfall likely over west Odisha in next 24 hours: IMD

Meanwhile, locals caught fish at the inundated National Highway 57 in the Boudh area after ponds of the fisheries department got flooded following heavy and continuous rainfall

Coal India plans two thermal plants with Rs 21,547 crore investment

State-owned Coal India Ltd (CIL) is planing to set up two thermal plants with an investment totaling Rs 21,547 crore in Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, an official statement said on Wednesday. While one project is planned near Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh, the other is at Sundergarh district, in Odisha. "CIL has planned to set up two thermal power plants. One is being set up as a joint venture with the Madhya Pradesh government near Amarkantak," the Ministry of Coal said. It will be a 1 x 660 MW plant at an estimated cost of Rs 5,600 crore, the Ministry said adding the project is in advanced stages of approval. South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL), a subsidiary of CIL, will invest Rs 857 crore as equity in the project to be implemented in a joint venture between SECL and Madhya Pradesh Power Generating Company Ltd, it added. The work on the project is likely to start by the end of this financial year and is likely to be completed by 2028. The Ministry further said Mahanadi Coalfields .

Odisha discom empowers 1,000 women SHGs through sustainable livelihood

TP Southern Odisha Distribution Limited (TPSODL) has taken a significant stride by adopting a multifold approach to promote sustainable income generation for women self-help group (WSHG) members. A statement by the company said it has undertaken various initiatives to enhance livelihood opportunities of WSHGs. Under its comprehensive CSR initiatives, TPSODL has been actively working with WSHGs formed under the Odisha Livelihood Mission and trying to improve their overall economic well-being. This initiative includes identification of potential WSHGs and farmers, providing them with extensive training and handholding support across all eight districts in southern region of the state. Till date, more than 1,000 WSHGs have been supported under TPSODL's livelihood enhancement project. These empowered members have benefited from expert-led capacity-building programmes covering a wide range of income-generation activities, the statement said. The training sessions have focused on equipp

5 including kids, killed as under-construction culvert collapses in Odisha

Five people, most of whom were children, were killed as an under-construction culvert collapsed on them in Odisha's Rayagada district on Monday, police said. The incident happened in Uparsaja village in Kalyansinghpur block when they were bathing under it. They were bathing in the rainwater that accumulated under the culvert. Among the deceased were four children, police said. A rescue team, comprising personnel of the fire service and police, was working to clear the debris, they said. Police said they suspect that more people might be trapped under the debris.

Global chip design leader Synopsys to set up its centre in Bhubaneswar

The delegation highlighted how the state's Semiconductor Manufacturing and Fabless Policy, which has received Cabinet approval, offers the most generous set of incentives

Nestle to invest Rs 4,200 cr by 2025, will set up 10th factory in Odisha

FMCG major Nestle India has strong commitments for local manufacturing with plans to invest Rs 4,200 crore by 2025, including in its 10th plant in the country at Odisha, its Chairman and Managing Director Suresh Narayanan said on Friday. Nestle India, the maker of popular Maggi noodles, KitKat chocolate and Nescafe, is investing to create capacity as it sees "fairly robust" demand in coming years in the Indian market. "The investments done are fairly significant... till the first half of 2023, about Rs 2,100 crore already been invested on capital investments," said Narayanan in a media roundtable here. These investments are for augmentation of manufacturing capacity, he said adding a third of that has gone into food space, another one-third on chocolate and confectionary and the rest on nutrition and others. "Another Rs 4,200 crore is being spent between 2023 and 2025. This includes around Rs 900 crore for a new factory in Odisha," he said. Last year in September, Mark Schneider,

Silicon Power to invest $121.7 mn in semiconductor plant in Odisha

Silicon carbide is a component that goes into chips used in electric cars and other industrial power and energy applications

7 airlines closed down in 5 years; 16 carriers operational now: Govt data

A total of seven airlines, including Heritage Aviation and Air Odisha Aviation, have been closed down in the last five years, the government said on Thursday. Currently, there are 11 scheduled operators and 5 scheduled commuter operators in the country, according to data provided by Minister of State for Civil Aviation VK Singh in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. As per the data, seven airlines have been shut down in the last five years till July 21, 2023. Two airlines -- Heritage Aviation Pvt Ltd and Turbo Megha Airways Pvt Ltd -- were shuttered in 2022. Three carriers -- Zexus Air Services Pvt Ltd, Deccan Charters Pvt Ltd and Air Odisha Aviation Pvt Ltd -- were shut down in 2020. In 2019, Jet Airways (India) Ltd and Jet Lite (India) Ltd were closed down, as per the data. Jet Airways, which was issued an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) on February 13, 2022, stopped flying on April 17, 2019, due to a financial crunch. "After closure, Jet Airways (India) Ltd. had undergone insolve

Odisha has highest drop out rate at secondary school level: Govt tells Parl

Odisha has the highest student dropout rate at the secondary school level followed by Meghalaya and Bihar, according to the Education Ministry. Union Minister of Education for State Annapurna Devi shared the data in response to a question in the Rajya Sabha. According to it, the national dropout rate for secondary school is 12.6 per cent while Odisha has a dropout rate of 27.3 per cent followed by Meghalaya 21.7 per cent, Bihar 20.5 per cent and Assam 20.3 per cent. States with drop-out rates of more than 15 per cent are Andhra Pradesh (16.3 per cent), Gujarat (17.9 per cent), Punjab (17.2 per cent) and West Bengal (18 per cent). At the primary school level, the highest dropout rate is in Manipur (13.3 per cent) followed by Meghalaya (9.8 per cent) and Arunachal Pradesh (9.3 per cent). At the upper-primary level, the highest dropout rate is in Meghalaya (10.6 per cent) followed by Assam (8.8 per cent) and Punjab (8 per cent). The data shared in Parliament is that of the Departmen

Heavy rain likely in Odisha, IMD asks fishermen not to venture into sea

Water from the Kaveri River reached sections of low-lying areas of Kodagu district and caused alarm among the residents, officials said on Tuesday

Odisha nods to 8 investment projects of Rs 1,250 cr, to employ 3,640 people

The Odisha government on Tuesday approved eight investment projects worth Rs 1,250 crore which will generate employment for 3,640 people, an official said. The approval was accorded at the State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) meeting chaired by Chief Secretary P K Jena. The projects were approved under different sectors. In the Apparel and textile sector, BK International Private Limited has been allowed to set up a manufacturing unit for socks, projected to bring in an investment of Rs 52 crore and generate employment for 800 individuals, the official said. Mamata Fabrics Private Limited's readymade garments manufacturing unit will be established with an investment of Rs 50 crore and is anticipated to offer employment opportunities to 2,000 individuals, further fortifying the textile industry in Khurdha. In the Steel (downstream) sector, a reputed manufacturer will set up a cutting-edge manufacturing unit for producing 1,80,000 numbers of steel doors and windows

Low pressure area develops over coasts of north Andhra, south Odisha

A low-pressure area has formed off the coasts of north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha under the influence of a cyclonic circulation, the weather office here said on Monday. It is likely to transform into a depression by Wednesday, it said. The meteorological department has forecast very heavy rainfall on Tuesday in the Bapatla, Krishna and West Godavari districts All other districts of Andhra Pradesh, except Anantapur, Sri Satya Sai, Annamayya, Tirupati and Chittoor, may witness heavy rain. Meanwhile, Vijayawada city and its surrounding villages witnessed intermittent rainfall throughout Monday.

President Murmu to embark on a three-day visit to Odisha from today

President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to undertake a three-day visit to Odisha on Tuesday, a statement from the President's Secretariat said.

Heavy rainfall likely to occur in Odisha in next 24 hours, says IMD

With the formation of a cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal on Monday, the IMD has predicted heavy rainfall very likely to occur at one or two places in 10 districts of Odisha during the next 24 hours. Under its (cyclonic circulation) influence a low-pressure area is likely to form over the same region during the subsequent 24 hours, the IMD said in a Twitter post. The district for which the yellow warning (be updated) of heavy rainfall has been issued are Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Koraput, Nawarangapur, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Bolangir. This apart, the IMD said light to moderate rain or thundershower is very likely to occur at most places over the districts of South Odisha and many places over the rest of the districts of the state. The MeT office also forecast heavy rainfall across Odisha due to possible low-pressure area till July 28, a senior scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre said, adding that the intensity of rainfall will increase fr

Hirakud dam authorities in Odisha release season's first floodwater

The authorities of Hirakud dam in Odisha's Sambalpur district on Sunday released the season's first floodwater to downstream of river Mahanadi, official sources said. The water was released following a steady rise in the water level in the reservoir due to heavy rain in upstream of river Mahanadi. The authorities of certain barrages in neighbouring Chhattisgarh have released floodwater which went to Hirakud reservoir taking its water level to 613 feet against the full reservoir level of 630 feet. The officials said the floodwater was initially released from sluice gate number 7 of the dam at 9 am. Four more gates will be opened later in a phased manner. The release of water will lead to a rise in the water level in river Mahanadi and its tributaries. The Odisha government has issued an alert to the districts in the Mahanadi downstream and cautioned people not to venture into the river as flood water may reach soon. There are 98 gates to release floodwater from Hirakud Dam. While

Low pressure over Bay of Bengal triggers heavy rain in Odisha: IMD

Many parts of Odisha saw widespread rainfall on Thursday and in the early hours of Friday following the formation of a low pressure area (LOPAR) over the Bay of Bengal off the state's coast, the met office said. IMD officials said that the LOPAR was formed under the influence of cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal and under its influence squally weather with gusty surface wind speed reaching 40 to 50 km per hour is very likely along and off the Odisha coast till July 22. The weather office has also advised fishermen not to venture into the sea during this period. The circulation is likely to move across Odisha during the next two days and trigger light to moderate rains with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall across the state till July 24, it said. The IMD forecast the forming of another LOPAR on July 24 and issued both orange and yellow warnings till 8.30 AM on July 21. The orange warning (be prepared) has been issued as heavy to very heavy rainfall of 7 to 20 cm is ve