Page 49 - Odisha

CM Patnaik's Delhi visit sparks speculations in Odisha political circle

A day after meeting his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Wednesday left for a four-day trip to the national capital, leading to speculations being bandied about in the state's political circles. Though the chief minister's office said that Patnaik has a number of official engagements to meet union ministers during his stay in Delhi, sources in the ruling BJD claimed that he may meet political leaders from other parties too. He is scheduled to return to Odisha on May 13, Patnaik's sudden visit to Delhi sparked speculations that the BJD president may meet some opposition leaders who are already in touch with Nitish Kumar and Mamata Banerjee on forming an opposition grouping ahead of the 2024 elections. The Odisha chief minister's move is being apparently seen as aimed at sending a message to the BJP which has of late become an aggressive foe in Odisha ahead of the 2024 general elections. Though the BJD officially has claimed it was maintaining equ

Odisha election: 55.20% voting till 3 pm in Jharsuguda assembly bypoll

A total of 55.20 per cent of the 2.21 lakh voters exercised their franchise till 3 pm on Wednesday in Odisha's Jharsuguda assembly constituency, where a by-election is underway, an Election Commission official said. Long queues were seen in front of several polling stations even before the voting process started at 7 am. "There is no report of any untoward incident. Voting is underway peacefully amid tight security arrangements in all 253 polling stations. At least 55.20 per cent of eligible voters have exercised their franchise till 3 pm," Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Nikunja Bihari Dhal said. Dhal said the pace of voting reduced in the afternoon due to intense heat as 42 degrees Celsius was recorded in Jharsuguda at 3 pm. He said drinking water and watermelon were distributed among the voters standing in the queue. The voting will continue till 6 pm. Over 2.21 lakh voters, including 63 members of the transgender community, are eligible to exercise their franchise in the ...

Voting begins for Assembly bypoll in Suar, Chhanbey seats in Uttar Pradesh

Polling for the by-election to Jharsuguda assembly seat in Odisha began at 7 am on Wednesday amid tight security measures, officials said. A total of 2,21,070 people are eligible to exercise their franchise in 253 booths. There are 1,10,320 male electors, 1,10,687 women and 63 of the third gender. Polling will continue till 6 pm. Odisha's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Nikunj Bihari Dhal said all arrangements have been put in place to ensure peaceful voting. Over 1,000 poll officials and an adequate number of security personnel, including seven companies of paramilitary forces, have been deployed. Jharsuguda Superintendent of Police Parmar Smit Parshottamdas said that CCTV cameras and deployment of micro-observers and central forces have been ensured in 106 booths identified as critical, besides 30 as demanded by various political parties. He said 19 platoons comprising around 570 police personnel, besides 100 officers, have been deployed. Collector cum District Election Officer

Odisha Guv seeks report from govt on power disruption at Prez event

Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal on Monday sought a report from the state government on the nine-minute power blackout during President Droupadi Murmu's speech at a university's convocation in Baripada. The governor, who is also the chancellor of the universities, asked Chief Secretary P K Jena and Vice Chancellor of Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanjadeo University, Santosh Tripathy, to file a detailed report on the power disruption in the auditorium while the President was delivering her speech on May 6. The governor has sought the report from the authorities within seven days. Tripathy confirmed receiving a letter from the Raj Bhavan and said he will submit the reply on Tuesday. Lal was present at the auditorium when lights went off during the President's address. Though the auditorium had plunged into darkness for nine minutes, Murmu continued to deliver her speech. However, the air-conditioners, microphones and fans in the auditorium were functioning normally during the whole blackout

President delivers speech in darkness, BJP seeks Odisha CM's apology

Lights went off as President Droupadi Murmu addressed the convocation of a university in her home district of Mayurbhanj in Odisha on Saturday, leading to a political row in the state. Murmu was addressing the 12th convocation of the Maharaja Shri Ramchandra Bhanjadeo University. Four minutes into the speech, lights went off due to a power snag, plunging the venue into darkness. Murmu continued her speech in the darkness, which lasted for nine minutes from 11.56 am to 12.05 pm before the power supply was restored. Terming it a major security lapse, state BJP president Manmohan Samal demanded an apology from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. "It is a shame for the entire state. Though the state government claims that Odisha is a power-surplus state, it cannot provide lights at the place where the country's first citizen is present. We demand an apology from the chief minister," he said. BJD vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra said an inquiry would be done to find the persons responsible

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to travel to Odisha, meet Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will meet his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar on May 9, amid talks of regional parties coming together ahead of the 2024 general elections, officials said. Kumar will meet Patnaik at Naveen Niwas' here around 12 pm, they said. The Bihar CM and JD(U) leader had recently announced that he would travel across the country to unite opposition parties ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year. He has already met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, and Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja. Patnaik, the BJD supremo, had also met Banerjee in March. In December last year, Patnaik had invited both Banerjee and Kumar to witness the hockey world cup in Odisha.

President Murmu to embark on a 3-day visit to Odisha's Mayurbhanj district

President Droupadi Murmu will visit Odisha's Mayurbhanj district from May 4 to 6, a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said on Wednesday. The President will lay the foundation stone for the Skill Training Hub and Community Centre at Pahadpur on Thursday. Subsequently, she will visit Brahma Kumaris Centre, Hatbadra to launch the Addiction Free Odisha' campaign of the centre, the statement said. On the same evening, President Murmu will attend a civic reception to be hosted in her honour by the Rairangpur Municipality at Rairangpur Stadium, it said. On May 5, the President will pay her tributes to Pt Raghunath Murmu on his birth anniversary. Later, she will visit Similipal Sanctuary. The President will grace the 12th convocation of Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University at Baripada on May 6, the statement added.

Cyclone Mocha likely to hit India's eastern coast next week, details here

Mocha may also reach the Bengal coast if it follows all of the recent cyclone paths in the region

Odisha NMMS Result 2023 Released on ntse.scertodisha.nic.in, details here

Odisha NMMS Result 2023 is out! The results of thousands of candidates can now be viewed and downloaded. It has been released on the official site at ntse.scertodisha.nic.in

Odisha govt inks pact with ICRISAT to develop agri marketing network

The MoU was signed between the two organisations in the presence of Cooperation Secretary Sanjeeb Kumar Chadha

Be prepared as IMD predicts cyclones over Bay of Bengal, says Odisha CM

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting to review the state's preparedness to deal with a cyclone, and asked officials to be prepared for any eventuality. The meeting comes after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its forecast that a cyclonic circulation is likely to develop over southeast Bay of Bengal around May 6, and under its influence, a low-pressure area may form over the same region during the subsequent 48 hours. Recalling cyclone Fani, which hit the Odisha coast on May 2, 2019, Patnaik said determination of the path of cyclones during summer is difficult. He advised officials to shift people who live in low-lying areas to cyclone shelters, if necessary, and formulate plans for relief and restoration works in the aftermath of a cyclone. Patnaik asked Chief Secretary PK Jena to review the situation regularly, and Special Relief Commissioner Satyabrata Sahu to work in coordination with all departments and districts. An ...

Odisha begins OBC survey after Bihar, process to continue till May 27

Odisha on Monday became the second state in the country to launch the OBC survey. The much-awaited survey will continue till May 27, an official said. The opposition BJP has criticised the ruling dispensation over the manner in which the exercise is being undertaken, while the ruling BJD said the survey is being held to ensure the socio-economic development of the other backward classes (OBC). Bihar was the first state to have launched the survey, the first phase of which was launched on January 21 and the second on April 15 this year. It is being carried out in all 314 blocks and 114 urban local bodies of Odisha, the official said. The objective of the survey is to get a picture of the present social and educational conditions of the people belonging to backward classes in Odisha, he said. The social and educational conditions of 208 enlisted OBC communities will be collected during the survey, which will be followed by a special drive to ensure that none was left out across the

Wary of cyclone, Odisha gears up for calamity, govt to open control rooms

After being hit by summer cyclones for three consecutive years in 2019, 2020 and 2021, the Odisha government on Wednesday geared up for such an eventuality in the coming days, though the IMD forecast no possibility of any low-pressure formation in the Bay of Bengal in a fortnight. The government decided to open a round-the-clock control room across the districts from May 1 for monitoring the situation, a senior official said. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary P K Jena where the state government's preparedness was reviewed. Senior officers of several government departments, the Director General of Police, Director General of Fire Service, the Special Relief Commissioner, and a senior official of IMD Bhubaneswar Centre were among others who attended the meeting. Jena asked line departments like revenue and disaster management, rural development, housing and urban development, health, home and panchayati raj and drinking water to be prepared for

Patnaik inaugurates several projects as Odisha celebrates 'Akshay Tritiya'

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated a slew of government projects on Sunday in view of 'Akshay Tritiya', which marks the commencement of agricultural activities in Odisha before the onset of monsoon. Patnaik participated in 'Akhi Muthi Anukula', the ceremonial act of sowing seeds in paddy fields and ploughing, at the farm of the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) in Bhubaneswar. 'Akshay Tritiya', which is observed as state-level Farmers' Day, also marks the beginning of the chariot construction works at Puri's Jagannath Temple for the annual Ratha Jatra. Patnaik greeted the people, especially farmers, on the ocassion, wishing them a good harvest. He inaugurated a creche at the state secretariat for the children of government employees. It will be able to accommodate 20 children. He also inaugurated a Millet Shakti cafe. The state has so far opened 142 such outlets across Odisha under the Millet Mission. He launched the Agricultural Review Centre, which w

NSDC displays transformative skill development at G20 exhibition in Odisha

Transformative initiatives in skill development, higher education and international employment opportunities are the focus of the National Skill Development Corporation's stall at the "Future of Work" exhibition here ahead of the third G20 Education Working Group meeting. The design of the stall, themed "Future of Us", has been conceptualised to cater to target audiences from diverse backgrounds and age groups, presenting the benefits of the National Skill Development Corporation's (NSDC) initiatives through a human narrative. "India's youth need to be prepared for the future of work as technologies disrupt the labour market. Mobile technology, global connectivity and the Internet offer us a chance to consider global needs. It is essential that we work together to make this opportunity a reality for India's youth," NSDC CEO Ved Mani Tiwari said. "The 'Future of Us' stall at the G20 'Future of Work' exhibition aims to showcase the significant strides the NSDC has made in preparing ..

CM Patnaik launches heavy lift logistics drone in Odisha Skill Conclave

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched first of its kind heavy lift logistics drone (can transport 50kg over 10kms) made by Odisha-based start-up BonV Aero

Maintain 'raj dharma': Pradhan urges Patnaik as police detain BJP leaders

With a high-level BJP delegation being prevented from entering violence-hit Sambalpur, senior party leader and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan Tuesday urged Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to maintain raj dharma and act in a neutral manner. Pradhan's statement came hours after the Odisha Police detained members of the delegation comprising, among others, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Tribal Affairs Bisheswar Tudu, Sundergarh MP Jual Oram and BJP state president Manmohan Samal. They were intercepted at Sripura Chhak on Jharsuguda-Sambalpur road and denied permission to move further. Later, they were taken to nearby Thelkoli police station and reportedly detained for seven hours till 7 pm. Though Tudu left the police station after some time, the other members remained there and were released on the condition that they would not visit Sambalpur, as curfew is in place in the city, officials said. "The BJP delegation was denied permission to enter the city because th

Odisha to deploy superannuated teachers in medical colleges, hospitals

Aiming towards improving the quality of medical education in the state, the Odisha government has initiated steps for the redeployment of superannuated teachers of Armed Force Medical Service (AFMS)

Sambalpur violence: Internet to remain shut for another day; 6 more held

As violence incidents again took place in the western Odisha town, six police station areas of Sambalpur were put under curfew since April 14 mid-night

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