Page 59 - Odisha

CM Patnaik inaugurates Odisha Travel Bazar, state's flagship exhibition

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday inaugurated Odisha Travel Bazar, the flagship annual exhibition of Odisha Tourism

SAIL inks pact with AAI for initiation of commercial flights from Rourkela

State-owned SAIL on Friday said that it has entered into a pact with Airport Authority of India (AAI) for facilitating the start of commercial flights from Rourkela in Odisha. Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) has signed the operation and management contract with AAI through its unit Rourkela Steel Plant. The public sector enterprise had in 2018 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for use of its own airport, under the regional connectivity scheme UDAN, for operation of commercial flights. The civil aviation ministry has rendered financial support for the upgradation of this airport. The Odisha government will deliver security, fire and ambulance services besides assisting with other local clearances. AAI, on behalf of SAIL - Rourkela Steel Plant, will operate and manage the airport. Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) -UDAN, a flagship project of the central government launched by the civil aviation ministry, envisages enhancing the regional air connectivity by providin

Drones to monitor illegal prawn ponds in Odisha wetlands in 4 districts

The Orissa High Court on Wednesday accepted a proposal submitted by Amicus Curiae Mohit Agarwal for the deployment of drones to monitor illegal prawn culture ponds or gherries encroaching wetlands in at least four coastal districts of the state. "A division bench headed by Chief Justice S Muralidhar has accepted my proposal and has directed the state government to provide necessary infrastructure and funds to deploy drones for monitoring the illegal gherries, which are coming up even within 24 hours of their demolition by the authorities," Agarwal said. The districts in which the drones will be deployed are Balasore, Kendrapara, Puri and Ganjam and the state government has been asked to submit an affidavit in this regard by the next date of hearing on December 5, Agarwal said. The Amicus Curiae had made the proposal for the deployment of drones after it was revealed from different affidavits made by the district administrations that physical deployment of police force is unable to .

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik launches 'Safal' common credit portal for farmers

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Wednesday launched a common credit portal SAFAL' (Simplified Application for Agricultural Loans) for the welfare of farmers. The facility will enable farmers and agri-entrepreneurs to access more than 300 term loan products of over 40 banks, the chief minister said while launching the portal. It has also been integrated with Krushak Odisha and will have access to 70-plus model project reports. The application can revolutionise credit provisions for farmers and agri-entrepreneurs, he said. Expressing satisfaction over the launch of the portal, Patnaik said that the application is a one-stop solution for farmers and agri-entrepreneurs to avail formal sector credit from public and private sector banks, Regional Rural Banks, State Cooperative Banks, and Small Finance Banks. The portal will ease the loan application process benefiting both the farmers and banks significantly, the chief minister said. It will also reduce information asymmetry by se

Indian Super League 2022-23: Odisha FC registers 1st home win of the season

Odisha FC secured all three points against Kerala Blasters with a dramatic 2-1 comeback win in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Kalinga Stadium here on Sunday

NCMC reviews preparedness for possible cyclonic storm over Bay of Bengal

Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba reviewed the preparedness of Central ministries, agencies and state governments to deal with the situation arising out of Cyclone Sitrang in the Bay of Bengal

Possible cyclone likely to hit Bengal, Odisha on Oct 25; warning issued

A low-pressure system over the Andaman Sea is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm and reach West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts on October 25, causing wind gusting to 110 km per hour, the IMD said on Friday. Sanjib Bandopadhyay, the deputy director-general of Regional Met Centre in Kolkata, said that the system is likely to cause light to moderate rain in Gangetic West Bengal, with isolated heavy rain in the coastal districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur. He said that it is likely to cause light to moderate rain in Kolkata on October 24 and 25. "Wind speed of 45 to 55 km gusting to 65 kmph will occur in the coastal districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur on October 24, while on October 25, wind speed will reach 90 to 100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph," he told reporters here. Wind speed of 30 to 40 kmph gusting to 50 kmph will occur in Kolkata and adjoining districts of Howrah and Hooghly, he said. "It will not be a super cyc

Odisha, W Bengal mobilising resources as possible cyclone approaches

Odisha is bracing for heavy rainfall early next week under the impact of a possible cyclone in the Bay of Bengal, which is likely to skirt the state and move towards West Bengal and Bangladesh, the IMD said on Friday. The West Bengal government has initiated the process of evacuating people from low-lying areas in several districts, officials said. The weather system, which is presently in the form of a low pressure area over the North Andaman sea and adjoining areas, is likely to take shape of a depression on Saturday and a deep depression on Sunday, before intensifying into a cyclonic storm on Monday, and move in north and north-east direction towards West Bengal and Bangladesh, the IMD said. The cyclonic storm is expected to be christened Sitrang', as suggested by Thailand. Odisha's Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Pramila Mallick said that instructions have been issued to all the districts and coastal region authorities to deal with any eventuality. The system is likel

Odisha may face another cyclone this weekend: India Meteorological Dept

Odisha could be bracing for yet another cyclone, with the India Meteorological Department Tuesday forecasting the possible formation of such a weather system over the Bay of Bengal (BoB) this weekend. A low-pressure area is likely to form over the southeast and adjoining eastcentral Bay of Bengal over the next 48 hours, the IMD said. "It is likely to move west-northweswards and concentrate into a depression by October 22 morning over the central Bay of Bengal. It is very likely to intensify further into a cyclonic storm over west-central BoB subsequently," it said. IMD Director-General Mrutunjay Mohapatra said though the depression is likely to become well-marked and turn into a cyclonic storm, no forecast is being made on the intensity of the system and its path at present. "We may give more details of the cyclone only after the formation of a low-pressure area," he said. Odisha has encountered at least three major storms in 2021, including Yaas' (May), Gulab' (September) and Jaw

Odisha AAR says separate registration must for construction work in state

The ruling is in conflict with position taken by other AARs; industry wants CBIC clarification

Odisha emerging as leading destination for industries: CM Patnaik

Odisha is in a "take-off" stage and will witness a high growth in the next 10 years, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said

At least 4 cities of Odisha to get 5G services by March 2023: Vaishnaw

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said at least four cities of Odisha will get the 5G telephony services by March 2023 and 80 per cent area of the state will have access to the upgraded network by the end of next year. Around 200 big cities in the country will be covered in the first phase of the launch of 5G services, and it will be subsequently extended to towns and rural areas, he said on the sidelines of a programme here. "In the first phase, four-five cities of Odisha will get 5G services by March 2023, and by the end of next year, around 80 per cent area of the state will be covered," said Vaishnaw, the union minister for railways, communications, electronics and information technology. The time period for the first phase of launching the fifth-generation services is up to March 2023, he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on October 1 launched the 5G services that promise to provide ultra high-speed internet on mobile phones. At least 13 major cities such as ...

CM Patnaik requests well-wishers not to visit Naveen Niwas on his birthday

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik requested all his friends and well wishers not to visit Naveen Niwas, his private residence, on his birthday on Sunday as he is not staying in the city on that day. An official communication received from Patnaik's office said that: "Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik's birthday is tomorrow, October 16th, on Sunday. However, as the Chief Minister is visiting Hyderabad on Sunday for the Make in Odisha programme, he has requested the well-wishers not to come to Naveen Niwas residence to wish him on his birthday". The chief minister said that he is always grateful for the love, respect and blessings of the people of Odisha, the official communication said.

Odisha to regularise 57,000 contract employees, abolish contractual hirings

Abolishing contractual hirings for state government posts, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday announced that all 57,000 contract employees will be regularised. The decision, for which the state government will spend an additional Rs 1,300 crore per year, was taken at a Cabinet meeting on the eve of the chief minister's 76th birthday. The notification regarding it will be issued on Sunday, Patnaik said in a video message.

Great chance for Indian team to finish on podium in hockey WC: Baskaran

With less than 100 days to go for the FIH Odisha Men's Hockey World Cup Bhubaneswar-Rourkela 2023, the anticipation to witness the world's best hockey players at one of the world's most preferred hockey destinations - Odisha, is only increasing by each passing day.Former captain and coach Vasudevan Baskaran said that the upcoming FIH Men's Hockey World Cup will be a great chance for the Indian team to perform well and finish their campaign on the podium. The Silver-medal winner from the 1973 World Cup believes India can finish on the podium in Odisha this January, urges Manpreet & Co. to cross the first hurdle against Spain to build momentum"I think many of them were surprised to see us do two warm-ups. The weather in Amstelveen was very cold and we really wanted to avoid injuries, so Jagmohan our fitness trainer would make us do two sessions of warm-up," Hockey India quoted Baskaran as saying.Although India lost the Final 2-4 in penalties to hosts Netherlands after a 2-2 draw ..

30 people injured in two separate bus accidents in Odisha's Balasore

At least 30 people were injured in two separate bus accidents in Odisha's Balasore district on Thursday, police said. A Puri-bound bus carrying about 50 people from Muraroi area in West Bengal's Birbhum district was hit from behind by a truck near the Laxmannath toll gate on national highway (NH) 60 in which 20 people including the truck driver and helper were injured, the police said. The injured persons were taken to the government hospital at Jaleswar in the district. In another accident on national highway 60 near Haldipada on early Thursday morning, a Rajkanika bound passenger bus starting its journey from Howrah in West Bengal skidded off the road and fell into roadside ditch in which 10 people were injured, the police said.

Tata Steel begins operations at Neelachal Ispat Nigam plant in Odisha

Odisha-based Neelachal Ispat Nigam Ltd (NINL) has started operations nearly 90 days after it was acquired by a Tata Steel subsidiary for Rs 12,000 crore in a bidding process, a statement said on Monday. The plant with a 1.1 million tonnes steel-making capacity was closed for almost two years on account of various reasons. Tata Steel Long Products (TSLP), a Tata Steel arm, in the statement said that it achieved a milestone with the restarting of the blast furnace at its subsidiary NINL, just 90 days after the completion of its acquisition on July 4, 2022. T V Narendran, Chairman of Tata Steel Long Products Ltd & NINL said, Given that the site was not in operation for two years, we wanted to restart the furnace quickly, deploying and demonstrating Tata Steel's strong execution capabilities. Narendran, who is also the CEO & Managing Director of parent Tata Steel, said the focus is now on ramping up production gradually to rated capacity as per plan. Tata Steel has plans to invest

Odisha can re-engage retired employees to fill 50% of entry-level vacancies

Administrative departments in Odisha would be able to re-engage retired employees up to 50 per cent of entry-level vacancies without seeking permission from the Finance department. A government circular issued on Thursday said the departments would, however, require the approval of the Finance department if they engage retired employees beyond 50 per cent of the entry-level vacancies. About 73,000 posts at the entry level are lying vacant in the state. The monthly consolidated remuneration of the retired employees who will be re-engaged was also revised. The consolidated monthly remuneration for retired employees on re-engagement was revised to Rs 50,000 for Pay level 17, Rs 46,000 for Pay level 15 and 16. The retired employees who will be given re-employment in Pay levels 11, 12, 13, and 14, will get Rs 35,000 every month and those in Pay levels 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 will get Rs 20,000. The superannuated employees after re-engagement in Pay levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 will get a ...

JP Nadda kickstarts two-day visit to Odisha at Jagannatha Temple in Puri

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda kickstarted his two-day visit to Odisha's Puri by offering prayers at Shree Jagannatha Temple on Friday morning

28 workers fall ill after ammonia gas leak at Odisha's Balasore prawn plant

As many as 28 workers fell ill after inhaling ammonia gas that leaked from a prawn processing plant in Odisha's Balasore district on Wednesday