RGHs unused laparoscopy machine under probe

Rourkela: An unused laparoscopy machine lying at the Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) here has prompted medical superintendent Dr Ganesh Das to look into the matter. He has ordered a probe as to why it has been lying unused for close to a year now despite the presence of trained technicians in the hospital. Since the []

Odisha: Dilip Ray, Sarada Nayak set for 2014 poll rematch in Rourkela

ROURKELA: The 2024 election in Rourkela Assembly segment, the only general seat under Sundargarh Lok Sabha (LS) constituency, is shaping up to be as exciting and contentious as the 2014 polls with BJP heavyweight Dilip Ray and sitting BJD MLA and minister Sarada Prasad Nayak all set for a rematch. The upcoming election on May 20 is likely to be a rerun of 2014 when Dilip as a BJP candidate had defeated Sarada by a margin of 10,929 votes in a two-pronged contest. Political observers feel the victory margin this time would be just a few thousand votes as the two arch rivals are equally effective organisers, enjoy strong support base in Rourkela and have mastery in political manoeuvring. Besides, Dilip and Sarada have each won from Rourkela thrice and both have firm grip on the grassroots organisation. It is going to be Dilips fifth poll fight from Rourkela. His strategy in 2024 has been the same of 2014, to exponentially increase his vote share by poaching supporters of other parties. At a Mishran Parba on Sunday, hundreds of disgruntled supporters of BJD and apolitical persons joined the BJP in presence of Dilip. Notably, since the beginning of his political career in the early 1980s, Dilip continues to enjoy a sort of cult-like following. After his shock loss to Pravat Mohapatra of Congress by a margin of 6,374 votes in 1995 Dilip, had moved to national politics. When he returned to Rourkela politics as a BJP nominee in 2014 after a gap of 19 years, there was a mad rush of support from his dormant followers and those from other parties. Same scenes are playing out as Dilip has returned as a BJP candidate in 2024 after staying away from active politics since 2018. Local BJP leader Latika Patnaik said Dilips return has charged up the partys rank and file and they are certain of his victory. Dilip said he is overwhelmed with the response of the people. Describing Rourkelas development as cosmetic, he said his focus would be on all-round development of the city. Sarada said he is the MLA of the weak, poor and voiceless people and their love for him besides the unprecedented development of Rourkela and the good works and charisma of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik would help BJD emerge victorious. Meanwhile, all eyes are on the next move of disgruntled BJP leader Nihar Ray who has opposed Dilips candidature. In 2019 election, Nihar had unsuccessfully contested from Rourkela seat on a BJP ticket and bagged 50,417 votes. He might contest as the BJP rebel this time.

Villagers demand cancellation of lease of Dumangdiri quarry

Rourkela: Demands to stop excavation at the Dumangdiri stone quarry under Kuanrmunda tehsil in Sundargarh district is growing by the day and the issue is turning into a major controversy just before the elections. Villagers living in the vicinity of the quarry are determined to stop excavation as it is harming the natural environment and []

Former Birmitrapur MLA Nihar Surin rejoins JMM

ROURKELA: Former MLA of Birmitrapur Nihar Surin, who recently quit the BJD, on Monday returned to his parent party Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) at the residence of JMM patriarch Shibu Soren. Surins re-entry into the JMM was formalised by the Odisha unit of JMM president and Sorens daughter Anjali Soren and other senior leaders. For rejoining, Surin had reached Ranchi with his close supporters. He is tipped to be the JMM candidate from the Birmitapur Assembly constituency (AC) in Sundargarh district. According to JMM sources, under a pact, the Congress would not field its candidate from Birmitrapur and support the JMM which may make the going tough for the faction-ridden BJD. Surin had quit BJD earlier this month after the BJD announced candidature of Rohit Joseph Tirkey, son for former Birmitrapur MLA George Tirkey, from Birmitrapur. Surin had won from Birmitrapur in 2004 on JMM ticket and lost in 2009. Subsequently, he switched over to the BJD, but with indirect entry of his nemesis George into the BJD he quit the party. Confirming his re-entry into the JMM, Surin said he is happy returning to his parent party. Asked about his candidacy from Birmitrapur, Surin said he is ready for any responsibility given by the JMM.

Odisha: Biren Senapati joins Congress exit queue

ROURKELA: The fault lines within the Congress in Rourkela Assembly seat seem to be deepening as general secretary of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Biren Senapati snapped his ties with the party after a long association of 37 years. In a letter to OPCC president Sarat Pattanayak on Sunday, Biren said due to continuous apathy of the top leadership and sidelining of party workers, the Congress has lost its relevance in Rourkela. Issues hurting the Congress prospects were brought to the notice of the party higher-ups, but to no avail. After working for Congress for 37 years as a committed worker since my days in student politics, there is no point of further wasting time in the party, he said. Biren resigned from the post of permanent invitee of the Rourkela district Congress committee (RDCC) and primary membership of the party. He said for the last over two decades, the party organisation has gone from bad to worse and now heading towards no point of redemption. The central or state leaders have never made sincere efforts to revive the party or arrest its continuous deterioration. The Congress cannot be cured from indiscipline, factionalism, lack of trust and absence of participation in decision making. About the Congress candidate from Rourkela BN Patnaik, Biren said the OPCC neither sought his opinion nor the candidate, after being nominated by the party, talked to him. Congress insiders said in just two years, the RDCC has seen four presidents. Tribal leader and former Birmitrapur MLA George Tirkey quit the RDCC post and the party in March 2022. To fill up the vacuum, Debabrata Bihari was made the interim RDCC president for around a year. In November 2023, Rashmi Ranjan Padhi was appointed the RDCC president. But three months later, he was unceremoniously replaced with the incumbent president Rabi Ray for the lacklustre show of Congress during Rahul Gandhis Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra on February 7. RDCC president Rabi said he would try to bring Biren back to the party fold. He also assured of taking corrective actions at his level and said the Congress candidate would be asked to work in a team.

BJP plans Christian outreach as John Barla meets church leaders at Odisha's Rourkela

ROURKELA: In a bid to push Christian voters towards the BJP, Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs John Barla held closed-door meeting with leaders of different churches at Rourkela on Sunday evening. Barlas meeting assumes significance as the sizable Christian voters in the tribal-dominated district of Sundargarh traditionally side with the Congress and BJD. On a two-day visit to Sundargarh Lok Sabha (LS) constituency, Barla reached Rourkela and paid a courtesy visit to the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese here. He held meeting with leaders of different churches at the Mayfair World Cup Village, but the details of the discussion were not revealed. On Monday, the union minister is scheduled to pay a visit to the Bishop of GEL church at Rajgangpur and also hold closed-door meetings with church leaders in Rajgangpur and Sundargarh Assembly constituencies. BJP insiders said the meeting was inspired by the saffron partys agenda of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikash, Sabka Biswas, Sabka Prayas which essentially aims at drawing the minority community members close to it. Among other things, the church leaders were apprised of the welfare programmes and development initiatives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government. With such meetings, misgivings about the BJP government and false propaganda of opposition parties to paint the party as anti-minority could be defeated. Bishop of the Catholic Diocese Father Kishore Kujur said the minister paid him a courtesy visit and during the brief discussion, he appreciated the activities of the Church. There was no political discussion. Sources said the tribal-dominated Sundargarh district has a sizable Christian population which owes allegiance to churches of Roman Catholic, Baptist, Protestant and others. Majority of them are Catholic Christians. The Christian community as a whole plays a decisive role in the election outcome in the district. Previously, the Congress was pocketing most of Christian votes. But later, the BJD made deep inroads into the Christian vote bank. In fact, the third-ranked Congress always pins hopes on the votes of Christian community and Bhuiya tribe. If BJDs Sundargarh LS candidate Dilip Tirkey manages to get the bulk of Christian votes, his victory chances would be brightened. Similarly, any number of Christian votes going to the incumbent Sundargarh MP and BJP candidate Jual Oram would be a bonus for the saffron party. As per the 2011 census, the district has around 18 per cent Christian population. With around 15.67 lakh registered voters, Sundargarh is believed to have 2.85 lakh to 3.15 lakh Christian voters. Rajgangpur, Birmitrapur, Talsara and Sundargarh Assembly seats have strong concentrations of Christian voters. The size of Christian vote bank in Rourkela, RN Pali and Bonai is relatively smaller.

Penalty of Rs 3.48 crore imposed on Vedanta for tax evasion

Penalty of Rs 3.48 crore imposed on Vedanta for tax evasion A penalty worth Rs 3.48 crore has been imposed on mining company Vedanta in a case pertaining to input tax credit during the periods 2018-19 and 2019-20, the company informed stock exchanges in a filing on Sunday. The Company has received an Order from Office of the Additional Commissioner, GST & Central Excise Commissionerate, confirming Penalty of Rs 3.48 Cr along with Tax demand and applicable Interest. The issue pertains to Input Tax Credit availment during the period FY 2018-19 to FY 2019-20, the filing read. Office of the Additional Commissioner, GST and Central Excise Commissionerate, Rourkela sent the notice. The Company said it now intends to file an appeal against the said order with the appellate authorities. The Company is hopeful of a favourable outcome thereof and does not expect the said Order to have any material financial impact on the Company, the filing read. In explanation for the delay in disclosure, the Company said it was in the process of assessing the reasons for the penalty order and examining its veracity. (ANI)

Intense heatwave grips Sundargarh district, hospital admissions increase

ROURKELA : Sundargarh district is currently grappling with an intense heatwave, leaving residents distressed and confined indoors from morning till evening. The scorching temperatures have led to a surge in hospital admissions for sunstroke-related illnesses, although no fatalities have been reported thus far. Rourkela city and the rest of Sundargarh district have been experiencing blistering heat for several days, with temperatures soaring above 43 degrees Celsius in many areas. The Environment Engineering Department of the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) recorded a maximum temperature of 43.1 degrees Celsius on Saturday, with the minimum at 26.2 degrees Celsius. On Friday also the maximum temperature was 43.1 degree C at Rourkela. The district headquarters town, located approximately 100 kilometre from Rourkela, reported a maximum temperature of 42.5 degrees Celsius on Friday, which rose to 43 degrees Celsius on Saturday, with the minimum recorded at 24.3 degrees Celsius. Marketplaces and city streets wore a deserted look by noon, with people retreating indoors and only a few essential travellers seen wearing protective gear on the roads. Amidst the heatwave, the availability of air-conditioned buses through the Mo Bus service provided relief to commuters, particularly women government employees and college students returning home during the peak afternoon hours. Reports from medical facilities indicate that three individuals are currently receiving treatment for heatwave-related illnesses at the Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH), while two others are admitted to the Sundargarh district headquarters hospital (SDHH). The Sundargarh district emergency office informed a total of 28 persons from different areas including those five still under treatment at the RGH and SDHH were admitted to different hospitals for heatwave treatment since April 1. According to the DEO majority of the hospital admission cases were reported in the past few days and 23 returned home cured.

BJP sacks three zonal chiefs in Rourkela, RN Pali ACs

ROURKELA : In a pre-emptive step, the BJP on Saturday removed two mandal (zone) presidents of Rourkela Assembly constituency (AC) and one of the RN Pali AC to avoid potential sabotage during the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls on May 20. They are seen as hardcore loyalists of BJP leaders, Nihar Ray of Rourkela AC and Jagabandhu Behera of RN Pali AC. The three zones together cover above 150 polling booths. Reliable sources informed BJPs Panposh organisational district president Latika Patnaik on Saturday axed Rourkela Mid-Town mandal president Binder Singh and replaced him with Kedar Mohanty. The Mid-Town mandal covers the Rourkela main road localities from Uditnagar to Bisra Square. Similarly, Basanti Colony mandal president Mrigang Goswami was dropped and replaced with Samarpriya Tanti. The Basanti Colony mandal covers areas between Basanti Colony and Doorsanchar Bhawan. Separately, BJP East Mandal president Basant Samal in RN Pali AC was sacked and replaced with Santosh Birat. The moves come after Nihar, the defeated candidate of BJP in 2019, on Wednesday evening gathered his supporters outside his residence in a show of strength and openly opposed the candidature of former union minister Dilip Ray from Rourkela. Nihar insisted he should have been the BJP candidate as he worked very hard for the party and indicated he may revolt. BJP insiders said Sundargarh Lok Sabha candidate Jual Oram accompanied by Dilip met the disgruntled Nihar on Friday to soothe frayed nerves but it failed to cut ice with him. Incidentally, Nihar is a former protg of Dilip. Jagabandhu after being denied BJP nomination from RN Pali AC had reportedly tried to get BJD ticket. After BJD turned him down he resumed BJPs activities as if nothing happened. The BJP president Latika Patnaik refused to comment over the abrupt removal of the mandal presidents.

Edge-of-the-seat thriller in the offing as Dilip Tirkey tries to dribble past Jual Oram

ROURKELA : A rerun of an epic fight is in the offing in Odishas reserved Sundargarh Lok Sabha constituency where BJP stalwart and sitting MP Jual Oram (63) has locked horns with Indian hockey legend Dilip Tirkey (46) of the BJD. The former Union tribal affairs minister and the present Hockey India president have been old rivals with Jual edging past Dilip in a triangular contest that also featured former chief minister Hemanand Biswal of the Congress in 2014. Dilip was surprisingly dropped in 2019 and the BJD fielded Biswals daughter Sunita against Jual but failed to gain any traction. This time, BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik has fallen back on Dilip to unseat Jual who is seeking his sixth victory to end his electoral politics on a high note. The sitting MP, one of the most prominent tribal leaders in the BJP, has already made his last election an emotional campaign pitch along with the overriding Modi factor. It is my last election. After 35 years in electoral politics, I intend to make way for the new generation, Jual says. In Dilip, a Catholic Christian and inarguably the greatest sports icon of Odisha, the BJD has sought to address multiple sections of the voters even though the previous attempt had failed. Sundargarh district has been considered the cradle of hockey in India. For the majority tribal population, hockey is a way of life, especially the tribal Christians. Rising from the interiors of the district to make way into the Indian national team and become the captain, bringing laurels to the country in many international tournaments, Dilip has been a matter of pride for the people of the region. But that, somehow, has not translated into the electoral backing for him. This year, however, has the potential for an edge-of-the-seat thriller. In a well-thought strategy to register its first-ever win from Sundargarh, the BJD government had laid out the stage five years ago to cash in on the peoples craze for hockey. The government had constructed the worlds largest Birsa Munda international hockey stadium at Rourkela and successfully co-hosted the FIH Mens Hockey World Cup (HWC) last year. Simultaneously, astro-turf hockey training centres were constructed in all 17 blocks of Sundargarh. The BJDs strategy appears to be to pull maximum hockey-loving and Christian voters through Dilip. It has targeted other segments of voters on Naveen Patnaiks popularity, the plank of development works and politics of doling out goodies to all. Dilip also never forgets to remind voters about Naveens contribution to hockey and development of sports, including infrastructure and facilities in the district. Under his leadership Odisha has been witnessing rapid all-round development, economic growth and welfare of the people. The peoples overwhelming love for our CM is all pervasive. The BJD will win the LS and all seven Assembly seats under it, he asserts. Dilip Rays return to BJP a boon for Jual Oram The BJD draws confidence from the fact that in 2022, it won 33 of 35 Zilla Parishad seats and two urban local bodies (ULB). Still, it is too much of an ask for the BJD, especially when Assembly and LS voting patterns are altogether different from local polls. However, the regional outfits bid to penetrate the BJPs traditional bastion is fraught with tough challenges as the former Union minister is firmly holding his ground. The tribals have been with the BJP since the 1990s, hence Juals record of winning five of six elections with two tenures as Cabinet minister. When the BJP was a non-entity in Odisha in 1990, Jual was one of the only two MLAs in the state winning from Bonai segment under the LS constituency. He repeated the victory in 1995. In 1998, he won the LS seat with a lead of over 1.26 lakh votes, and in 1999, he returned to Parliament with a more emphatic victory. Jual became the first tribal affairs minister in the country, as a separate ministry was created by the Vajpayee government. He won the 2004 LS election but suffered a shock defeat to Hemanand in 2009. He bounced back in 2014 and returned as the tribal affairs minister in the Modi government. Though not been made a minister in 2019, Jual has been one of the seniormost leaders of the BJP with a formidable following. There are multiple factors in his favour. First and foremost is the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Droupadi Murmu, a tribal woman from Odisha, becoming the President of India has as fuelled positive sentiments among the tribals here while the various welfare programmes of the Modi government has created a committed labharthi base as seen in other parts of the country. Moreover, there is a perceptible undercurrent for the BJP over the Ram temple issue, thanks to the deep inroads made by the RSS and its affiliates in the region. Expressing confidence in his victory, Jual summed up his challenger saying, Dilip is like my younger brother and a former star international hockey player. But, he lacks experience and is relatively novice in electoral politics. On the political front, the return of former Union minister of coal Dilip Ray to the BJP and contest from Rourkela has come as a boon for Jual. The LS seat has about 15.67 lakh registered voters and about 7.99 lakh are tribal voters, including Christians. Christian and Muslim voters account for about around 2.85 lakh and 75,000, respectively. They have been traditionally wooed by the Congress and BJD. Dilip is likely to corner a majority of the non-Hindu votes and the rest would go to the Congress candidate Janardan Dehury. Dehury, ex-MLA of Bonai and president of the Sundargarh District Congress Committee, is far behind in the race. There are about 3 lakh voters of Bhuiya tribe, which had been a mainstay vote bank of the Congress, but since last 15 years they have drifted to the BJP and BJD. The BJP, however, has relied on Hindu and non-convert tribal voters. Undercurrent for the BJP over Ram temple There is a perceptible undercurrent for the BJP over the Ram temple issue, thanks to the deep inroads made by the RSS and its affiliates in the region. Other factors in favour of BJP are popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Droupadi Murmu, a tribal woman from Odisha, becoming the President of India and various welfare programmes.

Bhawanipatna Touches 35C By 8.30 AM

Bhubaneswar: The mercury breached 32C in many places across Odisha by 8.30 am on Saturday. According to the regional centre of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Bhawanipatna recorded 35 degrees C by 8.30 AM becoming the hottest place in Odisha. At 34.2 degrees C, Bolangir came second in the row. Rourkela, Cuttack, Baripada, Keonjhar [] The post Bhawanipatna Touches 35C By 8.30 AM appeared first on Pragativadi | Odisha News, Breaking News Odisha, Latest Odisha News .

BJP will form government in Odisha, say Dilip Ray, Jual Oram

ROURKELA: Former union minister and the BJPs candidate from Rourkela Assembly seat Dilip Ray on Friday said the saffron party would form the government in Odisha. Addressing the election meeting of BJPs Panposh organisational district covering Rourkela, RN Pali and Birmitrapur Assembly seats at Mayfair World Cup Village here, Dilip exhorted party members to work with utmost dedication and sincerity. Abki Baar Rajyare BJP Sarkar (This time, the BJP would form government in the state). Dilip further said he would try to cover all the voters by taking out a padayatra in a planned way. In the coming days, there would be a massive rush of leaders to join the BJP, he asserted. On the occasion, Sundargarh Lok Sabha (LS) candidate of BJP Jual Oram laid emphasis on meticulous election management for better outcome. Vindicating Dilips claim, he asserted that the next government in Odisha will be of the BJP. He said each Assembly segment should form election coordination committee with 38 departments. Discussing the election strategy, structure of the party organisation and booth committees, Jual advised the cadres to be sincere towards discharging their assigned responsibilities to ensure victory of the BJPs LS and Assembly candidates. The meeting was presided over by BJPs Panposh unit president Latika Patnaik. Among others, BJP state general secretary Purnima Kerketta, spokesperson Dhiren Senapati, executive committee member Pramila Das and a host of senior district leaders attended.

Odisha: Woman gets 10 years rigorous imprisonment for lovers murder

ROURKELA: A court in Sundargarh town on Friday sentenced a 28-year-old woman to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for murdering her lover in 2017. The convict is Kuni Barlia of Dharuadihi area. A fine of Rs 5,000 was further imposed on her and an additional jail term of six months if she fails to pay. Police sources said Kuni, then aged around 21 years, was in a relationship with deceased Sanjiv Dandasena of Sadar police limits. She was nursing a grudge against Sanjiv after getting to know that his marriage was fixed elsewhere. On June 4, 2017, she convinced Sanjiv to meet her at an isolated place to share some private time together. Kuni then tied Sanjivs hands and legs in a playful manner which he could not understand initially. By the time the deceased could understand her motive, the accused slit his throat and bludgeoned him with a stone. She then fled the spot after destroying evidence, police said. The case was being investigated by investigating officer Thakurdas Murmu.

Ram Navami celebrations pass off peacefully

Rourkela: With the district administration making elaborate security arrangements to tackle any unpleasant situation, Ram Navami celebrations in Sundargarh district remained peaceful. Contrary to other areas in the district, the procession was taken out Thursday in Rourkela. This is the tradition we have been following from the beginning, said one Shankar of Daily Market Akhada. []

Income Tax dept seizes 3 kg smuggled gold at Bhubaneswar airport, one held

BHUBANESWAR: Ahead of the elections, the Income Tax (IT) department on Thursday seized 3 kg smuggled gold valued over Rs 2 crore from the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Bhubaneswar. Acting on a tip-off, the department carried out searches at the cargo terminal of the airport and found out at least three metal boxes. The boxes labeled valuable cargo gave up gold bullion biscuits worth about Rs 2.10 crore during the search. The passenger transporting the gold possibly got a whiff of the IT searches and did not board the flight. However, IT sleuths who had collected the booking information picked him up within hours from the state capital. He has been detained. Initial investigation revealed the detainee, a resident of Bhubaneswar, was transporting the smuggled gold to Mumbai. IT Department has launched a thorough probe to ascertain whether the gold was being smuggled to generate cash in place of the consignment and if the money could have been used during the elections, said the sources. Notably, five Lok Sabha seats of Maharashtra go to polls in the first phase on April 19. IT department officials are also probing if the yellow metal was supposed to be delivered to any jeweller in the western state. The department is also trying to trace the origin of the seized gold. Since gold smuggling attempts into the country from Myanmar, Dubai and Bangkok have been thwarted several times in the past few years, it is also being investigated if the person found to be smuggling the gold is part of an international racket, said sources. Meanwhile, the IT department has deployed quick response teams in all districts of Odisha and air intelligence units (AIUs) in the airports of the state to check illegal movement of cash during elections. Sources said AIUs have been deployed in BPIA, Veer Surendra Sai Airport in Jharsuguda and in Rourkela, Utkela, Jeypore and Berhampur airports.

Bhubaneswar sizzles at 43.6C as mercury soars 40C or above across Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The people of Odisha reeled under extreme heat with the maximum day temperature breaching 40C or above at many places in the State at 2.30 PM on Thursday. The state capital, Bhubaneswar was the hottest city with 43.6C followed by Jharsuguda 42.6C, Balasore 42.2C, Sambalpur 41.7C, Hirakud 41.4C, Chandbali 41.2C, Keonjhar 40.9C, Rourkela 40.2C, [] The post Bhubaneswar sizzles at 43.6C as mercury soars 40C or above across Odisha appeared first on Pragativadi | Odisha News, Breaking News Odisha, Latest Odisha News .

Sundargarh revels in glory of UPSC qualifiers

Rourkela: Six candidates who cracked the Civil Services Examination 2023 conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) have connections with Sundargarh district. They are either domiciles of the district or have been staying here to pursue their academic career. Four ex-students from NIT Rourkela have cracked the examination, while one candidate from Rajgangpur and []

Tribal candidates take rhythmic route to campaign in Sundargarh

ROURKELA: In the run-up to the upcoming elections in Sundargarh district, candidates are indulging in traditional dance and festivities to strike a chord with the tribal voters. In the tribal-dominated district, traditional dance, music, feasting and merry-making are common features of the rural lifestyle. And in order to win the votes, tribal candidates in majority of the ST seats are leaving no stone unturned to woo the poor rural voters. On Tuesday, BJDs Sundargarh Lok Sabha candidate and hockey icon Dilip Tirkey and MLA nominee from the same seat Jogesh Singh were received by a tribal group with traditional dance amid beating of drums at Bhalubahal village. While Tirkey joined the dancing group to shake a leg with the tribal women, Singh seized a traditional drum and played it. Tirkey said dance and music are a quintessential part of tribal culture and tradition. I felt happy participating in the tradition while campaigning to strengthen the electoral prospects of BJD and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, he added. Singh too echoed similar sentiment. A day back, BJPs Sundargarh LS candidate and former union minister Jual Oram was seen beating a traditional drum and leading a tribal dance group amid cheers from the crowd. Oram said as he hails from a tribal family, the indigenous culture and tradition is ingrained in him. Election is a festival of democracy and we celebrate it with traditional dance, music, eating together and merry-making. This creates a bond, he added. Sitting BJP MLA of Sundargarh Kusum Tete and her Birmitrapur counterpart Shankar Oram, both of whom are seeking re-election, said tribal lifestyle includes celebration with dance, music and feasting. During the campaign, they join the tribal voters to make them happy and stay connected. Sundargarh has more than 50 per cent tribal population with a total of around 15.67 lakh voters. The Sundargarh LS seat along with the Sundargarh, Talsara, Rajgangpur, Birmitrapur and Bonai Assembly segments are reserved for Scheduled Tribes. Only the Rourkela Assembly seat is unreserved while its connecting Raghunath (RN) Pali segment is reserved for Scheduled Castes. Tribal activist Manilal Kerketta said the indigenous people are usually innocent and gullible. They largely have a characteristic of trusting politicians with whom they share a natural bond. However, after decades of deceit, the majority tribal population is now increasingly becoming politically aware and calculative while casting votes. So candidates should nurture no misconception that mingling with tribal voters before elections would make them victorious, he cautioned.

Two killed in road mishap during Ram Navami procession in Odisha

Rourkela: Two youths were killed after their motorcycle collided with a truck during a Ram Navami procession in Odishas Sundergarh district Wednesday, police said. The deceased were identified as Bastab Majhi (17) and Abhimanyu Baa (18) of Subdega area in the district. The incident occurred near a petrol pump at Tumulia under the jurisdiction of []

BJP names ex-Union min Ray as Rourkela assembly nominee

BJP names Dilip Ray for Rourkela. 21 candidates announced, including turncoats. Chaitanya Nandibali replaces Hantal. Surama Padhy replaces Martha. Turncoats: Amarendra Dash, Kailash Kulesika, Damburu Sisa. Ray's conviction stayed in coal allocation case.

From NIT Rourkela to UPSC Rank 2: Animesh Pradhan shares his secret to success

From NIT Rourkela to UPSC Rank Animesh Pradhan shares his secret to success

Dilip Ray returns to electoral politics, to contest from Rourkela assembly seat

BHUBANESWAR, APRIL 16: After a hiatus of five years, former Union minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Dilip Ray has returned to electoral politics as he made a cut into the second list candidates that was released by the party for assembly elections in Odisha. The BJP, which had on April 2 cleared 112 names for assembly polls, released 21 names in the second list. Dillip, who was elected to Odisha Legislative Assembly in 2014 by defeating Sarada Nayak of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Rourkela seat, had refrained from contesting from election in 2019. Rays return to electoral politics assumes significance as the BJP hopes his participation in the polls will have positive repercussions in Sundargarh parliamentary constituency and the seven assembly segments under it. BJP stalwart and former Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram is seeking his reelection from Sundergarh Lok Sabha seat. He is now pitted against former Hockey India captain Dilip Tirkey. The seven assembly segments that come under Sundargarh parliamentary constituency include Talsara, Sundargarh, Biramitrapur, Raghunathpali, Rourkela, Rajgangpur and Bonai. Dilip is a great asset for us. His presence in the electoral battlefield will make a huge difference. He carries the power to inspire the partys cadres and workers, said senior BJP leader Biranchi Tripathy. As many as four BJD turncoats who recently joined the BJP have found place in the second phase list. They include Jagannath Nundruka, Kailash Kulesika, Amarendra Dash and Dambaru Sisa. Kailash Kulesika, a firebrand tribal leader hailing from Rayagada district, said the BJP would do well this time in South Odisha and the BJD would be completely decimated. I was in the BJD. They had assured me that they would give me a ticket. Though I gave my blood and sweat for the party for years, they ignored my case and gave a ticket to Prabhu Jani as he protects and promotes their mining business interests in our area. They even tried to bribe me which I rejected, said Kulesika, The full list of BJP candidates for Assembly seats in Odisha Rourkela: Dilip Ray Patna (ST): Akhil Chandra Naik Saraskana (ST): Bhadav Hansdah Rairangpur (ST): Jolen Barda Bangiriposi (ST): Sanjali Murmu Karanjia (ST): Padmacharan Haibru Jharigam (ST): Narsingh Bhatra Bissam Cuttack (ST): Jagannath Nundruka Rayagada (ST): Basanta Kumar Ullaka Laximpur (ST): Kailash Kulesika Kotpad (ST): Rupa Bhatra Pottangi (ST): Chaitanya Nandibali Chitrokonda (ST): Dambaru Sisa Dabugam (ST): Somnath Pujari Rajanagar: Lalit Behera Balikuda-Ersama: Satya Sarathi Mohanty Jagatsinghpur: Amarendra Dash Kakatpur (SC): Baidhar Mallick Ranpur: Surama Padhy Sanakhemundi (ST): Uttam Kumar Panigrahi Mohana (ST): Prasanta Mallik

IIT grad from UP tops civil service exam, four from Delhi among top 10

NEW DELHI: Of the top 10 rank-holders of all-India UPSC 2023, the results of which were declared on Tuesday, four are from Delhi. Lucknows Aditya Srivastava, a former Goldman Sachs executive and currently an IPS trainee, has topped the coveted exams. Animesh Pradhan stood second from Odisha, and Telanganas Donuru Ananya Reddy third. Reddy is also the topper among female candidates. As many as 1,016 candidates cleared the exam. From Jamia Millia Islamia Universitys RCA Academy, 31 students cleared the UPSC exam and one of them is among the top 10. Srivastava qualified the exam with electrical engineering as his optional subject. Reddy, who possesses BA (Hons) in Geography from Miranda House, stood third with Anthropology as her optional subject. Ruhani, who secured the fifth rank, has a BA (Hons) in Economics from St Stephens College. Economics was her optional subject, according to the results of the civil services examination 2023. Ruhani who hails from Gurugram (Haryana), completed her Masters in Economics from IGNOU. She then joined the Indian Economics Service and worked for three years. She was posted at NITI Aayog for two years. Later, she joined the IPS. Ranked 6th, Srishti Dabas pursued her graduation from Delhi. Later, she worked with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Now she is working with the RBI. The Top three 1. Aditya Srivastava : Srivastava from Lucknow, a former Goldman executive and currently an IPS trainee qualified for the examination with Electrical Engineering as his optional subject. He holds a B Tech in Electrical Engineering from IIT Kanpur 2. Animesh Pradhan : Pradhan from Odisha is a computer science graduate from NIT Rourkela 3. Donuru Ananya Reddy: Reddy from Telangana, is also the topper among female candidates. She has studied BA (Hons) Geography from Miranda House, Delhi University 1,016 candidates cleared the exam

Dilip Rays candidature sparks cheer in Rourkela BJP camp

ROURKELA: Jubilation gripped the rank and file of BJP after the saffron party announced the candidature of former union minister Dilip Ray from Rourkela Assembly seat on Tuesday. Dilip too expressed his happiness and listed out his agenda for development of Rourkela city. If elected, he would ensure election to the Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) which has been pending for 12 years. I am thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP for reposing faith in me. I am very happy. The election is going to be challenging but I am ready for it, he said. Dilip said he would continue to work for the development of the city and also strengthen social harmony and ensure a peaceful environment for the people of Rourkela. Speaking about the mega projects initiated by the Modi government after his win from Rourkela in 2014, he said the second Brahmani bridge of NH-143, Rourkela airport and Ispat Post-Graduate Institute and Super Speciality Hospital have become operational. Dilips wife Pooja also thanked the BJP leadership and the people of Rourkela. On the day, hundreds of Dilips supporters and well-wishers greeted him at his residence. The BJP leader was also accorded a rousing welcome when he arrived at the party office here. Significantly, Dilip tendered his resignation from the BJP and MLA post in November 2018, which was never accepted. It is for the first time he appeared at the BJP office in person. Dilip will be locking horns with BJD candidate and minister Sarada Prasad Nayak in Rourkela.

Animesh fulfills late mothers dreams, bags 2nd rank in UPSC

BHUBANESWAR: How I wish, my parents were alive to see me become an IAS officer, was the first reaction of Animesh Pradhan after the results of Civil Services Examination-2023 were announced by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Tuesday. While Animesh has done the state proud by securing an all-India second rank, for him it was more about fulfilling his mothers last wish. He lost his mother Aruna Patra to cancer just last month and his father Pravakar Pradhan to heart attack in 2015, when he was in Class-XI. Hailing from Bhalugadia village in Talcher, 24-year-old Animesh has cleared the examination in his first attempt. This was a dream from my higher secondary school days. It has finally come true. I wish, my parents were alive to see me become an IAS, said the techie who has been a topper throughout his career. After his fathers demise, Aruna, a school teacher had to join MCL as an accounts clerk to fend for her family of three including Animesh and his sister Anwesha. His father Pravakar was a lecturer of political science at Hingula college in Talcher. It was my father who had instilled the aim of becoming an IAS in me. But, my mother had really backed me in my efforts. Her last wish was to see my UPSC results but destiny had different plans, said Animesh, who started preparation for the examination in 2022. The same year, his mother was diagnosed with cancer. I wanted to clear the examination for the sake of my mother who single-handedly ensured that my sister and I had good education and careers in the absence of our father, he said. A BTech in computer science from NIT-Rourkela, Animesh opted for sociology as the optional subject in the UPSC examination. Sociology, because I loved the subject - particularly feminist studies - when it was introduced to us as a paper in our engineering education, said the DAV-Kalinga (MCL) alumnus. Animesh is currently employed as information system officer with Indian Oil Corporation Ltd at New Delhi, which he had got through during his campus recruitment drive at NIT-R in 2021. Since juggling work with regular IAS preparation was impossible for him, he only appeared for the mock test series of various IAS coaching centres at Delhi beyond his work hours. In Odisha, Animesh wants to work for people at the grassroots, be it education or healthcare. I have seen how poverty affects lives in the rural belts of Talcher and Angul. I want to ensure that poor people do not suffer, he said. As many as 10 aspirants from Odisha have secured ranks in the exams this year. Prajnanandan Giri and Ayushi Pradhan have cleared the examination and secured 24th and 36th rank respectively. Jayashree Pradhan has bagged 52nd rank, Abhimanyu Malik 60th and Amritanshu Nayak 110th. Similarly, Shubhra Panda, Rashmi Pradhan, Biswajit Panda and Sourav Das have secured 204, 319, 343 and 466 ranks respectively. Rakesh Kumar Sahoo and Anup Nayak have secured 575 and 1,001 ranks.

Odisha: Gender equality elusive as parties play it safe in Sundargarh

ROURKELA: BJD may be a champion of women empowerment but when it comes to Sundargarh district, the ruling party has shied away from fielding female candidates either in the Lok Sabha constituency or the seven Assembly seats under it. BJDs arch rival BJP has fielded two women candidates for the Assembly elections while the Congress has put up one female nominee. With the district having a poor track record of women contesting or winning elections, political parties are dragging their feet on fielding female candidates unless strongly convinced of their winning prospects. Political observers said amid tough electoral equations, the BJD refrained from taking any chance. For the Sundargarh LS constituency and six Assembly seats, it has put up all male nominees. The remaining RN Pali is also going to get a male candidate. In 2019, the BJD fielded Sunita Biswal, daughter of former Congress chief minister Hemanand Biswal, from the prestigious Sundargarh LS seat. But her electoral debut was a debacle as she lost to BJP heavyweight Jual Oram with around 2.23 lakh votes. Women candidates in the poll fray this time are BJPs sitting MLA Kusum Tete from Sundargarh Assembly seat and Sebati Nayak from Bonai. Congress has fielded its only female candidate Sudharani Roudia from Sundargarh seat. While Tete needs no introduction having proved her mettle with a win in 2019, senior BJP leader of Bonai Luthar Oram said Sebati is a member of the partys state executive committee and former chairperson of Lahunipada panchayat samiti (PS). Oram claimed she is a strong contender in the Bonai Assembly seat. General secretary of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Raj Kishore Sarangi said Sudharani has adequate experience in grassroots politics and was the Hemgir PS chairperson from 2017 to 2022. With Sudharani in the fray, it is going to be a triangular fight in Sundargarh seat, he added. Since 1951, elections for the Sundargarh LS constituency were held 17 times and Frida Topno was the only woman to win the seat twice for Congress in 1991 and 1996. While Sundargarh Assembly seat has so far produced two women MLAs, Kusum Tete and another BJP legislator Sushma Naik in 2005, Frida Topno had once contested and won from RN Pali in 1985. Talsara, Rajgangpur, Birmitrapur, Bonai and Rourkela Assembly seats have never seen any woman legislator. The ruling BJD, which is at the forefront of advocating women reservation, had fielded a good number of female candidates in the panchayat elections in February 2022.

Former Goldman Sachs executive tops 2023 civil services exam

NEW DELHI: Lucknows Aditya Srivastava, a former Goldman Sachs executive and currently an Indian Police Service (IPS) trainee, has topped the coveted 2023 civil services examination. Animesh Pradhan secured the second position from Odissa, and Telanganas Donuru Ananya Reddy stood third. Reddy is also the topper among female candidates. A total of 1,016 candidates cleared the examination and have been recommended for various central government services. The Civil Services Exam is conducted annually in three stages -- preliminary, mains, and interview - by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) selects officers for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and Indian Police Service (IPS), among others. Srivastava, who left a lucrative job at Goldman Sachs in Bengaluru to pursue civil services, opted for Electrical Engineering as his optional subject and cleared the exam on his third attempt. He holds a B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering from IIT Kanpur. Previously, Srivastava had cleared his UPSC CSE 2022 and had ranked 236. He had opted for the Indian Police Service and is currently undergoing IPS training in Hyderabad. Second-ranked Animesh Pradhan is a computer science graduate from NIT Rourkela, while Reddy, the topper among women candidates, studied B.A (Hons) Geography from Miranda House, Delhi University. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X to congratulate those who cleared the prestigious examinations. I congratulate all those who have successfully cleared the Civil Services Examination, 2023. Their hard work, perseverance and dedication have paid off, marking the start of a promising career in public service. Their efforts will shape the future of our nation in the times to come. My best wishes to them. He also had advice for those who couldnt make it. I want to tell those who didnt achieve the desired success in the Civil Services Examination - setbacks can be tough, but remember, this isn't the end of your journey. There are chances ahead to succeed in Exams, but beyond that, India is rich with opportunities where your talents can truly shine. Keep striving and exploring the vast possibilities ahead. Wishing you all the very best. The UPSC mains examination was conducted on September 15, 16, 17, 23, and 24, 2023. The interviews for the personality test were conducted in January-April 2024. The top 25 candidates comprise ten women and 15 men.

Rourkela set for big fight after Dilip Ray named as BJP candidate

Odisha's Rourkela assembly is going to witness a contest between two heavyweight candidates - former union minister Dilip Ray of the BJP and state Labour Minister Sarada Prasad Nayak of the BJD. Ray is a former central and state minister and three-time MLA from Rourkela, while Nayak is seeking his fourth term in the constituency.

BJP Releases 2nd List Of Candidates For Odisha Assembly Polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday released 21 names in its second list of candidates for the forthcoming Assembly elections in Odisha. Out of the total 147 Assembly constituencies, the saffron party had on April 2 announced the names of 112 candidates. The full list of BJP candidates for Assembly seats in Odisha Rourkela: Dilip Ray Patna (ST): Akhil Chandra Naik Saraskana (ST): Bhadav Hansdah Rairangpur (ST): Jolen Barda Bangiriposi (ST): Sanjali Murmu Karanjia (ST): Padmacharan Haibru Jharigam (ST): Narsingh Bhatra Bissam Cuttack (ST): Jagannath Nundruka Rayagada (ST): Basanta Kumar Ullaka Laximpur (ST): Kailash Kulesika Kotpad (ST): Rupa Bhatra Pottangi (ST): Chaitanya Nandibali Chitrokonda (ST): Dambaru Sisa Dabugam (ST): Somnath Pujari Rajanagar: Lalit Behera Balikuda-Ersama: Satya Sarathi Mohanty Jagatsinghpur: Amarendra Dash Kakatpur (SC): Baidhar Mallick Ranpur: Surama Padhy Sanakhemundi (ST): Uttam Kumar Panigrahi Mohana (ST): Prasanta Mallik

Aditya Srivastava tops civil services exam; Animesh Pradhan, Donuru Ananya Reddy get 2nd, 3rd ranks

Aditya Srivastava has topped the prestigious civil services examination 2023, with Animesh Pradhan and Donuru Ananya Reddy getting the second and third ranks respectively, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) announced on Tuesday. Srivastava qualified the examination with electrical engineering as his optional subject. He has done his graduation (Bachelor of Technology) in electrical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, according to the results of the civil services examination 2023 announced by the UPSC on Tuesday. Animesh Pradhan, a graduate (BTech) in computer science from National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela, secured the second rank with sociology as

BJP nominates ex-Union Minister Dilip Ray from Rourkela, Surama Padhi gets Ranpur seat

BHUBANESWAR: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday released the second list of candidates for 21 Assembly seats and nominated former Union Minister Dilip Ray from Rourkela. In a notable change, the central election committee (CEC) of the BJP renominated senior leader and former minister Surama Padhi from Ranpur Assembly segment by replacing Tapas Ranjan Martha. Martha, BJP's Nayagarh district unit president, was among the 112 candidates who figured in the first list the party announced on April 2. He was stated to have the backing of national spokesperson and Puri Lok Sabha candidate Sambit Patra. Pottangi is the other Assembly constituency where the party changed the nominee. Chaitanya Nandibali has replaced Chaitanya Hantal as the latter belong to scheduled caste. The assembly seat is reserved for scheduled tribe (ST). Days after joining the BJP, former Congress MLA from Laxmipur Kailash Chandra Kulesika has got nomination from the seat. Kulesika had joined BJD following assurance of a ticket from the regional party which repeated its sitting MLS Prabhu Jani. Making an explosive statement after his nomination, Kulesika alleged that tickets are being sold by the BJD and the asking rate for Laxmipur was in the range of Rs 5 crore to 6 crore. Earlier, he had claimed that the BJD offered him Rs 1 crore with a promise to make him the chairman of the Special Development Council if he withdrew from the ticket race. As many as 16 out of the 21 candidates are new faces. The party sprang a surprise by naming Lalit Behera, a political greenhorn from a moderate background for politically sensitive Rajnagar Assembly seat. After a long wait for BJD to name its candidate for Kakatpur seat, the BJP has accommodated former MLA from Nimapara Baidhar Mallick from the constituency. After denying renomination to Union Minister Bishweswar Tudu from Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat, the party has not considered his candidature for Assembly election so far.

Odisha: BJP announces names of 21 Assembly candidates, Dilip Ray to contest from Rourkela

Odisha Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in the state will be held simultaneously in four phases on May 13, 20, 25 and June 1. . While releasing the second list of candidates for the Odisha Assembly elections, the party nominated Ray from the Rourkela assembly seat. At least five turncoats who recently joined the BJP after quitting the BJD also got BJP tickets. They are Amarndra Dash (Jagatsinghpur), Dambaru Sisa (Chitrakonda), Kalilash Kulesika (Laxmipur), Bhadav Hansdah (Saraskana) and Jagannath Nudruka (Bissam Katak).

LS polls 2024: BJP replaces Union minister Som Parkash with his wife in Hoshiarpur

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Tuesday named seven more candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, fielding Udayanraje Bhosale, a descendant of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji, from Satara in Maharashtra. The ruling party dropped Union minister Som Parkash from Hoshiarpur in Punjab but decided to field his wife Anita Som Parkash to keep the influential local leader's support intact. It has fielded former IAS officer Parampal Kaur Sidhu, who comes from an influential political family long associated with the Akali Dal, from Bathinda. In Uttar Pradesh, the party has fielded Vishwadeep Singh from Firozabad and Shashank Mani Tripathi from Deoria, dropping its sitting MPs from the two seats. It has named Abhijit Das from Diamond Harbour in West Bengal. With the new list, the party has named its candidates for around 430 seats for the polls to 543 seats starting from April 19. The party also released its second list of 21 candidates for the Odisha assembly polls, fielding former minister Dilip Ray from Rourkela. So far, the BJP has named 133 candidates for the sate polls.

BJP announces names of 21 Assembly candidates, Dilip Ray to contest from Rourkela

BJP announces names of 21 Assembly candidates, Dilip Ray to contest from Rourkela The BJP on Tuesday released the names of 21 candidates for the Odisha Assembly elections, including that of former Union Coal Minister Dilip Ray. While releasing the second list of candidates for the Odisha Assembly elections, the party nominated Ray from the Rourkela assembly seat. At least five turncoats who recently joined the BJP after quitting the BJD also got BJP tickets. They are Amarndra Dash (Jagatsinghpur), Dambaru Sisa (Chitrakonda), Kalilash Kulesika (Laxmipur), Bhadav Hansdah (Saraskana) and Jagannath Nudruka (Bissam Katak). Ray will fight against Odisha's Labour Minister and BJD candidate Sarada Nayak from the Rourkela seat. The party also changed two candidates who were named in the previous list. Surama Padhi was replaced by Tapas Ranjan Martha in the Ranpur assembly segment while the party nominated Chaitanya Nandibali in place of Chaitanya Hantal in the Pottangi assembly segment. Two women candidates - Surama Padhi and Sanjali Murmu (Bangirposi) - also figure in the list of 21 candidates released by the BJP. With this, the BJP has so far announced the names of 131 candidates out of 147 assembly segments in Odisha. The party had earlier released the names of candidates for all the 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Odisha Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in the state will be held simultaneously in four phases on May 13, 20, 25 and June 1.

BJP Announces Candidates For 21 Assembly Constituencies In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today announced candidates for 21 Assembly Constituencies in Odisha for the upcoming elections. While former Union Minister Dilip Ray, who recently received a breather from the Delhi High Court in a coal scam, has been fielded from Rourkela Assembly seat, Surama Padhy will contest from Ranpur seat in the [] The post BJP Announces Candidates For 21 Assembly Constituencies In Odisha appeared first on Pragativadi | Odisha News, Breaking News Odisha, Latest Odisha News .

Odisha sizzles under scorching sun; capital city Bhubaneswar reels under 41.2 degree Celsius

Bhubaneswar: Odisha capital Bhubaneswar, Chandbali in Bhadrak district and Nuapada on Monday recorded a maximum of 41.2 degrees Celsius temperature by 2.30 pm, said to be the highest this summer. A few other places like Baripada (41.4 degrees Celsius), Malkangiri (41.1 degrees Celsius); Paralakhemundi, Jharsuguda and Jagatsinghpur ( all 41 degrees Celsius), Balasore (40 degrees Celsius), Hirakud (39.5 degrees Celsius), Sambalpur (39.4 degrees Celsius) and Rourkela (39.2 degrees Celsius), also witnessed extreme heatwave conditions. The weather department warned that the heat wave condition will continue for the next five days. Maximum temperature (day Temperature) is likely to rise gradually by 4-6 degrees Celsius at many places over the districts of Odisha during the next 4-5 days, said India Meteorological (IMD), predicting that the mercury may touch 43 to 45 degrees Celsius at some places between April 17 and April 20. We have issued a warning for a heatwave in the coming five days. Currently, the dry air entering the state from the west and north-west in the lower part of the atmosphere and the intensity of sunlight are contributing to the rising mercury, said Umashankar Dash, weather scientist at IMD Bhubaneswar. According to the IMD officials, the mercury began to rise early in the morning. By 8.30 am, the temperature had reached 32 degree Celsius.

Odisha Congress dumps hockey star Prabodh, scores a self-goal

ROURKELA: Former India hockey captain Prabodh Tirkeys tryst with politics has been ironically painful after the Congress dumped him by cancelling his nomination from Talsara Assembly seat in the tribal-dominated Sundargarh district. A popular figure in the region, the 39-year-old former star player has been replaced with a lesser-known new entrant in Congress Debendra Bhitiria. A visibly emotional Prabodh said he felt insulted at the shocking and unceremonious treatment by the Congress. I dont know why my candidature was dropped. The Congress should not have made me a candidate in the first place. When I started campaigning in the constituency, I was abruptly dropped. I am feeling insulted as they (Congress) didnt even show the courtesy to explain me the reason, he said. A senior Congress leader said the party might have thought of securing the votes of the dominating Bhuiyan community through Bhitiria as out of 14 elections held so far, Bhuiyan candidates have won 13 times. The former hockey star joined Congress on September 4 last year and the party announced his nomination in its first list on April 2. However, he was replaced with Bhitiria in another list released by the Congress on Sunday evening. Bhitiria, a former government employee belonging to the Bhuiyan community, had unsuccessfully contested as sarpanch from Subdega panchayat in February 2022. He joined Congress in December 2023. Prabodh said he tried to contact the president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Sarat Pattanayak and AICC Odisha in-charge Ajoy Kumar, but they did not respond. Equally surprised are the senior Congress leaders in the district who apprehend that the party would find it increasingly hard to defend its self-destructive decision as Prabodh is seen as a national pride. In fact, the demoralised Congress rank and file in the constituency was upbeat after finding a popular and high-profile candidate with wide acceptance among the villagers of Talsara. Retired government hockey coach and Congress supporter Sylvestor Toppo said the partys decision is suicidal and would adversely impact Congress performance in the entire district. The decision makers in Congress should have known the widespread popularity and acceptance of Prabodh among the tribal masses of the constituency before dealing with him in an unceremonious way. District Congress committee president and the partys Sundargarh Lok Sabha candidate Janardan Dehury said he was neither consulted not informed about the decision by the party bosses. BJPs Sundargarh organisational district president and sitting MLA of Talsara Bhabani Shankar Bhoi threw his weight behind Prabodh and said by showing disrespect to the icon, the Congress has offended the hockey-crazy people of the district and the tribal masses. Prabodh is a native of Nuapada under Lulkidihi Mouza in Balishankara which is considered the cradle of field hockey. He is the younger brother of another hockey great Ignace Tirkey. The Balishankara block is credited to have produced dozens of high profile international hockey players including the legendary Dilip Tirkey, the BJDs Lok Sabha (LS) candidate from Sundargarh.

Man gets life term for double murder

Rourkela: The court of Additional District Judge (2) here sentenced a man to life imprisonment after convicting him in a 2015 double murder case which had created a lot of hue and cry in the area. Declaring his verdict in the case, the judge sentenced the accused Raju Panna to life imprisonment. The additional district []

Rourkela gears up for Ram Navami

Rourkela: Preparations are on in full swing to celebrate Ram Navami in this city and adjoining areas grandly Wednesday, various people associated with the programmes informed Sunday. They added security measures have also been tightened keeping in mind that this is the election year. Administrative officials said 58 associations have filed applications to take out []

Congresss last citadel Rajgangpur in Sundargarh district under threat

ROURKELA: In face of a powerful onslaught by the BJD and BJP, Congress MLA CS Razzen Ekka may find it tough to protect the grand old partys last bastion of Rajgangpur Assembly seat in Sundargarh district. Amid the precarious organisational strength of Congress in the district, even committed party men are not sure if Ekka would be able to retain the seat. CS Razzen Ekka Pitted against Ekka is BJDs Anil Barwa, the son of former minister and the ruling partys state vice-president Mangla Kisan. The BJP has repeated the candidature of Narsingh Minz. A retired Lt Colonel in the Indian Army, Ekka was working in the medial facility of L&T Works at Kansbahal in Rajgangpur block when Congress roped him in as its nominee in 2019. Ekka won but the margin was thin. Yet, he was the only Congress candidate to emerge victorious while others lost in the rest six Assembly seats in Sundargarh. Congress insiders said as Ekka ends his tenure, his good image continues. However, he is considered as a non-performing MLA as a sizable segment of the Congress rank and file is not satisfied with him. People also struggled to access their MLA. A senior Congress leader said with a sitting MLA, the upcoming contest in Rajgangpur is supposed to be a triangular contest. But the fight would largely be confined between BJD and BJP with the Congress finishing at a distant third. In 2019, Ekka bagged 53,918 votes to win by a slender margin of 946 votes over Kisan who secured 52,972 votes. Significantly, BJPs Minz finished third by securing 52,896 votes. Senior BJD leader Jitendra Das said the ruling party had swept all the zilla parishad seats and Rajgangpur municipality election in 2022. With people-oriented programmes and development activities of BJD government, the ruling party candidate will win convincingly. Political observers said in 2019, majority of the tribal Christian votes had gone to the Congress and the rest were bagged by BJD. This time, the situation is likely to reverse as BJDs Sundargarh Lok Sabha candidate Dilip Tirkey may pull the majority Christian votes for his party candidate in Rajgangpur. BJP candidate Minz said majority of the voters have a strong liking for Prime Minister Narendra Modis development agenda and welfare programmes. People are getting swayed with BJPs nationalistic ideology for a strong and developed nation. Ekka could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

Use of DMF funds to improve rural life a poll focus in Sundargarh Assembly seat

ROURKELA: With BJD candidate Jogesh Singh and sitting legislator of BJP Kusum Tete eyeing the Sundargarh Assembly seat, the tribal constituency is set to witness a tough fight between two traditional arch rivals this election. Though both the leaders have separate agendas for the polls, their common goal lies in improving the quality of life of rural populace and ecology by using funds from the District Mineral Foundation (DMF). Before the 2019 election, Jogesh, the then sitting MLA of Congress, switched sides to join the BJD. Similarly, after being denied ticket from the ruling party, Kusum embraced the BJP. Even as the upcoming polls are just round the corner, both the candidates have geared up to win the voters confidence. Jogesh, a two-time Sundargarh MLA said he has been focusing on highlighting development and welfare programmes undertaken by the Naveen Patnaik government and promises of the BJD to the people. As Sundargarh is a mining-affected region, Jogesh said he plans to utilise DMF funds to benefit the people and support the environment. If elected to power, I would ensure street light arrangement for all villages, he said pointing at the inconvenience faced by local residents after sundown. He said street lighting would further reduce incidents of elephants entering into villages, and snake bite. I also plan to renovate dried up community water bodies across the constituency as it would solve the water scarcity issue as well as improve the level of groundwater, he said. The BJD candidate stressed he would also ensure easy drinking water access to those households that are not covered under the mega drinking water project. Similarly, BJP MLA Tete said her proposed DMF projects worth over Rs 100 crore have benefitted villagers across the constituency. Pointing at lack of proper communication in interior pockets due to non-motorable roads, Tete said if elected to power she would use DMF and other funds to remove all geographical barriers and lay roads in areas not covered under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). The BJP MLA further informed she plans to set up large community centres from MLALAD, DMF or CSR funds to allow holding of large community services and expand the street lighting programme. If re-elected, I would ensure drinking water availability to all and also set up small lift irrigation points or check-dams using DMF fund to support agriculture and the environment, she asserted. The scheduled tribe (ST) constituency comprises the Sadar, Tangarpali, coal-rich Hemgir blocks and seven gram panchayats of Lephripara and the Sundargarh Municipality. It has about 2.34 lakh voters with vote casting pattern of 75 per cent. The Sundargarh MLA has been an ex-officio member of the DMF.

Pradhan slams Odisha govt over DMF fund misuse in mineral-bearing areas

BHUBANESWAR: Continuing his attack on the state government, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday raised the issue of utilisation of district mineral foundation (DMF) funds in mineral-bearing districts. Expressing concern over media reports that residents of Kapand village in Badapurunapali panchayat under Lahunipada block of Sundargarh have taken it upon themselves to construct a road after their repeated appeals to the district administration went unheeded, Pradhan asked, Is this the transformation brought about in the lives of people by the state government in the last 24 years? Taking to social media handle X, the minister said DMF fund was created by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the prime objective of improving the quality of life of people in mineral-bearing districts affected by mining activities. Sundargarh district has so far received Rs 6,405 crore in DMF of which only Rs 860 crore has been utilised. The Modi government has created DMF fund for the development of education, health and transportation in tribal areas. A total of Rs 6,405 crore has been received in DMF in Sundargarh, a mineral rich district, while only Rs 860 crore has been spent, he posted on X. Pradhan sought justification of procurement of expensive vehicles by Rourkela police and construction of boundary wall of Sundargarh circuit house from DMF fund which is meant for priority activities like construction of road, supply of drinking water, improvement of health services and education. The minister further said out of 88.76 lakh households in rural areas, around 23.89 lakh families do not have access to safe drinking water through tap. Around 56.12 per cent of the villagers are still using contaminated water. In at least 15 districts of the state, clean drinking water is not available for more than 40 per cent of the families. Even in urban areas, 31.2 per cent families are deprived of safe drinking water. Referring to the boycott threat by women voters of Mahakalapada area of Kendarapara district over water crisis, Pradhan again questioned whether this is the transformation the government is talking about.

Peace committee meeting held in Rourkela for Ram Navami processions

Rourkela: An all-important peace committee meeting was held Saturday at the SP office in Rourkela. Ram Navami, which is going to be celebrated April 17, is one of the most important events in the religious calendar of the Steel City. This year 15 akhadas or arenas are to participate in the processions that start at []

Ram Navami processions permitted amid model code of conduct

ROURKELA: In strict adherence to the election code of conduct and with permission from the administration, 58 Akhada Committees in Rourkela will be permitted to conduct Ram Navami processions in their respective areas between April 17 and 21. With the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in effect for the upcoming Assembly and Parliamentary polls in Sundargarh district on May 20, the administration has cautioned the Akhada Committees to adhere to the guidelines set by the Election Commission of India (ECI). A coordination meeting was convened on Saturday by the DIG of police in charge of Rourkela, SP Brijesh Kumar Rai, along with Rourkela ADM Ashutosh Kulkarni, with members of the Akhada Committees. The officials apprised the committees about the dos and donts to be followed during the processions. Among the 58 Akhada Committees in the city, special attention is focused on 15 committees along the Rourkela main road, which have been permitted to conduct processions through the main road on April 18 between 2 pm and 7 pm. The SP advised the Akhada Committee members to maintain discipline and communal harmony for the peaceful conduct of the processions. Emphasising strict adherence to the MCC, it was stated that political individuals may participate in personal capacity, but political symbols or speeches will not be allowed. Violators of election guidelines or those making hate speech or hurting religious sentiments will be booked. The committees have been instructed to avoid sound pollution, obtain prior permissions from the administration, and coordinate with respective police stations.

BJD candidate Tirkey for Birmitrapur predicts win amid rift in party

ROURKELA: Amid reports of rift in BJDs Birmitrapur unit over the candidature of Rohit Joseph Tirkey, the ruling party candidate on Thursday said he is confident of securing a comprehensive victory over sitting BJP MLA Shankar Oram. Accompanied by his father George Tirkey, a four-time MLA of Birmitrapur, and supporters, Rohit told local mediapersons that he will secure over one lakh votes and win the Assembly seat comprehensively. He claimed there is no rift in BJD over his candidature and said most of the sarpanchs, panchayat samiti and zilla parishad members of Birmitrapur are with him. He further claimed there is a massive anti-incumbency wave against the sitting BJP legislator and accused Shankar of not staying in the constituency and working for the people during his five-year tenure. Rohit alleged that a misinformation campaign has been launched by his opponents about the rift. After Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced my candidature, all senior leaders of BJD and the partys rank and file in the constituency have accepted the decision and are supporting me. I am reaching out to people highlighting the all-round development activities and welfare programmes of the BJD government, he said. George said during his four terms as Birmitrapur MLA, he carried out a lot of development works and voters from across the constituency have overwhelming support for Rohit. In 2019, Rohit contested the election from Birmitrapur on a Congress ticket and came third with 44,212 votes against 60,937 votes secured by Shankar. BJD nominee Maklu Ekka was at the second spot with 44,586 votes. Recently, a host of senior BJD leaders of Birmitrapur quit the party protesting Rohits candidature.

Second AIIMS demand: BJD & BJP take to politics of convenience

ROURKELA: In what appears to be a convenient political ploy, both the BJD and BJP have put the demand for setting up Odishas second AIIMS at Sundargarh town, a burning issue for the arch rivals two years back, on the back burner in the run up to the General Elections. Before the panchayat elections in February 2022, BJD was aggressive with the demand while BJP with its government at the Centre was defensive. Local leaders of both the parties now appear to have come to terms with the hard truth that the Centre is unlikely to consider the demand and the issue may not rake up the kind of public passion generated before the rural polls. In a clever ploy to make electoral gains from the panchayat polls, the BJD government in the state had recommended the Centre to consider establishing Odishas second AIIMS using the newly-constructed medical college and hospital (MCH) building constructed by the NTPC. The demand quickly became an emotive issue for Sundargarh town and spread to the whole of Sundargarh sub-division and neighbouring pockets of Jharsuguda and Sambalpur districts. The BJD accused the BJP government at the Centre of neglecting the peoples demand. The saffron party, caught in a piquant situation, blamed the BJD government of playing vote bank politics. Now that the new MCH had become functional as the Sundargarh Government MCH, the BJD seems to be content taking credit for it. The BJP too is silent and unwilling to stir up the demand. Two-time MLA and BJD candidate for Sundargarh Assembly seat Jogesh Singh said the party still demands for the AIIMS in larger interest of the poor and tribal people of the region. Sitting MLA and BJPs nominee for Sundargarh Assembly seat Kusum Tete said irrespective of the poll results, she would take up the issue with the Centre after the elections. Former president of Sundargarh district Congress committee BM Tripathy said BJD and BJP are two sides of the same coin. The Congress would renew the AIIMS demand in the election campaign and also expose the BJP and BJD.

Will BJD drop 3-time MLA Subrat Tarai in RN Pali?

ROURKELA: Despite Subrat Tarai securing victory in the Raghunath (RN) Pali Assembly constituency for three consecutive terms, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) finds itself at crossroads, debating whether to field him again or introduce a new candidate. Tarais candidature is under serious scrutiny for more reasons than one - his long absence from the constituency, discontentment in the BJD rank and file and waning popularity. Although the top leadership of the BJD hesitates to dismiss a sitting MLA outright, they are carefully considering options at hand. While candidates have been timely declared for other Assembly segments in Sundargarh district and the Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat, the decision for RN Pali remains pending. Since the delimitation of the RN Pali Assembly seat in 2009, which became the only scheduled caste (SC) category seat in Sundargarh district, Tarai has consistently won the seat, albeit with diminishing margins. In the 2019 election, Tarai secured victory with a slim lead of approximately 4,684 votes, marking a decrease of 5.46 per cent in his total votes. BJD insiders said a large section of the BJD rank and file along with the voters of the constituency are up against the repeat candidature of Tarai. With onset of COVID-19 pandemic during April 2020 till middle of 2023, Tarai was rarely present in RN Pali eventually weakening the BJD organisation in the segment. On the other hand, Prafulla Sunani, the unsuccessful Congress nominee of 2009, was recently inducted into the BJD, sparking speculation about his potential candidacy. Many believe he might finally get the BJD ticket due to his financial strength more than anything else, while others believe Tarai may be given another chance. The BJP which was weak in 2009 and finished third with around 11,000 votes, leapfrogged in 2014 to second position with 33,000 votes. In 2019, the party secured about 40,100 votes, while BJD ticket aspirant Prashant Sethi as Congress candidate got about 20,000 votes. But even after his defeat, Sethi, a social activist, has never stopped meeting the voters. He quit Congress 10 months ago with the apparent intention to rejoin BJD. Sethi is also aspiring for BJD ticket, but his re-entry has not yet been formalised. BJD president for RN Pali AC Artatran Maharana said the candidate for the constituency will be finalised in a day or two.

Thousands of tribals celebrate Sarhul festival in Sundargarh

ROURKELA: Thousands of tribals from across the Sundargarh district offered prayers to the nature as a part of the Sarhul festival and also performed symbolic wedding of mother earth and sun god at the Sarna Puja Sthal at Uditnagar. Braving sultry weather conditions, the tribal women wearing white sarees carried pots filled with grains and marched in an impressive procession from two directions to the Sarna Puja Sthal (sanctum sanctorium) venue in front of Rourkela Municipal College. Tribal leader Manilal Kerketta said the Sarhul festival is the most prominent religious festival of aboriginal tribal folks and it was organised jointly by the Raji Parha Sarna Prarthana Sabha and Kendriya Sarhul Puja Committee. Tribal communities from Sundargarh district, and nearby districts of Jharsuguda, Sambalpur and Keonjhar besides Jharkahnd and Madhya Pradesh participated in the celebrations. Sundargarh Lok Sabha (LS) member and BJP nominee for the Sundargarh LS Jual Oram participated in the celebrations.

Sundargarh gears up for kharif season with pre-positioning of seeds, fertilisers

ROURKELA: Agriculture authorities in rain-fed Sundargarh district are gearing up for the upcoming kharif crop season with pre-positioning of seeds and fertilisers, the distribution of which is likely to start in a fortnight. Sundargarh has a total of 3.13 lakh hectare (ha) farmland. In 2023 kharif season, paddy was grown in around 1.96 lakh ha and the rest was covered under non-paddy crops. Agriculture authorities informed that certified high-yielding paddy seeds of different durations are supplied by the Odisha State Seeds Corporation Ltd (OSSC) at subsidised rates. The seeds are provided to farmers through large and multi-purpose cooperative societies (LAMPCSs) and authorised private dealers. Seed sowing in Sundargarh symbolically starts on the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya which will be observed on May 10 this year. Farmers are likely to start storing seeds from end of April. Last year, the seed distribution target could not be achieved due to short supply. Less than 24,000 quintal seeds could be provided in 2023 kharif season, they said. Chief district agriculture officer (CDAO) of Sundargarh Harihar Nayak said for the upcoming kharif season, it is targeted to provide around 30,000 quintal of paddy seeds subject to availability with the OSSC. Some LAMPCSs already have stocks of different fertilisers and further requisitions would be send for timely supply. But in absence of railway rake point at Rourkela, timely arrival of fertilisers remains a problem for the district, he said. About the just-concluded rabi crop season 2023, the CDAO said 99,260 ha were taken up for cultivation of mostly non-paddy crops and the achievement was normal. Around 27,900 ha were covered under the comprehensive rice fallow management (CRFM) programme with cultivation of mustard, moong, biri, lentils and chickpea. The crop production was robust. Nayak said in the last rabi season, paddy was grown over nearly 600 ha with assured irrigation. Production of other major crops on the rest 70,000 ha including vegetables, oilseeds, pulses and condiments was normal. The district agriculture strategy committee meeting for the ensuing kharif season to finalise crop programme would be held as early as possible after counting of votes on June 4 for the general elections, the CDAO added.

Vijay Pal Singh Tomar talks poll strategy as Dilips arrival boosts BJP morale

ROURKELA: BJPs Odisha in-charge Vijay Pal Singh Tomar held discussion on the partys election strategy for Sundargarh Lok Sabha (LS) and its seven Assembly seats with senior leaders here on Thursday. On reaching Rourkela, Tomar was accorded a warm welcome by local BJP workers led by the partys Sundargarh LS candidate Jual Oram. Later at the Mayfair World Cup Village, he convened meetings of the Lok Sabha election steering and election presentation committees for Sundargarh district. President of BJPs Panposh organisational district Latika Patnaik said the partys state general secretary (organisation) Manas Mohanty, Sundargarh LS and six Assembly candidates besides senior district functionaries attended the meetings. Refusing to divulge details of the discussion, she said different committees for election management were declared on the day. Meanwhile, the morale of local BJP rank and file received a major boost after arrival of former union minister Dilip Ray at Rourkela on Wednesday evening. Thousands of supporters accorded a rousing welcome to Dilip and his wife Pooja who arrived in a chartered flight at Rourkela airport. BJPs Sundargarh MP Jual Oram was also present at the airport to receive him. Dilip is likely to be BJPs candidate from Rourkela Assembly seat after the Delhi High Court stayed his conviction in the coal scam case, allowing him to contest the upcoming elections. Dilip said he was overwhelmed with the love showered on him by the people of Rourkela. About contesting from Rourkela, he said his previous resignation has not been accepted by the BJP yet and he is still in the party. As people are ready for the election, I am also prepared. BJPs decision about my candidature would be known in a couple of days, he added. On Thursday, Dilip visited the Idgah ground near Plant Site and exchanged greetings with people on the occasion of Eid-al-Fitr. BJP insiders said Dilips arrival at the steel city to contest from Rourkela has lifted the mood of BJP workers who were looking for a worthy candidate to match the BJD nominee and Labour Minister Sarada Prasad Nayak who will be seeking his fourth and second consecutive victory from Rourkela in 2024.

MBBS student defrauded of 6L in Rourkela

BJP to change Pottangi nominee after candidate faux pas

BHUBANESWAR: The BJP will change one of its candidates out of the 112 it had announced for Assembly elections, to be held simultaneously with Lok Sabha polls from May 13. This was informed by partys Odisha election co-in-charge Vijay Pal Singh Tomar here on his return from New Delhi on Wednesday. Without specifying the Assembly seat or name of the candidate, Tomar told reporters, A scheduled caste (SC) candidate has been erroneously named against a seat reserved for scheduled tribe (ST). Sources said the party named Chaitanya Hantal, who belongs to SC category, for Pottangi Assembly constituency by mistake. One of the Assembly segments under Koraput parliamentary constituency, Pottangi is reserved for ST category candidates. This came to the notice of the party when complaints started pouring in from tribal ticket aspirants from Pottangi. The state election committee of BJP has recommended two other names to the partys central election committee for consideration and selection of one candidate for the seat, sources added. On the announcement of candidates for the remaining 35 seats, Tomar said, names for a few Assembly seats will be declared within a day or two. The full and final list will be announced by April 20. Asserting that BJP will perform well in the upcoming elections, he said the party will put up an impressive show both in Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies of the state. There will be a double engine government in the state with a clear majority for BJP in the Assembly, Tomar added. Of the 28 Assembly seats under four parliamentary constituencies going to polls on May 13, the party has not announced candidates for nine. Four parliamentary constituencies will go to polls in the fifth phase. The party has already named candidates for all Assembly seats except Rourkela and Sanakhemundi.

BJD's Nayak in campaign mode, BJP yet to announce its candidate in Rourkela

ROURKELA: After his re-nomination from the Rourkela Assembly constituency, BJD Minister Sarada Prasad Nayak has kicked off his campaign for a contest which promises to be fascinating on May 20. Considered a litmus test for Nayak will lock horns - most probably - with former union Minister Dilip Ray after a decade. Nayak had faced defeat by 10,929 votes at the hands of Ray in 2014. Nayak said people of Rourkela are his strength and with the blessings of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the city, once considered dead with no takers for land even at throwaway prices, now symbolises development besides proudly hosting the FIH Mens Hockey World Cup 2023. My fight is for development of Rourkela. We are confident of making Naveen Patnaik the CM for the sixth term and a victory from Rourkela would be a gift to him. Nayak said the sea of BJD followers is enough for the opponent to gauge his standing. Asked about BJDs winning prospect in the Sundargarh LS seat, which is also set to witness a tight contest, Nayak claimed, BJD in Sundargarh is going to script history with its first win. He offered obeisance at the Shiva temple at Deogaon, Hanuman temple at Koelnagar and visited a church at Jhirpani on Tuesday. From Sankat Mochan temple near the railway station he set off an impressive road show to criss-cross almost entire Rourkela. BJDs LS nominee and hockey legend Dilip Tirkey accompanied Nayak. Meanwhile, BJP stalwart and Sundargarh LS nominee of BJP Jual Oram has said Ray in all likelihood is going to be BJP nominee from Rourkela and announcement from the BJP is expected anytime soon. With Rays candidature a foregone conclusion, a neck-to-neck contest in Rourkela is on the cards. In 2014, Ray had won by securing 59,653 votes with a vote percentage rise of 24.74 per cent. Nayak got 48,724 votes and his vote percentage loss was 13.74 pc. In 2019, Nayaks vote share rose by 7.78 pct, while BJPs Nihar Ray got 50,417 votes with a vote share drop of 9.2 pc. Rourkela has always been a major contributor in the victory of Jual from the LS constituency. In 2014, when Nayak was BJDs Rourkela nominee, BJDs then LS nominee Dilip Tirkey had got 42,227 votes from Rourkela, while Jual got 64,084 votes. In 2019, BJDs LS candidate Sunita Biswal got 36,781, while Jual bagged 68,118 votes. Jual has played a critical role to convince Ray to return to BJP after he quit in 2018 but remained neutral without any party.

Rourkela man sets world record by running 68km on treadmill in 12 hrs

Sumit Kumar Singh from Rourkela ran 68.04 km on a manual treadmill in 12 hours, setting a Guinness world record. He aims to promote fitness and mental health awareness, representing India in international races.

RDA employees suffer as salaries get delayed

Rourkela: Salaries of the employees of Rourkela Development Authority (RDA) for the month of March have been delayed due to transfer of an officer, sources stated here Wednesday. They said that employees are yet to receive their salaries as the signing authority, RDA secretary Chandrakant Mallick has been transferred on the orders of the Election []

Pranab Prakash Das hits back, asks why NH-55 is still incomplete

BHUBANESWAR: BJD organisational secretary and the ruling party candidate for Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat Pranab Prakash Das hit back at his BJP counterpart Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan accusing him of not doing enough for completing the NH-55 between Sambalpur and Cuttack, which continues to be in a precarious condition for years together. Taking the fight to Pradhan, Das, in a post on X claimed that more than 400 people have lost their lives in over 200 accidents on the road in the last 10 years. Whose inefficiency has led to such a huge number of accidents and who is responsible for this, he asked. Das stated that though Pradhan has been a union minister for the last 10 years, repair work of the NH-55 could not be completed. You are a Union minister, but repair work has not been completed on a single stretch of the NH. Whose failure is this, he questioned. You have made the life of the people of Sambalpur miserable and they are aware about the long list of your failures. How will you face the people of Sambalpur? The people will teach you a lesson in the coming election, he added. Countering Das, BJP MLA from Rengali Nauri Nayak said the all- round failure of the state government cannot be hidden. People are deprived of minimum amenities like drinking water, hospitals and roads, he said and added that patiets face difficulties in reaching nearby hospitals as there are no roads from their villages. People fall into open drains in Cuttack; jaundice and cholera are spreading in Sambalpur and Rourkela towns, he said.

Dilip Ray is likely to contest from Rourkela, says former Union Minister Jual Oram

Delhi High Court had stayed his 2020 conviction in connection with alleged irregularities in the allocation of a coal block in Jharkhand in 1999

Dilip Ray to Contest from Rourkela: Jual Oram

Senior BJP leader Jual Oram on Tuesday informed that Dilip Ray will be the partys candidate from the Rourkela seat. The announcement came following the Delhi High Courts order that stayed the conviction of former union minister in the 1999 coal scam case, allowing him to contest in the upcoming election, 2024. Oram confirmed that [] The post Dilip Ray to Contest from Rourkela: Jual Oram appeared first on Pragativadi | Odisha News, Breaking News Odisha, Latest Odisha News .

Bhubaneswar Records Maximum Temperature Of 36.2 Degrees C By 11:30 AM

Bhubaneswar: Odishas capital city Bhubaneswar on Sunday recorded a maximum day temperature of 36.2 degrees Celsius till 11:30 am. Similarly, Rourkela recorded 36 degree celsius, while Sambalpur recorded 35.5, Hirakud at 34.8, Chandbali at 34.7, Jharsuguda- 34.4 and Puri at 32.2 degree celsius. India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that people of Odisha will get [] The post Bhubaneswar Records Maximum Temperature Of 36.2 Degrees C By 11:30 AM appeared first on Pragativadi | Odisha News, Breaking News Odisha, Latest Odisha News .

Odisha: BJD releases list of nominees for 9 assembly seats

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Friday announced names of nine candidates for the assembly elections in the state. He, however, did not announce the name of Lok Sabha candidate for the Balasore seat. The nine names which were released in the third phase list include Sudarshan Haripal (Rengali), Sarada Prasad Nayak (Rourkela), Rohit George Tirkey (Biramitrapur), Meena Majhi (Keonjhar), Raisin Murmu (Rairangpur), Swarup Das (Balasore), Prakash Behera (Barabati-Cuttack), Prasant Behera (Salipur), Naba Kishore Mallik (Jayadev). With this, the BJD has fielded its candidates for 108 of 147 assembly seats. The party has so far announced nominees for 20 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats. On April 2, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had announced the much-awaited list of candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in Odisha. Of the total 147 Assembly constituencies, the saffron party announced the names of its candidates for 112 seats. The saffron party has already announced names of 21 Lok Sabha seats. Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan is contesting from Sambalpur. He is pitted against ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) stalwart Pranab Prakash Das. Almost all the sitting MLAs made a cut into the BJPs candidates list. There are 49 new faces in the list. Manmohan Samal, the BJP state president, will contest from Chandbali in Bhadrak district The Congress, also on April 2, announced candidates for 49 out of 147 assembly seats and eight out of 21 Lok Sabha seats. The grand old party fielded father-son duo Bhakta Charan Das and his son Sagar Charan Das from two different Assembly seats in Kalahandi district. It also gave tickets to father and daughter duo Bhujabal Majhi and Lipika Majhi respectively for Nabarangpur Lok Sabha seat and Dabugaon assembly constituency. Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Sarat Pattanayak will contest from Nuapada Assembly seat in Nuapada district. Former Indian hockey player Prabodh Tirkey has been fielded by Congress from the Talsara Assembly seat. Former chief secretary Bijay Patnaik has been fielded from the Paralakhemundi Assembly seat. Congress has fielded Manoj Mishra, Odia film actor, from Balangir district.

Odisha govt appoints new DMs of Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur

Odisha govt appoints new DMs of Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur The Odisha government has appointed two IAS officers as district magistrates of Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur after the Election Commission of India approved their posting, an official said. Arindam Dakua, a 2011-batch IAS officer was appointed as the new District Magistrate of Cuttack replacing Vineet Bharadwaj, while Anupam Saha, a 2012-batch IAS officer, replaced Parul Patwari as Jagatsingpur District Magistrate on Friday, the official said. On April 2, the Election Commission of India had ordered the Odisha government to transfer Bharadwaj and Patwari, along with six other IPS officers, to non-election-related posts with immediate effect. The 6 IPS officers who were transferred were: IGP (central range) Ashish Singh, Cuttack DCP Kanwar Vishal Singh, Rourkela SP Mitrabhanu Mohapatra, Angul SP Sudhansu Sekhar Mishra, Khurda SP Jugal Kishore Banoth and Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek Kumar. The state government has appointed Sanjay Kumar Kaushal as the new IG (Central) range in place of Ashish Singh. DIG of Police, Vigilance, Prakash R has also been transferred and posted as Cuttack DCP replacing Kanwar Vishal Singh, while DIG of Police, Intelligence in-charge Security Wing, Brijesh Kumar Rai, has been appointed as Rourkela SP, replacing Mitrabhanu Mahapatra. DIG of Police, SIW, Umashankar Dash, has been asked to take charge from Angul SP Sudhansu Sekhar Mishra. A Home department notification said Ashish Singh will be the new IGP in Chief Minister's Security, while Mitrabhanu Mahapatra was appointed as Additional Special Relief Commissioner. Vishal Singh has been posted as the DIG, SIW (special intelligence wing), while Sidhansu Sekhar Mishra will be the new SP Vigilance and Jugal Kishore Kumar Banoth will be AIG of Police, headquarters. Saravana Vivek M was posted as SP vigilance. A General administration department notification said Vineet Bhardwaj will be Director-cum-Additional Secretary in Drinking Water and Sanitation department while Parul Patawari was appointed as the State Project Director, Odisha Education Programme Authority. Puri Jagannath Temple Additional Chief Administrator Samartha Verma, a 2011-batch IAS officer, has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Works department while Subhankar Mohapatra, a 2018-batch IAS officer, has been appointed as Director in the Rural Development department.

Naveen Announces BJD Candidates For 9 Assembly Seats In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Friday released its third list of candidates for the ensuing elections to the Odisha Assembly. In a televised message, BJD Supremo & CM Naveen Patnaik announced the names of the partys candidates to contest for nine Assembly seats. Here is the list of candidates: Rengali: Sudarshan Haripal Rourkela: [] The post Naveen Announces BJD Candidates For 9 Assembly Seats In Odisha appeared first on Pragativadi | Odisha News, Breaking News Odisha, Latest Odisha News .

ECI approves names of three IPS officers for fresh posting in Odisha

The ECI in a letter to Odisha Chief Secretary has approved the appointment of Brijesh Kumar Rai for the post of Rourkela SP, Prakash R as Cuttack DCP, and Umashankar Dash as Angul SP.

ECI Approves Appointments Of New Rourkela SP, Cuttack DCP, Angul SP

Bhubaneswar: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has approved the appointments of new Rourkela SP, Cuttack DCP, and Angul SP. As per a letter sent by the ECI to Odisha Chief Secretary, Brijesh Kumar Rai will be appointed as Rourkela SP, Prakash R as Cuttack DCP, and Dr. Umashankar Dash as Angul SP. Rourkela [] The post ECI Approves Appointments Of New Rourkela SP, Cuttack DCP, Angul SP appeared first on Pragativadi | Odisha News, Breaking News Odisha, Latest Odisha News .

RSP gears up to get Responsible Steel certification

RSP gears up to get Responsible Steel certification Odisha-based Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP), a unit of Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), has engaged a multinational company to guide it and provide support in getting the 'Responsible Steel certification', an official said. 'Responsible Steel certification' combines all the complexities of good social and environmental performance across the value chain and is one of the most rigorous social and environmental standards in the industry. RSP has engaged Bureau Veritas Industrial Services, a reputed multinational company to guide and provide support in achieving this certification, the official said. The on-board cum kick-off meeting for this was held under the chairmanship of Atanu Bhowmick, director in charge of RSP with additional charge of Bokaro Steel Plant on Wednesday. ''The certification will not only validate our efforts to operate in an environmentally and socially responsible manner but also contribute in creating a sustainable society,'' Bhowmick said. He emphasised on completing the responsible steel certification process in the minimum possible time. By adhering to the rigorous standards set forth by Responsible Steel certification, RSP is willing to exhibit its commitment to transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement, the official said. Responsible Steel certification is not merely a matter of compliance but is a strategic imperative for long-term success and resilience.

Congress Announces Names Of Candidates For 8 Lok Sabha, 49 Assembly Seats In Odisha

The Indian National Congress on Tuesday announced the first list of candidates for eight Lok Sabha and 49 assembly seats in Odisha. As per the notification, Sanjay Bhoi will contest from Bargarh while Janardhan Dehury from Sundargarh. Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Sarat Pattanayak will contest from Nuapara assembly seats. Saptagiri Ulaka, the lone Congress Lok Sabha member from the state, has been renamed as the partys candidate from Koraput seat. He will fight against ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidate Kaushalya Hikka and BJPs Keleram Majhi. Noted cine actor Manoj Mishra has been nominated to contest from Bolangir LS seat. He will lock horns with BJPs Sangeeta Singhdeo. The BJD has not announced its candidate yet. As per the list, former MLA Bhujabal Majhi will contest from Nabarangpur Lok Sabha seat while his daughter Lipika Majhi has been nominated as the partys candidate for Dabugaon assembly seat. Former Union railway minister Bhakta Charan Das and his son Sagar Das have made a cut into the list of assembly candidates. The father and son duo will contest from Narla and Bhawanipanta assembly constituencies, respectively. Here is the list of Congress candidates for Lok Sabha seats in Odisha: 1. Bargarh Sanjay Bhoi 2. Sundargarh Janardan Dehury 3. Bolangir- Manoj Mishra 4. Kalahandi Draupadi Majhi 5. Nabarangpur Bhujabal Majhi 6. Kandhamal- Amir Chand Nayak 7. Berhampur- Rashmi Ranjan Patnaik 8. Koraput- Saptagiri Ulaka The list of 49 candidates for Assembly seats as announced by Odisha Congress: 1. Padampur Tankadhar Sahu 2. Bijepur Kishor Dafadar 3. Bargarh Nipon Kumar Dash 4. Bhatli Brahma Mahakud 5. Brajarajnagar Kishore Chandra Patel 6. Talsara (ST) Prabodh Tirkey 7. Sundargarh (ST) Sudharani Raudia 8. Biramitrapur Left to JMM 9. Raghunathpali (SC) Gopal Das 10. Rourkela Birendra Nath Pattnaik 11. Rajgangpur (ST) Dr. CS Raazen Ekka 12. Bonai (ST) Left to CPI-M 13. Loisingha (SC) Om Prakash Kumbhar 14. Patnagarh Anil Meher 15. Bolangir Samarendra Mishra 16. Kantabanji Santosh Singh Saluja 17. Nuapada Sarat Pattanayak 18. Umarkote (ST) Sanraj Gond 19. Jharigam (ST) Harabati Gond 20. Nabarangpur (ST) Dilip Pradhan 21. Dabugam (ST) Dr. Lipika Majhi 22. Lanjigarh (ST) Balabhadra Majhi 23. Junagarh Tuleswar Naik 24. Dharmgarh Rasmirekha Rout 25. Bhawanipatna (SC) Sagar Charan Das 26. Narla Bhakta Charan Das 27. Baliguda (ST) Surada Pradhan 28. G. Udayagiri (ST) Prafulla Chandra Pradhan 29. Phulbani (ST) Prativa Kanhar 30. Kantamal Manoj Kumar Acharya 31. Boudh- Naba Kumar Mishra 32. Banjanagar- Prasanta Bisoyi 33. Polasara- Agasti Barada 34. Kabisuryanagar- Chiranjeevi Bisoyi 35. Surada- Harikrishna Rath 36. Sanakhemundi- Ramesh Chandra Jena 37. Chikiti- Ravindra Nath Dyan Samantaray 38. Mohana Dasarathi Gomango 39. Paralakhemundi- Bijay Patnaik 40 Gunupur- Satyajeet Samango 41. Bissam Cuttack- Nilamadhab Hikaka 42. Rayagada- Kadraka Allapaswamy 43. Laxmipur- Pabitra Saunta 44. Kotpad- Anama Dian 45. Jeypore- Tara Prasad Bahinipati 46. Koraput- Krushna Chandra Kuldeep 47. Pottangi- Ramchandra Kadam 48. Malkangiri- Mala Madhi 49. Chitrakonda- Mangu Khila

Hockey India 6th Annual Awards 2023: Hardik Singh, Salima Tete win Player of The Year

Hockey India 6th Annual Awards 2023: Hardik Singh, Salima Tete win Player of The Year The highly-anticipated Hockey India 6th Annual Awards 2023 took place in New Delhi on Sunday, with the National Federation celebrating the country's best hockey stars, officials and legends of the sport. In the presence of some of the biggest names in Indian Hockey, Ashok Kumar won the prestigious Hockey India Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award, while Hardik Singh and Salima Tete were honoured with the Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of The Year 2023 awards in men's and women's categories, respectively. The total prize pool at Hockey India 6th Annual Awards 2023 was an 'unprecedented' Rs 7.56 crores, according to an official release. Opening the awards gala, Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh welcomed the guests, dignitaries and hockey stars. It is always a great occasion for us at Hockey India when we are able to gather under the same roof and celebrate everyone, who has been responsible for helping our beloved sport in its tremendous growth over the past year. I offer my congratulations to all the players, officials, and support staff for their unparalleled strength, fierce determination and relentless pursuit of excellence, because of which Indian hockey has scaled to new heights, he was quoted as saying in a release by Hockey India. I congratulate all the nominees and the winners for their invaluable contribution, and also thank our beloved legends of the sport for their presence, and for being a source of inspiration for all of us, as we move further into another important year for the sport of hockey. Hockey India has been taking incredible steps to further grow the sport and we also want to re-confirm today that we will soon launch the Hockey India League for both teams with eight Men's teams and six women's teams. We aim to launch the same latest by January next year, he added. The ceremony started with the Milestone Awards 2023, with Vivek Sagar Prasad, Hardik Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Sumit, Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Udita, Salima Tete, and Gurjant Singh winning a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh and a trophy each for completing 100 International caps. Nikki Pradhan, Amit Rohidas, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, and Neha were also presented with Rs 1.5 lakh and a trophy each for reaching the milestone 150 international caps. Indian men's hockey team defender Harmanpreet Singh was awarded Rs 2 Lakh and a trophy for completing 200 International caps, while Indian women's hockey team goalkeeper Savita was presented with Rs 2.5 Lakh along with a trophy for earning her 250th International cap. Indian men's hockey team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh was presented with a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh along with a trophy for earning his 300th International cap. Last year, Vandana Katariya became the first Indian women's hockey team player to earn her 300th International cap. She received a cheque of Rs 3 Lakh along with a trophy for reaching the career milestone. The final milestone award of Rs 3.5 lakh and a trophy was presented to Manpreet Singh for playing 350 international matches for India. In the second category of Individual Achievement Awards, Deepika, Mohith H S, Annu, Anjali Barwa, Maninder Singh, Deepika Soreng, Mandeep Singh, Salima Tete, Sangita Kumari, Harmanpreet Singh were awarded a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh and a trophy each for their spectacular individual performances across tournaments. Savita, who was awarded FIH Goalkeeper of the Year at the Star Awards 2023, received Rs 5 lakh while Hardik Singh, who was awarded FIH Player of the Year at the Star Awards 2023, was presented a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh. The gold medal-winning Indian junior men's Hockey team of Uttar Pradesh Hockey Junior World Cup Men Lucknow 2016 was felicitated, with each player receiving a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh along with a trophy. The gold-winning Indian Junior Men's Hockey Team of Men's Junior Asia Cup 2023, Salalah, Oman and the gold-winning Indian Junior Women's Hockey Team of Women's Junior Asia Cup 2023, Kakamigahara, Japan were also honoured, with each player earning a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh and all the members of the support staff receiving cheques of Rs 1 lakh each. The gold medal-winning Indian Men's Hockey Team for Men's Hockey 5s Asia Cup Salalah 2023, and the gold-winning Indian Women's Hockey Team for Women's Hockey 5s Asia Cup Salalah 2023 were felicitated at the ceremony, with each player earning a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh and all the members of the support staff earning a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh each. The gold-winning Indian Men's Hockey Team of Hero Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023, and the gold-winning Indian Women's Hockey Team of Jharkhand Women's Asian Champions Trophy Ranchi 2023 were also felicitated with Rs 3 lakh for each player and Rs 1.5 lakh each for all members of the support staff. The Indian men's hockey team was also honoured for their gold medal-winning performance at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, China, with a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh for each player and Rs 2.5 lakh each for the support staff. The Indian women's hockey team that won the bronze medal in the tournament were awarded Rs 3 lakh for each player and Rs 1.5 lakh for each member of the support staff. The silver-medal winning Indian women's hockey team of FIH Hockey 5s Women's World Cup 2024 Muscat Oman, were presented with Rs 3 lakh for each player and Rs 1.5 lakh for all members of the support staff. Meanwhile, the final category of the Hockey India Annual Award for the year 2023 began with Hockey Haryana winning the Hockey India Best Member Unit of the Year Award 2023 and walking away with a cash prize of Rs 2.5 lakh. Hockey India President Award for Umpire/Umpires Manager of the Year 2023 was presented to G Harsha Vardan, along with prize money of Rs 2.5 lakh. The Hockey India President Award for Technical Official of the Year 2023 was presented to Sonia Bathla along with prize money worth Rs 2.5 lakh. Hockey India President Award for Outstanding Achievement 2023, along with prize money of Rs 5 lakh, was presented to SAIL Hockey Academy, Rourkela. Hockey India Jaman Lal Sharma Award for Invaluable Contribution 2023 was presented to Dr Bibhu Kalyan Nayak, who also received a cheque of Rs 5 lakh along with a trophy. The award ceremony saw PR Sreejesh winning the prestigious Hockey India Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year, earning a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh along with a trophy. For his consistent performances throughout the year, Harmanpreet Singh won the Hockey India Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year, earning himself a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh along with a trophy. Hockey India Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year was won by Hardik Singh, while Abhishek won the prestigious Hockey India Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year, both earning themselves Rs 5 Lakh and a trophy each. The gen-next was also honoured with youngster Deepika Soreng winning the Hockey India Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Women - Under 21), earning a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh and a trophy. Araijeet Singh Hundal was named the Hockey India Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Men - Under 21), winning a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh and a trophy. Hardik Singh and Salima Tete won the Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of The Year Awards for men and women respectively, each earning a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh, along with a trophy. Speaking on the win, Hardik Singh said, It is a matter of great pride for me to win the prestigious award. This is truly reflective of the hard work and the commitment that our team displayed over the past year. I am thankful to each and everyone for their support and I will continue to work even harder in the coming year to justify the honour. Meanwhile, Salima Tete, on her win, said, I wish to thank my teammates, coaches and the support staff for showcasing their faith in me. It is a matter of great pride for me every time I get to wear the Indian jersey and step out on the field to represent the nation. This award will further motivate me to continue to do even better each day so I can continue to make the country proud. The ceremony closed with Hockey India celebrating the achievements of Ashok Kumar, honouring the Indian Legend with the prestigious Hockey India Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award, with a cash prize of Rs 30 Lakh and a trophy. Key winners of the Hockey India 6th Annual Awards 2023: Rs 5,00,000 - Hockey India Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year - Winner: PR Sreejesh Rs 5,00,000 - Hockey India Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year Winner: Harmanpreet Singh Rs 5,00,000 - Hockey India Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year Winner: Hardik Singh Rs 5,00,000 - Hockey India Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year Winner: Abhishek Rs 10,00,000 - Hockey India Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Women - Under 21) Winner: Deepika Soreng Rs 10,00,000 - Hockey India Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Men - Under 21) Winner: Araijeet Singh Hundal Rs 25,00,000 - Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of The Year (Women) Winner: Salima TeteRs 25,00,000 - Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of The Year (Men) Winner: Hardik SinghRs 30,00,000 - Hockey India Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award - Winner: Ashok Kumar. (ANI)

Cyber frauds: Collaborating closely with Cambodia to rescue citizens

NEW DELHI: India has rescued and repatriated nearly 250 Indians, out of which 75 were rescued in the past three months. Several advisories have been issued by the Indian Embassy and Ministry to Indians who have been lured under the pretext of jobs and have ended up working forcibly for cyber frauds. Our embassy in Cambodia has been promptly responding to complaints from Indian nationals who were lured with employment opportunities to that country but were forced to undertake illegal cyber work. We are collaborating closely with Cambodian authorities. They have rescued and repatriated about 250 Indians out of which 75 were during the last three months, said Ministry of External Affairs spokesman, Randhir Jaiswal. India has stated its committed to helping all Indian nationals in Cambodia who are seeking support. We are also working with Cambodian authorities and agencies in India to crack down on those responsible for these fraudulent schemes, said Jaiswal. There are reportedly 5,000 Indians trapped in cyber slavery in Cambodia, allegedly being forced into cyber fraud activities targeting people in India. The government suspects that during the past six months these fraudsters defrauded Indians of at least 500 crore. Recently, the MHA convened a meeting with officials from MEA, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity), Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (14C) besides other security experts. The experts mulled over ways to chart out a rescue strategy for Indians who are victims of Human Trafficking in Cambodia. Victims are allegedly forced to conduct cyber frauds targeting Indians impersonating as law enforcement officers to extort money. Some people from Bengaluru have been freed and brought back to India. This issue came to light after the Rourkela Police in Odisha unearthed a cyber crime scam in December last year, which led to the arrests of some agents involved in trafficking Indians to Cambodia.

Sucheta Dasgupta | Of Delhi, Kolkata and a sense of belonging

In any narrative, place or positionality is an important element. A news report, too, has a place line next to its date. At some point or other in their writing life, every writer is, thereby, bound to become aware of, and open to, the possibilities of place. You get a strange feeling when youre about to leave a place... like youll not only miss the people you love but youll miss the person you are now at this time and this place, because youll never be this way ever again, writes Azar Nafisi, the 68-year-old Iranian-American writer of Reading Lolita in Tehran . And though I was never one for strange feelings, I must admit, having been quite ambitious while at the same time a bit hard-headed, when I first came to Delhi in 2004 and then moved in 2008 for the long term, I was determined to form a relationship with my new city, so that in exploring it I could find out what I did not know about its culture, politics and my own past. My interest was not specific to this place even. A writers motivation is very often to understand themselves by making sense of their immediate environment, their world. And while my conscious purpose of coming here was to learn the ropes of my trade through my offices proximity to the corridors of power, I did not want to close myself off to non-work-related experiences, observe their connections to the news, hopefully find a few headlines myself, and even write those stories should the time arrive. Where are you from, though, remained a hairy question from work colleagues and neighbours. And even if I did not eat fish, young people usually dont because it requires a certain maturity of the palate, books, medicine and fish was never an acceptable answer. But who cares for conversations where the answer is predictable? Do you? It was ironical because my interrogators, too, did not care to notice my absence of inferiority complex when I answered. It did spotlight the statehood question. Did Delhi and the National Capital Region not belong equally to every Indian citizen? Who are the original inhabitants of Delhi, the Muslims of the old city, or the Rajasthanis before them? Or are they Gujjars who are still rare in the citys corporate offices? Hypothetically speaking, beyond a (welcome) political advantage to any Opposition party if it is in power in the National Capital Territory of Delhi (because in democracy a healthy Opposition is an important requirement), is there a point to statehood? Then I had an eye-opening conversation with another authentic Delhiwallah. He was born and brought up in Delhi and is, unlike me, not just a five-time voter and a recently old property owner. During a ride home from work, the two of us were discussing if it was lonely to watch films unaccompanied in movie theatres and I found myself remembering to him my impression of Kolkatas Purna Cinema. My friends having migrated to different cities, most of the films I have watched in Kolkata are on my own. Some of those halls have closed down now for many years. Purna Cinema was one theatre my father had told me about from during his Calcutta Medical College days. I was brought up in Durgapur and born in Rourkela, Odisha. During my seven years in Kolkata, I made sure to go to Purna at least once and watch a film. 1947 Earth was its name, and aside from it, my memory of the hall is a faint but distinct odour of urine coming from the aisles and straight-backed, bedbug-bearing wooden chairs. But it is a tangible memory, much more so than any Red Fort or Qutab Minar. When I finished my story, I asked my colleague if he, too, like me had had a place of personal pilgrimage in this city of seven cities, starting with Indraprastha, and he answered, indeed, he didnt, and specified that it was a point of difference between the two cities, Kolkata and Delhi, and that that was why the Purana Qila has never been a tentpole in [his] life. Delhi is too large, too wide, and has existed at least for a millennium. When one goes to an old monument here, there is no sense of identification, hence no point of take-off; so that experience is not exactly transcendental. Despite its amazing history, all you get in Delhi is the here and now. So many people have come and gone from that spot that there is no imprint of footfall. Kolkata, on the other hand, is young, and small, extant for a little more than 330 years. It has folklore. The next significant difference between Delhi and Kolkata pertains to its inhabitants. The ones who populate its offices and neighborhoods are there to build their career and family. They lead often humdrum and largely isolated lives. In Kolkata, if someone makes a joke or a smart spin-off, it travels around university circles and down generations until it eventually makes its way to every Bengali drawing room. Even young people ensconced deep inside the mufussil suburbs are not left out, much like it is the case with todays WhatsApp forwards. Our social circles are not just concentric, they overlap. That generates more folklore. A third difference? In Kolkata it is poor who are generous and friendly, the rich are upwardly mobile. In Delhi, the struggle is harder for the poor. Here it is vice-versa. It is the rich who are sometimes gracious. A fourth. In Kolkata, public life on buses and in the markets is urban. Delhi has rural pockets besides being surrounded by villages. Where the dress is different. So are lifestyles. The fifth difference is that in Delhi, the bureaucracy works so much better. Yesterday, I rescued a migratory bird from under the ITO railway overbridge. It had broken its leg and lay on an unlit stretch and was sure to have been run over by a cyclist in a hurry or a biker. A young woman and I spotted it and we picked it up and reached it to the Bird Hospital at Chandni Chowk on an e-rickshaw. We did not make friends but exchanged numbers. It is a microcosm of my relationship with the capital. If home is where the heart is, statehood for Delhi is correct, but we are not all homesteaders. Like the woman in black burqa I had spied sleeping on the brown soil in front of her modest hut behind Jama Masjid, amongst tall, white geese walking her courtyard.

Diarrhea Spreads In Hirakud Area, 49 Hospitalized

Hirakud: A spread of water-borne infection , diarrhea has been reported from Hirakud area of Sambalpur district in Odisha. Reports say that, diarrhea has spread in Hirkud area in scary proportions and as many as 49 people have been hospitalized. Further it is worth mentioning that, after Rourkela and Kantbanji, now diarrhea has [] The post Diarrhea Spreads In Hirakud Area, 49 Hospitalized appeared first on Pragativadi | Odisha News, Breaking News Odisha, Latest Odisha News .

SC rejects SAIL plea against 31 crore arbitral award to L&T

The dispute arose out of a contract wherein L&T was to set up a sinter plant under crude steel expansion at Rourkela Steel Plant. The contract between SAIL and L&T was to be executed between 2008 and 2011, but the contractor had completed 98% of the work during this period.

Two Jharkhand natives held by Rourkela police, 10 kg of opium seized

BHUBANESWAR: Special Task Force (STF) of Crime Branch and Rourkela Police arrested two Jharkhand natives and seized 10.508 kg opium worth about `50 lakh from them. Acting on a tip-off, the police conducted a raid at Panposh in Sundargarh on Thursday and arrested Bitu Singh Munda and Rohit Munda, both natives of Jharkhand's Khunti district. During searches, the contraband was seized from the accused. Investigation revealed Bitu, Rohit and their associates were procuring opium from Rajasthan and then selling the contraband to drug peddlers in Odisha and Jharkhand. A case has been registered and a probe has been launched into the matter. Efforts are on to identify the other members of the racket, said STF IG, Jai Narayan Pankaj. India is one of the few countries where legal cultivation of opium is allowed for medicinal purposes. The cultivation is carried out in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. STF officers suspect the seized opium was illegally diverted from the legal cultivation farms in Madhya Pradesh. Sources said the agency will contact Madhya Pradesh Police and Central Bureau of Narcotics in Gwalior (licensing and regulating authority for legal cultivation of opium) to ascertain the source of procurement of the contraband. As per section 18(b) of the NDPS Act, drug dealer or peddler found in possession of more than 2.5 kg opium can face imprisonment up to 20 years. The agency has launched a special drive against the sale of narcotic drugs in Odisha since 2020. So far, STF has seized more than 75 kg brown sugar/heroin, 202 gm cocaine, 123 quintal ganja/marijuana and 14 kg opium. More than 193 drug dealers/peddlers have also been arrested.