BHUBANESWAR: UN resident coordinator for India Shombi Sharp on Wednesday said there needs to be a collective change in the behaviour of the citizens across the globe to tackle climate change. There was earlier a perception that climate change is a very technical subject. However, this impression changed over the years due to vigorous awareness activities. Citizens are now conscious but the problem is the change in their behaviour is not taking place, said Sharp. The change in behaviour is very c

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Wednesday decided to close and pass appropriate orders and directions on the PIL on Bharatpur police station incident involving an army officer and his fiance after taking stock of the status of investigation in the criminal cases registered in this connection. The state police had come under heavy criticism after the army officer was allegedly tortured and his fiance sexually assaulted in Bharatpur police station on September 15. After public outcry and Indian

BHUBANESWAR: In a bid to enhance security along the states 480-km-long coastline, Odisha Police has planned to strengthen patrolling in the sea by adding more boats to the fleet of Marine police stations. DGP YB Khurania said 18 marine police stations in Odisha are equipped with only 13 boats which have also become old. As per guidelines, marine police stations are supposed to carry out patrolling in the sea up to 12 nautical miles. To enhance our presence, a proposal has been submitted to the s

BHUBANESWAR: Between April and September this year, Odisha saw deletion of 8.76 lakh workers from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). Implementation of the Aadhaar-based payment system (ABPS) is stated to be a significant factor behind this, a report released by LibTech India says. Employment generation too plummeted across all districts in the period compared to the corresponding period of the previous year, the report MGNREGA in Odisha: A Mid-year Analysis

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has declined to interfere in the loan recovery process adopted by State Bank of India for cancellation of sanctioned one-time Settlement (OTS) scheme as part of loan recovery process in the case of a person who had availed loans from its Udala branch in Mayurbhanj district. The bank had sanctioned the OTS scheme under which the person was to pay Rs 60 lakh in three instalments of Rs 20 lakh each by July 26, 2023. The bank cancelled the sanctioned OTS on December 1,

BHUBANESWAR : A decade after the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) was launched, the central government has begun an exercise to assess the progress and impact of Prime Minister Narendra Modis pet initiative. The move comes in the midst of ground-based reports that much has not changed in the villages adopted by the MPs under the scheme in terms of their all-round development. The MPs were tasked to pick a village each under their constituency and ensure its holistic development, including basic

BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday wrapped up his maiden foreign visit to Singapore on a high note with several investors evincing interest for collaborations in semiconductor, green energy, ship-recycling and container manufacturing as well as port-led industrial development in Odisha. The high-level delegation led by Majhi attended a series of G2G and G2B meetings with the government of Singapore and leaders in technology, renewable energy, infrastructure, and manufact

JAGATSINGHPUR: A 42-year-old man and his uncle died after allegedly consuming pesticide, mistaking it for water, at Sirasata village in Jagatsinghpurs Tirtol area on Tuesday night. The deceased were identified as Bibhuti Samal, a betel shop owner and his uncle, 75-year-old Gopinath Samal. The uncle-nephew duo consumed alcohol together in the evening. The duo was to attend a meeting but had to return home as they felt uneasy due to excess drinking. Police said, later in the night Gopinath went to

JAJPUR: Dharmasala MLA Himanshu Sekhar Sahoo was allegedly attacked by a group of BJD supporters near the bridge on Budha river in Jajpur Town on Wednesday evening. The MLAs vehicle was reportedly damaged following the attack. Reports said, Sahoo was on his way to Jajpur town in his vehicle to attend a meeting at the deputy director of mines (DDM) office. His vehicle had to stop as a few locals were staging a road blockade near the bridge by burning tyres on the Kuakhia- Jajpur Town road. During

JEYPORE: The district administration will keep an eye on middlemen at mandis during the kharif procurement process across Koraput district, said collector V Keerthi Vasan. He said CCTVs will be installed in border areas of the district to keep a watch on movement of middlemen. Addressing the district-level paddy procurement meeting, Vasan said paddy will be purchased at 111 mandis from around 39,000 farmers from across the district. At least 20 PACS, 20 self-help groups and three pani panchayats

BARGARH: Paddy procurement for kharif season commenced in Bargarh district on Wednesday. This time, the farmers will be given a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 3,100 per quintal, which was a key campaign promise of the BJP during the elections. Civil Supplies minister Krushna Chandra Patra performed a few rituals and felicitated several farmers at Kalapani mandi on the day. He assured the farmers that the procurement process will be transparent and their payments will be directly credited to t

BALANGIR: In a shocking act of dehumanisation, a youth allegedly smeared human faeces on an orphaned tribal girl over a minor dispute at Jurabandh village in Bangomunda block on November 16. The accused, Abhay Bag lost his cool when the girl opposed him for running his tractor on the farm field where the victim had grown crops. Police said, the girl had cultivated a piece of land in the village and Bag ran his tractor over it. As a portion of the crop suffered damage, the girl confronted Bag. Th

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has held that the state information commissioners are not entitled to pension. The court said, In the absence of any rule that explicitly recognises the entitlement of state information commissioners to receive pension, there can be no legal right for them to claim such benefits. The ruling came in the case of former information commissioner Jagadananda who had challenged the order in which the state government had rejected his claim for post-retirement benefits on

CUTTACK: In a shocking incident, a six-year-old girl was allegedly raped after luring her on the pretext of providing the minor 'kurkure' in the Trisulia area under the Barang police station, police said on Wednesday. Sources said, with severe haemorrhage, the minor girl is battling for her life at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Post Graduate Institute of Paediatrics, popularly known as Sishu Bhawan, in Cuttack. The accused Kaliash Sonar (22), who is a related uncle of the victim, took the girl from h

BHUBANESWAR: With the November deadline for completing the e-KYC verification of ration cards nearing its end, nearly 70 lakh beneficiaries of the state covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) are yet to get their Aadhaar seeding done. Without e-KYC verification, a beneficiary will be debarred from getting the free ration provided by the Centre. Ganjam district has been particularly laggard on this front with more than 5.42 lakh beneficiaries still to complete their self-authenticati

CUTTACK: Taking serious note of the death of three elephants due to electrocution in poachers trap at Naktideul under Rairakhol forest division of Sambalpur district, the Orissa High Court on Tuesday directed personal appearance of PCCF-Wildlife on November 26. Initiating suo motu proceedings on the matter, the division bench of Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh and Justice Savitri Ratho said, The PCCF-Wildlife is required to be present online and furnish to the court the number of deaths o

BHUBANESWAR: The state Vigilance on Tuesday arrested two government officials including Kamakhyanagar sub-collector Narayan Chandra Nayak for allegedly possessing assets disproportionate to their known sources of income. Vigilance officials said the Kamakhyanagar sub-collector was arrested in the DA case after he was found in possession of assets to the tune of 130 per cent of his known sources of income. The assets of the OAS officer included two triple-storey buildings in Bhubaneswar and Bhadr

CUTTACK: Millet-based products being sold by rural women of Banki block at the national-level Pallishree Mela in Balijatra, are witnessing a massive demand from visitors this year. Set up by the Dulanapur producer group of Banki, the stall is selling various millet-based products like cookies, cakes and mixtures etc. It has been able to make remarkable sale proceeds of Rs 50,000 in just three days, thanks to the state-run Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS) for providing suppo

CUTTACK: Lack of proper sanitation at Balijatra and poor condition of road to the fairground have left revellers disgruntled. Balijatra is being organised on over 8.5 acre land on the upper ground and 34 acre land on the lower ground. Though a private agency has been assigned the cleaning and sanitation work at the fair, lack of supervision by the officials concerned of the district administration has left sanitary practices in shambles. Visitors complained while garbage is lying scattered all a

BHUBANESWAR: The Opposition BJD on Tuesday came down heavily on the state government for the mismanagement in Balijatra alleging this has shown Odisha in a bad light. Addressing a media conference here, BJD spokespersons Lenin Mohanty and Ipsita Sahoo alleged that inability of the organisers to arrange carts for Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi for which he had to walk to the stage was unpardonable and strong action should be taken against those responsible for it. They alleged the name of the

BHUBANESWAR: The government is in the process of installing around 500 automated weather stations and 6,000 automated rain gauges (ARGs) across Odisha to strengthen the early-warning system and impact-based forecast to tackle disasters more effectively, said Revenue and Disaster Management (R&DM) minister Suresh Pujari on Tuesday. The technological advancement in weather prediction and rain forecast will help the government in dealing with cyclone-induced flooding and urban flooding more effecti

CUTTACK: In a bizarre incident, a six-month-old baby boy died after one of his parents allegedly trampled over him in an inebriated state late on Monday night. The incident took place at Munda Sahi within Choudwar police limits. The infants parents have been identified as Raju Hembram and Sombhari Hembram. Apart from the son, the couple has four daughters. As per their neighbours, Raju had brought some of his friends home late on Monday night. His wife Sombhari too, joined in and all of them con

BALANGIR: Deputy chief minister KV Singh Deo ordered a probe into the alleged sale of a newborn by a poor family in Sangurjibhata village under Balangirs Khaprakhol block after he met the babys mother on Tuesday. Singh Deo went to the village and interacted with Aruna Bati Nag, the mother, who claimed that she had gifted her newborn to some unidentified persons because she was unable to raise her six kids. It was during the interaction, the deputy CM enquired from the ANM about the child, bringi

BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday made a strong pitch for Odisha as Indias premier investment destination and urged Singapore-based business houses to invest in the state. Addressing a gathering of business leaders at his first investment roadshow in Singapore, he presented Odisha as a land of opportunities and said, the states focus on sustainable development, industry-ready infrastructure, and ease of doing business makes it the best investment destination in the countr

BHUBANESWAR: Ten districts in the state have the highest number of applications pending when it comes to generating unique disability identity (UDID) card for persons with disabilities (PwDs). The districts are Cuttack, Balasore, Bhadrak, Balangir, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Keonjhar, Nayagarh, Nuapada and Rayagada. Around 1.33 lakh applications are pending across the state and the majority are from these districts. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerments department of Empowerment of Persons wit

BALASORE: Jaleswar police on Tuesday arrested a woman and detained her parents-in-law for their alleged involvement in brown sugar trade. The accused, Ruksana Bibi, is a resident of Sheikhbad within Jaleswar municipality limits. IIC Ranjan Kumar Sethy said acting on a tip off, a team comprising 15 police personnel raided Ruksanas house and seized 55 gram brown sugar from her possession. Ruksana procured the brown sugar from West Bengal with the help of her relative who is a resident of the neigh

BERHAMPUR: Battling acute poverty, a couple of Rayagada allegedly gave away their nine-day-old child to a family from Andhra Pradesh, in Nuapada Sahi village under Chandili police limits of the district. Even as the alleged baby sale incident in Balangir hogged the headlines, the Rayagada story has now come as another shocker. A notarised deed of adoption which facilitated the childs change of custody said it was carried out without any force, fraud, coercion and influence. The deed, however, wa

BERHAMPUR: Nearly a year after the decomposed body of a 35-year-old woman was found in a lodge in Ganjams Baidyanathpur, Berhampur police has solved the murder mystery by tracing the accused in a jail of Kerala. Berhampur SP Sarvana Vivek M said the murder accused, Sameedmon AS (42), was lodged in a Kerala jail in connection with an NDPS case. A team of Baidyanathpur police brought Sameedmon on a two-day remand to Odisha on Monday. On Tuesday, the accused was taken to the lodge where he recreate

SAMBALPUR: Acting swiftly, forest officials on Tuesday arrested two persons for their involvement in the electrocution death of three elephants in Rairakhol. The accused, Sanjit Kumar Behera (50) and Gopi Basantra (18) of Ghosramal in Rairakhol, will be produced in court on Wednesday. The three elephants, two females and a calf, were electrocuted to death after coming in contact with an electric trap laid by poachers to hunt wild boars near Buramal in the Naktideul range under Rairakhol forest d

NUAPADA: Forest officials on Monday arrested two persons for their involvement in poaching a leopard in Nuapada. The accused, Pustam Chinda (58) and Hrusikesh Chinda (40) of Deodhara within Komna police limits, reportedly cooked and consumed the leopard meat after poaching the big cat. Forest department sources said the accused and their accomplices had laid a trap to hunt wild boars near the forest in Deodhara village. On November 16, they managed to trap a leopard in it. Subsequently, they kil

JAJPUR: The Steel and Mines department has directed lessees of at least 26 black stone quarries in Dharmasala tehsil to stop mining operations and other allied activities. In a letter to the lessees, the deputy director of mines (DDM), Jajpur Circle, Jay Prakash Nayak asked them to suspend mining operations and other related activities in the quarries. The 26 black stone quarries are located in Bajabati, Rahadpur, Dankari, Baramana and Bichhakhandi hills. The directive from the deputy director o

SAMBALPUR: The BJP government has initiated a host of measures for the security and welfare of labourers while recognising their contribution to nation-building, said Union Education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan. Speaking at a programme held to disburse benefits under Nirman Shramik Kalyan Yojana here on Monday, he advised eligible beneficiaries to register their names in the list of construction workers to avail government benefits. Over Rs 1.2 crore was disbursed to eligible labourers for vari

BHUBANESWAR: Amid the chilly weather, parts of the state are likely to experience fog in the next three days. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued fog forecast for a few places between Tuesday and Thursday. Shallow to moderate fog is likely to occur at one or two places in Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Kalahandi and Kandhamal districts in the next three days. Director of Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre Manorama Mohanty said fog will occur at a few places due

BHUBANESWAR : In an extraordinary medical feat, doctors at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar virtually brought a dead man back to life after his heart stopped beating for nearly two hours. The patient Subhakant Sahu, an army jawan, had suffered a cardiac arrest due to which his heart stopped beating. He was revived with the help of advanced extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (eCPR), marking the first such case in Odisha. Subhakant, a resident of Odapala village in Nayagarh district, was initially rush

CUTTACK: One of the two tribal women undergoing treatment at SCB medical college and hospital here for organ failure due to consumption of mango kernel gruel, succumbed on Monday. The deceased was identified as Jita Majhi of Mandipanka village in Kandhamal district. Head of Medicine department Prof Dr Jayant Panda said, Despite our efforts, we could not save Jita who was undergoing haemodialysis with ventilator support. She passed away at 2.15 pm in the Medicine ICU of the hospital. Earlier, two

BHUBANESWAR : In the demise of Samir Dey, the Odisha BJP has lost one of the scriptwriters of its evolution from a sign board party to the most formidable political force in the state today. As the saffron party has finally managed to ascend to power earlier this year, it cannot but remember the contribution of the affable street-fighter in laying the foundation for its rise in Odisha. The three-time MLA and former minister passed away while undergoing treatment at a private hospital here on Mon

SAMBALPUR: Police on Sunday seized over 2,000 bottles of illicit cough syrup from a pick-up truck and arrested as many as 20 persons in this connection. All the accused were found to belong to different police limits under the Sambalpur district. Briefing mediapersons, ASP Haresh Chandra Pandey informed that during patrolling in the afternoon, Sadar police got information about smuggling of codeine-laced cough syrup near an ice factory in the area. Subsequently, the spot was raided and the accus

BHUBANESWAR: Acting on the allegation of encroachment of government land, a joint team of General Administration (GA), Revenue and Housing & Urban Development (H&UD) departments on Monday raided the city-based Shree Baikuntha Dham Ashram that has landed in controversy for reportedly projecting a boy as Kalki Avatar and disrespecting the holy Tulsi. Officials from the GA department and Bhubaneswar tehsil visited the site at Ghatikia to ascertain if there has been any encroachment of government la

DEOGARH: A 25-year-old man allegedly beat his mother to death with a wooden baton in an inebriated state at Bakankarkhol village within Reamal police limits of Deogarh district on Monday afternoon. While the deceased was identified as 48-year-old Bijuli Badi, the accused is her son Dushasan. The incident took place at around 1 pm. Sources said, Dushasan used to often come home in an inebriated condition and thrash his mother over petty issues. On the day, while Dushasans father was away, he came

ANGUL: Chairman of Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) Naveen Jindal on Monday inaugurated a state-of-the-art facility Shramveer Palace at the companys Angul unit. The 1,056-bed fully air-conditioned accommodation, equipped with world-class facilities, is a significant step in JSPLs mission to enhance the well-being of its workforce. Shramveer Palace has been thoughtfully designed with 1,056 beds featuring branded mattresses, almirahs and other top-tier amenities to provide the workforce with

BHUBANESWAR: Vigilance on Monday launched a vigorous campaign against corruption by launching searches at the property of two government officials over allegations of amassing disproportionate assets and caught red-handed a gynaecologist posted at Kalahandi district headquarters hospital for reportedly accepting bribe to carry out treatment of a pregnant woman. In the first instance, Odisha State Police Housing and Welfare Corporation Limited's (OPHWC) Berhampur division deputy general manager (

BHUBANESWAR: Senior BJP leader and former minister Samir Dey, 67, passed away while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Cuttack on Monday. As per reports, Dey was suffering from severe lung infection and pneumonia. He was admitted to the intensive care unit of a private hospital in CDA a fortnight back after his health condition deteriorated. The veteran politician, a prominent face in the state unit of BJP, had been elected to the Odisha Assembly thrice from the Cuttack segment betwee

SAMBALPUR: In a tragic incident, three elephants, including a calf, died of electrocution after coming into contact with an electric trap laid by poachers to catch wild boars. The incident occurred in the Naktideul range under the Rairakhol forest division of the district during the early hours of Monday. According to reports, the carcasses of the elephants were first discovered by villagers near Buramal forest in Naktideul around 5:30 am on Monday. Forest officials, along with the police, were

CUTTACK: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued notices to the central government and state government on an appeal challenging grant of environmental clearance (EC) for the proposed iron ore pellet plant project undertaken by a private company at Kapand area under Kaptipada tehsil in Sundargarh district. The NGTs East Zone bench in Kolkata issued the notices on the appeal filed by one Chittaranjan Mahanta and other local villagers on Wednesday. Earlier, they had sought NGTs intervention again

BHUBANESWAR: Even after five months of the BJP government in Odisha and the double-engine of Centre and state working in tandem, land-related bottlenecks continue to stall some of the major infrastructure projects, including new railway lines and national highways. The BJP, which accused the previous BJD government of inefficiency in resolving land-related issues, now faces growing criticism for failing to address the long-standing challenges. The railway projects that have been delayed for year

BHUBANESWAR/NEW DELHI: In a significant demonstration of Indias growing military prowess, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Saturday successfully flight-tested the countrys first long-range hypersonic missile from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off Odisha coast. The test missile was launched from a ground-based mobile launcher positioned at the launching complex-IV of the Integrated Test Range at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island around 6.55 pm on Saturday. The missile, developed b

BHUBANESHWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday urged Singapore-based investors and industry leaders for strategic collaborations with Odisha which is emerging as one of the best investment destinations of India. A high-level delegation led by Majhi which is on a four-day official visit as part of the overseas outreach for the upcoming 'Utkarsh Odisha: Make in Odisha Conclave 2025' invited several companies, including Orind Singapore Pte Ltd to set up their units in the state. The firs

BERHAMPUR: The MKCG medical college and hospital (MKCG MCH), the referral hospital for 10 southern districts of Odisha often remains in news for the wrong reasons. After hitting headlines for ragging of MBBS students, the hospital is now under fire after a pregnant woman went missing from the labour ward of its Gynaecology department on November 11. Sasmita Behera (23) of Badabadangi village in Ganjam was referred to MKCG by doctors of Sorada hospital. Sasmita reached the hospital in an ambulanc

BALANGIR: A newborn baby girl allegedly gifted by her mother to some persons, was traced to the special newborn care unit of a hospital in Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh. Patnagarh SDPO Sadanand Pujari said a case has already been registered at Lathore police station. Inquiry is on to ascertain who the baby girl was handed over to. The newborn is in the SNCU. After the baby is discharged, we will take steps as per law. Police are trying to ascertain whether the newborn was sold after birth,

BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday exuded confidence that his four-day visit to Singapore will pave the way for significant investments in different sectors in the state. Talking to mediapersons before embarking on a four-day business trip to Singapore ahead of the Utkarsh Odisha 2025: Make-in-Odisha business summit in the state, the chief minister said the visit will pave the way for significant investments in Odisha and create substantial job opportunities for the youth