BALANGIR: The political wind appears to be behind sitting MLA and minister Tukuni Sahu after three-time MLA Surendra Singh Bho i, once her rival, quit the Congress and joined the BJD in Titlagarh constituency. In both the 2014 and 2019 Assembly elections, Sahu had emerged victorious against Bhoi, solidifying her status as the sole female representative from Balangir in the State Assembly. In 2014, she secured victory by a margin of 14,022 votes which increased to 19,637 votes in 2019. While both

BHUBANESWAR: The Jayadev Assembly segment of Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency is in for an intriguing electoral battle in the ensuing general elections. With all the major parties struggling to keep their organisational base in order, the Assembly seat that has been a stronghold of BJD for the last three terms, is witnessing an interesting yet strange political equation right ahead of the elections. After Arabinda Dhali, the sitting MLA of BJD having a track record of winning two terms defecte

BHUBANESWAR: The blistering hot condition in Odisha, if it continues its staggering run for a few more days, could turn out to be one of the longest spells of heatwave in the last one-and-half decade. On Tuesday, the heatwave conditions entered its ninth day and the prediction that the spell will drag further makes a strong case for the longest running heatwave in the state. Weather officials said April has already witnessed in excess of the average heatwave days recorded for the month caused by

BHUBANESWAR : Two unsung heroes from Odisha, Gopinath Swain and Binod Kumar Pasayat, were conferred Padma Shri by President of India Droupadi Murmu at Civil Investiture Ceremony-1 at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday. Centanarian Gopinath hails from Govindapur village in Sheragada block of Ganjam and was chosen for the Padma award - the fourth-highest civilian award of the country - for his contribution towards preservation and promotion of Krishna Leela. He has been doing so for the las

CUTTACK : A public servant cannot be held guilty of having misappropriated government funds in a case of improper use or allocation of resources without dishonest intention, the Orissa High Court has ruled while acquitting one Prakash Chandra Swain, who was convicted for such offence by the Special Judge (Vigilance), Berhampur and sentenced to two years imprisonment in 2007. The state Vigilance had registered a case against Swain for utilising funds allocated for Weavers Cooperative Societies co

BHUBANESWAR : Leading philanthropist and chairman emeritus of Tata Group, Ratan Tata was conferred the KISS Humanitarian Award 2021 by founder of KIIT and KISS Achyuta Samanta on Monday. Although the award was announced in 2021, Tata was unable to receive it due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A release from the institution stated Tata who is usually reticent about accepting accolades, agreed to accept the award following a personal request from Samanta. He expressed his gratitude towards KISS and its

BHUBANESWAR : A day after Forest departments requisition, Odisha government on Monday asked additional DG (Law and Order) to deploy ODRAF units in six more vulnerable forest divisions to support frontline staff in dealing with wildfire crisis. While one ODRAF unit has already been deployed in the Dukura range of Similipal to assist forest staff of the tiger reserve in checking incidents of forest fire, additional special relief commissioner Padmanav Behera asked police to deploy one ODRAF unit e

BHUBANESWAR : Odisha government has urged the Centre to streamline supply of anti-tuberculosis drugs to the state under National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP). In a letter to Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh L Mandaviya on Monday, state Health Minister Niranjan Pujari stated since February last year, there has been an inadequate supply of anti-TB drugs from the Central TB division, the government of India, which has adversely affected implementation of the programme in the stat

BHUBANESWAR : Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi is likely to visit Odisha on April 28 and May 3 to campaign for party candidates at Salipur in Cuttack district, Rayagada and Berhampur. State in-charge Ajoy Kumar told mediapersons Rahul has been requested to campaign at Salipur, Berhampur and Rayagada. Confirmation from him in this regard is expected by Tuesday morning. Besides, president of All India Congress Committee (AICC) Mallikarjun Kharge has been requested to campaign for party candi

BARIPADA: Residents of Badbil, Balikhani, and Katupit villages in the Bijatala block of Rairangpur Assembly Segment, Mayurbhanj district, have decided to boycott the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections protesting chronic lack of electricity supply to the villages. For years, approximately 240 to 300 residents in each village have endured inadequate access to essential services, with electricity supply being a primary concern. Despite the installation of a transformer in 2018 under the Deen

BALASORE: A 40-year-old woman allegedly hanged herself to death inside the anganwadi centre at Hanshipatana village within Soro police limits here on Monday. The deceased, Sabita Mohanty, was engaged as an anganwadi worker in Hanshipatana village. She was reportedly in mental distress after one of her sons died by suicide last month. Sources said like every day, she went to the centre in the morning and completed her daily chores. She waited for the children and the cook to leave the centre. Aft

UMERKOTE : Three persons died and five others sustained serious injuries in a road accident that occurred on Sunday evening near Jodinga village, within the jurisdiction of Raighar police, in Nabarangpur district. The incident occurred when a truck collided head-on with a passenger auto-rickshaw, subsequently running over it. Among the deceased are two women and one man, identified as Chanda Gaikwad (45) from Nagri, Paban Tandan (30), and Punam Baishnav (17) from Borei, all from Chhattisgarh. Th

ANGUL: The nine-day long Hingula Yatra began on Monday with traditional fervour and gaiety at Gopal Prasad in Talcher. Thousands of devotees from Angul and neighbouring districts thronged the place to offer prayers to Maa Hingula, believed to be the Goddess of fire. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan along with Dhenkanal BJP Lok Sabha candidate Rudra Narayan Pany and Talcher Assembly candidate Kalandi Samal were among those who offered prayers during the ceremony. Even Congress Lok Sabh

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 distr

BHUBANESWAR : With intense heatwave conditions impacting the poll process in the country as was evident in low turnout in the first phase across states, chief electoral officer (CEO), Odisha, Nikunja Dhal on Monday chaired a meeting to take stock of the preparedness to conduct elections in the state, where voting will be held in four-phases from May 13. Stressing the need to minimise the impact of heatwave on electoral participation as voting will be held in the peak of summer, Dhal asked offici

BHAWANIPATNA/MALKANGIRI: On Monday, the thoroughfares linking Manikeswari temple to the collectorate in Bhawanipatna came to a standstill as candidates representing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) marched in massive processions to submit their nominations. A total of four nominations were filed for the Kalahandi Parliament constituency. The candidates include Malavika Devi from BJP, Lambodhar Nial from BJD, Rajaram Sahu from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and Dr Dh

BERHAMPUR: A 67-year-old man died of electrocution and his son sustained critical injuries after they allegedly came in contact with an 11 KV live wire at their farmland in Adapada village under Hinjili police station in Ganjam district on Monday. The deceased has been identified as Kora Behera. Sources said, the incident took place when Kora along with his son Tofan went to their farmland to dig taro root (Saru) from the soil in the morning hours. While they were busy digging the root vegetable

JEYPORE: Braving the scorching temperature that reached a blistering 40 degree Celsius, Congress candidate from Jeypore Assembly seat and sitting MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati filed his nominations here on Monday Accompanied by thousands of supporters and local Congress leaders, Tara marched to the Jeypore sub-collectors office in a roadshow and filed his papers before returning officer PK Parida. Over 10,000 supporters of Tara took part in the five-km mega road show. Congress candidate from Korapu

BERHAMPUR : With the Election Commission of India issuing notifications for the upcoming General Elections, the filing of nomination papers for Berhampur Parliamentary constituency and its Assembly segments commenced on Thursday. The process will continue until April 25, with scrutiny scheduled for April 26 and the deadline for withdrawal of nominations set for April 29. Collector-cum-district election officer, Dibyajyoti Parida, announced that Ganjam district will witness the participation of 2

SAMBALPUR: In a horrifying incident, a woman died after a speeding car ran over her at Kainsir area under Ainthapali police limits in the district on Monday. Two other women accompanying her also sustained injury in the accident. While the deceased has been identified by the police as Sumitra Munda of Jogipali under Rengali police limits in the district, the accused driver Tapas Ranjan Patra belongs to Sunder Nagar in Berhampur district. The injured women are Sumati Munda and Ratini Munda. Accor

BERHAMPUR: The Special Task Force (STF) of Crime Branch seized five cars from two siblings from Kandhamal district who were arrested for their alleged involvement in the ganja trade. Bikas Digal (27) and Soumya Ranjan Digal (25) who belong to Keredi village are reported to have links with the Maoists. The agency with the assistance of Kandhamal Police arrested Soumya from Tikabali on Sunday. The agency had arrested Bikas on April 11 from Bhubaneswar and seized 52 kg ganja along with a car from h

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 n

BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Monday announced candidates for six more Assembly seats. While Dhenkanal MP Mahesh Sahoo will contest from Hindol, Archanarekha Behera has been fielded from Raghunathpalli, Sarada Prasad Jena from Balikuda-Erasama, Ranjita Marndi from Bangiriposi, Biswaranjan Mallick from Bari and minister of state for Home, Sports and Youth Services Tusharkanti Behera from Kakatpur. Four sitting MLAs Simarani Nayak from Hindol, Subrat Tarai from Ra

BHUBANESWAR: A bunch of inter-state frauds reportedly from neighbouring states targetted the Mayurbhanj District Mineral Foundation (DMF) fund by using cloned cheques to swindle around Rs 4.5 crore from the bank account. The DMF account of zilla parishad is maintained with the Bank of India. Preliminary probe indicated the gang of frauds sent a fabricated letterhead of Mayurbhanj Collector with his fake signature via courier to the bank requesting to link a mobile phone number with the account o

BHUBANESWAR: Even as the BJD is reportedly trying to warm up to sitting Khandapada MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik after expelling him, hoping he would accept renomination from the seat, the leader is reportedly contemplating contesting from Ghasipura constituency in Keonjhar district on a BJP ticket. The BJP is in touch with Patnaik after he was expelled from BJD for anti-party activities in September last year. The saffron party has reportedly left it to Patnaik to choose any constituency he would l

BHUBANESWAR : The newly-built Panikoili-Rimuli stretch of NH-20 (erstwhile NH-215) is among the 33 national highways in the country that have been selected for monetisation in 2024-25 financial year. Buoyed by the amount of funds National Highways Infra Trust (NHIT) raised during the last fiscal, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to monetise highway stretches spanning over 2,740 km during the current fiscal. NHIT is the infrastructure investment trust of NHAI and had ra

Your name was announced as BJDs candidate from Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat only hours after you joined the party. The fact that you were keen to join politics was known but there was confusion over which party you would choose. Did you have an inkling that you will be chosen for the Bhubaneswar seat? BJD has a wide range and offers more options to serve people than any other political party including Congress. There was no confusion on my part and I had never announced that I will contest from Co

BHUBANESWAR: If there is one constituency in Odisha to watch for in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, it is Sambalpur where two of the biggest political heavyweights of the state, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan of BJP and BJD organisation secretary Pranab Prakash Das are locked in a high-profile battle for ballot. The ruling BJD took everyone by surprise by fielding Das from Sambalpur, an epicentre of western Odisha politics with a strong bias towards the coastal region of the state. Nev

JAGATSINGHPUR: BJDs decision to nominate Sarada Kumar Jena from the Balikuda-Erasama Assembly seat has not gone down well with former minister and sitting MLA Raghunandan Das who was dropped by the ruling party. Das expressed his disappointment at not being renominated by the party, attributing it to anti-incumbency factors and health reasons. I believe district-level BJD leaders provided misleading information about my health to the party leadership. I will consult my supporters before deciding

BARGARH: As the countdown to nominations commences, unrest within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bargarh district has come to the fore, with strong opposition to candidates from party workers echoing through key Assembly constituencies. The dissatisfaction revolves around Sanat Gartia in Bijepur and Nihar Mahanand in Attabira, sparking concerns over voter backlash in the forthcoming elections. Gartia has been nominated for the third consecutive time from Bijepur and is facing pushback from

BHUBANESWAR: 5T chairman and BJD leader VK Pandian on Sunday stated some leaders are conspiring to discontinue Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) if they come to power in the state. In a video released here, the 5T chairman said the leaders have hatched a plan to stop BSKY the day they assume power. They want to stop the historic scheme launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for people of the state. Pandian also targeted Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and asked, has he sanctioned

KENDRAPARA: The population of mangrove pitta bird has increased in Bhitarkanika National Park with the annual census putting the head count at 218. Last year, forest officials had sighted 179 mangrove pitta birds during the first-ever census of the bird species in Bhitarkanika. Assistant chief conservator of forest (ACF) of the park Manas Das said the census was carried out on Saturday by around 80 personnel who were divided into 36 teams under the supervision of the range officers of Dangamala,

BHUBANESWAR: Even as filing of nominations for the first phase election in the state has already started, major political parties BJD, BJP and Congress are yet to announce candidates for several important Assembly seats. Though Jajpur is considered a BJD stronghold, the party is yet to announce candidates for Bari and Korei Assembly seats of the district. As organisational secretary of the party Pranab Prakash Dash is pitted against BJP heavyweight and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan

BHUBANESWAR: With non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) emerging as a major concern in the country, health experts on Sunday stressed early diagnosis and treatment to prevent cirrhosis in the liver. Speaking at an event organised by Utkal Hospital to mark World Liver Day, director of medical education and training Dr Sachidananda Mohanty said almost all liver cirrhosis deaths can be avoided through earlier diagnosis and lifestyle change. Liver disease is now a lifestyle disease and obesity i

BARIPADA: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch on Sunday launched a probe into the alleged swindling of nearly `10 crore from the bank account of the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) fund in Mayurbhanj. A team of EOW from Bhubaneswar arrived at Baripada and went to Bhanjpur police station to investigate the matter. An officer of Bhanjpur police station said two days back, the branch manager of Bank of India, Baripada lodged a complaint alleging that the DMF money of the Zilla Pa

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

BHAWANIPATNA: Tuberculosis patients of Kalahandi district are in dire straits owing to the unavailability of vital medicines for the disease since the last three months. Sources said as many as 594 people have been detected to be suffering from tuberculosis at present. They are required to take requisite medicines prescribed by the doctor regularly for a period of six months. However, two medicines - 3 FDC and 4 FDC - considered vital for treatment of the disease have not been supplied to the ma

UMERKOTE: The residents of Jathiarpara village in Raighar block, Nabarangpur district, have threatened to boycott the upcoming elections if immediate action is not taken to address the electricity and drinking water supply problems they face day in and day out. Approximately 120 families in the village have been deprived of clean drinking water for weeks. Despite government schemes in place to address water access, villagers allege that these initiatives have failed to reach their community effe

JAGATSINGHPUR: In preparation for the upcoming elections, local police have invoked Section 82 of the CrPC against absconding offenders. They have ordered these individuals to report to the police within seven days, or else the court will proceed with property attachment under Section 83. Sources said hundreds of criminals across different police stations in the district remain on the run. Despite warrants being issued, local police have not been able to apprehend these people. Their continued e

BHUBANESWAR: SOA University has inked a pact with Batoi Systems (Batoi), a Bhubaneswar-based corporation, to foster collaboration for exploration and enhancement of capabilities in the field of information technology (IT). Batoi is a software engineering automation company whose Rapid Application Development (RAD) platform provides development and deployment of telemetry tools. As per the agreement, Batoi will provide SOA access to its academy platform and help set up a technology lab for artifi

BHUBANESWAR: With no respite from the sweeping heatwave in sight, the state government on Sunday announced summer vacation for all schools from April 25. Usually announced in the first week of May, the vacation for schools has been advanced for the second year in a row owing to the sudden rise in temperature in most parts of the state since the beginning of this month. The government, however, said morning classes will continue for another three days from April 22 to 24. The morning classes will

BHUBANESWAR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address a public rally at Sonepur, one of the seven Assembly segments under the Balangir parliamentary constituency, on April 25. State BJP vice president Golak Mohapatra on Saturday said the BJP stalwart will launch the campaign from the western Odisha town which will impact the seven Assembly segments under Balangir Lok Sabha seat. After the Sonepur rally, Shah will arrive at the state capital for a night halt. He will meet state leaders and work

BHUBANESWAR: Nayagarh Police has warned against spreading rumours on child abductions. This comes after the police came across two to three incidents where innocent persons were suspected to have abducted minor children in the district in the last 15 days. Sources said two to three mentally unstable persons, were targeted by unruly locals in different areas of the district on the suspicion that they were attempting to abduct minor children. The locals manhandled the trio before handing them over

BALASORE: The body of a missing 55-year-old woman was found floating under mysterious circumstances in a pond at Badamandaruni village within Kamarda police limits on Sunday morning. The deceased was identified as Jania Mirdha. Jania used to stay with her parents in the village, but had been missing since Friday. Worried family members started searching but failed to trace her. Later, they informed police about the incident. Following which police began search operation and shared her photograph

BHUBANESWAR: Puri - the states biggest leisure tourism pull - is bearing the brunt of not just summer but also elections. Stakeholders in tourism and travel industry said the scorching heat along with elections have hit domestic tourist arrivals to the town, which is usually the first choice of people, particularly from West Bengal, heading to Odisha during summer vacations. Although it is mid-April, enquiries for summer vacation bookings for the month of May have remained next to nil, they adde

BHUBANESWAR: As the intense heatwave has triggered a rapid spike in forest fire incidents across the state, the government has decided to deploy ODRAF units in all sensitive forest and wildlife divisions to assist the frontline staff in dealing with the crisis. While a 26-member ODRAF team has already been deployed in Dukura range of Similipal Tiger Reserve following detection of multiple wildfire points, principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) and HoFF Debidutta Biswal told The New Indian

BHUBANESWAR: As electioneering garners pace across the state, Odisha Police has warned of stern action against anyone found involved in poll violence. DGP Arun Kumar Sarangi, ADG Law and Order Sanjay Kumar and ADG (Operations) S Dev Datta Singh visited the politically-sensitive Berhampur Lok Sabha constituency on Sunday and reviewed security preparedness at Ganjam, Berhampur, Kandhamal, Boudh and Gajapati. Sources said discussions were held on ways to ensure the elections pass off smoothly in th

BHUBANESWAR: AMID growing concern over Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR)s closed population, possible entry of a male tiger into the protected area has brought great excitement to forest officials. The male tiger which has come to the state after traversing over 1,000 km from the Central India landscape has been sighted in the close vicinity of STR. If it makes the reserve its home, the prospects of improving the genetic diversity in the protected area will get a huge boost. PCCF (Wildlife) Susanta

NIMAPARA: Thousands of supporters of sitting MLA and former BJD minister Samir Ranjan Dash took out a massive rally on Saturday, demanding reconsideration of his candidacy for Nimapara seat. They threatened of agitation if Dash was denied ticket. Tension was palpable as members of self-help groups also converged at Barabati grounds, urging party leadership to heed their plea for Dashs candidacy. Reportedly Dash had appealed to BJD leadership, including the party supremo and state leaders, urging

JAGATSINGPUR: With approximately 1.6 million voters in the Jagatsinghpur Lok Sabha Assembly constituency, Scheduled Caste (SC) families have rallied together, nominating an Independent candidate to confront their lingering grievances in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. The move comes in response to the alleged failure of successive governments to address their concerns and the exploitation of SC category designations by general caste individuals. The constituency, comprising seven Assembly segme