BHUBANESWAR: The Srimandir Parikrama, the ambitious project launched by the previous BJD government, will soon see a change in its design. Yagna Mandaps will be added to the 75-metre heritage corridor around the 12th-century Shree Jagannath temple. Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said the government is considering the construction of mandaps like Kruta Yagna, Anna Yagna and Gyana Yagna and the modalities will be decided within two to three months. Deliberations on change of design and new e

MALKANGIRI: The state government will review all the rejected Subhadra Yojana applications of women from the Pravati, a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG), and release the funds to left-out beneficiaries by the end of January next year, said deputy chief minister Pravati Parida on Friday. Briefing media persons at Mudulipada during her visit to Bonda hill in Khairput block here, Parida refuted the allegations of official negligence behind the rejection of 2,932 applications of the triba

JAGATSINGHPUR: Farmers of Jagatsinghpur were left ruing their luck after fresh bouts of rains in the last 24 hours cast a shadow on the harvesting of their paddy crops. Rains caused by the low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal lashed different areas of the district for the last two days. Farmers said rainwater has already entered the crop fields where they had left their harvested paddy to dry. If the situation continues for another two days, the paddy crops will begin to rot. Sources said

BERHAMPUR/JEYPORE: The low pressure-induced rain has emerged as a serious threat to paddy crops leaving farmers of Ganjam and Koraput increasingly alarmed. Farmers of Ganjam, who were threatened by untimely rains last week, are now in a fix as fresh showers on Friday compounded their crop loss worries. They said after the fresh spell of showers, crop fields have been inundated by rainwater. A farmer of the Khamarigaon area in Digapahandi block Simanchal Choudhury said the rain has raised fears o

CUTTACK: Expressing disappointment over the functioning of SCB Medical College Hospital (SCBMCH) without a full-time superintendent, the Orissa High Court has directed the state government to clarify by when the appointment will be done. The hospital at present is being run under in-charge superintendent Prof Lucy Das. The division bench of Justice SK Sahoo and Justice V Narasingh said, Since the superintendent has a crucial role to play in the effective functioning of SCBMCH Cuttack, counsel fo

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has directed the Border Security Force (BSF) to pay Rs 10 lakh compensation to one Malati Kirsani, whose husband Gangadhar Kirsani, was killed during a crossfire between the security personnel and Maoists at Litiput under Machkund Police Station limits in Koraput district on October 29, 2013. The court issued the direction on a petition filed by Malati in 2015. She had sought Rs 10 lakh compensation for her husbands murder while he was guarding his Ragi crop agains

BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday sought a special package for the development of the tourism sector in Odisha in the central budget for 2025-26. At the pre-budget consultation meeting, presided over by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at Jaisalmer, he said the state needs about Rs 10,000 crore investment to create world-class tourism infrastructure. While making the demand, the CM referred to the special mention made by the union finance minister in her budget sp

BHUBANESWAR: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday carried out searches at the property linked to former Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Niranjan Patnaik. Sources in the central agency confirmed the raids but remained tight-lipped about the matter. Simultaneous searches were carried out in at least five locations across the state linked to Niranjan Patnaik. More details will be shared in the coming days, said ED sources. Though ED is yet to release a statement officially, sources

NEW DELHI: Minutes before the Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die, the House on Friday adopted a resolution recommending the two bills on holding simultaneous polls to a joint committee of the two Houses. Passed by a voice vote amid a din created by the opposition over Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks related to Ambedkar, the resolution moved by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal recommended to the Rajya Sabha to communicate to the Lok Sabha names of the members to be appointed by the upper houses to

BHUBANESWAR : Vedanta Kalinga Lancers, the Odisha-based franchise in the upcoming Hockey India League, unveiled their official jersey, mascot and team anthem at a grand event held in Kalinga Stadium here on Thursday. The jersey was officially revealed by Sports and Youth Services minister Suryabanshi Suraj. The home jersey features a striking combination of blue and green, while the away jersey retains the vibrant orange and white. The new jersey design blends history, art, geography and progres

BHUBANESWAR : In order to involve adolescents as Public Space Ambassadors, the city-based Humara Bachpan Trust and World Resources Institute in collaboration with BMC are developing a model adolescent-friendly public space at Rajdhani college. The space is being developed using a tactical urbanism process, which focuses on low-cost, temporary interventions that aim to improve the functionality and livability of a public space. The initiative aims to create safe, healthy, and vibrant public space

CUTTACK: Eight years after the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) chalked out a rehabilitation programme for ragpickers to improve their livelihood besides upskilling them, the plan is yet to translate into action. The ragpickers, mostly belonging to the unorganised labour class community, play a vital role in maintaining cleanliness in the cities, towns and rural areas by collecting solid waste regularly. However, they are often stigmatised and humiliated for their job. Considering their pligh

KENDRAPARA: The annual function of a government high school in Derabishi block here was scrapped midway after a swarm of bees invaded the venue and attacked students on Thursday. At least 30 students suffered multiple stings in the incident which took place during the annual function of Ramachandra Nodal high school at Fakirabad village. An injured student Sarat Das (13) said the function was underway at the school playground when honeybees from a nearby tree laid seige to the venue and started

KEONJHAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday said the state government is mounting efforts to strengthen the education sector of Odisha by building infrastructure and recruiting teachers. Speaking at the diamond jubilee function of Mahtab government high school at Champua in the last leg of his visit to Keonjhar district, Majhi said the government has already appointed 16,009 primary teachers while infrastructure for primary education is being ramped up. He said the high school is cel

BHUBANESWAR: In a first-of-its-kind move in the country, the Odisha government has initiated steps to deploy a dedicated company of armed police constabulary in Similipal to guard the tiger reserve in Mayurbhanj district. A letter from Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Home Satyabrata Sahu in this regard stated that the dedicated armed police reserve (APR) with 131 personnel will be created for the constitution of the Joint Task Force (JTF) notified by the state Forest and Environment department

PARADIP: Hours after an employee of the Indian Port Rail Corporation Ltd (IPRCL) died on-duty in a rail accident within the prohibited area of Paradip Port, his coworkers and family members on Tuesday night staged dharna in front gate no 3 of the port demanding compensation and job. The deceased, 29-year-old Sataya Subrat Dalai of Nabadiha within Kujang police limits, worked as an operator with the IPRCL. On Sunday, Dalai was crushed between a rail engine and a wagon during a coupling operation

BHUBANESWAR : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches across four locations in Odisha and outside linked to opposition chief whip Pramila Malliks late brother Khirod Mallik over the alleged Rs 231 crore bank fraud case. Sources said the central agency conducted simultaneous searches at three locations in Sambalpur and one in New Delhi during the day. Khirod was accused of swindling a whopping Rs 231 crore from various banks across Odisha and other states through his NGO,

KENDRAPARA: A five-year-old student of Saraswati Vidya Mandir at Rajagada village in Kendrapara district lost a part of his right thumb after it got stuck between two iron desks in his classroom on Wednesday. While the Class I students parents alleged negligence on part of the school authorities, the Education department has launched an inquiry into the incident. Headmaster of the school Tathagata Behera, said the incident took place around 9.30 am when some students allegedly pushed the five-ye

BHUBANESWAR : BJD president and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday called upon party leaders to raise voice against the BJP governments failure to control price rise which he said has hit the poor and middle class. The BJD also announced a massive demonstration on January 6 at Bhubaneswar to highlight price rise of essential commodities and other issues. In an open letter to all party functionaries and workers ahead of the 28th foundation day of BJD on December 26, the former chie

SAMBALPUR: IIM Sambalpur in collaboration with Project Point, Odisha hosted a one-day youth summit on its campus here on Monday. The summit was part of the International Youth Conclave for Tourism Development (IYCTD). It was supported by India Tourism, Vishwa Yuvak Kendra, Odisha Tourism, Culture department and major industries of the state. The event aimed at fostering leadership, youth empowerment and cross-cultural dialogue while displaying the magnificent tourism offerings of western Odisha.

KENDRAPARA: Bhitarkanika National Park will be closed for visitors from January 14 to 22 for the annual census of saltwater crocodiles. Assistant conservator of forests (ACF), Bhitarkanika Manas Das on Tuesday said as peak winter, exposure of more than 50 per cent of mud bank and lunar cycle are suitable periods for accurate counting of the reptiles, the decision was taken to conduct the census from January 14 to 22. At least 22 teams comprising forest officials, wildlife researchers and locals

PARADIP: Accusing the administration of failing to fulfil their long-standing demands, hundreds of villagers of Handia in Nuagarh panchayat stopped construction work of the boundary wall of ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel (AM/NS) plant on Tuesday. The agitators, including women and children, also staged dharna alleging that their demands of employment and rehabilitation are yet to be fulfilled. Sources said in 2008, Essar Steel had acquired 394 acre of land at Handia village in Kujang tehsil for expa

BHAWANIPATNA: Mystery shrouds the death of a missing engineering student whose decomposed body was found hanging from a roadside tree at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district on Sunday evening. Police identified the deceased as 21-year-old Laxminarayan Majhi of Kamegaon in Narla block. A first-year student of a private engineering college, Majhi was missing since December 8. Sources said locals first spotted the students highly-decomposed body hanging from a tree near a dumping yard. On being infor

BARIPADA: Thakurmunda police in Mayurbhanj district on Tuesday recovered a half-burnt body of an elderly tribal man who was allegedly beaten to death over a drunken brawl at the weekly market in Kendujiani village. The deceased was identified as 60-year-old Bhadra Mohanta of Jodbil village. Police have detained six persons in this connection and are interrogating them. Sources said on Sunday evening, Mohanta went to a place near the weekly market to drink country liquor. After getting drunk, he

BHUBANESWAR : Dragged into controversy over the CBI investigation into Bridge and Roof Company (India) Limited bribery scandal, senior IAS officer Bishnupada Sethi was on Tuesday shifted from the three keys positions he was assigned and placed as officer-on-special duty (OSD) in the General Administration and Public Grievance department. Sethi was earlier issued summon by the central agency to join the investigation. Though has not personally appeared, sources said, he could be served a fresh su

CUTTACK: The body of a retired chemistry professor of Ravenshaw University was found floating in the Mahanadi river at Jobra barrage here on Tuesday. The deceased, 78-year-old Baishnab Charan Singh, was reported missing two days back. Police said Singh had been staying with his son and daughter-in-law at Raghunathpur in Bhubaneswar. His son, Biswa G Singh, had filed a complaint stating Singh had been missing since Sunday. Quoting his family members, police said Singh had gone for a morning walk

BHUBANESWAR: Commissionerate Police has constituted an anti-burglary squad to check the increasing incidents of night thefts in the capital city. DCP Pinak Mishra said for the purpose, the squad has conducted a survey of the apartments and houses located in vulnerable areas in the outskirts of the city. An extensive survey was conducted to find out the residential areas and apartments where security infrastructure is not adequate. Mobile phone numbers of the residents, whose flats are located in

BHUBANESWAR: Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan on Tuesday asserted that the territorial and water rights of Odisha will never be compromised. Addressing media persons here, the minister said the state government will pursue all options including legal recourse for getting justice for Odisha in the Mahanadi river water dispute with Chhattisgarh and the Polavaram dam project which is being implemented by the Andhra Pradesh government. The minister said that the chairman of the Mahanadi River Wa

ROURKELA: The National Institute of Technology-Rourkela (NIT-R) has taken up a series of research studies to identify critical challenges and work out policy solutions for the tribal communities of the state. The long-term and policy oriented research studies by the humanities and social sciences department of NIT-R are largely focused on key areas including health, education, tribal languages, culture and practices, reasons for low economic growth, livelihood issues and lack of inclusivity of t

BHUBANESWAR/PURI : After remaining closed for several decades, the process for repairing the Ratna Bhandar of Shree Jagannath temple in Puri was started on Tuesday. With the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) deciding to begin the work on December 17, the former cleaned the two chambers and installed the working platforms made of iron inside the temple treasury on the day. Following this, de-plastering of the Ratna Bhandar walls and replacement

CUTTACK: In a major relief for over-aged candidates not eligible to apply for 405 posts of drivers in Odisha Police Motor Transport (OPMT) wing, the Orissa High Court on Tuesday ordered a one-time four-year age relaxation taking into consideration the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The recruitment for the posts of drivers in OPMT was last held in 2020, but no upper age relaxation was given for those who had crossed the 23 years age limit during these four years when advertisement w

BHUBANESWAR: Parents of children with special needs should consider their role as an opportunity to serve a noble cause, said Speaker Surama Padhy on Monday. Addressing the 10th foundation day of SEN Globe, a special education wing at KiiT International School here, Padhy said children with special needs are divine creations of God and the parents and teachers instead of losing hope, must approach the challenges with enthusiasm and understanding. If we equip these children with life skills and v

BHUBANESWAR : With the BJP government under Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi completing six months in power, the buzz over cabinet expansion and inclusion of more ministers in the council has begun to gain steam. Union Home minister Amit Shahs likely visit to the state in the last week of this month, most possibly on December 28, has added fuel to the speculations. Although details of his visit have not been formally revealed, information so far available is he will be in the state capital for

BHUBANESWAR : Even as the wait for Zeenats return from Jharkhand gets longer and longer, Jamuna, the first tigress to have been relocated to Similipal from Tadoba in Maharashtra, has moved out of the tiger reserve to Kuldiha, adding to the woes of the state wildlife officials. As per reports, Jamuna ventured out of the protected area on Sunday night and moved into the forests of neighbouring Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary in Balasore. The dispersing female tigress has been exploring the Kuldiha land

BHUBANESWAR: Oil India Limited on Monday signed an MoU with Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) to set up a compressed biogas (CBG) plant capable of processing 200 tonne of segregated municipal solid waste in the state capital. The central PSU will also support the state government in setting up of CBG plants in seven more places across the state. Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra said the move is significant towards creating a better Bhubaneswar. The ga

BHUBANESWAR : Oil India Limited is exploring around 15,000 sq km area on Mahanadi onshore basin to look for oil and natural gas. Speaking at an event here on Monday, Oil India chairman and managing director (CMD) Ranjit Rath said the exploration work is underway at the Mahanadi onshore basin and Odisha has the likelihood to immensely benefit out of it. Oil India also has other huge investments going on in the state, he added. This apart, Rath said they are also laying the longest crude oil pipel

BHUBANESWAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Odisha twice in January, informed CM Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday. Majhi said the prime minister will attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention to be held here from January 8 to 10. He will also attend the Utkarsh Odisha conclave on January 27 and 28. Modi has already visited the state thrice this year after the BJP government came to power on June 12. He first attended the swearing-in ceremony of the Majhi government and came t

BHUBANESWAR : Leading by example, a sanitation worker of a micro-composting centre-cum-material recovery facility (MCC-MRF) in the city on Monday returned a gold bracelet to its rightful owner. According to BMC officials, Saraswati Naik, a Swachh warrior working with an MCC-MRF found the bracelet from the waste and returned it to its owner. Deepika Mohanty, a resident of lane no 5 in New Forest Park area, had accidentally dropped her 18 gram gold bracelet into the dustbin which was later collect

BHUBANESWAR : An unrelenting cold wave swept across Odisha for the third consecutive day with G Udayagiri recording this seasons lowest minimum temperature of 4.8 degree Celsius on Monday. Steel city Rourkela shivered with mercury plunging to 5.7 degree C on the day. The other stations which recorded sub-10 degree C were Phulbani (7), Jharsuguda (7.1), Daringbadi (7.5), Bhawanipatna (7.8), Angul (8), Keonjhar (8.8), Sundargarh (9), Jagatsinghpur (9.5) and Dhenkanal and Koraput (9.6). The India M

BHUBANESWAR: Nearly six years after the announcement of new South Coast Railway (SCoR), the build-up on its expeditious operationalisation has begun to fuel fear, concern and political outcry in Odisha over the bifurcation of East Coast Railway (ECoR), particularly the substantial revenue loss for the profit-making zone. While the SCoR zone headquartered at Visakhapatnam and its operational area are yet to be formally notified, a tender worth Rs 149 crore has recently been floated for constructi

BERHAMPUR: With the date of procurement of paddy in Ganjam drawing closer, the district administration is pulling out all stops, not only to meet the target by enlisting the maximum number of farmers but also to prevent distress sale. Paddy procurement in the district commences on December 23. Collector Dibya Jyoti Parida said all possible measures have been taken this year to meet paddy procurement target in the district, particularly to prevent distress sale by farmers. Sufficient time has bee

BHUBANESWAR: After facing strong resistance from electricity consumers over installation of smart meters, the Tata Power-managed distribution companies have urged the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) to consider their proposal for recovery of the cost of smart meters under capital expenditure (Capex) plan. The plea of the distribution companies (discoms) came in the wake of widespread protest from farmers and domestic consumers of Bargarh district who dumped there smart meters in

NAGPUR: The 10-day-old BJP-led Mahayuti alliance ministry in Maharashtra was expanded at Nagpur on Sunday, with 39 ministers being sworn in, taking its strength to 42. In the expansion, BJP got 19 ministerial berths, followed by 11 to Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and 9 for Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party. While 33 legislators were sworn in as cabinet ministers, six took oath as ministers of state. Governor P C Radhakrishnan administered the oath to the new ministers at the ceremony held o

BHUBANESWAR: At least 30 opera spectators, including women and children, were injured after a tall iron entry gate collapsed on them while they were entering the opera hall inside a tent to enjoy a show at Raisunguda, under the Salipur block, on Saturday night. The incident occurred at around 11 p.m., just before the start of the Raja Rani opera troupe's show at Shani Padia in the Raisunguda locality. According to reports, the Raja Rani Jatra team had been performing Jatra shows at Shani Padia s

BHUBANESWAR: Although Odishas beaches - Puri in particular - are gaining popularity for destination weddings, the trend has not been able to add much to the states tourism potential. With a mesmerising backdrop of the clear sea and pristine beaches, Puri, Gopalpur and Konark along with Chilika lake have begun to gradually take place among preferred wedding destinations in the country. However, they have not been able to pitch themselves as high-end wedding destinations to attract the niche natio

BHUBANESWAR: Senior IAS officer Bishnupada Sethi has landed in a spot of bother with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) serving a notice on him in connection with the Rs 10 lakh bribery case related to a senior executive of Bridge and Roof Company (India) Limited, a central public sector undertaking headquartered in Kolkata. The 1995 batch officer was asked to join the investigation on Wednesday at the agencys Bhubaneswar office but Sethi, apparently, has not shown up. The CBI registered

CUTTACK: Expressing dismay over the state of affairs, especially unauthorised occupation/encroachments in and around the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Postgraduate Institute of Paediatrics, better known as Sishu Bhawan, in Cuttack, the Orissa High Court has directed personal appearance of state Health secretary in the matter. This court is shocked and deeply pained perusing the advocates committee report. The photographs and video presentation are a testimony as to how a premier institute of the stat

ROURKELA: Police on Friday arrested five persons for allegedly assaulting and parading eight construction workers of West Bengal naked at Sundargarh town. The accused were part of a mob which stripped the workers and paraded them naked after one of them was allegedly caught molesting a woman on Thursday. They also suspected the workers to be illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and their anger stemmed from the recent targeted attacks on Hindus in the neighbouring country. Sources said one of the worke

CUTTACK: A woman was allegedly murdered and abandoned on the banks of Kathajodi river near Paramhansa within Kandarpur police limits here. The body of the deceased, believed to be around 35-40 years in age, was spotted lying on the river bank by locals. She was wearing an yellow printed saree, brown blouse and red slippers. There were deep cut injuries on her neck and face. The locals immediately informed the police following which a team from Kandarpur police station rushed to the spot and laun

BHUBANESWAR: The fifth edition of Kalinga Global Film Festival (KGFF) kicked off at KIIT University campus on Friday, bringing together filmmakers, producers, and cine enthusiasts from across the country. The three-day-long festival will showcase 45 films, including feature films, short fiction, documentaries, and student projects, across multiple venues on the KIIT campus. Higher Education minister Suryabanshi Suraj inaugurated the festival, emphasising the significant impact of cinema on our s