The cyclonic storm is likely to further weaken into a well-marked low-pressure area during next 12 hours, as a result of which several districts of south Bengal may receive heavy rain till Tuesday morning.

Finally, the Centre has fulfilled the longstanding demand of people from western part of the state to open a sub-regional office (SRO) of employees state insurance corporation (ESIC) at Jharsuguda.

Amid the threat posed by Omicron, the Union health ministry on Saturday flagged rising Covid infections in six districts of Odisha as well as the prevalent high caseload in Khurda even as daily testing is on the decline.

In the end Jawad proved true to its name, generous, sparing Odisha and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh major damage as it dissipated into the Bay of Bengal on Saturday evening, weakening into a deep depression. However, under the cyclone's influence, many coastal districts received moderate rainfall and may get heavy showers on Sunday, the IMD said.

With Cyclone Jawad weakening into a deep depression, shelter homes wore a deserted look as people were reluctant to move in there in the capital. In Cuttack as well, only a handful of people have shifted to shelters.

Altogether 113 out of 305 sanctioned posts of faculty members are lying vacant in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar. Also, 169 senior resident and 83 junior resident posts are lying vacant in the premier hospital, Union minister of state for health and family welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar told the Lok Sabha.

Noted scientist and educationist Trilochan Pradhan passed away here on Saturday due to age-related ailments. He was 93.

As per the data till November 30, around 38 lakh people in Odisha are yet to take their second dose of anti-Covid vaccine, Union minister of state in the ministry of health and family welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar said in Lok Sabha on Saturday.

The state health authorities have failed to track a single foreign returnee out of the 389 names the Centre had provided while their mandatory seven-day quarantine has ended or will end on Sunday.

Odisha has encountered 10 cyclones, including the approaching Jawad, in a span of 22 years and the frequency of such natural disasters is on only on the rise, official records of State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) showed.

In view of the impending cyclonic storm 'JAWAD', the Odisha government has ordered to keep the schools closed in 19 districts of the state.

The BJD on Friday demanded opening of the Awas Plus portal for inclusion of six lakh identified eligible households from the state under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin).

After starting work on transformation of schools, the state government has rolled out an institutional mechanism called district college development facilitation centres for development of higher secondary and higher education sectors.

As Cyclone Jawad inches closer to Puri coast and is expected to make landfall around Sunday noon, the state government has suspended tourism activities to ensure safety of tourists. Tourists have been advised not to visit Puri on Saturday and Sunday.

As dark clouds enveloped the sky and the Bay of Bengal swelled on Friday ahead of Cyclone Jawads likely landfall in Puri district on Sunday noon, the residents of the coastal district could not help but remember the horror from two years back, when Fani had left behind a trail of destruction.

High drama ensued in the state assembly on Friday as BJP legislators, armed with Gangajal and cow dung water, went about purifying the assembly premises, which they claimed had been desecrated following the entry of minister of state (home) Dibya Shankar Mishra, whose ouster the party has been demanding for his alleged role in the murder of Kalahandi school teacher Mamita Meher.

Cyclone Jawad may make landfall near Puri around Sunday noon, the IMD predicted on Friday, prompting the Odisha government to start mobilizing men and machinery on a war-footing.

Kendu leaf workers on Friday staged a rally at Lower PMG here protesting goods and services tax (GST) on Kendu leaves. They have been demanding withdrawal of this tax on Kendu leaves for the benefit of the people engaged in the sector.

Hospital sources said the family of 77-year-old Hassoon Owaid Oglah al-Shadawi, who had been diagnosed with Central Skull Base Osteomyelitis in Iraq, was trying to get treatment in India. His country does not have such a treatment facility, said the sources.

As visitors admired the exquisite sculptures at the 12th International Sand Art Festival in Chandrabhaga near Konark, little did they know that the creator duo in stall number 10 is deaf and dumb.

Passengers travelling in the Yesvantpur-Howrah Duronto Express (12246) had a close shave on Friday after two front wheels of the parcel van of this train got derailed at Haridaspur station in Jajpur district.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday defended his beleaguered junior home minister Dibya Shankar Mishra in the state assembly over the murder of Kalahandi schoolteacher Mamita Meher and assured justice to the victim.

With the IMD forecast of a cyclonic storm reaching Odishs coast on December 4, the state government on Wednesday asked collectors of 13 districts to prepare for evacuation of the people and has chalked out a disaster management strategy by requisitioning NDRF, ODRAF and fire department personnel for rescue and relief operation.

Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told Lok Sabha on Wednesday that a survey for construction of a new line between Puri and Konark (33km) has been completed and the cost of the project has been assessed as Rs 725.78 crore.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik here on Wednesday asked officials to ensure everyone takes the possible spread of new strain of Covid virus Omicron seriously and adhere to protocol to check its possible spread.

Two foreigners - one from Togo and the other from Sri Lanka - who have arrived in the city to take part in the international sand art festival have been kept in a quarantine facility, here on Tuesday, and their swab samples sent for RT-PCR test amid the threat of Omicron which has been detected in some countries.

The murder of Kalahandi school teacher Mamita Meher is likely to dominate the winter session of the assembly starting from Wednesday.

The Board of Secondary Education, Odisha, on Tuesday rescheduled the summative examination date for Class X students to January 5 from December 27.

The state Crime Branch has registered a murder case against four police officers for their alleged involvement in the custodial death of a person in Koraput district in 2017.

Odisha is bracing for another cyclone, the second this year on the Bay of Bengal, which could trigger heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in the state's coastal areas with wind speed above 100km per hour.

The Odisha Crime Branch has registered a murder case against four police officers for their alleged involvement in the custodial death of a person in Koraput district in 2017.

The state government on November 26 had requested the HC to nominate a sitting/retired judge of the HC or a district and sessions court to monitor the probe. The HC nominated Naidu on Tuesday, it is reliably learnt.

The state special task force (STF) has conducted its first anti-drug trafficking operation in West Bengal and got vital clues about some narcotics drug smugglers, who have been supplying brown sugar to Odisha.

The BSF, on the eve of its raising day, said their increased presence in the two districts has dealt a blow to Maoist leadership, prevented extremist recruitments and forced many Naxals to surrender in the last few years.

Experts observing the emerging findings on the new variant Omicron on Monday said out of 32 spike proteins (32 mutants), 26 are unique, which is why it is a matter of concern that its infectivity may be exceedingly high but its virulence is yet to be gauged.

With the inauguration of 239 transformed schools on Monday, the Odisha government has completed the first phase of its 5T school transformation program. The state government aspires to transform as many as 3,300 more schools to reach its target of transforming 4,375 schools by Biju Patnaik's birth anniversary in March 2022.

Work on the 150km Talcher-Bimlagarh railway line project has gathered pace after the engineering team of the East Coast Railway (ECoR) forced a breakthrough in the 840-metre tunnel in Baruan hill between Sunakhani and Samal stations.

Aska police in Ganjam district on Sunday arrested a plus-II (second year) student on charges of raping a 17-year -old girl after abducting her on Thursday.

The state government has assigned 15 psychiatrists and 13 clinical psychologists to check for mental illness among inmates and treat them in jails across the state.

The BJD on Sunday joined other parties in demanding a law guaranteeing minimum support price (MSP) for farmers. During an all-party meeting in New Delhi, BJD's Rajya Sabha leader Prasanna Acharya said a law guaranteeing MSP would ensure that the farmers would get the right price fixed by the Centre for their produce.

The capital city authorities activated enforcement squads to check mask violators in view of detection of the Omicron variant of coronavirus in three countries.

The Odisha government on Sunday stepped up its preparations to counter the impact of a possible third wave of Covid-19. The government's caution comes amid apprehension of experts that the new variant, Omicron, detected in some countries, may herald the third wave.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday announced to bring another 5,000 hectares under coffee cultivation in Koraput district between 2022 and 2025.

Residents of Podmora in Rayagada district have built a temporary bridge over the Jhanjhabati river after their repeated pleas to the authorities for building one fell on deaf ears.

Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday urged the state government to repeal the Odisha Universities (amendment) Act, 2020 to ensure academic autonomy of state public universities.

A myriad variety of winged guests have started arriving at the mangrove wetlands and water bodies of Bhitarkanika National Park in the district on their annual winter sojourn.

Attendance in city schools has started to drop following the detection of Covid-19 cases in several educational institutions across the state last week.

Matilda Kullu, an accredited social health activist (Asha) from Odisha's Sundargarh district, has found place among achievers like former SBI chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya and actress Sanya Malhotra in the Forbes India W-Power 2021 list.