Page 10 - Odisha

Patnaik approves Rs 2,000 cr master plan for VSSUT transformation

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik approved a proposed master plan on Saturday for the development of the Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology in Sambalpur as a centre of excellence. The VSSUT in western Odisha will be developed as a multidisciplinary engineering and research university by 2030. It will be at par with the country's premier engineering institutes like the Indian Institutes of technology and the national institutes of technology. Around Rs 2,000 crore will be spent in three phases. Arrangements will be made for 10,864 students to study in 24 undergraduate departments by 2026. Currently, 2,849 students are studying in various courses, according to the Chief Minister's Office. The master plan states that the oldest state-run engineering institution will have seven schools in engineering, skill development centre, medical technology and basic science. Twenty-four engineering programmes, over 14 departments and more than 27 centres of excellence will be establishe

Over 160 proposals for inclusion of communities in ST list pending: Patnaik

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has drawn the attention of the Centre to the fact that over 160 proposals of the state government for inclusion of communities in the Scheduled Tribe list of Odisha, remain unaddressed since decades. Since 1978 onwards, Odisha government has recommended more than 160 communities for their inclusion in the ST list of the state with the approval of Tribal Advisory Council. Because of the delay in their inclusion in the ST list, all these 160 plus communities of the state are becoming victims of "historical injustice", Patnaik said in a letter to Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Muda on Friday. Stating that among these (160 communities) some are new while others are sub-tribes/subsets, synonyms and phonetic variations of the existing ST communities residing in different parts of the state, Patnaik said they are being deprived of benefits availed by STs though they have the same characteristics as their respective notified STs. "I am given to understa

Odisha logs 233 Covid-19 cases including 34 children, active tally at 1,630

Odisha's COVID-19 tally rose to 13,31,586 on Saturday as 233 more people, including 34 children, tested positive for the infection, a health bulletin said. The state had recorded 214 infections on Friday. Odisha's coronavirus death toll remained unchanged at 9,186 as no fresh fatality was reported. Besides, 53 other patients have died due to comorbidities so far, it said. The state now has 1,630 active cases, while 13,20,717 patients have recovered from the disease to date, including 267 in the last 24 hours. The daily positivity rate was at 1.63 per cent as 14,314 samples were tested for the infection in the last 24 hours.

Aadhar enrolment: UIDAI forms district panels in Odisha to monitor use

With the Odisha government stressing the need for simplification of enrolment for Aadhaar and its usage, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Friday said that district-level committees would be formed in the state for the purpose. Aadhaar registration in the age group of 18 and above is reaching 100 per cent in Odisha, UIDAI Chief Executive Officer Dr Saurav Garg said while attending a workshop on Aadhaar uses here. Odisha is a lead and robust user state of Aadhaar data. District level committees would be formed for monitoring proper use and enrolment of Aadhaar, he said. Earlier inaugurating the workshop, Odisha Chief Secretary SC Mohapatra said simplifying the use of Aadhaar accelerates ease of living while ensuring effective and accurate delivery of various public services. He advised different departments to have a detailed interaction with UIDAI officers and get all their doubts clarified for enhancing the use of Aadhaar numbers. Mohapatra also emphasized t

Odisha to get 5G in first phase of launch: Telecom Minister Vaishnaw

Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday said Odisha will get 5G service along with other cities in the first phase of its launch. Odisha will have access to 5G telecom service in the very first phase. It will provide users 10 times the speed of 4G, he said on the sidelines of a programme here. Around 13 cities are likely to get 5G telecom service across the country in the first phase. Vaishnaw also downplayed apprehensions over the radiation impact of 5G. The radiation from 5G is much below the WHO-recommended levels, he said. During an interactive session with students, the minister said the Centre has asked telecom operators to improve the quality of their service. He said a 5G lab has been developed at IIT-Madras. Vaishnaw also said India is looking at developing hydrogen-powered trains by 2023. The Railways is trying to connect the remote and unconnected areas of the country through its Gati Shakti' policy, and work on this is on the fast track, he added.

Tata Power assures quality power to industries, to invest Rs 5k cr in capex

A day after Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik appealed to investors from across the country to take advantage of the state's business ecosystem, Tata Power Discoms on Thursday announced to invest Rs 5,000 crore to ensure reliable and quality electricity supply to industries. This was stated by Tata Power's T&D, President, Sanjay Banga during an interaction with PTI here. "We are fully committed to realise the Odisha government's vision of Make in Odisha through reliable and quality power supply to industries," he said, adding that Tata Power Discoms serve 9 million customers across the state. Banga said that Tata Power Odisha Discoms will soon be in a position to provide new industrial connections in a week to 10 days' time based on availability of network . "Thus, we will be supporting the ease of doing business in the state. The company has already extended the facility of availing new service connection through WhatsApp and missed call services to its customers," he ...

Kolkata port looking to increase business with Odisha seafood exporters

The Kolkata port is looking to tap into seafood export opportunities from Odisha in a bid to increase the business volume from the region. The port, formally known as the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, held a meeting with the stakeholders of the seafood export sector in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday regarding business prospects and issues faced by them. The officials wanted to get feedback regarding how the port could provide more facilities and improve the services to meet their needs and do better business. "We want to listen to your problems so that we can improve on them," Kolkata port chairperson Vinit Kumar told the exporters at the meet. The port is focusing on how to increase the partnership and develop a very good relationship with the seafood exporters of the region. "We'll try to fulfill your expectations so that both of us can benefit through the valuable partnership, good service and lowering cost," Kumar said. He pointed out that a lot of modernisation and investment in ..

Vedanta Ltd bags two coal commercial mines in e-auction in Odisha

Vedanta Ltd has emerged as the highest bidder for two coal mines in Odisha on the second day of commercial coal mines auction. The government put on sale 10 coal mines under the commercial coal mine auction on Tuesday and Wednesday. "On the 2nd day of the e-auction today , two coal mines were put up for auction of which both coal mines were MMDR coal mines," the coal ministry said in a statement. The blocks were auctioned under the second attempt of the fourth round of commercial coal mine auction. Both the coal mines are fully explored and have Peak Rate Capacity (PRC) of 20 million tonnes per annum. Jaiprakash Power Ventures had emerged as the highest bidder for a coal block in Madhya Pradesh on the first day of the auction of blocks on Tuesday. While Madhya Bharat Minerals had emerged as the highest bidder for a coal mine in Chhattisgarh, Avassa Ferro Alloys bid the highest for a mine in Maharashtra. Gangaramchak Mining was the highest bidder for a mine in Jharkhand whi

Odisha reports 260 new Covid-19 cases; active tally stands at 1,674

Odisha's COVID-19 tally rose to 13,30,853 on Wednesday as 260 more people, including 29 children, tested positive for the infection, a health bulletin said. The toll remained at 9,185 as there were no new deaths. Fifty-three other patients have died due to comorbidities so far, it said. Odisha had recorded 159 infections on Tuesday. The state now has 1,674 active COVID-19 cases, while 353 more people recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the total recoveries to 13,19,941. The positivity rate was at 1.9 per cent as the new cases were detected after testing 13,826 samples.

Naveen Patnaik to woo investors in Mumbai ahead of Make-in-Odisha Conclave

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has embarked on a three-day tour of Mumbai to attend an investors' meet, as the eastern state gears up for its marquee business conclave after a hiatus of four years. Patnaik is scheduled to hold discussions with major industrialists from different sectors, including Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, Vedanta's Anil Agarwal and Mahindra Group's Anand Mahindra, officials said. The chief minister, who left for India's financial capital on Tuesday, is also slated to visit the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and attend the ceremony to ring the opening bell, they said. Odisha has already organised road shows in Mumbai, inviting investments in IT, metal downstream, renewable energy, chemicals, plastics and advanced electronic manufacturing sectors. The third edition of the Make-in-Odisha Conclave, scheduled to be held here from November 30 to December 4, aims to showcase the manufacturing prowess of the state and investment opportunities ..

Mob attacks police station in Odisha's Gajapati, several cops injured

A mob of around 200 people on Tuesday stormed into a police station in Odisha's Gajapati district and assaulted officers there, hours after a local youth was arrested on charges of ganja smuggling. As many as eight police personnel suffered injuries in the incident, of which two had to be taken to a government hospital nearby, one of the officers stated. "Protesters broke open the gate of the police station, thrashed personnel and ransacked properties. All of them were armed. At least seven to eight personnel were injured in the melee," the officer, who was at the scene, said. Senior police officers are currently trying to pacify the protesters, he added. Agitators, including women, alleged that the police picked up a youth of Jharanapur village on Monday night on false charges, and demanded that he be released immediately.

Odisha exchequer facing losses due to BJD govt, mine owners nexus: BJP MP

Odisha BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi has claimed that the state's exchequer was suffering losses to the tune of crores of rupees due to the BJD government's "unholy nexus with mine owners". Sarangi, a bureaucrat-turned-BJP politician, claimed that the state government "downgraded" the quality of iron ore being produced in some mines auctioned recently. Insisting that a big scam has been pulled off, the Bhubaneswar MP, during a press meet on Monday, said the ratio of low-grade iron ore in 2019-2020 was valued at 23 per cent; it increased to 95 per cent in 2021-2022. "This would not have been possible without connivance between the government and the mine owners," she said. Earlier, Justice MB Shah Commission, during its probe into illegal mining, had detected losses of Rs 59,000 crore, causing a flutter in the state, she said. It was expected that the situation would change for better after that. The scale of irregularities, however, have only increased with time," the MP said. Rejecti

Normal life thrown out of gear as rain lashes parts of south Bengal, Odisha

Normal life was thrown out of gear in south Bengal districts and parts of Odisha on Monday as rain triggered by a depression caused hardships to commuters on the first working day of the week. The meteorological department said the depression lay over south Chhattisgarh and adjoining southeast Madhya Pradesh and will continue to bring in its wake gusty wind with a speed of 35 to 45 kmph in the coastal areas of West Bengal and Odisha till Tuesday. A rainy and overcast morning greeted denizens of Kolkata, south Bengal districts and parts of Odisha. Light to moderate rain with spells of showers affected normal life in Kolkata and other places in south Bengal. Children travelling to schools and people to their workplaces faced a tough time reaching their destinations as public transport was scarce. Digha received the highest rainfall at 114 mm in West Bengal in 24 hours till 8.30 am, followed by Kanthi at 110 mm, the Met office said. Kolkata witnessed 60 mm of precipitation, while ot

Odisha receives downpour as depression forms over Bay of Bengal

With a well-marked low-pressure area over west-central and adjoining north-west Bay of Bengal intensifying into a depression, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday forecast heavy rainfall across Odisha. The system is about 20km northwest of Gopalpur and is likely to move west-northwestwards across south Odisha and Chhattisgarh during the next 24 hours before it weakens, the IMD said. Several parts of Odisha had already been witnessing rainfall activities since Saturday. Senior weather scientist US Dash said Odisha has received widespread showers due to the low pressure, with Dhenkanal recording 114 mm rainfall till 5.30 am of Sunday, followed by 106 mm in Koraput. The Regional Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar, has issued advisories for the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, asking the administration to make arrangements to drain out excess water. It also urged people to check for road conditions and traffic congestion before leaving homes. Both the cities are

Odisha, West Bengal, Telangana likely to get heavy rain today: IMD

Indian Meteorological Department issued a warning for heavy rainfall in Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal and Telangana today

Union mins review schemes, BJD says people won't accept Centre's attitude

With seven union ministers visiting different districts of Odisha and undertaking review of various central schemes being implemented in the state, the ruling BJD Saturday said the people will not accept the inspector raj manner" of the central government. While five central ministers reached Odisha on Friday, two others did so on Saturday. The cudgels for BJD was taken up by party MLA Sashibhusan Behera, who hit back at the comment made by Union Minister of State for Home Nityananda Rai during his visit to Cuttack on Saturday. Speaking at a press conference in Cuttack, Rai said It appears that the benefits of different central schemes are not reaching the beneficiaries as desired. The state government's inept handlings of central schemes are indicated". Countering the comment, Behera said It is not proper on the part of union ministers to behave in an inspector raj manner. The people of Odisha will not accept it as they know how the state government has been implementing the ...

Odisha CM launches host city logo for FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik launched the official host city logo of the state for the upcoming FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup India 2022

Odisha likely to receive heavy rain till Sep 13, says weather department

Odisha is likely to receive heavy rain till September 13 with the intensification of a low pressure area formed over the Bay of Bengal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The system, active over the northwestern Bay of Bengal off north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts, is expected to trigger intense spells of rain in Odisha. The IMD forecast heavy rainfall in several districts till September 13, and issued an orange warning for some places in the southern parts on September 10 and 11. Very heavy rainfall is likely in some places in Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Gajapati, Ganjam, Khurda, Nayagarh and Cuttack districts between 8.30 AM on September 10 and 8.30 AM on September 11, the Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar said. It forecast similar weather conditions in Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Nuapada, Bolangir, Sonepur, Boudh, Nayagarh, Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts for 24 hours from 8.30 AM on September 11. The spec

Odisha to complete preparations for FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup by Sept-end

The Odisha government directed officials on Friday to complete all preparations by this month for Fifa U-17 Women's World Cup at Kalinga Stadium. The prestigious tournament will be held in Bhubaneswar, Margao in Goa and Navi Mumbai from October 11-30. The Kalinga Stadium will host three pool matches of India on October 11, 14 and 17. Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra held a high-level meeting at the Loka Seba Bhavan during the day and reviewed the progress of preparatory work at the stadium, which has been equipped with adequate training and parking facilities. Promotional activities and hospitality were among the other things discussed in the meeting, according to an official release. Mohapatra directed the departments to complete assigned work by the end of September, calling for more focus on sectors such as sanitation, security and fire services. Development Commissioner Pradeep Jena advised deployment of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and fire services teams in adv

Bhumi Pujan performed at Konark Sun Temple to clear sand from 'garbhagriha'

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) performed Bhumi Pujan (ground breaking ceremony) rituals to remove sand from the 'garbhagriha' (sanctum sanatorium) of the Sun temple in Odisha's Konark