Adani News

Tag: Odisha

  • Brown sugar worth Rs 1 crore seized in Bhubaneswar

    Brown sugar worth Rs 1 crore seized in Bhubaneswar

    Bhubaneswar (IANS) | STF has seized 1 kg 107 grams of brown sugar in Odisha’s capital Bhubaneswar. The cost of which is said to be more than Rs 1 crore. Police has given this information on Sunday. According to the police, a team of Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Crime Branch, acting on intelligence inputs, conducted a raid near Unit-8 area of Bhubaneswar on Saturday. During this the team seized drugs from the possession of a drug peddler.

    The arrested person has been identified as Chittaranjan Sahu, a resident of Dhenkanal district. The team presented the accused in the court of District and Sessions Judge.

    As per reports, the STF has registered a case under sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

    According to media reports, since the year 2020, the task force has seized more than 69 kg of brown sugar/heroin, 202 grams of cocaine, 113 quintals of ganja, 750 grams of opium and arrested 168 drug smugglers.

    –IANS

  • Odisha Govt To Open Plus III College At Thuamul Rampur In Kalahandi Dist

    Odisha Govt To Open Plus III College At Thuamul Rampur In Kalahandi Dist

    Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government proposes to set up a Plus III degree college at Thuamul Rampur in Kalahandi district.

    This was revealed by secretary (5T) to chief minister VK Pandian on the second day of his visit to the district on Saturday. During his interaction with the students, guardians and local people at Bhatangapadar high school ground on the day, he said the government aims at spread of education to nook and corner of the state. For the benefit of the local students, the government would open a Plus III college at Thuamul Rampur, he added.

    He also went to Manikeswari temple and offered puja there. During his interaction with the priests and servitor of the temple, he enquired about their problems. Stating that the government would take up development of the temple, he directed the district officials to prepare a report within a week and submit to the government.

    During his visit to Kalampur, Pandian went around the mini stadium and enquired about the steps to further develop it. He also went to Indravati park and museum at Mangalpur barrage and told the officials that the government would sanction Rs 14 crore for development of Maa Indravati temple.

    Later, the 5T secretary went to Ampani Budhararja temple in Koksara block and Dukuri Chanchara tourist spot. During his interaction with the locals, Pandian assured that the government will provide funds for its further beautification. After the Dukuri Chanchara program he visited Dharmagarh and had darshan of Bhandar Gharani Devi.

    District council chairman Pushendra Kumar Singhdeo, secretary Vineel Krishna and district collector P Anwesha Reddy accompanied Pandian during his visits.

  • Mahanadi water dispute: Tribunal starts field visits in Odisha

    Mahanadi water dispute: Tribunal starts field visits in Odisha

    Bhubaneswar: Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal headed by chairman Justice A.M. Khanwilkar of the Supreme Court on Saturday started its field visit in Odisha.

    According to sources, the tribunal will study the water flow in Mahanadi from neighbouring Chhattisgarh and the availability and use of water in the non-monsoon season. The other members of the tribunal are Justices Dr Ravi Ranjan and Indermeet Kaur Kochhar of Patna and Delhi High Courts, respectively.

    On the first day of its visit, the members of the tribunal made a field visit to Hikaru reservoir and held discussion with the Odisha government officials. State Water Resource department officials have made a detailed presentation before the tribunal about the decrease in water flow in the Mahanadi river after construction of barrages and dams by Chhattisgarh, sources said.

    The team will visit Chiplima Powerhouse, Attabira Branch Canal and Sasan Canal on Sunday. On May 22, the tribunal members will further visit Ib Thermal Power Station and dam project site in Jharsuguda and Sundargarh. On May 23, the tribunal will visit the Upper Jonk dam site in Nuapada district.

    Official sources said that the tribunal is scheduled to inspect at least 30 locations for the survey and the tour will continue till May 28 after which the members will leave for Delhi from Bhubaneswar.

    Earlier this month, the tribunal had visited the Kalma Barrage and Kelo project in Chhattisgarh.

    Notably, the Odisha government locked horns with Chhattisgarh in 2016 after water flow in the Mahanadi reduced substantially following construction of dams and barrages by the Chhattisgarh government.

    On November 19, 2016, Odisha had filed a complaint with the Ministry of Water Resources under Section 3 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act 1956. A meeting between the two states at CM-level was held but no conclusion arrived.

    The Centre subsequently notified the formation of the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal on March 12, 2018. Since then, the Tribunal’s tenure has been extended thrice including the latest till December 24, 2024.

  • Having lost deposit in seven bypolls since 2019, Odisha Cong fights for survival

    Having lost deposit in seven bypolls since 2019, Odisha Cong fights for survival

    Bhubaneswar: The results of the by-elections held since 2019 and internal fighting within the party shows that the Congress is weakening day by day in Odisha. The grand old party is struggling to bounce back.

    In eight by-elections in the state since 2019, with the exception of Brajrajnagar, the party candidates lost their deposits in all the contests. They lost deposits in the by-polls to Bijepur, Pipili, Balasore Sadar, Tirtol, Dhamnagar, Padampur and Jharsuguda.

    The Election Commission of India’s data shows that there has been a continuous fall in the Congress’ vote share in the state. The party had secured 38 per cent till 2004, it dipped to 29.11 per cent in the 2009 polls and 25.74 per cent in 2014. Till 2019, the Congress was the second largest political party in Odisha. However, in 2019, the party slipped to third position as it managed to secure only 17.02 per cent votes.

    From 38 seats in the 147-member state Assembly in 2004, it has been reduced to single digit, with only nine members in the current Assembly. The party had bagged 27 and 16 seats in the 2009 and 2014 polls, respectively. It has lost the principal opposition tag in the Odisha Assembly to the BJP, which had won 23 seats in the 2019 polls.

    The party had won six Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2009, which became zero in 2014. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the party managed to win just one seat (Koraput).

    The Congress also had a poor run in the urban local body and panchayat polls in February and March last year. The Congress drew a blank in 18 out of 30 districts in the elections to the three-tier Panchayati Raj institutions. Out of 2.10 crore valid votes polled in this rural poll, the Congress got 28.54 lakh votes (13.57%).

    In the urban polls, the party was able to win the chairperson seat in only 7 out of 109 urban local bodies.

    Since 2019, many tall leaders of the party including MLA Naba Das (who was killed on January 29, 2023), tribal leader Pradeep Majhi, former Union minister Srikant Jena have left the organisation. Due to a lack of strategy and resources, the party workers at the grassroots level either joined other parties (BJD or BJP) or remained silent. The Congress votes are now going either to the BJD or the BJP.

    Party leader Rahul Gandhi went on his Bharat Jodo Yatra covering many states, but he skipped Odisha, for reasons better known to him. Since the 2019 general elections, many of the senior leaders either left the Congress or remain politically not very active in the state. However, recently, the state’s ex-chief secretary Bijay Patnaik joined the Congress and was made the Campaign Committee Chairman of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC).

    Factionalism, weak organisation, poor strategy, resource crunch, lack of credible leadership, infighting and lack of people-connect programs, has led the party to this stage, according to political observers.

    Very recently, in a public meeting, senior Congress leader Chiranjib Biswal openly stated that the Congress is no longer the same and those born after 2000 don’t know anyone other than Naveen Patnaik. The state unit of the Congress has failed to reach out to such people so far.

    He said that there is no leadership in the OPCC and the party is fighting the by-elections for namesake only. There are only nine MLAs but 20 CM faces in the Odisha Congress, Biswal added. This remark of Biswal speaks volumes about the strength and position of the Congress in Odisha.

    According to state BJP president Manmohan Samal, Odisha is going to witness a bipolar fight in the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections as the Congress is nowhere in the picture now.

    Following the demise of three-time former chief minister Janaki Ballav Patnaik, the party has yet to get a leader like him, who can have command over the party’s organisation in Odisha, said political observer Rabi Das.

    Besides, he said, the central leadership of the party is also not giving any importance to Odisha, which was again proved during the recently held Bharat Jodo Yatra.

  • Kirti Kalpana Graduation Fashion Show held at KIIT

    Kirti Kalpana Graduation Fashion Show held at KIIT

    Bhubaneswar: The Kirti Kalpana, graduation fashion show 2023 conducted by the School of Fashion Technology in the presence of Dr. Arabinda Padhee, IAS; Prof. Himanshu Shekhar Khatua, Director of SRFTI, Kolkata, and Dr. Achyuta Samanta, Founder KIIT & KISS and Dr. Jynana Ranjana Mohanty Registrar, KIIT DU.

    During the occasion Revathi Mohanty felicitated for achieving the title of Miss Global Asia Pacific 2023 held at Melaka, Malaysia and Trishna for bagging the title of Miss Teen Universe India 2023 held in Jaipur Rajasthan from 6th-13th April 2023.

    Student Designer Payal Rout got the award for Best Design collection in Fashion, while Aishwarya Urmila Mahapatra for Best Design collection in Textile; Banshika pattanaik was awarded for winning 1st position in face painting, Akankshya awarded for best logo design for KIIT Souvenir Shop; Siddhanta Gupta and Devapreet Maharana also got awarded for their contribution as videographer and Photo Editor for the show.

    Tilakraj Bihari (staff) and Gedeon Mugisho (student) bags the title of Best Dress other hand Aparupa Paranaik (staff) and Simran Rout (student) owned the title of Best Dress of the event Kirti Kalpana. The final year students showcased their collection. During this occasion the Brochure of Kirti Kalpana was launched.

  • Odisha sextortion case: Court issues NBW against Shradhanjali 

    Odisha sextortion case: Court issues NBW against Shradhanjali 

    Bhubaneswar: A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court here today issued non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Shradhanjali Behera, the aide of sextortion case accused Archana Nag.

    The court reportedly issued the NBW against Shradhanjali for repeatedly avoiding to appear before it in person by citing health reasons. The NBW has been issued against her in connection to the case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

    It is to be noted here that Shradhanjali was to appear before the court on May 8. But she did not appear and filed a petition seeking permission to appear before it through her counsel. However, the court dismissed the petition and directed her to physically appear before it today (May 20) saying it may issue a non-bailable arrest warrant against her if she fails yet again to appear physically.

    However, Shradhanjali did not turn out even today and her counsel informed the court that the accused was now well.

    The ED, which is investigating the financial transactions in the sextortion racket, had named Shradhanjali as an accused along with Archana, her husband Jagabandhu Chand and Khageswar in the case filed under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

  • Odisha cabinet reshuffle confirmed, new ministers to take oath on Monday

    Odisha cabinet reshuffle confirmed, new ministers to take oath on Monday

    Bhubaneswar: A minor reshuffle among the Ministers of Odisha has been confirmed and the new ministers will to take oath on Monday.

    According to very reliable sources, President of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will change the portfolios of some ministers and at least three new minister will take oath at 9.30 AM on May 22.

    The buzz over the change of Minister grew as Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal, who was outside the state, is returning to Bhubaneswar tomorrow.

    It is to be noted here that Assembly speaker Bikram Keshari Arukha, School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Das and Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Employees State Insurance Minister Srikanta Sahu have tendered their resignation.

    Revenue and Disaster Management Department Pramila Mallick has been allocated the additional charge of the School & Mass Education and Labour Departments.

    Likewise, Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari has been given the additional charge of the Health Department after the murder of Naba Das.

    Therefore, now it is said that three MLAs will get the Ministers’ posts while a senior legislator will be appointed as the speaker of the house.

    After the resignation of Polasara MLA Srikanta Sahu from his minister post, discussion are going on that BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik may give a Minister post to one of the MLAs from the south Odisha. Bikram Keshari Arukha is expected to get it. However, Kabisuryanagar MLA Latika Pradhan and Berhampur MLA Bikram Panda are in the race.

    On the other hand, slain Naba Das from the Western Odisha was the Health Minister and as the State ruling party has been winning the by-elections in the Western Odisha, it is assumed that the BJD president may reward one of the MLAs of the Western Odisha. Buzz is also underway that Naba’s daughter Deepali Das, who got a historic win, may be given one of the fortpolios.

    As Naveen Patnaik is giving priority to the women, Deepali Das and Latika Pradhan are likely to get the minister posts.

    On the other hand, Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari is in the front of the race for the State assembly speaker’s post. Earlier, he was the speaker of the house between 2014 and 2017. However, if the seniority of the MLA is considered, MLAs Debi Prasad Mishra and Amar Prasad Satpathy are the strong contenders.

  • ED seizes gold worth over Rs 1 Cr, cash around Rs 15 lakh in Bhubaneswar

    ED seizes gold worth over Rs 1 Cr, cash around Rs 15 lakh in Bhubaneswar

    Bhubaneswar: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized gold worth over Rs 1 crore and cash around Rs 15 lakh during raids in Bhubaneswar recently.

    The ED officials seized cash amounting to Rs 15 Lakhs and gold jewellery weighing 1.978 Kgs worth Rs 1.13 Crore during raid on the Surnag Builders Private Limited and G D S Builders Private Limited.

    “ED has carried out search operations under the provisions of PMLA, 2002 on 18.5.2023 8 residential and commercial premises in Bhubaneswar in bank fraud cases pertaining to M/s GDS Builders Pvt. Ltd., M/s Surnag Builders Pvt. Ltd. and others,” said the law enforcement and economic intelligence agency on its Twitter handle.

    “During the searches, cash amounting to Rs. 15 Lakhs, gold jewellery weighing 1.978 Kgs. worth Rs. 1.13 Crore, sale deeds of certain properties, various incriminating documents and certain electronic devices were recovered which were duly seized,” it added.

  • Naveen Patnaik approves proposal for constitution of Permanent Police Recruitment Board

    Naveen Patnaik approves proposal for constitution of Permanent Police Recruitment Board

    Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today approved the proposal for constitution of a permanent Police Recruitment Board with two members including the Chairperson.

    According to an official press release, Patnaik, apart from giving his nod for constitution of Permanent Police Recruitment Board, he also approved 24 administrative and other posts for managing the Board’s office.

    As per the press note, the Chairperson of the Board will be an officer of the rank of Special DG or ADG while one member shall be an officer of the rank of Additional DG or IG and another member shall be of the rank of DIG or SP.

    The Board will be responsible for the recruitment of constables to sub-inspectors and ministerial staff in the Police Department. The formation of this permanent board will streamline the recruitment process of the Police Department, the release added.

  • Tata Steel Mining Organises Bird-Watching Session, Distributes Nests At Odisha’s Sukinda

    Tata Steel Mining Organises Bird-Watching Session, Distributes Nests At Odisha’s Sukinda

    Sukinda: Tata Steel Mining Ltd (TSML) organised a bird-watching session at its Sukinda Chromite Mine campus here on Friday as part of its commitment to sustainable development and environmental conservation.

    The event, aimed at promoting biodiversity conservation and creating environmental awareness, brought together a diverse group of nature enthusiasts, conservationists and local stakeholders to explore the rich avian biodiversity surrounding the Sukinda Chromite Mine.

    The session started early in the morning in lush surroundings of the campus, offering an opportunity for participants to observe the behaviour and habitat of sparrows first-hand.

    Dr Justus Joshua, senior scientist and biodiversity expert, guided the event, providing valuable insights into the life cycle, nesting habits and migration patterns of the birds.

    “We are delighted to have organised this bird-watching session, as it allows us to appreciate the incredible biodiversity that surrounds us. The programme aligns with our commitment to environmental sustainability. By organising this event, we aim to raise awareness among the communities about protection of birds and encourage all to take small but meaningful steps towards their conservation,” said Pankaj Satija, Managing Director, Tata Steel Mining.

    The company distributed specially-designed artificial nests to the participants to promote installation of these nests in homes, offices and public spaces to create a conducive environment for birds to thrive and multiply.

    TSML had earlier launched the ‘Love Sparrows’ programme to highlight the importance of sparrows in maintaining ecological balance and alarming decline in their population.

    TSML has also installed artificial nests in the mine campus to contribute to protection and conservation of sparrows in the region.