Saraswati Namastubhyam

Varade Kamarupini

Vidyarambam Karishyami

Siddhir Bhavatu Me Sada

Saraswatyei Mahamaye Vidye Kamalalochane

Padma Patram Vishalakshi Vidyam Dehi

Namastute.


Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Naveen okays direct recruitment of DSPs.

Pioneer News Service | Bhubaneswa

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik seems to be in a give away mood. So, he has not only allowed to go for direct recruit of Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) but also made provisions for early promotion of the Junior Police Officers. Now, the youth of the State can aspire to become Indian Police Service (IPS) officers once they get into the cadre of directly recruited DSPs.
According to sources, Patnaik has cleared the file pending with him for quite some time. Direct recruitment of DSPs was kept in abeyance since 1976 in the State. With the acute shortage of IPS officers and large scale vacancies in the cadre, it was just impossible for the DGP to run the show. So, on taking over as DGP on November 1, 2007, Gopal Chandra Nanda sent the proposal for direct recruitment of DSPs along with creation of more posts in the DSP cadre.
Sources said that more than 100 posts of DSPs have been created to take care of the new requirement and promotional aspects of the Sub-Inspectors and Inspectors.
The Orissa Police Service Association (OPSA) was earlier opposing the move of direct recruitment of DSPs. They were of the view that once the direct recruitment takes place, the promotional prospects of the Sub-Inspectors and Inspectors would be seriously affected. But DGP Nanda promised them that there would be no barrier for their promotion after such direct recruitment.

The proposal was sent to the Department of Home, and its Secretary Tarun Kanti Mishra cleared it within no time. Chief Secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy also favoured the idea. The Chief Minister was also positive over the issue, but due to his preoccupation he took some more time to act on it. However, now with the clearance of the proposal, educated youth, who were agitating over the issue for quite a long time, can heave a sigh of relief.There is an acute shortage of IPS officers and OPS officers in the State. Promotional posts are also not being filled up as it is taking several years for officers to get promoted to the Additional SP rank. Now with more posts in hand, Circle Inspectors can aspire to become DSPs soon, said a top cop.
The Government is now expected to be in a better position to recruit and send young DSPs to the Maoist zones, where the police administration is in need of young blood to fight the Leftwing extremists, he said.

Ship Building Plant in Bhadrak.Project Cost Rs.45,000-crore.

Pioneer News Service | Bhadrak

The Bhadrak District administration formally issued a notification for the proposed Rs 45,000-crore ship building plant at Chardia on the banks of the Baitarani river mouth. Surendra Kumar Group of Companies (Ocean Sea port Company, Kolkota) is the promoter of the plant.
Sources said the company has deposited Rs 1 crore with the district administration for land acquisition to be done by IDCO. More than 939.36 acre of land is to be acquired. The Government has issued a notification under Section 4(1). Fiver villages of Chardia, Harispur, Rajendrapali, Kanakpali and Rajrajeshwarpali are going to be affected by the land acquisition said district land acquisition officer Suryakanta Padhi.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Sanskrit University to get a facelift soon.

The 27-year-old resource-starved Sri Jagannath Sanskrit University in Puri could get a face-lift soon with the Finance Commission, University Grants Commission (UGC) and the State Government promising to pump in nearly Rs.6-crores during this fiscal year.
Sources in the university mentioned that while the university would receive Rs.3-crore for infrastructure development, UGC would provide Rs. 47 lakh for the year. Besides, it would have Block Grant of Rs.2.26 crore and an additional research grant of Rs.10 lakh from the State Government. The Syndicate has approved an annual budget of about Rs.6.94 crore with thrust on infrastructure development along with advanced research and academic activities, the sources pointed out.
With a large chunk of students being women, lack of adequate accommodation facilities for them was a major problem with the campus. A 100-bedded two storied hostel would come up on the campus soon to address the constraint, it was revealed. More number of security personnel is being appointed soon to step up the security measures in the ladies’ hostels, it was learnt.
The university has further resolved to institute financial scholarships to the tune of Rs. 1 lakh this year to attract poor and meritorious students to pursue their study here, the sources added. Research on Jagannath culture being a major objective of the university, Rs.10 lakh received from the State Government would be utilized in it this year, informed an official. Earlier funds for research on Jagannath culture were provided by the Puri temple trust.

Focus Orissa Summit calls for participatory democracy.

The two-day Summit of Focus Orissa here on Saturday expressed serious concern over the deteriorating quality of life of the majuscule section of the society and called for true participatory democracy which can only ensure equitable development and the much-needed level playing field to the millions of the depressed people.
The summit deliberated on various themes like financial inclusion, governance, issues of migration and displacement, with the representatives of political parties, trade unions, journalist, social activists, academicians and intellectuals taking part in the discussion.
Raising concerns over the current mode of exclusive development that caters only to the elite section of the society and excluding the marginalised section, the participants brought to the fore the impact of neo-liberal policies that was adopted by the Government about two decades before.The decreasing trend of budgetary allocations for social sectors like health and education worried the participants. It was argued that whereas on the one hand the Government drastically reduced subsidy in these needy sectors, it continues to provide subsidised minerals to the corporate houses. They reiterated the need of formulating a resource management policy.
Former Minister of State for Finance Panchanan Kanongo stressed the need of prioritising the need of increasing food production rather than pursuing an aggressive industrial policy. With agriculture becoming unsustainable, people in the rural areas have no option but to migrate to other States and face inhuman conditions there, he said.In an effort to put up a platform for debate and discussion on the various issues concerning development of the State, Focus Orissa, a e-group which was started about three years back, held the summit in association with Agami Orissa, another e-group of the State, on 'Shaping the development debate of Orissa', activist Pradeep Baisakh said

Medical college to be set up at Naraj,Cuttack.

Sri Sri Ravishankar Vidya Mandir Trust will set up a medical college and super specialty hospital near Naraj. Earlier, it was announced to set up a private university at Naraj. It has also planned to set up health centre in all the districts of the State.In this connection, Trust member Yezdi Batliwala called on Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday at the State Secretariat.
The State Government has allotted 185.97 acres of land for this purpose. The proposed university would have a core campus comprising academic and non-academic buildings to cater to the needs of 15,000 students, 1,500 faculty and matching number of non-teaching staff.Basic science, humanities, engineering, medicine, pharmacy, business management, law, bio-science, art, culture and Vedic studies, Ayurveda, aviation and maritime training will be on course list. The campus will house a sports complex, recreational facilities, utility centres and meditation halls.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Mini-car for less than ‘Nano’:Cuttack Students are busy in developing it.

CUTTACK: IF you thought Tata Nano, the Rs 1 lakh car which promises to redefine the automobile industry not only in India but across the world, was the ultimate, Pause.
For, a group of passionate students of the Bhubananda Orissa School of Engineering (BOSE), aided by a couple of teachers, are busy giving shape to car that would come at the cost of a 150 cc motorcycle, within Rs 70,000.And, without compromising on the basics - seating five with a cumulative load of around 500 kgs, a high speed touching 70 kmph. The clincher, it would make 35 kilometres per litre of petrol.
The 17 sixth semester students of Automobile Engineering Department have already built up the fully operational chassis and successfully completed the trial runs.
The model uses single cylinder 7HP engine akin to that of an autorickshaw and is a rear wheel drive as of Tata Nano.It inculcates four-wheel independent suspension system and front-control mechanism. Changes and modifications have been made in the engine, exhaust and silencers to reduce sound and noise-levels, said senior lecturer and the brain behind the initiative A.P. Patra.
‘‘It would be out-an-out family vehicle for city-rides. And with cost as low as a motorbike, it would be within the reach of the chunk of bike-owning denizens’’, Patra added.The design and specifications were conceptualised about two years back but had not been executed due to want of funds.The present batch showed extreme interest and chipped in with contributions from their own pocket to carry it forward.
In a span of only one and half months and at Rs 17,110, they have readied the chassis.But the work on the body has been stuck as the resources have been exhausted. ‘‘The areodynamics envisage a round shaped body less than three metres to give maximum air clearance.The two-door concept adds to the design and brings down the costs. But what we need now is some funds to give the vehicle its actual shape’’, Patra said.

High Security Foot and Mouth Diesease(FMD) lab at Jatni,Bhubaneswar,first in whole South East Asia.

ORISSA is bracing up to assume a prime role in the worldwide fight against the dreaded bovine foot and mouth disease (FMD) as it is soon to house the first high-security laboratory on FMD in the country as well as the whole of South East Asia.
The International and National centre on FMD would be set up by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) at Jatni about 25 kms from here. The State Government has already identified 116.325 acre of land for the Rs 400 crore Central Government sponsored project.
The state-of-the art facility with Bio Safety level (3+) standardisation will work for control and containment of virulent, pathogenic and mutagenic FMD virus. The disease in endemic to India and manifests itself across regions round the year.
The lab would receive samples from the country as well as abroad for identification, characterisation of the biological pathogens that caused the disease. It will also act as a repository for various serotypes.

OPSC aspirants want exams rescheduled.

Thursday April 24 2008

Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: After a delay of two years, the Orissa Public Service Commission has finally notified the conduct of OCS Mains Examination from May 27 but scheduling of dates has not gone down well with the aspirants.

It would would not only deprive many aspirants who have passed the OCS prelims in 2006 from appearing for the Mains but also prohibit them from performing to their potential.

Reasons: Only a week�s gap between UPSC prelims and OPSC mains examinations, dates coinciding with that of post-grduate examinations in several State and Central universities and conduct of examinations under severe heatwave conditions.

Taking a lead in raising the issue with the highest authorities, the Delhi Oriya Students Association has submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Chief Secretary Ajit Tripathy seeking their intervention for rescheduling of the Mains examinations.

Association convenor Tejeswar Parida stated that most of the Oriya students, who would be writing their Mains,would also be appearing for UPSC prelims. For many, it is also their last mandatory UPSC chance.

Given the differential patterns and vast syllabus, the minimum gap required betwen the two was at least a month or two. The gap of only one week would have aspirants in two minds and affect their performance.

Besides, the PG examinations in universities of Utkal, Sambalpur, Berhampur, DU and JNU are scheduled till May second week, leaving little time for preparations for OCS Mains, Parida said.

Postponement of OCS mains demanded.

Saturday,April 26,2008.

Correspondent,The Hindu.

More than 400 students prepare for prelims

CUTTACK: The demand to postpone the Orissa Civil Services main examinations by a month gains momentum when Delhi Oriya Students’ Association (DOSA) submitted a memorandum to the State chief secretary during the latter’s recent visit to New Delhi.

DOSA members drawn from JNU and Delhi University also submitted memorandums to this effect to the State Chief Minister Mr. Naveen Patnaik and Rajya Sabha member Mr. Pyarimohan Mohapatra in New Delhi.

More than 400 Oriya students who are currently residing in New Delhi and preparing for the May 18 UPSC preliminary examinations are very much apprehensive about their performance in OAS main examinations that are beginning in just about 10 days after the UPSC exams.

The OAS examinations are scheduled to begin from May 27 and continue up to June 24.

Indian Institute ofPublic Health (IIPH) at BBSR. !

Pioneer News Service | Bhubaneswar
A unit of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) will be set up at Bhubaneswar. A decision to this effect was taken at a joint high-level meeting between the CM Naveen Patnaik and Chairman of the Foundation Srinath Reddy at the State Secretariat on Thursday. Government will provide all the basic infrastructures for institution.
PHFI aims to influence public health education, research, and policy. The goal is to establish at least five world-class Indian Institutes of Public Health. These Institutes will initially train 1,000-plus professionals a year, with the goal of producing as many as 10,000 graduates. The Association of Schools of Public Health of the U.S. will offer educational and technical assistance.
The Foundation will bolster existing schools of public health by creating a pool of permanent faculty and establishing an accreditation agency that will standardise public health education. India currently graduates some 375 students each year from its schools of public health and institutions-compared to the 10,000 needed annually. With the setting up this unit, Orissa will become a leader in the entire eastern region.

MCL to set up medical college in Talcher.

Coming under a sustained pressure from the State Government, the Mahanadi Coalfield Ltd (MCL) has reportedly agreed to set up a Medical College at Talcher. A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level joint meeting between the Coal India Limited (CIL) Chairman Partha S Bhattacharjee and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the State Secretariat on Thursday.During the meeting, Patnaik placed a proposal before the Coal India Chairman to convert the existing 100 bedded hospital at Talcher to a 400-bedded hospital and to make it a full-fledged Medical College. Bhattacharjee promptly agreed to Patnaik's proposal, sources said. He also agreed to deploy more mobile dispensary units in the mining areas.
Later speaking to reporters, Bhattacharjee said Coal India would soon bring a new Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R $R) policy of its own. "It would be different from the Centre and the State. More stress would be given on community engagement and large-scale development of the common man," he said, adding that it would put thrust on increasing the employment ability of the people. People would be the stakeholder of the development process.
He further said that all companies coming under Coal India put thrust on the rehabilitation programme. "Out of the 21,000 employees, around 40 per cent are from displaced families," he said.Giving a broad outline of Coal India's plan, he further said that the coal crisis in the country would be resolved within three months. "There would be no shortage of coal in the country. We will push the coal to every nook and corner of the country," he said, adding that MCL has made a target of producing 100 million tonne of coal in 2008-09.
It was also decided in the meeting that steps would be taken to launch a massive afforest ration programme in the Talcher area. Both the Agriculture Production Commissioner and MCL Managing Director will work jointly and monitor the afforest ration programme.Mahanadi Coalfields Limited CMD SR Upadhayay, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Bijay Kumar Patnaik and Secretary, Energy, Suresh Chandra Mohapatra were present at the meeting.

Focus Orissa Summit .

Focus Orissa Summit 2008, a two-day national conference to strengthen the development campaign in the State, will be held by Focus Orissa in association with Agami Orissa at Bhubaneswar here on Friday and Saturday.
The summit will be inaugurated by Finance Minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadai. Thirty papers on four thematic areas like development, financial inclusion, governance and mass media will be presented during the conference.
The conference will be concluded with a political session at 5 pm on Saturday. Representatives of all the political parties are scheduled to participate in the debate. The conference will be held between 9 am to 6 pm.

5 new telecoms set to start operations in State.

There is good news for lakhs of mobile users in Orissa. Five new telecom players are to open their shops in the State. The competition among telecom companies is expected not only to bring down the per-call cost but also provide a vast array of opportunities to get connections in case one company fails to deliver satisfactory service to a consumer.
The five new entrants are Videocon-promoted Datacom, Idea Cellular, realty major Unitech, Swan Telecom and Loop Telecom, which have been given start-up GSM spectrum of 4.4 MHz in the Orissa circle, official sources said. The sources said Communication and Information Technology Minister A Raja on Thursday signed the file giving a green signal to allocate GSM radio frequency to the new
players.
The Department of Telecommunication is also looking at other circles where the spectrum is available in abundance and can be allocated to all the aspirants simultaneously.Some of the players, especially Idea Cellular and Spice Communications, had questioned Raja's first-come-first-serve policy to allocate spectrum, saying this should be done on the basis of application and not the payment of required fees.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Shamuka Project near Puri on anvil.

In a bid to develop beach tourism in Orissa, known for its virgin quiet beaches, the first-ever beach tourism project, Shamuka, will have all ingredients for an international hotspot. This project will further offer ample opportunities for huge investment.
Around 8 km south-west of Puri towards the Chilka lake, lies the flat sandy beach with crystal clear water. With the virgin and most secluded beach in hand, the Government of Orissa is moving at a high speed to attract world-class investors for its development.
For somebody who likes to make money out of the sun, surf and sand, the Shamuka Beach Project is the ideal one, said the Minister of Tourism Debi Prasad Mishra. Five-star hotels, international convention centres, an 18-hole golf course along with a golf resort, international spa and wellness centre with spa resort are to be developed in the 1,000-acre virgin seaside, he said.
The project concept, developed by the Orissa Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC), is on a public-private-partnership (PPP) mode to attract investments, said PPP Secretary Gagan Kumar Dhal. Recently, the State PPP Authority cleared the proposal, which is to be developed by a master developer, he said, adding that this would be a new kind of initiative.
There will be a Shamka Village, a craft museum, a workshop, Gurukul, theme gardens and a number of initiatives for business-cum-luxury with a slice of Oriya culture.
Expression of Interest was issued, to which 31 players responded. Out of them, 11 have been short-listed, said an official of the Department of Tourism. The selected lessee would develop the entire project on the design-build-finance-own-operate-transfer (DBFOOT) mode, said the sources.
Investment will be huge as the developer will develop 818 acres out of 1,000 acres of land. About 100 acres would be offered to four hoteliers of international standard to set up four to four to five star hotels, added the sources.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Basic needs to be affected by Climate Change: Report

The changing climate is likely to affect the basic needs - such as safe drinking water, sufficient food, secure shelter and good social conditions - of human beings. Reviews of the likely impacts of climate change by the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a scientific body tasked to evaluate the risk of climate change caused by human activity, has recently suggested that a warming climate is likely to bring some localised benefits; such as decreased winter deaths in temperate climates and increases in food production in some, particularly high latitude regions.
The most endemic malarious regions will be the central and eastern Indian regions of the country covering Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, West Bengal and Assam in the current climate conditions due to influence of climate change on vector production and malaria transmission. In 2050s, it is projected that malaria is likely to persist in Orissa, West Bengal and southern region of India due to climate change, as per the review reports prepared by the IPCC.
More than half of the world's population now lives within 60km of the sea. Changes in climate are likely to lengthen the transmission seasons of important vector-borne diseases, and to alter their geographic range, potentially bringing them to regions which lack either population immunity or a strong public health infrastructure.
Public health services and high living standards would protect some populations from specific impact. Climate change would cause malaria to become prone in India in the coming years. Overall, however, the health effects of a rapidly changing climate are likely to be overwhelmingly negative, particularly in the poorest communities, which have contributed least to greenhouse gas emissions.
As per the review reports of the IPCC, climate change is going to increase frequencies of heat waves, more variable precipitation patterns are likely to compromise the supply of freshwater by increasing risks of water-borne disease. Rising temperatures is likely to decrease the production of staple foods in many of the poorest regions by increasing risks of malnutrition. Rising sea levels will increase the risk of coastal flooding and may necessitate population displacement.
The effects of the climate change that has occurred since the mid-1970s may have caused over 150,000 deaths in 2000 and these impacts are likely to increase in the future, revealed the report. Psycho-social illnesses are a part of the various health issues associated with climate change. It has been anticipated that severe flooding may become more frequent due to global warming in the coming years.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Dellhi Oriya Students Association demands change in the OPSC Examination dates.

Now as the dates are finalised for the OPSC Main Exams our main concerns are-

1) There is only a gap of one week between UPSC Prelims (18th May) and OPSC Mains (25th May) Given the differential question pattern and syllabus there should be at least one to two months gap between these exams.
2) This year there are nearly 700 posts in UPSC civil services and such exams may hamper the success rate oriya students.
3) As OPSC does not conduct exams on regular basis it should take into consideration upsc exam schedules while finalising its own schedule. there are many oriya students for whom this years UPSC prelims is final and mandatory chances. For them its a difficult choice whether to sit for UPSC prelims or OPSC mains.
4) the MA examinations in all universities like Utkal, Sambalpur, Berhampur, Fakirmohan, as well as in HCU, DU and JNU are scheduled till 2nd week of May as per their regular schedule. In that case the chances of these young and fresh post graduates getting into our state bureaucracy are bleak.
5) another major concern is the heat wave in the month of May and June- the time OPSC has scheduled its main examination. All most every day the exams are scheduled in 2nd sittings as well. This may prove fatal for the examinees keeping in mind the heatwave condition in all cities where exams are going to be held.

So the exam may be planned anytime after June. As there are only around 3740 examinees it won't be difficult for OPSC to conduct exam at anytime of the year.

Bibhu Prasad Nayak, (JNU) 09868984464
Tejeswar Parida,(DU) 09999974473

ASSOCHAM ventures in State to help industrialisation

To enable Orissa to attract thousands of crores of rupees investment, the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has called for a complete, transparent and flexible land acquisition policy to explore its mineral resources and take its FDI's (foreign direct investment) contribution to over 5 per cent from the present meagre level of 0.20 per cent.
At a Press meet here on Sunday ASSOCHAM president Venugopal N Dhoot released a report, 'Orissa towards industrialisation,' prepared by the ASSOCHAM. The report highlighted the facts that for industrial projects of huge volumes have not been able to take off due to problems in land acquisitions. Dhoot said that land acquisition has been the bone of contention in Orissa and it even fuels public anger against developmental projects. To woo people for different developmental projects in the State there is need of better compensation package for displaced, opined Dhoot. He strongly supported for permanent job to the dependent of displaced families.
The report said that at least four major industrial projects in Orissa with investment potential of more than Rs 1 lakh crore have not been able to take off since last four years. One of the major steel plants with 12 million tonne capacity to be set up by POSCO with Rs 51,000 crore investments, the single largest prospective FDI in India, could not progress due to land acquisition problems. Similarly, a Rs. 40,000 crore steel plant project of Arcelor-Mittal was signed in 2006, but the construction work could not commence due to resettlement and rehabilitation factors, the report analyses.

Stating further, Dhoot said that apart from land acquisition problem, mining and mineral policies, environmental issues and other allied problems need to be solved at the earliest so as to attract more investments.Promoting sector basis investments particularly in areas of IT, petrochemicals, minerals, refining and other manufacturing sectors, the Chamber has suggested State Government to set up `Investment Regions'. Moreover, the State is in the dire need for building roadways connecting the rural hinterland, national highways and upgrading the domestic airport at Bhubaneswar and sea ports.
ASSOCHAM secretary DS Rawat said as per the discussion by our president with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik the chamber is ready to have a three-year partnership with the State to attract another Rs 1.5 lakh crore of investment in the State. He further said we have proposed the Chief Minister to constitute a Special Task Force (STF) to examine and find out the actual problems in the process of industrialisation. Dhoot, who is the head of VIDEOCON, expressed his concern to set up a 'Narrow Technology Park' near Bhubaneswar provided the State successfully overcomes land related problems.

Monday, April 21, 2008

ArcelorMittal allocates $ 300 mn for Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Corporate Social Responsibility.

GLOBAL steel giant Arcelor- Mittal has chalked up a $ 300 million allocation to pursue the rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities for its proposed 12- million tonne plant at Keonjhar.The group presented its R&R plans and philosophies to the Keonjhar district administration earlier this week and is busy working on the Detailed Project Report (DPR) which is expected to be ready by June.
ArcelorMittal, which proposes its steel plant at an estimated investment of $ 10 billion, is aware of the challenges for industrial projects in the State and appears ready with its strategies. The plant is expected to go on stream by 2012.
‘‘We may have three and a half years from now but we believe we’ve no time. The group has to manage expectations from every stakeholder.
We want to work from day one,’’ vice-president, CSR of the group, Remi Boyer told.
Boyer, who heads Arcelor- Mittal’s CSR wing, is in India with a delegation to oversee CSR strategies for the Orissa and Jharkhand projects. As the group’s commitment towards community, he said, the world’s largest steel company is going to apply the highest standards of CSR for the Orissa p r o j e c t .
‘‘R&R policy is going to be the backbone of our CSR strategy and will be an inclusive one,’’ he said.Besides the $ 300-million allocation for R&R and CSR, the company will be spending much more after the project goes on stream, he said.

B e s i d e s R&R, Boyer said, proper information to public about the company’s plans and activities and skill development are going to be the major challenges.
He said the group had planned an ITI right at the project site and it would be operational from 2009.Chief Executive Officer of ArcelorMittal India Dr Sanak Mishra said, support from the State Government towards the project has been reassuring and ground situation is very conducive.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Environmental Film Festival in Bhubaneswar.

BBSR-based cultural outfit Bakul Foundation would host a two-day environmental film festival in association with Toxic Links, an NGO, at the IDCOL Auditorium here from Saturday. Briefing newsmen here, foundation director S Mohapatra said that 18 films on major environmental issues divided into three categories - earth, survival and water would be screened.
Films on impact of climate change on earth and its effect on Orissa, development versus wildlife conservation, water bottling industry, traditional water harvesting techniques and politics behind building of dams would be screened.
Some films deal with exploitation of water sources for corporate interests, threats to human survival from pesticides, GM crops and uranium waste, Mohapatra said.

Rourkela Steel Plant gives away scholarships to Meritorious poor students of Sundergarh District.

Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) has presented scholarships worth of Rs 11.4 lakh to 103 meritorious students, including 42 girls, belonging to the under privileged sections in the peripheral villages, resettlement colonies and reclamation camps.
RSP Managing Director, B.N. Singh while presenting the cheques to the recipients has assured that RSP would continue to extend money to bright students so that no student had to give up education for lack of money.
Meritorious students from class 1 to 10 were selected by Sundergarh district administration.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

45 Automatic Weather Systems planned in State.

To prepare effective forecasts, as many as 45 automatic weather systems (AWS) were proposed at different places across the State. All the districts will have at least one AWS each.Besides, 169 automatic rain gauge systems would also be put in place and at some places temperature sensor would be fitted in, said Indian Metrological Department sources. Moreover, 10 agro meteorological field units would be made fully functional with assistance from IMD.
In order to develop a strong agromet extension and strengthen the outreach, the district level agencies such as district agriculture offices, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, agricultural technology management agencies and NGO would be engaged.These decisions were taken at a meeting of stakeholders of State for implementation of the district Agromet Advisory Service (AAS), organised by the meteorological centre.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Rail roko by Koshal Dal at Balangir; 61 arrested

Pioneer News Service | Balangir

Several activists of the All Koshal Students' Union, a wing of the Koshal Kranti Dal, led by Dolamani Pradhan, Swadhin Mishra and president of Koshal Kranti Dal Promod Mishra and Bibhudutta Mishra, staged a rail roko at Balangir railway station on Friday morning for nearly an hour, demanding formation of a separate Koshal State, setting up of the State's proposed IIT and Central University in 'Koshalanchal,' and a Koshal university at Balangir, besides withdrawal of the Railway Board's letter to stop the Khurda-Balangir railway line project.The activists blocked the movement of Sambalpur-Rayagada Express and Kantabanj-Bilaspur train, as a result of which many passengers were stranded at the railway station.
Dolamani Pradhan argued that even though there are 11 universities in the State's coastal belt, the Government has decided to set up the Central University in Bhubneshwar. Except the Sambalpur University, there is no other university in the western region. In view of the backwardness of the region and in order to accelerate the development process, the Central University should be set up anywhere in the Koshal region.Koshal Kranti Dal president Promod Mishra said the cancellation of the Khurda-Balangir railway line project shows the step-motherly attitude of the Central and State Governments towards 'Koshalnchal.' "We are staging a peaceful protest here, and if our demands are not met, the Koshal Kranti Dal would stage an economic blockade soon, he threatened.A total of 61 Koshal Dal activists were taken into custody for participating in the rail roko, said DSP N Dandsena.

Orissa to spend Rs2,500 crore for irrigation projects.

State Planning and Coordination Minister Duryodhana Majhi on Friday said the State Government would spend Rs 2,500 crore for the development of irrigation projects of the State. More thrust would be given on increasing the irrigation facilities.
2,000 new Lift Irrigation(LI) Points would be installed. These LI points would irrigate nearly 40,000 acres of land. Similarly, 1300 small irrigation projects would be installed. The projects would provide irrigation facilities to 15,000 hectare land.
Majhi also took a review on the performance of the Energy Department. 75 per cent subsidy would be given to those who install tube well under the Biju Gramya Jyoti Yojana.Similarly, steps would be taken to check the misutilisation of power at the time of supply of drinking water.
In order to check the efficacy of the Biju Grama Jyoti Yojana, a test check would be initiated from Komana and Khariar of the State. Later, the test would be conducted through out the State.
He further said that the Vth and VIth unit of the IB Thermal power plant would soon be functioning. Discussion to this effect is going on AES. While the State Government would keep 600 megawatt of power, AES would be allowed to sell the rest 600 megawatt of powe

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Ravenshaw University to roll out MBA programme.

The premier education hub of the State — the Ravenshaw University — is set to roll out MBA programme from the ensuing academic session.The course would be offered with the active collaboration of Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB), said registrar Satyakam Mishra.The premier B-school, apart from providing faculty, will also train teachers of the varsity. It will design the course content and provide consultancy on several aspects including admission and placement. Besides, students can also make use of XIMB’s library facilities, he said.At present, Ravenshaw University offers a bachelor’s programme in business administration.
Once introduced, human resource personnel felt Ravenshaw’s MBA course will trigger an unprecedented demand among management aspirants, given the brand name both carry.
The programme will undoubtedly set a bench mark for itself in the State. Mishra said the master’s degree programme will comprise 60 seats to begin with. The selection procedure is being worked out. Scores of XIMB conducted test and CAT may be taken into consideration.However, the understanding with XIMB will be for two years. If the course proves successful, it will be extended, he noted.The varsity has already initiated steps to set up the department and renovate an existing hostel for the MBA students.The varsity had also introduced a five-year integrated master’s degree in science. Only a few institutes like University of Hyderabad, IISc Bangalore offer such courses.
The Book Review Society of Ravenshaw University, meanwhile, reviewed a book titled ‘The Mahanadi Dream.’Penned by Dr.Subhakanta Behera, it was released by Vice-Chancellor Prof Devdas Chhotray. Convenor of the Ravenshaw University Book Review Society Somarani Chand and others were present.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Travelling Expenses and Monthly Pension for AIDS patients in Orissa.

The State Government has announced to provide travelling expenses to the AIDs victim to go to Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) centres. Earlier, the State announced to provide monthly pension to AIDS patients.
"Budgetary provision has been made for this purpose. It will be effective from April 1," said Project Director, Orissa States AIDS Control Society (OSACS), Parameswar Swain. Swain said that the government would provide full travelling expenses to full blown patients travelling in public buses and trains and other modes of public transport to the ART centres. Around 1000 people would get the benefit under the scheme, he said.
There are three ART centres in the state, at MKCG Medical College Hospital, SCB Medical College Hospital at Cuttack and VSS Medical College Hospital at Burla. While the ART centre here has been functioning for the last two years, the other two centres are not functioning due to lack of staff.

Special law for proposed Ravishankar University soon .

In yet another significant development,a special law would be enacted for the establishment of the proposed Sri Sri Ravishankar University. A special bill to this effect got the nod of the Cabinet. It would be placed in the next session of the Assembly for approval.
It has been suggested that there would be no provisions of reservations to be made the students belonging to Orissa. The University would be open to all India students and students will be selected purely on merit.
The MoU was signed in 2006 for the establishment of the university. The State Government has so far provided 157.6 acre of land near Naraj. This would be developed into an Unitary University. 1,500 teachers will be given appointment. In the management of the board, there would be one Government's representatives. He would be in the rank of a secretary.

OJS Exam on the pattern of OAS and IAS Exam.

The Orissa Judicial Service Examination will be conducted on the pattern of OAS and IAS examinations. A decision to this effect was taken at the State Cabinet meeting on Monday.
Briefing about the Cabinet's decision, Chief Secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy said for the first time preliminary examination would be held on for the judicial service. The examination will be of 100 marks. If a SC and ST candidate secures a minimum 35 per cent mark and the general candidate secure 40 per cent mark, he or she would be allowed to sit for the final examination of the OJS. The preliminary examination will be held on 10 subjects. In order to give a boost to the judicial sector, the State Cabinet has also decided to give the perks and allowance to Lokpal like the Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court.

Buddha born in Orissa, claim intellectuals .

Buddha was born in Orissa, claimed the intellectuals of the State. "We have enough evidence to prove that Buddha was born in Orissa and not in Lumbini as claimed by a few historians," said Chief Secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy.
Speaking on the occasion on the release of the Japanese translation of the controversial book Real Birth Place of Buddha on Monday, Tripathy said nowhere in the world there is the concept of Maousi (Mother's sister) Puja.
"No religion speaks of the Maousi Puja. Only in Bhubaneswar and Puri, there is the concept of Maousi Puja. Each year, Lord Jagannath comes to Maousima Temple for eight days sojourn and Lord Lingaraj comes to Mausi's home in Bhubaneswar. The concept has come from the Buddhist cult. After Buddha died, he was nurtured by her Maousi. Buddha had a great respect for his Maousi," he said. Tripathy has authored the book - The Real Birth place of Buddha.
Tripathy further said that after the arrival of Jaydev, Buddha was regarded as the God. And the concept of Maousi Puja continued from that day. "This is greatest proof that Buddha belonged to Orissa," he said. The translator of the book, Kiyoshi Sugimoto, a lecturer in Tokai University, Tokyo, Japan, said from 7th century, the Buddhism was widespread in Japan. But the Japanese Buddhism came from the China, not India.
All mantra and suttas are written in Chinese language, not Sanskrit and Palli. But now days, many Japanese people take great interest in the place of origin of Buddhism in India. "Many of them come to Bodh Gaya and so on. I hope this book will awaken their interest in exploring various dimensions related to Buddhism and especially his place of birth," he said. Among others eminent historian Prafulla Chandra Tripathy, , the monk G Saffa Tises Thero, Tourism Director R N Nanda, State Museum Director C Patel spoke on the occasion.

New mineral deposits found in Orissa.

Evidence of deposits of diamond, coal, iron ore, bauxite and heavy minerals has been found in various districts of the State. The Directorate of Geology has located 66 million tonnes of coal deposits in Padma block of the Talcher coalfields and 18 million tonnes of bauxite in the Tadapani plateau of Ramgarh area under Koraput district, according to sources.The exploration for heavy minerals such as ilmenite, monazite and rutile in the Udayagri sector of Puri has established a reserve of one million tonnes of heavy minerals. A viable iron ore deposit of 1.9 million tonnes has been located in the Dholtapahar area of Sundargarh district through geological mapping and drilling.

New agriculture policy soon in Orissa.

The State Government will soon declare a new agriculture policy. "The draft for the new policy has already been prepared and it will be placed before the State Cabinet for approval", Arabinda Padhi, Director of Agriculture and Food Production, said. The new policy would lay thrust on sustainability and protection of environment, Padhi said.
Attending the district Collectors' conference under Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Southern division) at Berhampur on Monday, Padhi said the district Collectors were sensitised about different programmes being implemented by the State Government. They have been asked to prepare prospective agriculture plan in the district level to achieve the growth rate at four per cent by the end of the five-year plan, Padhi said.
Claiming that the State had achieved the highest ever food grain production in 2007-08 at 91.90 lakh tonnes, the agriculture director said the Government aimed to increase the same to 10 million tonnes in 2008-09.
The Government has also decided to establish seed processing plants in each district by the end of 2009-10. "At least three such units in Kendrapara, Jharsuguda and Gajapati districts would be established this year," he said. At least five de-humidified chambers (DHCs) would be set up in the state in the next three years to preserve the sensitive seeds to maintain its quality. The DHCs would be set up at Berhampur, Balasore, Jeypore, Angul and Bargarh, Padhi added.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

One School of Life Science, four star colleges for Orissa.

Union Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Kapil Sibal on Friday said a School of Life Science would be established in one of the universities of the State.Addressing a Press Conference here, Sibal said the Centre would provide all help in establishing the Infectious Disease Research Unit in the premises of the SCB Medical College, Cuttack. He was here to lay the foundation stone for a new research building of Institute of Life Science
Sibal further said that the Research Unit would be set up with the help of the Institute of Life Science. "Four existing colleges will be given the status of star college in Orissa," he announced, adding that the star college would be equipped with all sorts of modern facilities and technology. Students would be encouraged to take up research works particularly in the field of bio-technology. "Biotechnology has to play a key role in the country's development," he said.
Sibal further said that Centre was focusing all its energy to have an in-depth study on the impact of global warming on climatic change. "Yet, the scientists have not gathered the concrete evidence on the impact of global warming on the coastal zone and the life of human beings," he said.

Orissa's per capita investment more than thrice national average.

Orissa's per capita investment under implementation in December 2007 stood at Rs 78,569 crore which was more than three times of the national average of Rs 22,842. This was reported in the latest report of the Centre for Monitoring of the Indian Economy (CMIE), which is considered as the country's leading source for development-related information and statistics.
Orissa also ranked way ahead of neighbouring States such as Jharkhand (ranked fifth at Rs 41,586), Andhra Pradesh (ranked eighth at Rs 21,965),West Bengal (ranked 12th at Rs 17,685) and Chhattisgarh (ranked 14th at Rs 16,960).As per the CMIE report, Haryana was the number one State marginally ahead of Orissa by Rs 149 with per capita investment of Rs 78,710. The top five ranked States were Haryana, Orissa, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Jharkhand.
Based on the investment under implementations, the income and gross domestic product of these five States was likely to grow at the fastest pace in the next few years. As per the CMIE report, the bottom five States were Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam and Bihar. The per capita investment in Bihar was Rs 3,081.
Domestic as well as foreign investors have several large-scale investments on implementation in Orissa across the mineral, tourism, energy, infrastructures and IT sectors. The investment so far has started yielding positive results for the State in terms of direct and indirect employment and increased revenue.

Raipur to have Orissa Bhawan and a statue of Veer Surendra Sai : Chhatisgarh CM

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has promised setting up of an Orissa Bhawan and install a statue of Orissa's freedom fighter Veer Surendra Sai in his State capital Raipur.He was speaking at a function marking the Utkal Divas in Raipur. BJP national secretary and organisational in-charge of Chhattisgarh and an MP of Orissa Dharmendra Pradhan attended the celebration.
Dr Raman Singh said the story of the first Indian struggle for freedom of 1857 would not be complete without the mention of Veer Surendra Sai, known as Sivaji of Orissa. He fought for his motherland over 35 years, launching an armed struggle against the Britishers in Orissa and Chhattisgarh territories.Stressing on the cultural ties between Orissa and Chhattisgarh, he said people of his State worship Lord Jagannath and Samaleswari Devi just as people in Orissa do.
Dharmendra Pradhan said after Orissa, perhaps nowhere in the country the Orissa Day is celebrated the way in Chhattisgarh with such a huge gathering. About 1,700 years ago, Sripur, currently located in Chhattisgarh, was the capital of both the States and was subsequently shifted to Subarnapur, then Binitpur and from there to Jajpur.

Drive for Heritage City status for Bhubaneswar to be launched soon.

In a bid to get heritage city status by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to Bhubaneswar, Orissa International Centre (OIC) is all geared up and will launch a statewide campaign demanding the move.OIC chairman Paresh Nayak said on Thursday that the campaign will kick off at Dhauli on April 13 and would reach Exhibition Ground passing through Samantrapur Square and Ram Mandir Square.
A committee has been formed for the campaign, to carry it out at various places of the State. Former Union Culture Secretary Ashok Mishra has been elected as the national convener while former Utkal University of Culture VC Bimalendu Mohanty, OIC chairman Nayak, Kanika Prince Shivendra Narayan Bhanjadeo, Kabita Tripathy and advocate Bana Mohanty were among those elected as co-conveners.
"We have decided to meet the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Culture Minister Ambika Soni in New Delhi over the issue," Nayak said, adding that memorandums will be submitted to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Governor MC Bhandare. "Once the capital of ancient Kalinga, the city has a long history and is today a centre for commerce and religious activity," Nayak said.
Nayak further added that the history of the Bhubaneswar-Khurda region goes back 2000 years. Emperor Kharavela established his Capital in Sisupalgarh, which is on the outskirts of the city.

Retailers' Association of India to take up marketing of textile, handicrafts and handloom in Orissa.

The Retailers' Association of India would take up the marketing of textile, handicrafts and handloom products in Orissa. A decision to this effect was taken at a high level meeting presided over by the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
To this effect, under the public- private- partnership mode and a handicraft centre would be developed at Gandamunda. Shopper Shop, Pantaloon, Lakewood Walls and few other renowned groups will participate.Government will provide the necessary help. The park would help for the promotion of the marketing of handicrafts and textiles products.
Steps would be taken to promote textile and handicraft product through cluster wise. In July 20, buyer-sellers meet will be held. Self- Help Groups would also be involved.

Study highlights problems in health sector in Orissa.

The Hindu,BBSR.
Orissa, which has the poorest health indicators in the country with very high levels of mortality, morbidity and malnutrition, needs to do away with ‘inequities’ in its health sector such as disparities among rural-urban population, social groups and regions.
A study that incorporated almost all the aspects of health policy of the State called for mainstreaming equity in future health sector plans. A draft copy of the study, ‘Health Challenges in Orissa’, which was prepared by Human Development Foundation (HDF), a voluntary organisation, was circulated among health thinkers and doctors heading different wings here.
Infant mortality
Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is only 53 per 1,000 live births in urban areas as compared to 76 in rural areas, only 26.4 per cent of tribal children are immunised when compared to 43.7 per cent among the general population in the State and anaemia is very high of 61.2 per cent among women.“Steps such as decentralisation of health sector, micro-planning, participatory approach and community monitoring have become inescapable necessary,” lead researcher Almas Ali said at the State-level consultation.
The State needed to arrest the malnutrition trend as early as possible. “The level of malnutrition in the State is quite high. Over 30 per cent of children are severely malnourished. As per the latest survey, 40.7 per cent under age of 3 are underweight, 45 per cent are stunted and 19.5 per cent are wasted. About 65 per cent of children aged between 6 and 35 months are anaemic,” Dr. Ali pointed out.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Utkal Divas celebrated in Delhi.

Gracing the Utkal Divas celebrations in Delhi on Tuesday, Governor MC Bhandare said that with many innovative measures taken in the direction of economic reforms, Orissa's economy is now on the threshold of making an impact on the global economy. He further stated that Orissa is on the path of speedy development representing a strong blend of tradition and modernity. With participatory approach many people-oriented programmes are being implemented by the State Government to usher in all-round prosperity, he said.
Quoting CF Andrews, the Governor said the people of Orissa people are most lovable in India. Cultural moorings of the State have fascinated the people beyond the national boundaries.
Minister of Culture Surjya Narayan Patro, who attended as the guest of honour, said Orissa is one of the leading States in terms of attracting investment in key economic sectors and achieving overall economic growth. Out of the 49 MoUs signed by the Government, 26 steel plants have already become operational, he said. He also said that on the lines of the Pink City, Jaipur, efforts are on to give a unique identity to the city of Bhubaneswar by painting its street walls with various local paintings.
Chief Speaker Labanyendu Mansingh, Chairman, Petroleum Regulatory Board, lauded the achievements of the State Government made in the recent past. He particularly mentioned that the State has been able to attract the highest investment. He observed that Orissa has a vast potential of becoming a developed State in terms of both industrial and agricultural development.
Resident Commissioner LN Gupta, in his welcome address, paid rich tributes to the Parala Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati Deo, Utkalamani Gopabandhu Das and Utkal Gaurav Madhusudan Das for their dedicated efforts for creation of the State of Orissa.Referring to a recent study by the National Institute of Public Financial Policy, he said Orissa has the second highest per capita investment under implementation in 2007.
At the outset, the inaugural song Bande Utkal Janani was sung by the members of Utkalini. The programme included a two-hour cultural extravaganza put up by the artists coming from all over the State. Odissi was performed by Madhubrata Satpathy. Similarly, Chhau dance was presented by Uttarsahi Chhau Nrutya Pratisthan, Mayurbhanj. The Resident Commissioner's office organised an exhibition on investment, tourism, handicrafts and handlooms.

Orissa’s first Water Park at Phulnakhara,Cuttack.

Cuttack-based DKN Enterprises is coming up with the State’s first water park close to Phulnakhara in between the twin cities of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar.Tourism Minister Devi Prasad Mishra is set to throw it open tomorrow. Spread over 3.5 acres of land amidst lush green surroundings at Kuranga Sasan (about 9 km from Phulnakhara), ‘Ocean World Water Park’ has been developed at a cost of over Rs 20 crore. It is complete with float water slides, pools, tube rides, typhoon tunnel and yoga centre among others.
Several other sought after features like banquet hall and space to host wedding ceremonies and musical events have also been shaped up, said director of the firm Kew Ray.
Talking to mediapersons here On Wednesday, he said requisite international safety norms had been strictly followed to avoid mishaps.A team of specially trained in life-guards would keep a close watch on revellers. There would be 20 percent discount on ticket rates for corporates and 15 percent for institutions. Ray said other than providing citizens in the twin-city their daily dose of entertainment, thrill and excitement, the facility will also be developed as an ultimate health destination for all.
And that is not be all. Soon, the complex will also add roller coaster ride and a world class resort facility adjacent to the park. The company had already acquired about 25 acres for the upcoming projects. A sports club spread over 10 acres and a national-level coaching facility are also on the cards.Company’s managing director Girija Das said some of the leading water ride manufacturers in the country have invested their ideas in making it a one of its kind in this part.
The park has been promoted by a group of USA-based Oriya NRIs who are keen to ensue that their beloved State is in step with the rest of the country when it comes to means of relaxation for hardworking and fun loving people of Orissa. The promoters claim to have spent almost Rs 40 crore till now and the total estimated cost is Rs 100 crore when the project gets completed. They insist that aspects like safety, quality etc has been ensured by using the services of experienced parties who have erected many successful parks.

PG course in Investment Portfolio at ASBM,Bhubaneswar : First of its kind in India.

Leading business weekly ‘Dalal Street Investment Journal’ (DSIJ) has zeroed in on Bhubaneswar-based Asian School of Business Management to launch a post-graduate programme in investment portfolio management, the first of its kind in the country.The journal, owned by Ramdeo Media Enterprises, will provide the course content and other expertise. ASBM is widely recognised for its sector specific programmes and has tie-ups with several corporate houses. Both the organisations signed an MoU on Thursday to launch the course. It would first be offered in ASBM’s upcoming Hyderabad campus and later on here.Founder Director of the institute Prof Biswajeet Pattanayak said the magazine had approached ASBM to leverage on its core strength and run the programme which would eventually meet the increasing demand for qualified professionals in the expanding equity market. A recent report by the journal had, in fact, highlighted the acute shortage of managers in handling the swelling base of investment portfolio.
Signing the agreement, director (marketing) Deepak Jhangiani too highlighted the manifold growth of the investment community in the country which has expanded to the tune of 3.2 million within a short period.
As per prediction, about 1,000 mutual fund companies are expected to come up in the subcontinent. The course will stretch over 18 months and have six months of internship programme in investment firms.

No succour for HIV couple: a different story.

ENS
SALEPUR: A couple affected by the deadly HIV positive virus have been deprived of treatment owing to acute poverty.With no help and assistance, Dambaru Sethi (40) and his wife Ranjita (35) of Kalyanpur under Lalitagiri gram panchayat in Mahanga block are waiting for death at home.
The villagers have, however, urged the Government and NGOs to extend an helping hand to them for their treatment. As per reports, Dambaru had gone to Mumbai in 1998 where he was reportedly working as a plumber.
After the super cyclone in 1999, he returned home. However, after two to three years, both Dambaru and his wife took ill. Recently, when Dambaru was unable to move and became bed-ridden, one of his relatives took the couple to SCB Medical, Cuttack, on March 27.Their blood test was conducted with the help of the AIDS Control Samiti. Both the husband and wife were diagnosed HIV +ve. The doctor also advised the couple to conduct blood test of their three children.
"Due to our poor financial condition, when we cannot fund our treatment, what can we do for our children?" said Ranjita with tears. Meanwhile, resentment has sparked off among the locals as no doctor or health worker of Mahanga CHC or the nearest NadiaSahaspur PHC has visited the couple so far.
SALEPUR: A couple affected by the deadly HIV positive virus have been deprived of treatment owing to acute poverty.With no help and assistance, Dambaru Sethi (40) and his wife Ranjita (35) of Kalyanpur under Lalitagiri gram panchayat in Mahanga block are waiting for death at home.
The villagers have, however, urged the Government and NGOs to extend an helping hand to them for their treatment. As per reports, Dambaru had gone to Mumbai in 1998 where he was reportedly working as a plumber.
After the super cyclone in 1999, he returned home. However, after two to three years, both Dambaru and his wife took ill. Recently, when Dambaru was unable to move and became bed-ridden, one of his relatives took the couple to SCB Medical, Cuttack, on March 27.
Their blood test was conducted with the help of the AIDS Control Samiti. Both the husband and wife were diagnosed HIV +ve. The doctor also advised the couple to conduct blood test of their three children.
"Due to our poor financial condition, when we cannot fund our treatment, what can we do for our children?" said Ranjita with tears. Meanwhile, resentment has sparked off among the locals as no doctor or health worker of Mahanga CHC or the nearest NadiaSahaspur PHC has visited the couple so far.

Five Training Centres in Textile Sector to come up in Orissa.

Creation of self-employment high on its agenda, the State Government today inked MoU with Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) to set up five satellite apparel training and design centres this financial year.
The centres will come up at Berhampur, Baripada, Cuttack, Rourkela and Sambalpur and the State Government will provide an initial capital of Rs 30 lakh towards their establishment. The assistance will come from the State Employment Mission, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told the media before the signing of the MoU. Each satellite training centre will have a floor area of 5500- 7500 sq ft which the Government will provide while AEPC will bear the recurring expenses of these centres including recruitment of staff and day-to-day management, the Chief Minister said.
The satellite centres will provide training in the fields of pattern making, cutting techniques, production supervision, quality control, garment construction and machine mechanism techniques. The council, which is running the main training and design centre in the city, has conceptualised the requirements of the satellite centres keeping in mind the needs of the global apparel industry.
The textile and garment industry in the country has given direct employment to three crore people while the additional requirement of skilled manpower during the 11th Plan period has been projected at Rs 55 lakh, he said adding, there is no ready institutional framework to meet the huge demand of skilled manpower. The additional five training centres will partly meet the huge gap between supply and demand of manpower, he added.
Assuring suitable employment opportunities to eligible trained candidates, the Chief Minister said the Government will also provide necessary guidance to candidates willing to take up entrepreneurial ventures.Local candidates will be given preference during selection of candidates for training, the Chief Minister said. The five centres are expected to generate employment for over 5000 people in the garment sector annually.A local management committee under the chairmanship of concerned district collector will look after the management of respective centres.

Industrialisation:Industry Minister pitches for locals.

Industries Minister Biswabhusan Harichandan observed that industrial establishments setting up plants in the State should appoint Oriyas to contain opposition from local people.Stating that students from the local ITI should be appointed in the plants, Harichandan said the industries should stop the practice of recruiting workers from outside the State.
Presiding over a meeting on the progress of industrialisation at Kalinga Nagar at the Secretariat here, the Minister said at least one person each from the displaced families should be appointed in the plants. The security system in the plants should be augmented to avoid accidents on the premises to protect the workers.Finance Minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadei and senior officials attended. It was decided that afforestation will be taken up in Kalinga Nagar and a green belt will be created to save the area from pollution.
The meeting underscored the need for proper implementation of the rehabilitation and resettlement policy of the State Government.Besides, special care will be taken to keep the law and order situation normal around the plant areas. Ghadei maintained that steps should be taken to solve the problems of displaced families of Sarangapur and Kurunti villages. Besides, Infrastructure Development Corporation of Orissa Limited should take steps to provide land to industries to set up employee colonies and townships.
Kalinga Nagar industrial complex was created in 1990 for which 13,000 acres of 20 villages were acquired. This included 6895 acres of private land and 6105 acres of government land.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

'IIT not enough, seek more Central sops'

Even as the State is savouring the success of announcement of setting of an Indian Institute of Technology and a Central University in Orissa by the Union Government, intelligentsia in the State have warned the public not to be get carried away by the announcement, because it would not put Orissa instantly in the league of developed States.
Instead the politicians and the populace should pull up their socks and explore other opportunities. Professor of Arizona State University in USA Chitta Baral said, "The announced IIT is no match for the existing 50 plus year old IITs. Some of the existing IITs have loads of money channelled into their infrastructure and faculty and have 50 plus year old alumni base, which would help them in their future growth." Even with speedy implementations it would take a long time to catch up, he further said.
Baral suggested the State Government should appoint a nodal officer perhaps a senior IAS officer, to facilitate the speedy implementation of the IIT and Central University.He alleged that the setting up of NISER is floundering as the State Government is yet to give possession of land to NISER and the Central Government is yet to appoint a director.He also gave the example of the proposed All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
Pitching for Vedanta University, he said the 12,000 crore university if implemented as envisioned, has a chance of pushing Orissa ahead of the pack. He however, warned that the opposition party's 'opposition for opposition sake' mentality would send a wrong signal to industrialists making a beeline to the State and force them to give a thought to our neighbours overtures.
He further said that since the State did not get an Indian Institute of Management, the State should send an invitation to Birlas for setting up Birla School of Management on the lines of IIM, whom Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had earlier contacted in 2007. He also urged the Chief Minister, MPs and Union Minister Chandrashekhar Sahu to pursue the setting of National Institute of Fashion Technology, National Institute of Design and Indian Institute of Public Health even though they may be smaller than the much hyped IITs and Central University.

Prasanna Mishra new CBDT chairman,1st Oriya in this post.

Prasanna Kumar Mishra joined as the Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the apex body of the Income Tax Department of the Government of India, on Monday. He is the first Oriya to have joined this post.He is the son of late Ghanashyam Mishra and Chanchala Devi of Khandapara. After graduating from Samanta Chandra Sekhar College of Puri, he completed his MA in English from Ravenshaw College, Cuttack.
Qualified for both Indian Revenue Service (IRS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), he joined IRS in 1971. He worked at Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad and Mumbai in many senior positions.He was continuing as the member, CBDT, for the last one year, looking after the sensitive charge of Investigation Wing which reached a level of high competence during his tenure.

CIFA completes 22 yrs, contributes to 57 % of fish production in country.

The Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA),Bhubaneswar on Tuesday observed its 22nd annual day. Formed in 1987, the institute was born as a constituent of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) under the Union Ministry of Agriculture.During the last two decades, the institute has developed several epoch-making technologies in the freshwater aquaculture sector. The technologies provided by the institute have led to a rise in inland fish production, which constitutes over 57 per cent of the total fish being produced in the country. Total fish production of the country reached 6.9 million tones in 2006-07 with contribution of 2.7 million tones from freshwater aquaculture alone, informed CIFA director N Sarangi. Some of the other achievements of CIFA include off-season breeding of rohu and catla, increase in quality fish seed production by 214 per cent, cloning and characterization of GtRH and GnRH of rohu to name a few.
Furthermore, it has also provided training to over 3,000 farmers and entrepreneurs, including foreign nationals from Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. According to In-charge of Media and Comminication HK De, CIFA is promoting use of ICT (Information, Communication Technology) for faster dissemination of technologies to the end-users.

Celebration, protest mark Utkal Divas in Sambalpur.

Pioneer News Service | Sambalpur

The Utkal Divas and 73rd foundation day of Orissa police was celebrated at Sambalpur with gaiety and grandeur by the district administration, different organisations and district police.Officials of the district administration held a meeting to celebrate Utkal Divas where district Collector Pradeep Patnaik presided.
Chief guest Revenue Divisional Commissioner Madhusudan Padhi recalled the glorious past of the State including its skill on navigation and heroic activities. "We are progressing towards a new era with lot of industrialisation and creating ample irrigation facilities for the farmers," Padhi said and appealed to people to come forward for the reconstruction of this State, which is full of natural resources.
Collector Patnaik expressed hope that Orissa would emerge as a developed State soon in the country due to various developmental activities and also inflow of crores of rupees for a number of projects including infrastructural development.
At the police ground, IG Surendra Panwar took part in the customary parade and appealed officers to gain the confidence of the people. "Police is passing through crucial times due to growing Maoist activities. But we have to fight out with courage," Panwar said.The IG awarded Pradeep Kumar Sahu, the officer in-charge of Sasan police station and five other police officers for their outstanding performances during 2007.
Keeping pace with celebration; the Koshal Kranti Dal (KDD), a regional outfit for the causes of western Orissa and also a newly registered political party demanding a separate State held protest meeting highlighting the step-motherly attitude of the consecutive State Governments in Bhubaneswar. "We were not in Orissa. Only in 1936, a small portion of western parts merged with Orissa and the very day was the beginning of exploitation to this part," said Pramod Mishra, the party president. They celebrated the day as Koshal Mukti Samavesh.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Promoting Oriya students in West Bengal:DOSA praises the initiative of Balasore District Collector.

With an objective to give fillip to Oriya language and Oriya students in non-Oriya pockets, the Balasore district administration has embarked on a mission to promote Oriya language in schools outside Orissa, particularly in West Bengal.

Under the leadership of District Collector Alekh Chandra Padhiary, the administration, in the first phase, has taken up six schools in Kharagpur for promoting Oriya language and providing assistance to the Oriya students studying in these schools.“I have provided desk and benches to all the six schools and a statue of Gopabandhu Das near the Jagannath temple there has been renovated. Besides, inter-school essay and debate competitions also have been introduced since last year,” he said.
While last year, some students were provided with study materials, from this year, all the students will be provided books, note books and other study materials, he added.Besides, authorities of schools in Dantun and Kolkata where Oriya students are admitted, have been asked to send a proposal if they want any kind of support from the administration.
Such an initiative was taken after receiving some allegations about the humiliation faced by Oriya students outside Orissa, he said.While Padhiary was Director of Text Book Printing and Publications, he also made efforts for development of Oriya students in Jharkhand and Jamshedpur.

Delhi Oriya Students Association (DOSA)wish to thank the DM of Balasore Mr Alekh Chandra Padhiary for taking such initiative,which is a model every Oriya must follow.
DOSA feels this work of him as the best gift to Orissa on the occasion of Utkal Divas 2008 and wishes him all the best for this beginning under his leadership.

Orissa to have High-Security Animal Laboratory.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) recently approved for the establishment of a high security laboratory at Jatni on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar to fight the foot and mouth disease that affects about 470 million domestic livestock annually, informed officials sources on Sunday.

The laboratory, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, is equipped with Bio-safety Level (3+) facilities, which will work for proper control and containment of virulent, pathogenic and mutagenic foot and mouth disease viruses. This facility expands the capability of researchers to conduct research on potential viral agents that do not currently have vaccines or therapies. It is applicable to clinical, diagnostic, teaching, research or production facilities. To prevent contact with the virus, scientists will wear special protective suits with filtered air supply and will work within airtight cabins in the lab.

The foot and mouth disease hits free-living and captive ungulates and elephants. The annual loss due to this disease in India has been estimated to be about $800 million. The laboratory will receive virus samples from all over the world and studies will be carried out on them. It will also serve as a repository unit for various serotypes. As the disease is contagious, measures for controlling its spread through vaccination, quarantine and supportive treatment is of importance.The State Government has already identified an area of 116.325 acres located 25 km from the State capital to be given to ICAR for the laboratory. The centre, which will also serve as a referral laboratory for the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), will be more technologically advanced than the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, informed a scientist. The Central Government will spend about Rs 1.25 billion for the initial work.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Indian Posts releases special cover on Pipli Appliqué.

Notwithstanding the repeated allegations of non-recognition and de-acknowledge of various important places, art forms, architectures, monuments and even great personalities of Orissa, the Department of Posts, India, on Sunday brought out a special cover on Pipli appliqué. It will also release a special cover on the famous Rajarani Temple of Bhubaneswar on Monday.
The Department of Posts, in association with the Eastern India Philately Association, on Sunday organised a two-day Bhubaneswar Philatelic Exhibition-2008 here, which was inaugurated by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation Commissioner Aparajita Sarangi. Director, Postal Services, Manisha Mishra said the objective of the exhibition is meant to help people know different important places, eminent personalities and many more things in the globe on which postal departments of different nations have been trying to bring out stamps and special covers. Besides, for young students the exhibition would enhance their knowledge contents on various historic objects, she said.

BPUT inking partnership with Foreign Universities.

The Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) is busy inking partnerships with some top foreign universities to give its students a competitive edge.With education sector opening up rapidly, the technical university is out to make the most of it for the students. It has currently partnered with Turin University, Italy, and University of Ballarat, Australia. While Italian partnership would be for architecture programmes, the one with Australian university would be for MBA courses. BPUT sources said similar plans with a German university are also on the cards. The partnerships would improve curriculum, teaching and research, sources said.
The university is also revamping the undergraduate curriculum making it more closely defined by introducing fewer, specific, high quality and affordable textbooks. BPUT is also seeking accreditation of all UG courses through AICTE so that it can secure assistance under the Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme of Ministry of Human Resource Development.
Similarly, examination system is being made more transparent. The university is preparing question banks and will soon use close circuit cameras to better its surveillance system. A group of leading teachers from within the university are being identified as University Teachers who will be designated subject expert groups (SEGs). Mandate of the groups will include textbooks, courses, software packages as well as creation of a well-classified question bank. Similarly, training of teachers through e-programmes is underway by a group of experienced teachers who would actively design and participate in faculty training programmes at the university- run Faculty Training Centres.
The varsity sources said consolidation of PG streams including the doctoral programmes particularly for faculty of colleges is also being carried out. BPUT is also setting up a Mineral Engineering Centre at its Orissa School of Mining Engineering at Keojhar to consolidate the porgramme. Further, more UG programmes in metallurgical and steel engineering are also on the cards.

Yoga made compulsory in Kendrapara schools.

The primary education department plans to introduce yoga as a compulsory subject in the curriculum of primary schools from the coming academic session in Kendrapara district.The yoga programme is expected to have a positive impact on childhood obesity, improved self-esteem and confidence and educational attainment. Yoga has been chosen because of its unique appeal to children, and primary schools are seen as an ideal place to implement the programme, said Project Coordinator of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Sanatan Mallick.
If kids have a problem with other sports and they don't play football and netball, they are left out. But in yoga, they are able to do it, they are able to get involved in and do the postures and we see to their confidence-building," he said.In order to introduce yoga at the primary school level, the department has started the preliminary works. Necessary steps are being taken to introduce yoga as a compulsory subject in 1,861 primary schools in the district.The department has planned to provide yoga training to a teacher of each school which will begin in the first week of April.If it comes in reality, Kendrapara district will be the first in the State to introduce yoga in the primary school syllabus.

Workshop on April 5 to discuss future of Oriya Language.

State-owned Odia Bhasa Pratisthan will host a two-day national workshop here commencing on April 5. Besides delegates from within the State, the workshop will have some delegates from other parts of the country.In view of the rapid invasion of English language in public life, the prospects of Oriya language are facing a serious threat. Thus, the thrust has been on exploring all avenues to preserve and promote Oriya language in its pure form, the organisers said. Apart from dwelling on the language issue, the workshop would devote a session for discussion of the future course of action of the Pratisthan, sources said on Sunday.
The experts would also look into the various regional dialects prevalent in the State and discuss development of tools for promotion of the mother tongue and explore possibilities of collaborating with institutions having a similar mission, the sources added.

Orissa achieves fastest reduction in infant mortality rate.

Giving a boost to the social development so far as the State's health setup is concerned, the infant mortality rate (IMR) count of Orissa has registered the fastest reduction from 97 to 73 per thousand in seven years. Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Tuhin Kanta Pandey revealed the achievement of the fastest control of the infant mortality rate (IMR). Similarly, on the sex ratio count, Orissa's record is much better than that of any of the developed States, he further said. Revealing the other side of the story he categorically mentioned about the female foeticide stigma looming large over the State.
Speaking on the State Level Advocacy Workshop on Quality of Primary Health Care in Orissa with Special Reference to Women, organised by a leading voluntary body, Mamata, here on Sunday, Pandey said Orissa is much ahead of Punjab and Harayana. However, the tribal areas of the State maintain better sex ratio than the coastal region, he pointed out.Chairman of Mamata and former Chief Secretary SB Mishra chaired the workshop organised with the support from the Population Foundation of India (PFI). Director National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) SK Lohani harped on the success of institutional delivery system, which has gone up from 34 per cent to 61 per cent in the State. Director Social Welfare and Chief of Mission Sakti Usha Padhi highlighted the Women Self Help Group movement in the State, saying that it has brought economic freedom for a large number of rural women.
Almas Ali of PFI expressed concern over the falling health system in the rural areas, while CYSD secretary Jagadananda harped on the role of NGOs and activists in arresting the weaknesses in the health sector. Project Director of Mamata, Bijoya Mishra, emphasised on the care for the mothers. Director Health Services BS Tripathy, Seba Mahapatra, Saraswati Swain and NGO coordinator Manoranjan Mishra also attended the workshop, in which more than 200 NGO representatives, doctors, health administrators and educationists participated.