RAIPUR: Security forces on Friday gunned down 12 Maoists during an encounter in Chhattisgarhs Bijapur district, taking the number of Left-wing extremists eliminated so far this year in the state to 103. Two security personnel were also injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast triggered by the Naxalites during the operation, police officials said. This was the third major strike on Naxalites by security forces in the past month. On April 16, the forces had killed 29 extremists in an

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Thursday pulled up the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) over its failure to curb the mosquito menace in the city, saying the civic body refuses to wake up from deep and blissful slumber on the pressing issue. The special bench constituted by Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh recently for adjudicating on PILs concerning civic problems was hearing on mosquito menace. The division bench of Justice SK Sahoo and Justice V Narasingh said, Mosquito menace is a

ROURKELA: The usual cacophony of high-decibel campaign is missing so far in Sundargarh district which will go to polls on May 20. Except for certain occasions, the hustings continue to be dull mainly due to the prevailing heat and absence of mega rallies by any prominent national leader in Sundargarh Lok Sabha (LS) constituency and the seven Assembly seats under it. Instead of focusing on high-pitched campaign, candidates in a strategic shift are directly getting in touch with voters through doo

BHUBANESWAR: The Ministry of Women and Child Development has recently asked the state government to appoint district, block and ward- level officers under Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act) to ensure effective implementation of the law. In the state, collectors have been made district officers to exercise powers under the Act. Responding to the ministrys directive, the Women and Child Development department has also asked the dist

BHUBANESWAR: Amid the poll heat in Odisha, a depression is likely to form over the Bay of Bengal during the third week of May, when the second and third phase elections for the state will be in full swing. Considering various environmental conditions and model guidance, there is probability of the formation of a depression over southeast Bay of Bengal during the third week (May 17 to 23), said the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday. Ahead of the southerly to south-westerly monsoon s

PURI: Construction of chariots for the annual Rath Yatra of the Trinity commenced on the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya on Friday. As per tradition, Srimandir servitors brought the agyanmallyas of the Trinity and handed over those to the three Biswakarmas (carpenters) to initiate the process of chariot construction. The ritual began with performance of Homa (yajna) after which the Biswakarmas were accorded ceremonial head gears by the temple administration to begin the construction work.

CUTTACK: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed restriction on further extraction of earth/morrum by the contractor engaged for construction of earth bed for the third line railway track from Bhadrak to Nirgundi. NGTs East Zone bench in Kolkata issued the interim order on Tuesday after taking note of the affidavits filed by the East Coast Railways (ECoR) and the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Odisha. The affidavits were filed in response to the application filed by

ROURKELA: He is a self-proclaimed priest, does not have a name, fame or money. Jagabandhu Oram does not even have a regular source of earning, yet this 43-year-old rural activist has entered the fray for the prestigious Sundargarh Lok Sabha (LS) constituency. Edge-of-the-seat thriller in the offing as Dilip Tirkey tries to dribble past Jual Oram While heavyweights like BJPs Jual Oram and Dilip Tirkey of the BJD are hogging the limelight, Oram away from the spotlight aspires to end poverty in the

BHUBANESWAR: A sharp rise in gold prices notwithstanding, sale of the precious yellow metal on Akshaya Tritiya remained high in the twin city on Friday. However, at Janpath in the capital, where majority of the jewellery stores are located, business was subdued owing to traffic restrictions imposed for Prime Minister Narendra Modis roadshow. In order to woo customers, almost all jewellers offered heavy discounts on making charges and other value-added incentives on the day. Not only gold, but pe

CUTTACK (MANIJODI): While people buy precious metals on Akshaya Tritiya, residents of Manijodi village in Cuttack district worship annadata or the farmer. The temple has a life-size statue of a traditional farmer made of concrete. The statue has a hat on its head with the left hand holding a plough and the right a stick for herding cattle. The tradition of worshipping the farmer is around two decades old. On Akshaya Tritiya, the temple is decorated with flowers. Apart from garlanding the statue

ROURKELA: Rebel BJP candidate in Rourkela Assembly constituency and the partys state executive committee member Nihar Ray was expelled from the party by state president Manmohan Samal. Nihar has been contesting against BJPs official nominee and former Union Minister Dilip Ray. The expulsion order was issued by BJPs state general secretary (organisation) Manas Mohanty on Tuesday. Nihar along with 11 others were expelled from BJP in Odisha for contesting against official nominees and for anti-part

KENDRAPARA: Farmers of Endar village under Derabishi block of the district are a worried lot after a breach in the embankment of no 8 branch canal under Kendrapara Irrigation Division on Wednesday night caused extensive damage to their moong (green gram) crops. Akhil Jena, a moong farmer, said around 80-feet-long canal embankment caved as a result of which water and weeds have flown into 300 acre agriculture land of the village. The canal embankment was repaired last year but collapsed due to su

CUTTACK: Tension ran high in front of the office of Cuttack collector following a scuffle between BJD and BJP workers during filing of nomination papers by their candidates for Salipur Assembly constituency on Thursday. As per reports, after offering prayer at Cuttack Chandi temple, BJP candidate Arindam Roy took out a rally from Judicial Academy to the collectorate. He went inside along with seven to eight frontline workers for filing nomination before returning officer-cum-ADM Umakanta Raj at

SAMBALPUR: Union Minister and BJP Lok Sabha candidate for Sambalpur, Dharmendra Pradhan launched yet another attack on the BJD government over its failure to develop Sambalpur terminal market complex, one of the most ambitious projects of Odisha, the foundation stone for which was laid by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in September, 2014. During his campaign at Jujumura on Thursday, the union minister visited the site of the proposed project at Niladunguri in the block and was surprised to see th

BHUBANESWAR/BALANGIR: Adrija Manjari Singh, who had levelled domestic violence allegation against her husband Arkesh Narayan Singh Deo and in-laws, on Thursday questioned the ruling BJD for nominating one of the members of Balangir royal family in the ensuing elections. For the Balangir Assembly segment, BJD has fielded Arkeshs elder brother Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo as its candidate. Last year, Adrija had lodged a domestic violence complaint against Arkesh and her in-laws at Dehradun police st

BHUBANESWAR: Two more unsung heroes from Odisha, 85-year-old Bhagabat Pradhan and 78-year-old Shilpi Guru Binod Kumar Maharana, were conferred Padma Shri by President of India Droupadi Murmu at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-2 in Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday. A former teacher, Pradhan from Kumbhari village in Bargarh, has dedicated over five decades of his life to preserve and popularise Sabda Nrutya, which is considered the dance of Mahadev. His lifelong efforts including training more than 6

BHUBANESWAR: Commissionerate Police on Thursday issued traffic advisory for the citizens during Prime Minister Narendra Modis roadshow on Friday evening. Vehicular movement will not be allowed on Janpath Road from Station Square to Vani Vihar from 2 pm and restrictions will remain in place till the roadshow is over. Vehicles coming from lanes/by-lanes on both sides of the roads will not be allowed to ply during the specified time period, said Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner, Sanjeeb Pand

JHARSUGUDA: In a shocking incident, a couple with their 12-year-old daughter were found dead in their car with gun-shot injuries on their bodies at Lakhanpur on Thursday. Police said growing loan burden caused by online betting may have prompted 37-year-old Sujit Roy to kill his wife Khusbu and their daughter Arpita. When the bodies were found in the car, bearing registration number OD-15-Y-8228 with its ignition and air-conditioner running at Lakhanpur in the morning, it sent shockwaves across

BHUBANESWAR: With only three days remaining for the first phase polls in Odisha scheduled on May 13, BJDs chief election strategist VK Pandian on Thursday asserted that the party will sweep the polls with more than 90 per cent strike rate. Four LS seats, Berhampur, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and 28 Assembly seats will go to polls in this phase. All eyes are on Berhampur Lok Sabha seat and seven Assembly constituencies in it as it is the home district of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Candid

BHUBANESWAR: The 4th Dinanath Pathy Kala Samman was conferred upon Pattachitra artist Binod Maharana for his lifelong contribution to the art form, on Thursday. Instituted by Ketaki Foundation Trust, the award was received by a family member of Maharana, who was in Delhi to receive the Padma Shri award on the day. On the occasion, eminent litteratuer Sitakant Mahapatra delivered the second Dinanath Pathy memorial lecture. His discourse delved into the life and works of late Pathy. Pathy was a po

BERHAMPUR: Tata Power Southern Odisha Distribution Limited (TPSODL) has once again demonstrated its commitment to providing reliable power supply to the region by successfully meeting a peak summer demand of 760 MW on May 5, 2024. This marks a significant increase from last years peak demand of 668 MW recorded in April 2023, a 13.77 per cent rise in demand. Berhampur city, a key area served by TPSODL, also experienced a substantial surge in peak demand, reaching 171 MW on the same day compared t

SAMBALPUR: As the fight intensifies for the prestigious Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency, the BJD finds itself grappling with the impact of the exodus of key leaders in almost all major Assembly segments which could have a significant bearing on the ruling partys prospects. Sambalpur is an arena for Odishas big fight between Dharmendra Pradhan and Pranab Prakash Das In the Sambalpur parliamentary seat, BJDs Pranab Prakash Das is pitted against Union Minister and BJP candidate Dharmendra Pradhan.

BHUBANESWAR: Amid the measles and rubella (MR) scare in Nabarangpur district, a new study revealed, at least five per cent children in Odisha who were eligible for measles vaccination had missed the recommended double-dose. The joint study by the immunisation division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Banaras Hindu University and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation claimed that Odisha is among the lowest in zero-dose cases. While the MR vaccination was introduced in 2018, the study ana

BHUBANESWAR: In a move to woo voters ahead of the elections, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday promised free power for consumers using up to 100 units of electricity and 50 per cent subsidy for those consuming between 100 to 150 units. Announcing the Peoples Manifesto of the BJD here, the chief minister said that around 75 per cent of families of the state consume less than 100 units of electricity and another 10 to 15 per cent use 100 to 150 units. The decision will ensure energy securi

BHUBANESWAR: Close to 50 colleges in the state saw zero admissions in several subjects including those being offered in self-financing mode in 2023-24 academic year. Besides, six self-financing degree colleges did not get any students at all for the academic year. Recently, the Higher Education department wrote to the four regional directorates of education, seeking explanation from degree colleges regarding zero admissions in both regular subjects and self-financing institutions. For 2023-24 ac

ROURKELA: Residents of Kalunga panchayat on the outskirts of Rourkela can hope to get relief from the intolerable communication woes as the under-construction road over bridge (ROB) project in IDC area is likely to be completed by the end of this year. The ongoing ROB project over the level crossing no-213 on the busy Howrah-Mumbai main line through the IDCO Industrial Estate is of critical importance as the route is used both by local residents and industries operating in Kalunga under Lathikat

BHUBANESWAR: East Coast Railway (ECoR) general manager (in-charge) Mohes Kumar Behera inspected the Boudh-Champapur railway section of Khurda Road-Balangir rail line project on Wednesday. Behera advised railway officials to take necessary steps for timely completion of the project and availability of all passenger amenities at the proposed stations. Of the 301-km project, 152.8 km rail line has already been commissioned. The Indian Railways has been constructing the line from both the sides - Kh

BHUBANESWAR: As cardiac complications are the most common cause of death in thalassemia, health experts on Wednesday said it is vital for patients to prevent such complications from developing, and for those who already have cardiac issues to get treated to reverse them or prevent them from getting worse. Speaking at an event organised by the Clinical Haematology department of SCB medical college and hospital at Cuttack to mark World Thalassemia Day, vice principal Prof Satyanarayan Routray said

KENDRAPARA: A 25-year-old womans body was found under mysterious circumstances in an agricultural field at Matia village under Rajkanika police station here on Wednesday. Locals who spotted the body informed the police. The cops rushed to the spot and recovered the body which was beyond recognition due to its advanced state of decomposition. Police have sought information from the public to identify the deceased. Police have shared the details of the deceased with all the nearby police stations

CUTTACK: Dissidents of BJD and BJP have become a headache for the parties in Salipur and Mahanga Assembly segments. Addressing mediapersons on Tuesday, dissident BJD leader Bisheswar Swain announced he would contest as an Independent candidate from Salipur where the party has fielded sitting MLA Prasant Behera. Discontentment is brewing among voters against the local MLA. While problems of farmers remain unsolved in different localities of Salipur block, several localities in Tangi too are lying

BHUBANESWAR: Senior BJP leader Samir Mohanty on Wednesday hit out at ruling BJD over the urban mess it has created in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Odisha government has no concrete plan on managing waste and waterlogging problems in major cities of the state despite huge funding from the Centre. With increasing urbanisation and rise in population in urban centres, the existing infrastructure has proven too inadequate, Mohanty told mediapersons here. The BJD government had identified 20 slums as Biju

JAGATSINGHPUR: Age is just a number and two voters from Jagatsinghpur district exemplify Indias commitment to participate in the largest festival of democracy. Batakrushna Mallick, aged 100, is from Bhutamundai, Hari Bag, 98, belongs to Ghosapur. Mallick, born in 1924, commends the Election Commission of India for reforms that allow older voters to cast their votes from home instead of visiting polling booths. Similarly, Hari, who prides in a large family with 20 members, including three sons, e

BHUBANESWAR: The health administration on Wednesday swung into action after two children tested positive for measles and rubella (MR) virus in Nabarangpur district. The MR immunisation drive was taken up in a mission mode in the state in a bid to eliminate the diseases by December last year. Health department sources said the cases were detected in Tentulikhunti and Nandahandi blocks of the tribal-dominated district. While a one-year-old boy tested positive for measles and rubella, another eight

BHUBANESWAR: Hours after BJD leader and 5T chairman VK Pandian targeted BJP saying the party is fighting this election to improve its tally with a motive to break BJD, state spokesperson of the saffron party Pitambar Acharya said the regional outfit will collapse on its own. In a hurriedly convened media conference to counter Pandian, the senior advocate said the helplessness of the BJD leader is evident from his statement. There is no need for BJP to break BJD which has become fragile due to it

BHUBANESWAR: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 3.77 kg molten gold from four passengers who arrived at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) from Dubai on Monday. The gold was recovered in the form of 12 capsules concealed in the rectum of the passengers. It is valued at about Rs 2.79 crore. Heat treatment of the seized capsules resulted in separation of gold weighing 3.77 kg. The four passengers were arrested under Customs Act. Further investigation is on, said DRI. T

BERHAMPUR: Non-supply of medicines for treatment of tuberculosis for the last over a month in Ganjam and Rayagada districts have put the patients in a tough situation. Sources said the Centre, under its Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan scheme, supplies TB medicines to all states under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP). However, the supply from the Centre has stopped since the last almost three months reportedly due to unavailability of medicines. As per information, vital medicin

BARGARH: The Cyber Crime Unit of Crime Branch, Odisha arrested three persons in connection with a Crypto Investment fraud on Wednesday. The accused were running Fintech Companies and became a part of cyber frauds by facilitating quick transfer of money to the virtual accounts of cyber criminals. The arrested persons have been identified as Sumit Kumar Das and Amiya Ranjan Satpathy of Bargarh who are directors of a Fintech Company PayInc besides Sidharth Satpathy of Bhillai, Chhattisgarh, the dir

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has warned it shall consider passing appropriate orders on the next date if the child who went missing from Utkal Balashram at Khapuria in Cuttack nine months back, is not traced by May 14. The word of caution came on Tuesday while suo motu registering a petition entitled - RE: Missing of Child from Utkal Balashram, Cuttack - a state-run child care institution and directing all the concerned authorities to take all possible measures to ensure that the child is loca

CUTTACK: In a bizarre incident, a woman was allegedly hypnotised and robbed of her gold ornaments at a busy locality near Brundaban cinema hall in the city on Wednesday. Pushpalata Das (55) of Bajrakabati Road was on her way to buy vegetables near the cinema hall when two unidentified miscreants approached her for drinking water at around 10.30 am. The miscreants spoke in Hindi. Pushpalata, affable and religious in nature, bought water from a nearby shop and handed over to the miscreants who aft

BHUBANESWAR: Nine members of the banned CPI (Maoist), all natives of Chhattisgarh, surrendered before the Odisha Police on Wednesday. Two of them, Yoggi Madvi and Pozze Madvi, are women and believed to be top leaders. Police said Yoggi (20) joined CPI (Maoist) in 2019 while Pozze followed suit in 2020. Yoggi was the personal security guard of divisional committee member Sila alias Nagmani who is an active leader of 8th company of Kandhamal-Kalahandi-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) division operating in Bo

BERHAMPUR: Baidanathpur police on Wednesday arrested five youths for allegedly gang-raping a Class XII girl student after spiking her drink in Ganjam district on May 3. Police identified the accused as Rutun Das (22), Rudra Jena (21), Abhilash Polai (19), Akash Nayak (26) and Sambit Panigrahi (21), all hailing from different places in Ganjam. All the five accused are students - two engineering, as many BCA and one pharmacy. Berhampur SP Sarthak Sarangi said the shocking incident took place on Ma

BHUBANESWAR: 5T chairman and BJD leader VK Pandian on Wednesday announced the state government will fight at all levels to declare Padampur a separate district as promised by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Addressing an election meeting at Padampur, Pandian said the government issued a notification for creation of the new district and land for construction of collectors office had also been identified. But detractors are trying to deprive people from availing benefits of the new district by goin

BHUBANESWAR: Even as campaigning has gathered with only five days left for first phase polls in the state, Congress candidates have been left to fend for themselves except at some seats where heavyweights or their relatives are in fray. Out of the four Lok Sabha constituencies which will go to polls on May 13 in the first phase, Congress has a sitting MP Saptagiri Ulaka at Koraput while senior leader Bhujabal Majhi is in the fray from Nabarangpur. Droupadi Majhi and Rashmi Ranjan Mishra are in t

KUNDRA (KORAPUT): The BJD government has neglected people of Odisha, especially tribals during its 25 years of rule in the state, said Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Wednesday. Addressing a mammoth gathering at Jagannath temple ground in Koraputs Kundra, Sai claimed the BJD government has not made any efforts towards safeguarding the language, culture and status of tribals. Rather, it is drum beating about tribal upliftment for getting votes. For the last 70 years, the BJD and Con

BHUBANESWAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modis roadshow in the state capital on Friday, second in last five years, has the security agencies on their toes. A whopping 55 platoon force has been mobilized to be deployed during the roadshow which will start from near BJP headquarters and end at Vani Vihar Square. The roadshow is expected to start at about 8.30 pm and continue for an hour. Quoting Prime Ministers Office (PMO), police said the roadshow will kick off from BJP headquarters or Ram Mandir Sq

BHAWANIPATNA/BERHAMPUR: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday appealed people of the state to give BJP a chance and see the transformation the party brings to the state. Addressing a massive rally at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Bhawanipatna, the district headquarters town of Kalahandi, Singh hit out at Congress and BJD for keeping Odisha poor and backward. Congress ruled the the country for 55 years and in every election, begged for votes to eradicate poverty. Till few years back, Kalah

ROURKELA: The Biju Janata Dal has never won the Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat. Since formation, it has won only from Rourkela, RN Pali and Rajgangpur Assembly segments. Can it change this record this time around? Riding on the sweeping victory in the zilla parishad (ZP) council, Rajgangpur and Birmitrapur municipalities and partial win in Sundargarh municipality, the BJD is asserting supremacy in the LS and all seven Assembly constituencies (ACs) to demoralise opponents. But the ruling party has to

DEOGARH: Amidst a charged atmosphere, BJP Lok Sabha candidate for Sambalpur and Union Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, made a bold pledge to implement country liquor ban if the party comes to power in the state. Pradhans campaign trail on Wednesday reached Deogarh constituency where he held public meeting in different blocks and also participated in a padayatra. Addressing a public gathering at Tileibeni block, Pradhan was speaking on the BJP manifesto when women in the crowd asked him about his st

BHUBANESWAR: BJD leader and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's close aide V K Pandian on Wednesday alleged that the opposition BJP is not fighting elections in Odisha to win polls but to increase its seat number with an intention to break the Biju Janata Dal after elections. This was stated by the bureaucrat turned politician while meeting a group of television channel journalists at Gopalpur in Ganjam district on Wednesday. They (BJP) had a slogan of securing 120 assembly seats in 2014 but failed.

BERHAMPUR: Tension flared during campaigning in the Aska Assembly segment as sitting BJD MLA Manjula Swain, seeking re-election, faced angry residents of Badagada under Sidhanai panchayat on Monday. The villagers, grappling with acute water scarcity, intercepted Swain, demanding immediate action to address their long-standing issue. Despite assurances from Swain to resolve the water crisis, tension remained high, with residents of Alipur also threatening to boycott the upcoming polls if their wa