Low pressure rain may occur in State from Dec 29

BHUBANESWAR: Rain and thundershower would occur at a few places over south Odisha on Monday due to the effect of a depression formed off Sri Lanka coast.

According to the local Met office, the rainfall might continue till January 2 and then it would be gradually decreased. 

On Saturday Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra had told that rain might occur in coastal, northern and southern Odisha from December 29 to January 1. The low pressure would likely to touch the southern coastal parts of the State on Monday, he added.

The Met office said that weather would be dry over north Odisha. Cold wave condition may prevail at a few pockets over Odisha with severe cold wave at isolated pockets over interior Odisha, it added.

Aseema Odisha’s conclave calls for Odia resurgence

BHUBANESWAR: “Odias worldwide should come forward to champion the cause of a global village while retaining the cultural identity unique to this age old race,” said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the valedictory ceremony of the Global Odias’ Conclave organised by the Aseema Odisha, an organisation of non-resident Odias (NROs), here on Sunday.

Patnaik harped upon the great Odia diaspora and reinforced the need of community endeavor throughout world to protect Odia’s integrated stand on a progressive State.

Among others, former Odisha High Court judge Justice Bimal Prasad Das, Aseema Odisha’s chief coordinator and convener of the conclave Kshirod Kumar Jena, chief mentor of Aseema Odisha Nihar Ranjan Samantara and president of the conclave Suryaprakash Mohapatra told the objective of Aseema Odisha and the conclave.

The conclave was inaugurated in the morning in presence of eminent dignitaries like former Supreme Court judge and Vice Chairperson of SIT on black money Justice Arijit Pasayat, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Jual Oram, School and Mass Education Minister Debi Prasad Mishra and MP Baijayant Panda.

BJP Odisha launches new website

BHUBANESWAR: State unit of the BJP on Sunday launched its new website to stay connected with netizens of the State. Party’s Odisha-in-charge Arun Singh BJP State president KV Singh Deo and general secretary (organisation) Prasanna Mishra inaugurated the website 'www.bjpodisha.in' at the party office here in a function. 

At the digital era, Singh said, nobody can deny the strong impact of social media and internet on the public. “As the internet penetration is increasing, campaign through internet is also a good option,” he said, adding, “Our website will help the people know much about our party and its activities in the State.” 

Singh said his party has Governments in nine States and is planning to make Odisha a BJD mukt and Congress mukt one. “We along with physical campaigns in grassroots-level, we should use the social media platform to reach the educated youth mass of the State,” he added.

He said the new website has newsletters, media resources, core issues, latest news applications like Facebook, google+, twitter and You Tube providing people a platform to get in touch with the party affairs and sharing of information.

BJP Odisha has 5000 members in facebook account which the party has set target to make it one lakh in a month after the launch of the website.

BPL families to get LPG connection at discounted price

--Pilot project for 3 months to be launched on Jan 25: Petroleum Min

BHUBANESWAR: Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan here on Saturday said the families belonging to below poverty line (BPL) category could get LPG connection at a discounted price between January and March 2015.

Pradhan talking to mediapersons here informed that Odisha has 25 lakh consumers which consist of only 27 per cent against 60 per cent in the national level. “To increase Odisha and other State’s consumer base, we will launch a pilot project in the country between January and March 2015,” Pradhan said and added that the project would be launched on January 25 in Delhi. 

The Union Minister said they would bring Odisha’s consumer base to national average within two years. “By 2016-17, every block of the State would have a LPG distribution centre,” he added. 

During the discount period, Pradhan said, consumers could get LPG connection at Rs 1200 to Rs 1400 instead of paying Rs 2400 for new connection. The discount would help the BPL card holders immensely, he added.

     

“If the consumers are unhappy with their agency, they can lodge complaints with the agency through Petroleum Ministry’s website www.MyLPG.com,” said the Petroleum Minister.   

Odisha to get Rs 1.5lakh cr-2lakh cr from coal bidding: Petroleum Minister

--‘State to get investment of Rs 1L cr in petroleum sector’

BHUBANESWAR: Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said that Odisha would get Rs 1.5 lakh crore to Rs 2 lakh crore from bidding process of coal during its allocation next year. The total bidding price would go to the State exchequer, he added.

Pradhan while addressing mediapersons here said the BJP Government in the Centre, which believes in federal structure, would share 100 per cent profit with the State like coal bidding process.  

The Centre had brought ordinance on coal block allocation, but it could not be passed by the Rajya Sabha due to opposition party’s protest. But the Government would bring the ordinance in the next session of the Parliament to start coal allocation, he added. 

Criticising the State Government, which has been parroting the old slogan ‘Centre’s neglect towards State’, Pradhan clarified that the BJP Government has helped the State immensely by increasing mining royalty by 15 per cent and recent decision to give total bidding price of coal to the State Government.

“After hike in mining royalty, the State Government would get around Rs 2,000 crore every year. The State would also get over Rs 1.5 lakh crore from coal bidding process. Even the Centre had sanctioned more funds to the State in railway sector,” said Pradhan, adding, “If the State still accuses the Centre, we will think that it is trying to divert attention of the people by telling lies.” 

Pradhan informed that the Centre would invest Rs 1 lakh crore in petroleum sector in Odisha. The investment would create thousands of jobs and boost the business sector in the State. “We have already laid foundation stones for some projects related to oil and its byproducts in Paradip and we are trying to begin some more projects to boost business in the State,” he added.