Security beefed up in Puri, Dhauli after Bodh Gaya attack

BHUBANESWAR: Security has been beefed up for the security of 12th century shrine Jagannath temple at Puri ahead of world famous Ratha Yatra and at the same time police personnel were deployed at Buddhist site Dhauli in the city following the serial blasts in the Mahabodhi temple complex in Bodh Gaya in Bihar on Sunday morning.

The security personnel have been asked to keep an eye on suspicious movements of the tourists as the Rath Yatra is just two days away. The police would conduct security checks at all the hotels and lodgings in Puri, police sources said.

Meanwhile, the State Government tightened the security at the white peace pagoda at Dhauli which is famous for its Buddhist monuments. One platoon of force has been deployed here and the Commissionerate Police is supervising the security system here.

Similarly, other Buddhist sites in the State including Ratnagiri and Udaygiri in Jajpur district would come under the purview of police security, said Jajpur Collector Anil Kumar Samal.           

 

 

CM provides financial support to tribal youth to study in NIT

BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday provided financial assistance to a tribal youth Jichil Majhi from Rayagada to study in National Institute Technology (NIT), Tiruchirappalli. Patnaik sanctioned Rs 33,800 from Chief Minister’s Relief Fund towards Majhi’s admission and hostel fee.

Majhi, son of a BPL card holder Gadadhar Majhi of Mankadjhola village in the district, had applied at the Chief Minister’s grievance cell on July 2 for financial assistance. He was selected through Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) to read M Tech in NIT, Tirichurappalli.                 

Headley’s statement exposed Cong’s aim to defame Modi: Mitra

-- ‘Congress suffering from NaMonia’

BHUBANESWAR: BJP’s Odisha in-charge Chandan Mitra said that David Headley’s statement on Ishrat Jahan during interrogation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) at a Chicago jail in 2010 have exposed Congress’s aim to tarnish the image of BJP’s national election campaign committee chairman Narendra Modi.

After attending a State-level conference of Indian Media Centre (IMC) here on Saturday said the reporters that Congress is suffering from NaMonia. Fearing Modi’s nation-wide popularity as a vibrant leader, Congress has framed the political gimmick to defame the Gujarat Chief Minister, he added.

Congress’s allegation against Modi’s Government for giving permission to encounter an innocent college girl Ishrat Jahan was contrary to Headley’s statement that she had terrorist links and was a ‘female suicide bomber’. “Now it is very clear that Congress had hatched a conspiracy against Modi Government to tarnish his image,” Mitra alleged.  

    

Paid news breaches trust of common people

‘Democracy becomes weak without independent media’

BHUBANESWAR: “If Media becomes weak, the other three pillars of democracy will be affected and can’t work freely,” said national English daily The Pioneer’s Editor-in-chief and national president of Indian Media Centre (IMC) Chandan Mitra while attending the State-level conference of the IMC here on Saturday.

Mitra discussing on the scheduled topic ‘Paid News versus Value Added Journalism’ said that paid news is undermining the democracy because it becomes weak without an independent media. Paid news syndrome is growing like cancer disease, he added.

He also said the politicians and the people, who give paid news, are playing with the faithfulness of the people on media. Hiding serious news and publishing news in favour of a certain person or organisation by taking money is illegal, said Mitra, adding, “Citizen Journalists should come forward against the paid news syndrome.”   

  

The experts during the discussion said that when paid information is presented as independent news content, it misleads the public and hampers the ability of people to form correct opinions. So Paid news is deceit and it breaches the trust of the readers, they added.

IMC State president Ravi Rath said the paid news is a serious issue which tarnishes the image of media in the country. The age old believe as media is a faithful friend and guide of the society may diminish by this unethical act, he added.

The participants including Kalinga Mail Editor Sivananda Ray, KBK Samachar editor and IMC State vice-president Binod Mohapatra, Nilagiri MLA Pratap Sarangi, Samata Kranti Dal State secretary Manoj Jena and former MP Rasbihari Behera attended the conference and shared their views about present situation of the country and its media.

Political parties fail to attend RTI hearing

BHUBANESWAR: Representatives of the political parties didn’t attend the hearing of an RTI case here on Friday regarding the declaration of political parties as public authorities. A full bench of the State Information Commission (SIC) conducted the hearing of a case filed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to declare the 21 registered and recognised political parties as public authorities under section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005.

AAP submitted a memorandum before the SIC where its members said that the political parties should be directed to designate the Public Information Officers as per the provisions of the RTI Act. It also said that the political parties comply with suo motu disclosure as required under section 4(1) (b) of the RTI Act, 2005 within a limited time period.

Though the full bench discussed about the case with the AAP members, but could not finalise the decision as nobody from the other political parties attended the hearing. The next hearing would be conducted on August 23, SIC sources said.