Cold wave to continue in State till Dec 29

--Phulbani shivers with 2.4 degree C

BHUBANESWAR: Cold wave continued in the State on Sunday with mercury level dipping further in some interior parts of Odisha. 

Local Met office sources said the cold wave would continue till December 29. Cold wave condition could prevail over Odisha and shallow fog could occur over northern part of the State, it added. 

According to Met office, Kandhamal district was shivering with cold waves. Minimum temperature (2.4 degree Celcius) was recorded in Phulbani, while Daringibadi is second coldest place of the State. 

Some parts of Daringibadi have reportedly witnessed flecks of snow. In this mountainous area, cold wave intensified its grip as the minimum temperatures dropped in most places last night.     

In other parts of the State like Koraput (6.5), Jharsuguda (9.8 degree C), Keonjhargarh (7.1), Sundargarh (7.9), Hirakud (8 degree C), Bhawanipatna (8.5) and Balangir (8 degree C) witnessed minimum temperatures on Sunday. 

State loses BRGF fund of Rs 1026cr in 8-yr due to CM’s failure: BJP

BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Sunday criticised the State Government for losing Rs 1026 crore Backward Regions Grant Fund Program (BRGF) fund between the financial years of 2007-08 and 2014-15 due to failure of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.  

BJP spokesperson Samir Mohanty said the State, which has been beating its own drum by telling the tale of development, failed to spend Central fund in time as a result of which the unutilised fund returns to the Centre. “It proved that how effective the State Government is,” questioned Mohanty. 

He also alleged that the Chief Minister has handed over the administration charge to the bureaucrats. Even the Ministers have become more confused persons in the matter of taking decision, he added.       

Biswa Odia Samaj Sammilanee to begin in city from Jan 2

BHUBANESWAR: Sanskrootee Bharatee, a city-based philanthropic organisation, would organise a three-day long 5th Biswa Odia Samaj Sammilanee (a conference of Odisha people living across the world) in the city starting from January 2.   

The Sammilanee would be held at Baramunda Durga Puja ground here. Several successful Odisha people living across the world would attend the conference, said Sammilanee convener Er Srikant Nayak.

He said the conference is being organised every year to bring together all likeminded, resourceful, philanthropic, patriotic, educated, energetic, and forward thinking people of Odia origin across the globe into one platform who have interest and affinity for development of Odisha. 

On the opening day of the conference, the experts would discuss on a theme ‘Role of Woman in Building a Progressive Society and the Need of Women Empowerment’ and the second day would witness a very thoughtful discussion on ‘Role of New Generation Entrepreneurs in Agriculture and Inclusive Development of Odisha’, while the participants would discuss about holistic education on the final day of the conference.

Cabinet decision on Task Force on DQ confusing: BJP

--‘Why CM silent on land scam in State’

BHUBANESWAR: BJP senior leader Bijoy Mohapatra on Friday alleged that the State Cabinet’s decision to cancel all allotments of flat and plot under discretionary quota (DQ) and launch a Vigilance probe into the illegality was confusing.

The decision was prepared by somebody and it was tabled before the Cabinet and then it was approved. “If you see the decision technically, it is highly confusing. Even the Cabinet Ministers also don’t the decision before it was tabled in the Cabinet,”    

Briefing the mediapersons, Mohapatra said the State Government has taken the decision in haste keeping in view the present political situation of the State. Fearing the BJP national president Amit Shah’s visit to the State on January 5 and 6, the State Government took the decision. 

“The Government has neither studied the Supreme Court decision in the Satish Sharma case or the decision of the Odisha High Court in a similar case. I have absolutely no doubt that the decision taken by the cabinet will not stand scrutiny of the law,” said Mohapatra and added that the State Government has taken yet another illegal decision.

He also criticised the State Government for ordering the Vigilance probe in the DQ issue. “Why the State again ordered a probe which was handed over to the Taradutt Committee,” he said, adding, “We know what the fate of the Vigilance probe in Odisha.”

He said that land scam is a bigger scam in Odisha, but the State Government didn’t take any decision in the Cabinet meeting regarding the land scam. The Government maintained silence after taking decision on the DQ which is a small portion of the scam. Why the Chief Minister is silent in the case of Ghangapatna land scam, land allotted for hospitals and industries which have been misused by the lessees, he questioned. 

In Ghangapatna case, Mohapatra said, the Chief Minister had ordered a probe to know that which department had sanctioned Rs 5 lakh for construction of roads in the controversial road. But what happened to the probe and how the Revenue Department drew a conclusion in the case, he added. 

“Why the Chief Minister is silent in these issues,” he questioned, adding, “Dear Chief Minister, all roads in the chit fund scam and land scam have been closed for you. You cannot hoodwink the people of the State anymore.”      

Goat farming to be promoted in M’bhanj for secure livelihood

--Heifer’s MSED project launched in State

BHUBANESWAR: Heifer India, an International NGO, on Tuesday launched a project Mayurbhanj Socio-Economic Development (MSED) to help small holder women farmers achieve sustainable livelihoods by facilitating the establishment producer companies focused on the meat goat value chain.  

Through the organisation, women would receive meat goats, fodder, crop seeds and farming equipment for goat farming and organic farming. Around 20,000 families (mostly tribals) would be benefitted out of the project, Heifer officials said. 

While launching the project, Heifer’s Asia and Europe Programmes vice president Mahendra Lohani said they have selected a targeted group of 20,000 families of several hamlets of 36 gram panchayats in the district. Besides tribals, they have also included dalits, OBCs and other people in the project which has a time period of five years, he added. 

Lohani said they would promote the breeding of Black Bengal goat among the targeted group as the delicious meat of the breed has the highest market demand. “Goat producers association will be formed along with butchers association to give the goat farmers a fair price. We can call it as market linkage of the goat meat,” he added. 

He said that his organisation works with different development organisations, Government and Non-Government agencies and banks to achieve the goal. He informed that British NGO GALVmed would support the women in poultry vaccination, while the State Horticulture Department would help in increasing quality fodder plants to feed the goats. Similarly, the Agriculture Department and Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Department would help in kitchen gardening and taking care of goat and other animals respectively. 

“It’s like an all round development of livelihoods linked with agriculture and goat farming. A family can earn around Rs 2, 50,000 per year through the mixed farming of agriculture and goat farming,” said Lohani.  

He also stated that they would include two lakh families of the State in the livelihood project within next 10 years in order to empower the rural people especially women folk.  

BJD Banki MLA Pravat Tripathy arrested by CBI, suspended from party

BHUBANESWAR: Finally the CBI arrested former Odisha Government chief whip and Banki BJD MLA Pravat Tripathy on Friday for his link with chit fund company Artha Tatwa (AT) Group that duped thousands of investors in the State. 

It was informed by the Chief Information Officer of the CBI Kanchan Prasad in the evening. Prasad said Tripathy was arrested on charges of criminal conspiracy and the allegation that he had received huge sum from the AT Group.

Soon after the CBI arrested Tripathy, the BJD suspended him from the party. After few minutes of the announcement, the party issued a Press release saying BJD president Naveen Patnaik suspended the Banki BJD MLA from the party.

After getting summon, Tripathy reached the CBI office at around 4.30pm and entered the office to be quizzed by the CBI sleuths. He was interrogated about the Best Cooperator prize given to AT Group chief Pradeep Sethy in 2011 and alleged relation with chit fund firm Swastik India founder Ranjan Das, sources said. 

Notably, the CBI on August 16 conducted raids on the houses of Tripathy at Banki and at Kaligali in Cuttack and had seized some important documents about his links with the AT Group. Later the Central Investigating agency had raided houses of his close associate Subash Padhi in Banki in order to get some possible leads to Tripathy’s financial transactions with the tainted chit fund company.

On September 15, Tripathy had moved to the High Court seeking anticipatory bail, apprehending that the CBI may arrest him anytime. On the very next day he was grilled for about six hours in connection with his alleged links with AT Group chief Pradeep Sethy.  

After his anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the High Court on October 20, the CBI had summoned the MLA on October 25 and grilled in connection with the CD row.