Environment

Bhubaneswar, December 5 (LocalWire): As many as 19 rivers in the State are bearing the brunt of water pollution as per the latest report furnished to the centre by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

‘The polluted profile of these rivers are based on the value of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BoD) scientific experiment by CPCB’, the union minister of state, Jal Shakti & Social Justice And Empowerment, Rattanlal Khataria told the Lok Sabha today to a query by BJP lawmaker Jual Oram.

The rivers ranked polluted are Gangua, Guradih Nallah, Kathajodi, Nandirajhor, Daya, Kuakhai, Banguru Nallah, Bheden, Brahmani, Budhabalnaga, Kusumi, Mahanadi, Mangala, Nagavalli, Nuna, Ratnachira,Rushikulya, Sabulia and Serua.

The stretch from Rourkela to Biritol of river Brahmani is one of the identified polluted river stretches of priority V (BoD level in the range of 3-6 mg/l).

The centre is supplementing the efforts of the State Governments including Odisha, reducing pollution of identified stretches of various rivers under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National River Conservation Plan (NRCP), on cost-sharing basis between the Central and State Governments.

The Ministry has sanctioned projects at a cost of Rs.279.9 lakhs for pollution reduction of river Brahmani in the State of Odisha.

Under the project works pertaining to interception and diversion of sewage, sewage treatment plant (STP), riverfront development etc have been implemented and a STP having capacity of 2 million litre per day (mld) has been created in the State, the minister informed the lower house.

LocalWire

Bhubaneswar, Dec 4 (LocalWire) Odisha has yet to submit utilisation certificate for utilisation of Rs. 1044 crore it received from the central government, if the latest audit report of Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has any indication.

The breakup of the government departments, who defaulted in furnishing the certificate since one decade or more, are Panchayati Raj (Rs 421.84 crore), Revenue & Disaster Management (Rs 200.17 crore), Housing & Urban Development (Rs 180.57 crore) and Planning and Convergence Departments (Rs 139.83 crore)).

These four departments alone accounted for 90.19 per cent of the amount for which UCs were pending, the report said.

The submission of UCs was a continuous process. Money from Centre and State is forwarded to the implementing agencies.

The implementing agencies always consume time for spending the money.

They adhere to the required formalities and then submit the UC, which enables them to get next tranche of release of funds, said officials of Planning and Convergence Department.

Hence, at any point of time, there would be some pendency in submission of Utilisation Certificate.

Review of Department-wise pendency of Utilisation Certificates was, however, being made at the level of Finance Secretary regularly with the objective to improve the UC position, they added.

The position with regard to submission of UCs had, however, not improved so far. High pendency of UCs is fraught with the risk of misappropriation and diversion of funds and fraud, the CAG however observed in its report.

LocalWire

Bhubaneswar, Dec 3 (LocalWire) Odisha government will go for fresh auctioning of iron and manganese mine blocks, whose lease validity ceases by March 31, 2020, officials said on Tuesday.

The government had earlier floated tenders earlier on October for the auctioning of 20 mines.

However, the tender notice invited earlier has been withdrawn. Notice for the fresh bidding process will come out on December 6 next, a senior official of the Department of Steel and Mines said.

The Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) and the High-Level Committee (HLC) which monitors the auctioning process had decided in favour of fresh auctioning, he added.

The successful bidders will have mining rights of fifty years over the leased out mines.|

Those who applied in the earlier bidding Notice Inviting Tenders which now stands annulled will get back the bank guarantees, he said.

Odisha is enriched with more than 50 percent of iron ore reserve in the country.

Currently, Odisha has 17 operational merchant mines whose approved production capacity is estimated at 80 million tonnes.

LocalWire

Bhubaneswar, November 30 (LocalWire): The swirling seawater in Gahirmatha marine sanctuary is now abuzz with activities of a different kind; the tranquil seawater is currently playing host to lakhs of Olive Ridley Sea Turtles.

Pairs of these marine animals are now mating at the site and will soon commence mass nesting, forest range officer Subrat Patra said.

The pairs of turtles have been sighted in large numbers by the patrolling personnel and the breeding activity has picked for past three to four days, he stated.

All forms of human interference, including fishing, are prohibited to ensure disturbance-free mating of the endangered species.

After the end of the mating season, most of the male turtles usually return back to deep-sea up to the Sri Lankan coast leaving behind the female turtles to lay their eggs.

Gahirmatha beach is widely regarded as the world’s largest-known nesting ground for these animals.

Apart from Gahirmatha, these endangered aquatic animals also turn up at Rushikulya river mouth and Devi river mouth for mass nesting.

An estimated five female turtles had turned to dig a pit and lay millions of eggs on the nesting beach last year.

“Rise in the mortality rate of mating turtles along the coastal water surface had become of a cause of worry in past years. To reduce mortality, the patrolling has been stepped up this year. A dozen trawls have been seized so far and 72 crews have been arrested for illegal fishing activates,” the officer said.

LocalWire

Bhubaneswar, Nov 29 (LocalWire): To ensure the safety of the endangered Olive Ridley turtles, the Coast Guard launched ‘Operation Oliva’ along the 20 km-long stretch from Dhamra to Devi river mouth.

There is prohibition for marine fishing during the nesting season of the turtles from 1 November to 31 May and the Coast Guard has undertaken its annual drive in turtle conservation in coordination with state forest department, state marine fisheries department and marine wing of state police, Coast Guard personnel said.

‘Our objective is to intercept the trawlers and fishing boats that are engaged in illegal fishing that kill breeding turtles as they get hit by propellers. The marine creatures perish in large number as they asphyxiate after getting stuck in fishing nets,’ they said.

With round-the-clock vigil, the coast guard has been able to provide adequate protection to the endangered species.

Besides a ship, the coast guard has also pressed into service an aircraft for Operation Oliva. The patrolling vessels engaged by forest and fisheries department often seek the coast guard’s assistance during exigencies. The operation to save turtles is being carried on in a coordinated manner.

The coast guard has organized interactive sessions with the marine fishermen to sensitize them on the pros and cons of legal embargo on fishing during the Ridleys’ nesting season.

The awareness level among the fishermen has increased. As a result, unlawful sea fishing activity has dropped considerably this year, they concluded.

LocalWire

Bhubaneswar, Nov 28 (LocalWire): The implementation of rural housing, sanitation, health, education, road connectivity, power supply and urban civic services in Kalahandi district was reviewed by Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy today.

Emphasizing the need for full utilisation of the allotted fund against the projects, Tripathy asked officials to ensure timely delivery of public services and maintenance of high-level transparency.

He also visited the district hospital and interacted with in-patients and their relatives regarding availability of services under Nidan, Niramaya and Sunetra yojana.

Tripathy also visited the under-construction medical college building at Bhangabadi.

During the course of his day-long visit, the Chief Secretary looked into the functioning of Ahara Kendra at Bhawanipata.

He also visited Pastigudi High School and interacted with the teachers and students for qualitative improvement in classroom teaching.

LocalWire

Bhubaneswar, November 28 (LocalWire): The state government has decided to rope in centre-run Indian Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) for skill development in the hospitality sector.

The initiative is aimed to augment the local economy by improving services at the eco-tourism destinations in Odisha.

The state is home to 40 eco-tourism destinations, which are treasure troves of scenic beauty and picturesque natural environments.

With places like Similipal, Bhitarkanika, Chilika, Daringibadi, Satakosia and others attracting domestic and international tourists, the government plans to boost the local economy by providing viable self-employment opportunities to the youth.

The IHM has been asked to impart training to youths living in close proximity of eco-tourism sites and scale up their skill in hospitality enabling them to serve as tourist guides, sources said.

The local guides would be self-employed, while they will enable the tourists to venture into inaccessible tourist spots under their able guidance, officials stated.

The state has developed 40 eco-tourism sites and has revamped the infrastructure to make these places tourist-friendly.

Currently, the eco-tourism sites together have 298 tent structures with the capacity to house 800 tourists.

To attract more tourists, the government has joined hands with private players to chalk out plans of providing facilities like canopy walk, jungle safari, boating, cycling, trekking, bird watching, and wildlife watch in each of the prominent eco-tourism sites in the state.

LocalWire

Bhubaneswar, Nov 27 (LocalWire): Odisha, which is rich in heritage, culture, tradition and customs, also lays claim to unconventional practices being followed by some sections of its people.

Though the instances are stray in nature, we bring you a list of some of the weird traditions in vogue in specific pockets of the state.

1. In Odisha’s Kandhamal district, one can meet Napoleon, Isaac Einstein, Diego Maradona and Michael Jackson! In several parts of the predominantly hill-locked district, locals have developed a fondness towards naming their children after global geniuses.

Although the practice is in vogue for years together nobody can point out for sure the genesis of this unconventional naming of their progenies. One may soon find US President Trump or soccer star Messi enrolled in the village school registrars soon!

2. At a time when the entry of women in Kerala’s Sabarimala temple has been a contentious issue, women have donned the mantle of priestesshood by worshipping Panchubarahi, Janjali, Kamili, Bimali and Batakuanri in Kendrapara district.

As per the age-old tradition, the eldest daughter-in-law of the family performs the rituals in hereditary succession.

The temple located at sea-erosion-hit Satabhaya village has in the meanwhile relocated to Bagapatia resettlement colony. But the customary women priestess-hood practice goes on.

3. In another typical custom, locals of seaside hamlets in Kendrapara district continue to cling on to an unconventional practice of immersing the idols of Goddess Manasha while garlanding the deities with wads of currency notes to ward off possible biting by venomous snakes.

The ritual is an annual affair in villages of Ramnagar, Batighar, Jamboo, Kharinasi, Sanatubi, Badatubi, Nipania and Luimathia.

4.In a departure from practice, residents of a remote village Mushapapuli in Angul district continue to follow the self-imposed practice of not cooking after sunset. The kitchens remain prohibited corridors in twilight.

The village suffered extensive damage due to a massive fire a decade back which left them shattered economically. The source of fire was an earthen chullah (stove) where a homemaker was cooking dinner.

The inferno had spread ravaging almost the entire village. Since then, villagers have stopped cooking at night.

The village which had fire-prone kutcha and thatched houses have refurbished to pucca and asbestos-roofed houses. But regulatory practice still continues.

5. Sialia village under river-locked Rajkanika block of Kendrapara district attracts attention of outsiders for sticking to superstition and dogmatic belief that defies logic and reason in this hi-tech age.

Villagers shy away from doors and windows in their houses lest it invite the curse of the village deity. Interestingly, cases of theft or burglary are rarely reported from the village.

LocalWire

Bhubaneswar, Nov 26 (LocalWire): Mo Cycle riders have covered seven lakh kilometers in the city in the past year, thereby preventing two lakh kilogram carbon emission into the city’s air.

‘Mo Cycle is the state’s maiden venture in Public Bike Share (PBS) system.

The first year journey of Mo Cycle was challenging as well as a learning experience for CRUT team.

The initiative is a step in the right direction towards curbing vehicular pollution,’ Arun Bothra, managing director of Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) said.

Mr Sanjeeb Panda, IPS Transport Commissioner-cum-Chairman, State Transport Authority and an avid cyclist, was also present during the occasion with the members of Bhubaneswar Cycling and Adventure Club.

Addressing the gathering, Mr Panda said, ‘Mo Cycle should be the focal point to make Bhubaneswar, smart city. If we care for nature, we should ride a cycle.’

While in the month of January around 1, 00,000 riders registered with Mo Cycle App, now the number stands at 2, 00,000 riders.

Similarly, in December 2018 around 1, 00,000 rides were taken by citizens of Bhubaneswar and till November 2019, 3, 50,000 rides have been registered.

Mo Cycle consists of a fleet of specially-designed, sturdy and durable cycles that are locked into a network of stations throughout the city.

The bicycles can be unlocked from one station and returned to any other station in the system, making it ideal for one way rides.

The PBS) system has the strength of over 2000 Mo Cycles and 400 Mo Cycle stations across Bhubaneswar.

LocalWire

Education and sports have helped the Lodhas, a particularly vulnerable tribal community that was forced to lead an excluded life because they were stigmatized as thieves, to increasingly join the mainstream

Bijay Nayak (31) brought his son Siba in his newly-bought motorcycle, to the education complex for Lodha tribal boys at Chikitamatia in Mayurbhanj district. In the last academic session, he enrolled his 6-year-old son in the residential school.

Siba is too young to be enrolled in a hostel, but Bijay Nayak feels that in residential school, Siba will live better and learn discipline and etiquette, difficult to acquire in their village. He said that Siba spent his time fishing and swimming in the village pond all through the day. “I want my son to study,” he said.

Just a few years ago, it was difficult for Bijay Nayak to run his family with his meager income. A seasonal migrant, he went to West Bengal and Jharkhand to work as a construction laborer. “I could barely earn Rs 5,000 per month as a laborer,” he said.

“Now I have a small grocery shop that helps me earn better and save for my children’s future,

He said that government had no schemes to provide food, books and uniforms to children when he was young. Poverty prevented him from going to school.

A de-notified tribe, now classified as a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG), Lodhas were falsely accused of making a living out of robbery by British colonial masters, a stigma that continued in the years after India achieved independent.

As a result, the tribe was forced out of the mainstream, living a secluded life. Some elements in the community took to crime in the absence of any other opportunity.

Now with government support, the tribal children have started getting educated, the youth have started mingling with other communities through sports and taking up jobs, in a step towards joining the mainstream.

Secluded life

Kala Chand (79), head of the Lodha community, said that in the 1960s, he and a few youth of his village Sansasal in Ukhalgadia panchayat were involved in robbery. They hid in nearby forests and distributed the looted money and valuables among themselves.

After he and most of his friends quit thieving, they still could not get jobs. It affected their livelihood, their children’s education and the family’s nutrition. They went back to robbery. Today, Kalachand has evolved as a leader, helping others lead a better life.

Underdeveloped tribes

In 2016, Rajesh Patil, the then district collector of Mayurbhanj, asked Sikshasandhan, a not-for-profit organization working among the tribal children in Mayurbhanj district, to work jointly with the state government’s Lodha Development Agency and improve the quality of life of the tribes through education.

“Initially, it was not easy for us to work with the Lodha tribes. The tribes were living a life of seclusion since they had been branded as thieves and robbers ages ago,” said Anil Pradhan, head of the Naba Diganta, a project of Sikshasandhan, that works for the development of Lodhas.

“One of the de-notified tribes, Lodhas lack self-confidence and self-esteem and are addicted to alcohol. No other villagers were having any friendly relationship with them so in all parameters – health, education and livelihood – they were at a low position.

“It was a challenge to reach the 3,500-odd Lodhas scattered in eight villages of Shuliapada and Morada blocks in Mayurbhanj district,” said Pradhan. “But we decided to bring changes in their lives through education, sports and cultural activities to make them mingle with other communities and also to create livelihood opportunities, so that they can live with dignity.”

Academics and beyond

The Lodha children lacked hygiene and had no interest in sitting in a classroom and listen to the teacher. They were more interested in playing outside, fishing and swimming in the village pond and also venturing into the nearby forest. The parents too were not keen to send them to school.

When Sikshasandhan started their intervention at Tiansi Primary school in Barkand panchayat, 18 Lodha children were studying there.

“In the classroom the teacher used to light incense sticks as the children were not in the habit of maintaining hygiene,” said Narayan Behera, program associate of Naba Diganta project. “The teachers were also not friendly with the Lodha students.”

“To create a healthy atmosphere in school we organized a feast, and song and dance programs. That helped the teacher and the students to develop a bond.

“Later we gave the children soap and other toiletries, and after regular interaction, the children learnt to maintain hygiene.”

“Regular action-based workshop among students improved their learning. It increased attendance and improved their language and arithmetic skills,” said Behera.

Evident change

Children at the residential education complex for Lodha tribal boys at Chikitamatia was no different. A female support staff was appointed to improve the health and hygiene and discipline of students in primary classes.

“When I joined there were around 70 children of different age groups from Class 1 to 5, but they had no semblance of order and lacked interest in studies.

They were not even taking bath and washing clothes. Now things have completely changed,” said Shantilata, the support staff-cum-care giver.

At present the residential school at Chikitamatia village is a completely different picture of what it was a year ago. The students were clean, disciplined and displayed their creative and academic skills.

Rinku Bhakta of Nedam village who has been in the education complex for a few years, finds this residential school better than his village school.

“Earlier no one cared but now Shanti didi (the support staff) has taught us hygiene, etiquette and encourages us to do creative works.

Interest in education

Children of this education complex earn laurels at district level competitions. This has also helped increase students’ enrollment. Presently the school strength stands at 200. “Now parents are taking interest in enrolling their children and sending them regularly,” said Behera.

Ganga Nayak (18) is the first Lodha tribal girl who joined college this year after passing class 10 from her village. She got first division and proved her merits at Sargiphul, a state level competition for tribal children. Following her footsteps, young girls of her village and neighboring villages show interest in education.

“I want more girls from my community to continue education so that it will help them avoid early marriage,” said Ganga Nayak. She said that early marriage is highly prevalent in her community due to poverty and lack of education.

Football for kinship

“Our main objective was to make the Lodhas mingle with people from other communities,” said Swagatika Bhuyan, project coordinator of Naba Diganta.

“So, we decided to encourage youth towards sports. Since children in this district are interested in football, we encouraged them to form teams and play.”

After regular training by a coach, the youth formed 12 teams. This year two girls’ football team were also formed.

To improve their self-esteem, courage and leadership quality, the organization facilitated a kukuda cup (hen cup) among youth, with the help of villagers. The winning team would get a hen as the prize and a feast would be organized.

“For the first time, we got the opportunity to play in a football team with youth from other communities. When people from our community cheer for us we feel proud. Earlier we used watch others play and cheered for them,” Basudev Naik, a college student and goal keeper of the football team.

Transformed youth

The Lodha youth were addicted to country liquor. “When we asked them to attend a meeting, they wanted money for country liquor.

We sent them to de-addiction centers and now most of the youths have overcome the habit,” said Sisir Samantray, program associate. “Now they are extending support to different activities.”

When alternate livelihoods with financial support were suggested, the Lodha youth readily agreed to set up businesses such as- grocery shop, goat rearing, rearing of country birds, shops to sell fish or meat or rice, etc.

Young women were also encouraged to participate in cultural activities. This increased their confidence and last year they performed at the Tribal Literary Festival at Kaptipada.

Alternate livelihood

“When we conducted a study, we found that Lodha men were migrating due to lack of livelihood options. Some of them cultivate sabai grass but lack access to markets.

We decided to provide them alternate livelihood options,” said Pradhan. Sabai grass is a natural fiber that has uses such as in the making of sturdy ropes, baskets and cots, in the paper and fiber industry, and in many handicraft items.

Babuli Mallick of Dhabani village, who was once a seasonal migrant, has set up a grocery shop this year, with financial and handholding support from Naba Diganta project. He earns Rs 500 per day.

“People of other communities are now buying from my shop and I am earning more than what I earned before. This has helped me buy a new motorcycle and save money in bank,”Babuli told VillageSquare.in. Today more than 70 youth have opened small businesses and migration has been checked.

The Lodha Development Agency that has been working for the development of this community since the 1980s is slowly effecting changes. A humanistic approach to the many government schemes for the welfare of the tribes will bring an overall development.

This story was first appeared in VillageSquare.in.

Bhubaneswar, November 23 (LocalWire): Odisha has registered an overall 9 per cent growth in revenue generation, with an aggregate collection of Rs 7,399 crore, during the April to October 2019 period.

“While the overall growth in revenue generation stood at 9 per cent, the growth in non-tax sources stood at 12.24 per cent,” Finance Department principal secretary AK Meena said while presiding over a high-level meeting on Saturday.

The revenue generation from mining royalty and water rate increased around 11 per cent and 46 per cent respectively.

The total collection from mining royalty was Rs 6,054.93 crore as against Rs 5,436.54 crore by the end of October in 2018.

Similarly, revenue generation from own tax sources also increased by 7.56 per cent with a total collection of Rs 17,510 crore, up from Rs 16,279 crore during the same period in the last fiscal.

The total revenue generation from both the sources during the period in FY 2018-19 increased by 9 per cent over the corresponding period last year.

In real terms, while the total revenue touched Rs 24,909 crore by end of October 2019, the budget utilisation kept pace with it and grew by 16 per cent over the last fiscal.

The total expenditure by end of October during the current fiscal stands at Rs 60,848.21 crore, as against last year’s expenditure of Rs 52, 525.40 crores.

LocalWire

Bhubaneswar, November 22 (LocalWire): A state that is abound with nature’s gifts, Odisha is a repository of unique minerals and natural resources, and is the largest supplier of iron ore, coal, bauxite, manganese and gypsum in the country.

However, most people are unaware that the state also has a vast repository of several other minerals, ores and rare earth elements that have various uses in different industries. The LocalWire shares with you eight not-so-commonly-known minerals found in Odisha and their significance.

1) Diamond: The sparkly sister of coal, diamond is the hardest natural substance found on earth.

It is found in the Kalamidadar Valley in Nuapada district, and also under the rocky bed of river Mahanadi. Diamonds are used for making jewellery, oil-drilling and cutting and polishing glass due to their extraordinary hardness.

2) Fire Clay: Fire Clay is used as a refractory material in industries. A refractory material is one that can withstand high temperatures and does not deform or melt upon being fired. The state has an estimated 176 million tonnes of this handy material.

3) Thorium: This radioactive rare earth element is usually found in rocks, soil, and water and is used in nuclear reactors as fuel.

It is also used in the manufacture of lenses for cameras and scientific instruments. Over 20 per cent of India’s thorium reserves are found in Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Deogarh, Mayurbhanj and Jajpur districts in the state.

4) China clay: This is primarily used in the manufacture of ceramics, as well as in the rubber industry, as insecticides and for textile and paper coating. It is mainly found in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, and Bargarh.

5) Limestone: This is an essential component of concrete. It is also used as aggregate for the base of roads, as white filler in toothpaste and paint, soil conditioner, and chemical feedstock for the production of lime, among other uses. It is found in Koraput, Malkangiri, Nuapada, Balangir, and Bargarh.

6) Graphite: The best example of graphite is the lead nib of our pencils. It is also a critical component of
single-use batteries, as well as being used in foundaries and crucible industries, and as industrial lubricant and neutron absorber in nuclear reactors. It is found in abundance in Odisha across Angul, Balangir, and Kandhamal.

7) Mineral Sand: A group of commercial minerals found in beaches is known as mineral sand. The 480 km long coast of Odisha is a rich source of around 82-million tonnes of mineral sand.

These include ilmenite and rutile that are sources of titanium which is a lightweight but very strong material used in airplanes. It also includes zirconium, monazite, garnet, and sillimanite.

While zirconium is a lanthanide element used in foundaries and refractories, monazite is used for the extraction of rare earth compounds like uranium, thorium, and helium. Garnet is used as an abrasive, while sillimanite is used in high-temperature refractories.

8) Chromite ore: Chromium is one of the elements required in the making of steel from iron. It is a corrosion-resistant, extremely tough metal used for making mobile phones, medical equipment and a variety of alloys.

Chromium plating on cars and bicycles gives them a smooth finish and protects them from corrosion.

It is found in extremely large quantities in Sukinda Valley in the Jajpur district of the state, which accounts for 96 per cent of India’s chromium reserves.

LocalWire

Bhubaneswar, November 21 (LocalWire): The state forest department has decided to make extensive use of drones to keep a tab on elephant depredation in Angul forest division.

The initiative is aimed to reduce human causality due to attacks by the elephants in the region.

The Angul forest division is a major human-elephant confrontation zone in the State.

According to the forest and environment minister Bikram Keshari Arukha, the department has begun using the drones fitted with cameras to keep a round-the-clock vigil on the elephants’ intrusion into places of human habitations.

“The drones are being used for aerial monitoring of the movement of the elephant herd. It has proved to be an effective tool in arresting the frequency of elephant depredation,” the minister stated before the state Assembly.

The department is also using drones to track the migration path of elephants, including the national highways that they often cross while traversing through the villages in the district.

“The drone experiment has proved to be a success so far. The forest officials have been able to block the elephants from intruding into human habitations to a great extent due to the aerial monitoring using drones,” a forest official said.

Besides, skilled elephant squad armed with GPS instruments have also been pressed into service to track the migrating of jumbos and a 24X7 control room is also in operation to check elephant depredation, the official stated.

Angul forest division comes under the administrative jurisdiction of the Mahanadi Elephant Reserve.

Odisha with 1,976 elephants stands at number five in the list of states with a high elephant population in the country.

While Karnataka has the highest number of 6,049 elephants, Assam has 5,719, Kerala has 3,054, and Tamil Nadu has 2,761 elephants.

LocalWire

Jagatsinghpur, November 21 (LocalWire): An ITI-trained mechanic in Naugaon has come out with a solution to refurbish and convert old polluting motorbikes into e-bikes that can run 40 kilometres on a single charge.

According to Benapada-resident Pradip Mohapatra, who runs a window grill and almirah shop at Mundalo Bazaar in Nuagaon, the technology uses four 12 volt batteries and hence is completely environment-friendly as it leads to zero-emission by the two-wheelers.

The 45-year-old innovator further informed that the old two-wheelers fitted with batteries take almost one hour to get re-charged, attain a maximum speed of 50 km/hour, and easily take the load of a pillion rider.

“The total investment of Rs 20,000 is needed to convert an old motorbike into an environment-friendly two-wheeler.

The cost includes four 12-volt batteries and other accessories,” he said, adding that with the success of the technology in two-wheelers, he now wants to retrofit old cars with batteries so that they can run without causing pollution and reduce fuel consumption.

Mohapatra says that it took him twelve years to realise his dream of contributing to society by helping in reducing the level of vehicular pollution, particularly that from old motorbikes that spew toxic gasses and are an environmental hazard.
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However, he pointed out that due to the lack of adequate financial resources, his innovation is yet to be tested by any research institution or agency.

“It may not be feasible to run these retrofitted two-wheelers on the road without the approval of the authorities, but the interest shown by locals, who have lined up to use the battery-fitted vehicle, is a motivation for me to keep working on it,” he stated.

According to several locals, while Mohapatra’s innovation is praiseworthy, people are reluctant to use the battery-fitted motorbikes on the road unless the transport department approves it.

“The innovative idea of the mechanic from Naugaon is good only for an experiment, but people cannot drive the motorbike on the road because the transport department cannot give permission for it without the approval of the state government or any research institute,” the regional transport officer Bijay Kumar Nayak said.

LocalWire

Bhubaneswar, Nov 18 (LocalWire): Despite the Apex court’s directive banning diversion or misuse of ‘gochar’ or grazing land, over 12,000 acres of these classified lands for community use continues to be encroached upon either by individuals or industries in 19 districts of the state, as per the revenue and disaster management department’s admission.

These 19 districts (Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Bhadrak, subarnapur, Sambalpur, Nayagarh, Bargarh, Angul, Nuapada, Balasore, Dhenkanal, Nabarangpur,Deogarh, Jharsuguda,Jajpur, Kalahandi and Koraput) have 6,97, 054 acres of grazing land combined together.

Bargarh district (3524 acre) accounts for highest stretch of encroached grazing land followed by Kendrapara district where 1719 acre land squatted by land grabbers.

The government failed to furnish the grazing land encroachment updates in rest of the 11 districts.

Cases have been registered against the encroachers under Orissa Prevention of Land Encroachment Act, 1972 provisions.

Steps are being taken expeditiously to reclaim the encroached land for community use, the minister of revenue and disaster management, Sudam Marandi, told the Assembly.

The Supreme Court in a ruling had earlier ordered for 5% of total land of a village to be kept aside for cattle pasture. The diversion of gochar land is not permissible.

As per the revenue department’s guidelines, at least five per cent of the village will be earmarked as gochar.

Similarly, 10 per cent area in every village is to be kept aside and classified as communal land which can be used by any community for burying or cremating dead bodies and celebrating public festivals without interference from anyone or paying any fees for the purpose.

LocalWire

Bhubaneswar, November 18 (LocalWire): After the huge success of the Mo Bus service in the capital region of Bhubaneswar, the government is likely to launch the customer-friendly transport service in Puri within the next two months, Manas Nayak, a senior official said on Monday.

Launched by the Capital Region Urban Transport, Mo Bus is the public bus service that operates around 200 buses across 21 routes in the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

It was inaugurated by chief minister Naveen Patnaik on 6 November 2018.

Mo bus service was adjudged the best city bus service project on 17 November at the Urban Mobility India Conference and Expo 2019 in Lucknow.

It received high commendation for reaching one lakh ridership in less than a year of operation, primarily due to its user-friendly initiatives, including free Wi-Fi onboard, smartphone application which tracks real-time locations of nearby bus queue shelters and detailed maps and route numbers displayed at every bus queue shelter.

Recently, the CRUT also launched its Newspaper on Wheels initiative under which English and Odia newspapers are kept on board the buses for passengers, who pass on the newspapers to the new passengers before de-boarding.

LocalWire

Bhubaneswar, Nov 18 (LocalWire): Snakebites have become the bane for people living in the rural parts of the state.

1. Very few people are aware that 90% snakes are non-poisonous and they cause no harm to humans by biting.

2. Deaths due to snakebites is incidentally higher than any other form of disaster-related human death in the state.

3. The snakebite fatality accounts for 37% of total disaster-induced death registered in the state. No other disaster claims more human lives than the snakebite toll of recent years.

4. The snakebite fatality was declared as a ‘state-specific disaster’ by Odisha government from 1 April, 2015.

5. Odisha accounted for 811 human fatalities due to snakebite in 2018-19. 237 people succumbed to snakebites during the first quarter of 2019-20 financial year, according to the latest figure released by the government.

6. The next of kin of the victims who die of snakebite are being covered under Rs 4 lakh compensatory award after the government had conferred snakebite as a state-specific disaster.

7.The six months from May to October have been identified as the period when maximum number of snakebite death occurs.

8. The forest and environment department has developed Information, Education Communication (IEC) Materials on do’s and don’ts on snakebites and is being widely circulated through panchayat bodies to sensitize the people.

9. Nearly 85% of snakebite deaths occurred during the six months from May to October showing a definite correlation with rain and flood.

10. Lack of medical facility often forces people to knock at the doors of ‘tantriks’ or witch-doctors to cure their near and near ones of the venom.

Majority of snakebite victims are rushed to these witchcraft practitioners. It mostly results in fatality. Unmanned health centres drive people to take recourse to traditional method healing.

11. All snakebite victims must be brought to nearest health institution at the earliest for medical examination and administering anti-snake venom (ASV), if required to save their lives. They must not avail treatment by quacks, according to advisory issued by the government.

12. The state government has asked the health department to ensure availability of at least one doctor in Primary Health Centres in the highly snakebite-prone areas.

Bhubaneswar, November 16 (LocalWire): The state government on Saturday approved investment proposals worth Rs 1,753.82 crore under its single window clearance system.

The investment proposals are likely to generate employment opportunities for over 5,500 people, both in the skilled and unskilled categories, a senior government official said.

The decision was taken at a state-level single window clearance authority (SLSWCA) meeting that was chaired by chief secretary Asit Tripathy.

Accordingly, the government agencies and line departments have been asked to assess the requirement of land and water for these industrial units, sources said.

Besides, the concerned departments were also asked to work out a model benchmark, and do the needful for the land required for the approved industries in consultation with technical experts.

The proposals approved in SLSWCA included investments in textiles, food processing, plastics, tourism, steel, and steel downstream.

The single-window clearance system is a facilitation mechanism aimed at creating an investment-friendly ecosystem in Odisha.

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Bhubaneswar, Nov 16 (LocalWire) Odisha assembly on Saturday passed the Odisha Hindu Religious Endowments (Amendment) Bill, 2019 to confer special status to Gobardhan Math at Puri headed by Jagatguru Adi Sankaracharya.

With the passage of the bill, the Gobardhan Math, Puri will no longer be governed by the provisions of the OHRE Act, 1951, state law minister Pratap Jena said.

There are more than 18,000 Hindu public religious institutions in the State, all of whom are governed by the provisions of the OHRE Act. Gobardhan Math, Puri is one of them.

However, the Gobardhan Math cannot be equated with other mutts (monasteries) of the State because of the unique position it occupies in the Hindu religion.

It is one of the four mutts believed to have been established by Adi Sankaracharya with the objective of propagating traditional Sanatana Dharma.

Each of these mutts is headed by Sankaracharya who is considered the top-most religious and spiritual leader in his own right among the Hindus.

The status of Sankaracharya of Gobardhan mutt at Puri is even more important having regard to his involvement with the affairs of Shri Jagannth Temple.

The Sankaracharya heads the Mukti Mandap Pandit Sabha which renders valuable advices on complicated questions on religious affairs.

Further, the Sankaracharya is granted a special right of worship during the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath.

The Hindus and followers of Jagannath cult look upon the institution of Sankaracharya with utmost respect as the highest platform of Hindu religion in the State.

The other three mutts- Sarada Math at Shringeri in the State of Karnataka, Dwaraka Math at Dwaraka in the State of Gujurat and Jyotir Math at Joshi Math in the State of Uttarakhand have been allowed to function as independent religious institutions and are kept beyond the purview of their respective State Endowment Acts.

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Bhubaneswar, November 16 (LocalWire): The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is planning to set up a special unit to ensure the safety of heritage sites during the natural disaster.

According to the NDRF director general Satya Narayan Pradhan, the organisation is preparing a blueprint to create a unit in each of its battalions whose primary responsibility will be to undertake restoration work of the monuments damaged due to disasters.

“We have drawn up a plan to raise a specialised unit for heritage spots. The safety and restoration is of paramount importance as these places and its heritage structures are required to be conserved for posterity,” Pradhan said.

“The NDRF will finalise the plan of creating special units within the next few weeks.

The premier disaster response force will ask its personnel to volunteer for carrying out the specialised task,” he said.

“Cultural heritages are non-renewable resources. Once it is gone, it cannot probably be restored to its original shape. There is a dire need to save these sites for future generations,” Pradhan stated.

“Many inspectors and senior officers have the orientation about what is the first responder’s role and what they have to do at the heritage site following a disaster.

For example, during investigation police ensure isolation so that the public does not walk into the crime scene.

Similarly, if heritage structure collapses or is damaged, the site is to be isolated and isolation has to be done by responder first.

It is almost like a law and order situation in which people have to be prevented from walking into the site,” he said.

The NDRF chief further said that the force was trained in shoring up structures. “We can do the same for heritage properties or monuments too.

What we need is hands-on training to give support to heritage structures like a temple, a mosque or a church,” he stated.

“Now, going forward we intend to train our personnel.

The training will be done by NDRF and there will be a collaboration with institutions like Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) or National Museum.

We are developing training module and National Disaster Management Authority is also emphasizing this,” Pradhan said.

There are 3,686 centrally protected monuments sites under the ASI, of which, 79 are located in Odisha.

According to INTACH, while close to 10,000 sites and buildings in India are protected the organisation has listed about 70,000 sites across 500 towns in the country that are of heritage value.

It further reports that there could be 11 lakh sites across 8,000 towns and villages in India that can be termed as heritage and may need to be protected.

LocalWire

Bhubaneswar, November 15 (LocalWire): The two-day preparatory meeting for the 2nd Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation began here in Puri on Thursday.

The meeting focuses on existing emergency procedures for notification, preparedness and emergency response in a coordinated manner during a major earthquake scenario at cultural heritage sites and aims to work out the modalities for BIMSTEC-DMEx 20 and BIMSTEC Expert Group meeting in February 2020.

“This is first of its kind exercise planned among the BIMSTEC member nations. This will be helpful to chalk out a plan to save our cultural Heritage sites during disasters.

We should prefer to pay special attention to these heritage sites during disasters, augment distinct and combined preparedness,” said an official statement.

The main exercise shall be conducted on two scenarios: floods and earthquakes.

During this preparatory meeting Conduct of Table Top Exercise (TTx), Field Training Exercise (FTx) and After Action Review (AAR) was discussed. Besides, the logistics plan for the 2nd BIMSTEC-DMEx was also discussed amongst the number Nations.

It may be recalled during the 4th BIMSTEC Summit in Kathmandu in August 2018 prime minister Narendra Modi had proposed to host the 2nd BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise and the expert group meetings of NDMAs/NDMOs of BIMSTEC Nation in 2019 in India.

Accordingly, it was decided that BIMSTEC-DMEx will be conducted in Puri and will focus on ‘cultural heritage site that suffers severe damage in an earthquake’ and ‘cultural heritage site that is affected by flooding or storm surge’.

BIMSTEC is an international grouping of seven nations of South Asia and South East Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

Speaking on the occasion, Odisha special relief commissioner Pradeep Kumar Jena highlighted the progress made by India in disaster response and disaster risk reduction during the last 20 years, particularly the role of India Meteorological Department (IMD) in the dissemination of early and accurate warning, including intensity, path, speed and impact of cyclones.

He also shared information about the role of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for advance pre-positioning during disasters and specialised response and well coordination with all agencies and stakeholders during disasters.

Comparing 1999 super cyclone to 2013 cyclone Phailin, Jena said, “The government is now better equipped and prepared in terms of technology, equipment, manpower and resources for disaster management.”

The meeting is being jointly organised by the NDRF and Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA).

LocalWire

Cuttack, November 13 (LocalWire): The ICAR-National Rice Research Institute in Cuttack on Wednesday organised a unique Rice Walk offering everyone an opportunity to visit its 200-acre Institute Research Farm and witness the full-grown crops of newly developed high yielding rice varieties.

The “Walk with Rice, Know Your Rice” programme aimed to create awareness about the development of rice varieties and other agro-technologies related to rice production, plant protection, and bio-fortification (high protein rice).

During the walk, participants also got an exposure to climate-smart rice that can tolerate both drought and submergence, hybrid rice, rice-fish integrated farming system models, resource conservation techniques, mechanisation, seed processing, crop physiology, and micro-environment.

The participants also visited the institute rice Museum, rice Gene Bank that has a collection of over 35,000 rice germplasms and various laboratories of the institute.

The Rice Walk was attended by over 2,000 students and teachers from over 30 schools from Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, farmers, scientists from ICAR and OUAT, state government officials, institute staff and their family members, besides the general public.

The visitors were guided and explained by the scientists of the institute during the Walk.

Inaugurating the Rice Walk, the Institute Director Dr. Himanshu Pathak said that the purpose of the unique event was to exhibit NRRI technologies, farm, and laboratories and to raise awareness about rice among the students and the general public.

LocalWire

Bhubaneswar, Nov 12 (LocalWire):Odisha is home to 1976 elephants and the state figures fifth in the list of elephant population in the country. Karnataka has 6049 elephants, Assam 5719, Kerala 3054 and Tamil Nadu 2761.

1 In 1979 there were 2044 elephants in Odisha which plunged to 1976 in 2017.

2 The pachyderm population in the state is marked by gender imbalance with 1092 females and 344 males.

The gender of the rest is yet to be ascertained.

3 During the 2015 census it was found that 1954 elephants resided in Odisha’s forested areas.

There has been slender rise (1.12%) in population of elephants that have been accorded the heritage animal status.

4 Of the 43 forest divisions in the state, as many as 37 divisions were found housing elephants.

5 Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur and Mahanadi elephant reserves are home to 1536 elephants, accounting for 77.73% of total population.

These areas have seven wildlife sanctuaries.

6 In five other wildlife sanctuaries, headcount of 79 elephants (3.99%) has been made.

7 Outside the periphery of elephant reserves and sanctuaries, 361 elephants (18.26%) were found in the forested areas.

8 Similipal elephant reserve is home to 330 elephants, the highest number and 169 reside in the Dhenkanal division.

9 The state government has carved out three elephant reserves for better protection and conservation of these heritage animals.

10 Mayurbhanj elephant reserve comprises of Similipal tiger reserve (core area), Rairangpur, Baripada, Balasore wildlife and Keonjhar wildlife divisions.

Mahanadi Elephant Reserve comprising Satkosia wildlife, Mahanadi wildlife, Angul, Dhenkanal, Athgarh, Athmallik, Boudh, Nayagarh and Cuttack divisions.

Sambalpur Elephant Reserve comprises of Jharsuguda, Sambalpur,Bamra wildlife, Bonai and Rairakhol divisions

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Cuttack, November 12 (LocalWire): As part of its plan to transform Cuttack into a digital district, the administration will be launching the Ama Balijatra App at the Balijatra here on Tuesday.

The App will provide vital information on the biggest socio-cultural trade fair that showcases Odisha’s maritime commercial link with Fareast Asia.

The LocalWire present a 10-point summary that will help understand the app and its usage better.

1 The Ama Balijatra App will be available for download from Google Play Store.

2 The app that can be downloaded on android phones contain Balijatra-centric information for a hassle-free trip for Jatra visitors.

3 It provides entry and exit route guide for visitors at the fairground.

4 Visitors can search for information on the parking lots through this app.

5 It contains the contact numbers for police and medical help in the event of an emergency.

6 The app has information and details about the stalls and the products.

7 The app will guide the visitors and show them the way to the exact location of the stalls, different events and venues.

8 It is user-friendly and will provide daily schedules of cultural programmes at the fairground.

9 Information on the eateries and culinary delicacies will be available through the App.

10 The State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) on RBI’s instructions have asked all banks to take steps for transformation of Cuttack as a digital district of Odisha.

The ‘Ama Balijatra App’ initiative also forms the part of the move to digitalise Cuttack, Cuttack collector Bhabani Shankar Chayani said.

LocalWire