Bhubaneswar: The Opposition BJD Wednesday urged the Odisha Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to ensure transparent and impartial verification of electoral records, alleging that Form-7 was being misused to target genuine minority voters during the ongoing SIR exercise. Form-7 is used to file objections to the proposed inclusion or deletion of names from the existing electoral roll. In...

New Delhi: India Wednesday severely condemned the reported demolition of a century-old Hindu temple in Pakistan and called upon the country's government to conduct a "prompt and transparent investigation" into yet another shocking incident involving the destruction of a place of worship for minority communities in the neighbouring nation. Responding to media queries, Ministry of External Affairs...

Bhubaneswar/Baleshwar: The flood situation in the state remained grim Wednesday as the Subarnarekha, which is in spate, inundated 100 more villages in Baleshwar district, officials said. The fresh inundation was caused by low-pressure-induced heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas in neighbouring Jharkhand, prompting the state government to gear up relief and rescue operations in the affected...

Kathmandu/New Delhi: As many as 166 Indian nationals have been rescued, including three individuals Wednesday, as New Delhi continues to extend humanitarian assistance to Nepal in the wake of devastating floods which have claimed over 1,100 lives so far. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), a total of 410 Indian nationals who were visiting Tibet...

Malkangiri: The forest department sleuths in Odisha's Malkangiri district Wednesday seized 155 live flap-shelled turtles while being illegally transported, officials said. Acting on reliable information, the staff of Malkangiri forest range intercepted a three-wheeler near Tamsa Village under Malkangiri-I Beat. We have seized 155 live Indian Flap-shelled Turtles (Lissemys punctata) being illegally transported and seized the three-wheeler,...

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has cancelled the licences of 96 fertiliser dealers and suspended those of another 170 for allegedly indulging in unfair practices during the current financial year, officials said Wednesday. The action comes as the state government steps up enforcement to ensure adeqOdisha govt cancels licences of 96 fertiliser dealers, suspends 170 over unfair practicesuate...

Bramhapur: A first-year MBBS student went missing from his college in Odisha's Ganjam district, prompting police to launch an intensive search, officials said Wednesday. Sagar Sahoo, a resident of Kaplai near Kuakhia in Jajpur district, has been missing since Monday, they said. Sagar, who was a student of the MKCG Medical College and Hospital, was last seen...

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) Wednesday signed MoUs with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and CivicDataLab to upgrade the disaster management system to a more data-driven, scientific and technology-enabled framework, officials said. The two partnerships will strengthen disaster risk assessment, preparedness and decision-making at the grassroots level and further advance Odisha's efforts towards building...

Bhubaneswar: A court Wednesday dismissed a criminal revision petition against former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik and ex-IAS officer V K Pandian in an alleged expenditure of around Rs 500 crore from the state exchequer by undertaking 300 helicopter tours. Khurda district sessions judge Biranchi Narayan Mohanty said the petitioner failed to substantiate any offence, did not...

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court Wednesday ordered the immediate demolition of two structures set up for the Sebashray health camp initiative, associated with Trinamool Congress General Secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee, at Falta in South 24 Parganas district during the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool government. The order was passed by a division bench comprising Acting...