Rayagada: The death of a migrant worker in Tamil Nadu has intensified concerns over the safety of thousands of labourers from Rayagada district working in southern India, with the latest case marking the third such fatality involving the district’s migrant workers in just 35 days. Kuladhar Gouda, 30, of Podapadar village in Kashipur block, was found hanging...

Balangir: A 65-year-old man was killed, and his wife was seriously injured after a mud wall of their house collapsed following incessant rain in Balangir district Sunday. The deceased was identified as Gandaram Kumbhar, while his wife, Laxmi Kumbhar, 62, was admitted to Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital in Balangir with critical injuries. The incident occurred...

Hatadihi: A 55-year-old man, who was out on bail after serving time in prison for murder, was allegedly hacked to death while he was sleeping outside a relative’s house in Kendujhar district, police said Sunday. The incident took place on the night of July 3 at Paitapani village under Kantipal panchayat in Anandapur police limits. The victim...

Mahakalapada: The egg-laying season of saltwater crocodiles has begun across the rivulets and creeks of the Mahanadi delta in the coastal area of Mahakalapada block in Kendrapada district, prompting the Forest Department to restrict public entry into these water bodies. As crocodiles become highly aggressive during the nesting and incubation period, the Forest Department has advised people...

Bhubaneswar: The first phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Odisha witnessed an overwhelming response, with 3,13,87,034 electors—93.97 per cent of the state’s 3,33,99,591 registered voters—submitting their Enumeration Forms, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Odisha RS Gopalan said. With the publication of the draft electoral roll July 5, the exercise has entered its next...

Bhubaneswar: School and Mass Education (S&ME) department Commission er-cum-Secretary N Thirumala Naik visited several examination centres in Kataka Sunday to review the Odisha Teacher Eligibility Test (OTET) examination, conducted by the Board of Secondary Education (BSE). The examination was held across all 30 districts in two sittings— first session from 9 am to 11:30 am and the...

Puri: Heritage and cultural organisation Puri Parampara Suraksya Mancha has appealed to devotees and authorities to address what it describes as sensitive issues related to dance performances during Lord Jagannath’s annual Rath Yatra. The organisation has launched a campaign seeking permanent reforms to preserve the sanctity and age-old traditions of the world-famous festival, while urging devotees and...

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Parents’ Federation (OPF) Sunday constituted a high-level committee to examine alleged errors and irregularities in the newly published SCERT textbooks for the 2026 27 academic session and recommend corrective measures. The decision was taken at a consultation meeting held at Gita Govinda Sadan, attended by educationists, teachers, students, intellectuals, social activists, journalists, publishers, printing...

Delhi's proposed EV-only policy is driven by noble intentions, but the risks are becoming a classic case of policy outrunning reality. Cleaner air is an imperative. Yet mandating a single technology while sidelining viable alternatives is neither economically prudent nor environmentally comprehensive. The policy effectively picks electric vehicles as the sole winner, ignoring India's strengths in efficient...

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, speaking at the first Global Progressive Mobilisation meeting in April, highlighted the connection between democracy and material dignity. If citizens do not believe that their lives will get better, democracy will continue to be challenged by populists and other authoritarians who falsely promise that only they can improve the lot...