Bhubaneswar: In a major decision aimed at encouraging faculty members to take up the responsibility of heading aided colleges, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has approved a monthly incentive scheme for in-charge principals of private aided colleges in the state. Under the new scheme, eligible in-charge principals of 488-category and 662-category aided colleges will receive monthly incentives...

Bhubaneswar: A 76-year-old woman was allegedly murdered at her residence in Buddhanagar under Laxmisagar police limits in Bhubaneswar, police said Wednesday. Kunjalata Nanda, who was living alone at her residence, was allegedly murdered by her domestic help, who is suspected to have fled with gold ornaments, cash and other valuables. Police suspect the involvement of her caretaker,...

Workers level the ORMAS stall area at Baliyatra Tala Padia in Cuttack by spreading murram   A customer buys clay idols of Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Ganesha from a shop at Nayasaraka in Cuttack ahead of Diwali   Artists perform during the annual day celebration of Odisha Secretariat Joint Cultural Council at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar Wednesday  ...

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Wednesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi and briefed him on relief and restoration work following Cyclone Arnab, which made landfall in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. In a social media post, Majhi said he discussed the post-cyclone situation, relief and restoration efforts, and the need to strengthen disaster-resilient...

Bhubaneswar: A decomposed human body was found in bushes near Kelu Charan Park in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday, with police suspecting that an attempt had been made to burn it to destroy evidence. Passersby alerted police after spotting a human leg near the park, following which officers reached the spot and recovered body parts from the bushes. A...

New Delhi: The Union health ministry Wednesday said it has proposed immediate suspension of manufacturing licences for drugs found not of standard quality (NSQ) on critical parameters such as assay, dissolution and sterility, to ensure faster regulatory action against substandard medicines. The proposed amendments to the Drugs Rules, 1945, seek to empower the Central License Approving Authority...

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has sanctioned Rs 107.7 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for providing cash assistance to families affected by Cyclone Arnab and subsequent floods in Ganjam and Koraput districts, officials said Wednesday. Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) has released the funds for providing Rs 2,500 to each affected family, as announced by Chief...

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government Wednesday signed a three-year MoU with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) South Asia to strengthen evidence-based policymaking across various departments, officials said. The partnership, anchored in the Planning and Convergence Department, will support the state's Vision 2036 and 2047 through research, policy support and capacity-building, they said. Under the agreement,...

Koraput: A Royal Bengal Tiger (RBT) has been sighted in the Semiliguda forest range in Odisha's Koraput forest division, prompting the forest department to step up surveillance and issue an advisory asking residents of nearby villages to remain alert. Koraput Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sidharth Jain said the district had no resident tiger population and the origin...

Dubai: Iran has exempted commercial ships from four countries, including India and China, from transit restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz, a top Iranian official has said, amid continued attacks on vessels attempting to cross the strategic waterway. Amir Hayat Moghadam, Deputy Chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, made the announcement in...