State

Sonpur: High-interest loans from private microfinance companies are adding to the financial burden on women’s self-help groups (WSHGs) in Subarnapur district, prompting calls for administrative intervention. More than 10 private lending firms reportedly operate in the district, charging annual interest rates of 30-40%. In comparison,...

Loisingha: Soumyashree Thanapati, a Class X student from Balangir district, has secured first place at the National Science Seminar 2026 in New Delhi, bringing national recognition to Odisha. A native of Burda village and a student of Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya (OAV) at Jharmunda in Loisingha...

Sambalpur: A police sub-inspector was arrested by Odisha Vigilance officials Wednesday after allegedly accepting a RS 10,000 bribe to settle a case, officials said, during a planned anti-corruption operation. Sujit Kumar Mahanta, posted at Mahulpali police station in Sambalpur district in western Odisha, allegedly demanded...

Binjharpur: Police arrested the headmaster of a government high school at Arei under Binjharpur police limits in Jajpur district Wednesday for allegedly molesting a Class VII student. According to the complaint, headmaster Anadi Charan Jena allegedly behaved inappropriately with the student October 31. After attempts...

Rajnagar: The Forest Department has seized a fishing trawler and arrested eight fishermen for illegally fishing in the prohibited zone of the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary near Babubali Island. The trawler, reportedly from the Dhamra area, was intercepted by a forest patrol team led by Gahirmatha...

Pottangi: Andhra poll officials had to retreat to their territory after political workers of three major parties in Odisha Wednesday joined hands in Neridibalsa, a border village under Kotia panchayat in Pottangi block of Koraput district, to protest against the neighbouring state’s attempts to conduct...

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...

Bhubaneswar: Odisha government is planning to relocate villages located on hilltops and foothills to prevent casualties from landslides during disasters, senior minister Suresh Pujari said Wednesday. Of the six deaths reported during Cyclone Arnab in the state, five people died in landslides in Kandhamal and...

Bhabanipatana: Former Odisha minister and Kalahandi MP Rasa Bihari Behera died at his residence in Bhabanipatana Wednesday following prolonged age-related ailments, family sources said. He was 88. Born April 12, 1938, Behera began his political career with the Indian National Congress and was elected to...

Ganjam: An eight-member central team Wednesday visited several flood- and cyclone-affected areas in Odisha's Ganjam district to assess the damage caused by Cyclone Arnab and subsequent floods last week, officials said. The team, led by Ravi Shankar, joint secretary in the Union Ministry of Home...