State

Jharsuguda: Police conducted a major anti-illicit liquor raid in Mohanpur and Ujalpur villages under Belpahar police station in Odisha’s Jharsuguda district Friday. During the raid, police apprehended nine persons allegedly involved in the illegal manufacture and sale of liquor. Officials seized 722 litres of illicit...

Bhawanipatna: Beneficiaries across 26 gram panchayats under Kesinga block in Kalahandi district have not received their pension amounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for the last two months — April and May — triggering widespread resentment among 6,000 poor beneficiaries dependent on the assistance. The...

Rairakhol: Archaeologists have discovered evidence of an ancient urban settlement and a flourishing iron-smelting industry at Purunagarh in Sambalpur district, shedding new light on the region’s early history and cultural development. The discoveries were made during an excavation conducted by the Department of History at...

Nabarangpur: Nabarangpur district continues to record the highest incidence of child marriage in Odisha, despite sustained awareness campaigns and government interventions aimed at curbing the criminal practice. According to official data, the district’s child marriage prevalence stands at 39.4 per cent, the highest in the...

Jagatsinghpur: A spy camera was recovered from the women’s washroom at the Jagatsinghpur Zilla Parishad office Thursday, prompting police to launch an investigation to identify those responsible and determine whether any footage was recorded. A complaint was lodged at Tirtol police station by Additional Executive...

Kendrapara/Rajnagar: A female police inspector has been suspended for misconduct and dereliction of duty after officials of Talchua Marine police station in Kendrapara district were accused of custodial torture. The step was taken after Annapurna Mandal, 55, and her son Ananta Kumar Mandal, 31, of...

Kamakhyanagar: A harrowing case of human trafficking and sexual exploitation has surfaced in Dhenkanal district, where a minor girl was allegedly sold twice and subjected to repeated sexual assault while seeking employment to fund her mother’s medical treatment. According to police, the minor girl left...

Berhampur: Researchers from the PG department of Marine Sciences at Berhampur University have discovered a new species of marine amphipod from the rocky intertidal coast of Arjyapalli. The tiny crustacean named ‘Elasmopus arjyaensis’ was identified through both morphological and DNA-based analysis and has now been...

Bhubaneswar: At least three persons were killed in lightning strikes and thunderstorms in Odisha over the last 24 hours, officials said Thursday. Strong winds, thunderstorms and lightning affected Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Angul districts Wednesday afternoon and evening, claiming three lives, an official of the Special...

Berhampur: A fire broke out at the state-run MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Odisha's Berhampur town Thursday evening, triggering panic. The fire broke out in the ICU of the TB and Chest Department, officials said. No injuries were reported in the incident, and three...