State

By RABINARAYAN JENA, OP Bhubaneswar: With speculation over the timing of the next panchayat and municipal elections in Odisha gaining momentum, the State Election Commission (SEC) has instructed local body authorities to begin door-to-door surveys from October 26. According to reports, the Urban Development Department...

Khajuripada: A 55-year-old man was killed and his son critically injured in an attack over a long-standing land dispute in Sakersharu village under Kandhamal district Friday, police said. The deceased was identified as Ratnakar Majhi, while his son, Shiba Majhi, sustained serious injuries. Police said...

Bhubaneswar/Jagatsinghpur: Odisha's Opposition BJD Friday condemned the alleged vandalisation of a statue of former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik near the Siali Beach in Jagatsinghpur district, and demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits. A delegation of the party led by its district unit president Prashant...

Bhubaneswar/Baleshwar: Odisha's DGP in-charge Vinaytosh Mishra said that a case was registered Friday in connection with the appearance of five baby orangutans in a forest in Baleshwar district and expressed confidence that the authorities will find out the wildlife trafficking racket involved in the case....

Bhubaneswar: Odisha government has secured proposals worth over Rs 2.43 lakh crore across various sectors during its three-day investment outreach in the United Arab Emirates, a statement said Friday. The outreach, led by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, resulted in 24 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs)...

Bhubaneswar: Odisha government has identified 185 sites for setting up small hydro power projects, Additional Chief Secretary (Energy) Vishal Kumar Dev said Friday. Speaking on the sidelines of a stakeholder dialogue on small hydro power development in Bhubaneswar, Dev said Odisha, which accounts for nearly...

Kendrapada: The population of nesting water birds in Odisha's Bhitarkanika National Park has risen marginally this year, with the annual colonial bird census recording 1,32,279 birds, including 76,151 chicks, across 10 species, a forest official said Friday. The count was up from 1,30,796 birds recorded...

Bhubaneswar: Heavy rain lashed the southern and western parts of Odisha Friday, owing to a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal, the IMD said. In a bulletin, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said very heavy rainfall was recorded at six stations, while 23 other...

Bhubaneswar/Baripada: Two government auditors were arrested Friday for allegedly collecting bribes from schools and hostels run by the ST & SC Development Department in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district, officials said. The arrested officials were identified as Prasanta Kumar Pradhan and Pragyan Prakash Patra, both auditors with...

Dhamnagar: A 45-year-old motorcyclist was killed after a truck "hit his bike from behind" on National Highway 16 near the Bishnupur square in Odisha's Bhadrak district Friday. Following the accident, vehicular movement along the national highway was disrupted for some time due to public outrage,...