Latest news with #OdishaAssembly
Hans India
40 minutes ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Let us not choke oceans: Naveen
Bhubaneswar: The BJD president and Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly, Naveen Patnaik, on Sunday appealed to people to take a pledge of not choking oceans with plastic waste. The former chief minister's comments came on the occasion of World Oceans Day. 'Oceans are the lungs of our planet and sustain life on Earth. Oceans generate oxygen, regulate climate and are major sources of food and medicine. On #WorldOceansDay, let us take a pledge not to choke the oceans with plastic waste for a healthier planet,' Patnaik said in a post on X. Meanwhile, environmental group Greenpeace India created a sand art at Chandrabhaga beach in Konark to highlight the critical role the ocean plays in sustaining biodiversity, regulating the climate and supporting coastal communities. 'The sinking of a cargo ship (on May 25) offshore in Kerala is not an isolated incident. From Odisha to Kerala, our oceans are facing multiple challenges, including climate change, pollution, overfishing and industrial activities,' Greenpeace India said in a statement.
Hans India
an hour ago
- Climate
- Hans India
Naveen congratulates IMD DG for receiving UN award
Bhubaneswar: Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly, Naveen Patnaik, on Monday congratulated Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), for receiving the prestigious United Nations Sasakawa Award 2025 for Disaster Risk Reduction. Taking to X, Patnaik, a five-time former chief minister, said, 'Congratulate #Odisha's Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology of @Indiametdept on being conferred with United Nations Sasakawa Award 2025 for Disaster Risk Reduction. He has been awarded for his pioneering work in reducing cyclone-related fatalities across the Indian Ocean region. #Odisha is proud of your achievement.' Mohapatra, who hails from Bhadrak district and is popularly known as the 'Cyclone Man of India,' was recognised for his outstanding contributions to tropical cyclone forecasting and early warning systems. He has been serving as the IMD Director General since 2019. He is also one of the three vice-presidents of the World Meteorological Organisation, the UN agency for climate change, weather and water. The award was presented during the eighth session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction held in Geneva recently. In a message, Mohapatra said, 'Received United Nations Sasakawa Award, 2025 for disaster risk reduction. I am really grateful.' Earlier this year, Mohapatra received the Scientific and Technological Activities Commission Outstanding Service Award 2025 from the American Meteorological Society in recognition of his transformative work in enhancing tropical cyclone prediction and warning systems.
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Business Standard
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
No one will remain landless under new land scheme, vows Odisha CM
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday vowed to ensure that no one in the state remains landless. Speaking at the inauguration of a two-day revenue officers' conference in Bhubaneswar, Majhi also promised to modernise and humanise the state's revenue administration. 'Our government is committed to making the revenue system people-oriented and transparent. Anyone with less than four decimals of land will be considered landless and granted land,' Majhi said. He stressed that revenue officials at all levels must work diligently for the scheme's effective rollout. He also raised concerns over encroachments on government land, urging tehsildars to take the lead in freeing and protecting such parcels. Faster decision-making, crackdown on irregularities The CM announced upcoming reforms in the revenue sector and instructed officials to accelerate decisions on land acquisition and rejection cases, ensuring complete transparency. 'Make speedy decisions on rejection and acquisition cases. Act within deadlines and in a transparent manner,' he said. Majhi also warned against irregularities in the buying and selling of land belonging to Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Scheduled Caste (SC) communities. 'If any wrongdoing occurs in ST or SC land deals, the responsible officer will be held accountable. The government has zero tolerance on this,' he said. 'Offices must become places of trust, not fear' The CM called tehsildars the backbone of revenue governance and urged them to make their offices approachable. 'Your office should not be a place of fear but a place of trust,' he added. He also praised revenue officials for their service during last year's Cyclone Dana. Revenue Minister and Chief Secretary call for change Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari asked officials to abandon outdated work styles. 'Since the BJP came to power, we've made revenue services more accessible. Treat people with respect and deliver timely services,' he said. Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja highlighted the role of young, tech-savvy recruits in transforming public service. Marking one year of BJP in Odisha Majhi also marked the one-year anniversary of the BJP forming government in Odisha. 'A year ago, the people chose development and blessed the BJP with a mandate to form a people's government, ending 24 years of BJD rule,' he said. In a post on X, he described it as 'the victory of truth, the victory of Odia Asmita (pride).' Election background The BJP won 78 out of 147 seats in the 2024 Odisha Assembly elections, forming the government on June 12. The BJD secured 51 seats, Congress 14, CPI(M) 1, and Independents 3. Majhi, who represents Keonjhar, was sworn in as the state's first BJP Chief Minister alongside two deputies and 13 ministers, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Indian Express
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
In fresh crackdown, Odisha directs Special Task Force to identify illegal immigrants
In a crackdown on 'illegal immigrants' staying in Odisha, the state government has directed the Special Task Force (STF) of the state's crime branch to identify them. Odisha's Cabinet Minister for Law Prithiviraj Harichandan said Monday that people without valid documents will not be allowed to stay in the state. This is part of a larger crackdown against undocumented migrants across India in the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people – including one Nepal citizen — were killed. 'All the engineering departments and other agencies have been asked not to engage illegal immigrants in any form of employment in the state. The process to start identification of individuals staying illegally in Odisha will be started soon,' Harichandan told reporters in Bhubaneswar. While the state has a vast coastline of around 480 km – making it easy to enter the state through the water — there have also been instances of undocumented migrants entering by road since the state shares a border with West Bengal. In March, the STF had arrested 10 Bangladeshi nationals — including a minor — for their 'unauthorised entry' into Odisha with valid travel documents. The STF sources said the Bangladeshi nationals had crossed the border illegally with the help of agents near Dhubri border in Assam and came to Bhubaneswar via West Bengal to settle here. According to STF Deputy Inspector General Pinak Mishra, they have instructions from the state government to identify the illegal immigrants. 'In view of the recent developments in the neighbourhood — including in Bangladesh — and on the western front, we consider the presence of illegal immigrants as a major threat. We are in close coordination with all agencies including district police, intelligence and others. The STF officials have been directed to proactively identify such illegal immigrants from the sensitive areas,' Mishra said. Various coastal districts — as well as districts such as Malkangiri and Nabarangpur — have been identified as 'hotspots' and 'sensitive areas' for undocumented migrants, officials said. In these areas, the STF has been asked to keep a close watch. According to a response from Chief Minister Mohan Majhi in the Odisha Assembly this March, Odisha has 3,740 undocumented migrants from Bangladesh. Of these, the highest — 1,649 — is Kendrapara followed by 1,112 in Jagatsinghpur.
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Business Standard
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
No deputy speaker in eight state assemblies, says think tank report
Amid a debate over the absence of a deputy speaker in the Lok Sabha, data compiled by a think tank shows eight state assemblies not having anyone in the position, with Jharkhand not electing one for more than 20 years. According to a report on the Annual Review of State Laws, 2024, released by PRS Legislative Research, state assemblies sat for an average of 20 days, amounting to an average of 100 hours in total, last year. Article 178 of the Constitution requires state assemblies to choose two members as speaker and deputy speaker as soon as possible, according to the report. Assemblies of eight states and Union territories did not have a deputy speaker as of April 2025, the think tank said in the report. The list includes Jharkhand, which has not elected a deputy speaker for more than 20 years. While the previous Uttar Pradesh Assembly elected a deputy speaker in its last session, the current assembly, which is three years into its term, has not yet elected one. "The Constitution assigns some key functions to the deputy speaker. He officiates as the speaker in case of a vacancy (due to death or resignation of the speaker). He also receives notice of no-confidence motion against the speaker and presides over the discussion on that motion," according to the report. Other state assemblies that do not have a deputy speaker are Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Uttarakhand. The Lok Sabha has not had a deputy speaker since June 2019. According to the report, state assemblies met for an average of 20 days in 2024. The Odisha Assembly met for the highest number of days at 42, followed by Kerala (38) and West Bengal (36). In Manipur, where President's Rule was imposed in February, the assembly met for 14 days. The Nagaland Assembly met for six days, the Sikkim Assembly for eight days, and the assemblies of Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand for 10 days each. Among the larger states, the assemblies of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh met for 16 days each. "The Constitution mandates legislatures to meet at least once in six months. Eleven states met this requirement through short sessions that lasted for one or two days," according to the report. State assemblies with a relatively higher number of average annual sitting days include Kerala at 44 days a year on an average, Odisha (40), and Karnataka and West Bengal (34). The average duration of a sitting was five hours, with wide variation across states. While sittings of the assemblies of Goa and Rajasthan lasted for an average of seven hours, the average duration of sittings in Bihar, Jharkhand and Punjab was about three hours. "When assemblies meet for a few days in a year and for a few hours on these days, they have limited time for discussion on laws and government finances," the think tank said in the report.
