Odisha plans to restore coastal green cover
Uprooted trees in Puri. Nearly 22 lakh trees have been destroyed in the cyclone in Odisha.Biswaranjan Rout Cyclone Fani-hit State aims at planting over 1.3 crore saplings as per a five-year scheme
Uprooted trees in Puri. Nearly 22 lakh trees have been destroyed in the cyclone in Odisha.Biswaranjan Rout Cyclone Fani-hit State aims at planting over 1.3 crore saplings as per a five-year scheme
The Odisha Government on Monday embarked on a road map to tackle the growing challenge of fly ash generation in the State. With more power plants planned in the years to come and coal extraction set to
The School and Mass Education Department has asked all the schools to follow a uniform water and sanitation norm to ensure a minimum level of services and facilities for the students across the State.
The Environment Performance Index (EPI), prepared by the Planning Commission, has placed Odisha at sixth rank among the 28 States and seven Union Territories. The ranking assumes significance in view of
Investments worth Rs 2500 crore are expected to flow to Odisha in the renewable energy sector during the 12th Plan Period (2012-17). The state has targeted capacity augmentation of 350 MW from solar, wind and bio-mass sources during this period. “By 2017, we expect to have new capacities in solar energy (150 MW), wind energy (100 MW) and bio-mass generation (100 MW). The state regulator has fixed Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) according to which state utilities have to buy or generate at least five per cent green power”, said D N Gupta, secretary (science & technology).
Farmers in Odisha affected by last year's drought and floods would get compensation of Rs 657.32 crore as crop insurance. The state government on Wednesday sanctioned Rs 277.72 crore towards state's share.
Minister says no sign of flood yet Increasing water levels at key rivers caused by copious rains in their catchment areas have alerted the state government, which is yet to finish the embankment strengthening works in the areas that were inundated in back-to-back flood in September last year. Though water levels at Mahanadi, Bramhani, Subaranarekha and Upper Kolab rivers are below the danger level, their gradual rise amid a low pressure climate indicate a worsening situation in case of further downpour, government officials warned.
International donor agency KfW-Germany would extend financial assistance of 52.5 million euro (approximately Rs 365 crore) to Odisha for funding urban infrastructure projects. KfW has inked four agreements- two with the Government of India and two with the state government for offering the loan assistance. While KfW signed loan and financing pacts with the Government of India, it entered into project agreement with Odisha government and a separate agreement with Odisha Urban Infrastructure Development Fund (OUIDF).
Odisha is set to voice its opposition to some of the contentious provisions in the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Bill-2011 that the state government feels may undermine the federal structure of the constitution. In May this year, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had shot off a letter to Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh complaining that the MMDR Bill sought to transfer certain powers and functions now being exercised by states to the Centre.
State-run miner Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) has signed pacts with steel makers Adhunik Metaliks and Rexon Strips to supply iron ore for next five years from its Kurmitar Pahar mines in Khandadhar area in Koira mining circle of Sundergarh district. “We have entered into two long-term sales agreements with two companies-Adhunik Metaliks and Rexon Strips. These companies will get one million tonne iron ore every year for a period of five year from Kurmitar mine (Khandadhar),” said Saswat Mishra, chairman-cum-managing director of OMC.
The state energy department has lashed out at Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL), a Coal India subsidiary, over inferior and inconsistent coal supplies to Odisha Power Generation Corporation (OPGC), the only