The government of Odisha has approved the Biotechnology Policy 2024 to create a flourishing ecosystem for the biotech industry. This will further promote higher education, research & infrastructure development in the sector and strengthen the supportive ecosystem for innovation, incubation, investment, income & impact to build enterprises. Association of Biotechnology …
BHUBANESWAR: An expert committee from the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) is scheduled to arrive here on Friday to examine implementation of central forest Acts in the state. During its three-day visit, the team headed by former cabinet secretary T S R Subramanian, would discuss with state government officials, …
Vedanta Resources Plc, a London-listed mining giant, would explore new deposits of iron-bauxite in Odisha to feed its Lanjigarh refinery. The move is seen as initiative by the company to acquire the raw material required for aluminium producing after the Niyamgiri fallout where Vedanta Resources failed to get environment clearances …
The state industries department has sought suggestions from the industry bodies for formulation of the draft Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR)-2014. The department has written to the industry associations like Utkal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)-Odisha chapter, Odisha Assembly of Small & Medium Enterprises (OASME), …
New Delhi : At a time when country is facing severe coal shortages at its power plants and efforts are on to improve the availability of fuel, India's largest coal producer Coal India (CIL) has suffered a production loss of 50 million tonne (mt) of coal due to delays in …
Forest land measuring 1838.79 hectares (ha) has been diverted for 15 industrial projects in the state between 2004 and 2013. A written reply by Bikram Arukh, minister for forest & environment in the assembly reveals that the forest land has been diverted for project proponents like Posco India, Essar Steel, …
New rules: Govt lifts moratorium for such clearances, to "re-assess" Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index on the basis of which 43 polluted areas in the country were being identified. In a step which would certainly evoke protests from environmentalists, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has lifted a moratorium …
BHUBANESWAR: Hepatitis E is fast emerging as a major public health problem in Odisha necessitating more epidemiological investigation and surveillance to map its burden and undertake effective control measures. More than 278 cases of hepatitis E (HEV) were identified between 2012 and 2013 with the disease claiming two lives. There …
Minister of Energy Pranab Prakash Das told the Assembly on Monday that the State Government is planning to provide electricity connection to more than 25 lakh families during next five years, for which an additional 2,000 MW of power would be needed. Das, replying to the discussion on the budget …
Normal life in most parts of State was badly affected due to incessant rains being witnessed for past 48 hours. Flood threats also loomed large in some coastal as well as northern districts. Heavy rain lashed almost all districts. It battered whole Cuttack district which received an average rainfall of …
KEONJHAR: The Orissa high court has sought a reply from the Keonjhar district administration on why land allotted for a community centre in Atei Reserve Forest is being used as a parking lot. The court has served notices on the collector, superintendent of police, divisional forest officer (DFO), Keonjhar, and …
The Drought-Prone Areas Programme and the Desert Development Programme launched by the Government of India during the 1970s used rainfall and irrigation as the two criteria to ameliorate the impact of drought in the targeted districts. This article revisits the eligibility criteria in light of the recent climatic classification and …
Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh put his ‘faith’ to the test by giving forest clearance for the 12 million tonne steel plant of the South Korean major POSCO in Odisha last week. He ‘trusts’ that the state government conducted a thorough search and found that there are no tribals or …
Drought is a major constraint affecting rice production especially in rainfed areas of Asia. Despite its importance in rice growing areas, the magnitude of economic losses arising from drought, its impact on farm households and farmers’ drought coping mechanisms are poorly understood. This paper provides insights into these aspects of …
