Nibedita Lenka with children at her class Bhubaneswar: In the narrow lanes of Bhubaneswar’s slums, where access to formal education remains limited, a grassroots effort is helping children find their voice in their mother tongue.At the centre of this initiative is Nibedita Lenka, fondly known as Yashoda Maa, who has been promoting learning in Odia…
Berhampur: An elderly couple was found dead in their house at Kalasuta village under Gangapur police station limits in Ganjam district on Saturday, four days after the marriage of their daughter.The deceased were identified as Simanchal Bisoi (66), a farm labourer, and his wife Namita Bisoi (61). Police suspect the couple died by suicide, possibly…
A water vat for strays in Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar: With the mercury soaring, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to deploy three truck-mounted water tankers to provide drinking water to stray animals across the city.The water tankers, with a capacity of 5,000 litres each, will be stationed in the three administrative zones — north, south-west and…
Cuttack: The Supreme Court has ordered the reinstatement of a judicial officer from Odisha, holding that once an order of compulsory retirement is quashed, the officer must be treated as continuing in service.A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta passed the order recently while deciding an appeal filed by judicial officer Sanjay Kumar…
Rourkela: Five men from Bihar were arrested by Sadar police in Sundargarh district on Saturday for allegedly cheating villagers by posing as religious figures and extorting gold and cash by instilling fear of supernatural harm.The accused, Gugu Panda (46), Dular Panda (31), Bishal Panda (28), Dhanu Panda (20) and Daktar Panda (20), belong to Nabinagar…
Forest dept personnel demolish the statute of Dr Damodar Rout Kendrapada: The forest department late on Friday night demolished a statue of former minister Damodar Rout near Siali beach in Jagatsinghpur district, citing violation of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms and forest laws, triggering sharp political reactions on Saturday.Officials said the half-bust statue had been…
Bhubaneswar: The state govt issued a fresh notification on Thursday, changing the chairperson of the State Transgender Welfare Board from chief secretary to the minister of the department of social security and empowerment of persons with disabilities.The department on April 21 issued a notification constituting the board with chief secretary as the head, followed by…
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has issued a letter to secretary of the social security and empowerment of persons with disabilities (SSEPD) department to submit a compliance report of its earlier order issued on Nov 24 last year. In that order, OHRC directed a Bhubaneswar-based residential school for deaf and dumb children to…
Keonjhar: A man was arrested on Friday for allegedly sharing an objectionable video of a woman through electronic means. The accused, Ranjan Naik (40) of Kashipur village under Town police station, was produced in court, which remanded him to judicial custody.Police action followed a complaint filed by the woman on April 23. According to the…
Jharsuguda: To protect workers from the ongoing heatwave and sunstroke in the district, the labour department has issued a notice to Chakradharpur railway division for engaging labourers in outdoor activity from 11 am to 3:30 pm, in violation of govt guidelines.According to department officials, assistant labour officer Tarun Kumar Mohanty inspected the under-construction railway overbridge…
