Sambalpur: A 15-year-old wild female elephant, reportedly pregnant, was found dead near Dera on the Baduapali–Jhankarbahali road under the Baduapali panchayat in the Sadar forest range of Sambalpur district.According to forest officials, the elephant is suspected to have died after coming in contact with a live electric wire while moving out of the Jhankarbahali forest…

Once famous for its cold climate, it has now turned into a hot spot due to forest and environmental degradation Keonjhar: With temperature crossing 40°C in Keonjhar district once known for its cool climes, environmentalists have expressed concern over the massive destruction of its forests. Fifteen years ago, the average temperature in Keonjhar was 35°C…

Bhubaneswar: The BJP on Thursday nominated Debashish Samantaray as its candidate for Rajya Sabha bypoll, necessitated by his resignation from the Upper House as a BJD member, and subsequent switch to the saffron party on May 25.Samantaray’s renomination was on expected lines, with the BJP having earlier adopted a similar approach for former BJD MPs…

Puri: A 50-member team of Brics delegates attending the Disaster Risk Reduction Group’s technical meeting on Thursday explored the architectural splendour of Konark Sun Temple, a Unesco World Heritage site, officials said.On the concluding day of the three-day meeting, the delegates are scheduled to witness demonstrations by Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and Odisha Fire…

Bhubaneswar: Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan has urged the state govt to upgrade the Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology (IGIT), Sarang, in Dhenkanal district into a unitary university. In a letter to chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi Pradhan said the upgrade is essential to strengthen technical education in the Dhenkanal-Angul region, which is witnessing rapid…

Keonjhar: Personnel of Keonjhar forest division on Thursday raided the house of Jaimani Mahanta of Nuapada village and seized illegal sal timber worth more than Rs 1.5 lakh in Patna range. There were 60 pieces of sal timber of different sizes that were seized by the forest staff. Investigation is on to ascertain the source…

CM Mohan Charan Majhi inaugurates a new building of Talabania police station in Puri on Thursday Bhubaneswar: CM Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday virtually inaugurated police infrastructure projects worth Rs 195 crore from Puri. The projects include a new building of the Talabania police station in Puri and 658 residential quarters for police personnel in…

Cuttack: The body of a 28-year-old final-year MBBS student was recovered from the sand bed of Kathajodi river in Cuttack on Thursday, with police suspecting it to be a death by suicide.Deceased Chandrika Hembram, a native of Udala in Mayurbhanj district, was a student of Fakir Mohan Medical College and Hospital, Balasore.The inspector in charge…

Bhubaneswar/Pipili: CM Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday laid the foundation stone for a state-of-the-art Pipili appliqué handicrafts hub in Puri district.The five-storey integrated facility, to be built over more than five acres at Jagannathpur under Pipili tehsil, will be developed at an estimated cost of Rs 80 crore by the department of handlooms, textiles and…

Bhubaneswar: Under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) programme, enumeration forms have been distributed to more than one crore of the total voters in the state within six days of the start of this exercise to make the voter list more transparent, updated and error-free, office of the chief electoral officer (CEO), Odisha, said this…