Bhubaneswar: Odisha Cooperation Minister Pradeep Bal Samanta Monday said there was no shortage of fertilisers in the state, rejecting opposition allegations of scarcity of urea and DAP during the ongoing paddy cultivation season. Samanta said the state had adequate stocks and the government was closely monitoring supplies to ensure timely distribution among farmers. "As of July 17,...

New Delhi: The NTA Monday rejected claims of five re-NEET candidates alleging discrepancies in their OMR answer sheets, saying the images circulated by them or on their behalf had been digitally altered, regenerated using AI or manipulated by adding responses that were not present on the original sheets. The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the exams,...

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Monday condemned the attack on a commercial vessel departing from Odesa port in Ukraine in which four Indian nationals have lost their lives and one remains in a critical condition. According to the MEA, on the evening of July 19, the vessel MV Golden Leo was attacked while departing...

Mayurbhanj: Two persons were killed in separate incidents of lightning strikes in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district Monday, police said. The deceased were identified as Rabindra Behera and Jaba Baske, they said. Lightning struck Behera while he was sitting on the veranda of his house in Pariyakuli village. Baske was struck while he was working in a paddy field,...

New Delhi: The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted market authorisation to Takeda Biopharmaceuticals India’s QDENGA (TAK-003), making it the first dengue vaccine to be approved in the country, according to a press release issued by the company. Reported dengue cases in India rose 11-fold in the past two decades, according to Takeda Biopharmaceuticals India....

New Delhi: Connaught Place, one of the capital's busiest commercial hubs, and the Janpath area bore the brunt of the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) "Chalo Sansad" protest Monday as thousands of demonstrators poured into the area and allegedly pelted stones at security personnel and damaged multiple vehicles of the security forces. The protesters gathered in and around...

Brahmapur: Two brothers were arrested in Odisha's Ganjam district for allegedly sexually assaulting their two minor nieces for years, police said Monday. The accused, aged 44 and 30, are the elder and younger brothers of the victims' father, they said. Two separate FIRs were registered at Gosaninuagaon police station on Saturday under relevant provisions of the BNS...

Phulbani: A Class X student at a government-run residential school in Kandhamal district was found to be pregnant, prompting a police investigation and the detention of a youth. The student, who belongs to Gochhapada police station area, is enrolled at Damiga on Government High School, a residential institution run by the Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste Development...

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday said it would direct the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to comply with an Orissa High Court order requiring changes to the model consent form for the generation of Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) IDs, giving parents the option to refuse consent or opt out of the scheme. The...

Bhubaneswar: In a strong move to enforce administrative discipline, the state government has warned Odisha Finance Service (OFS-I, Junior Branch) officers against defying transfer orders, making it clear that those who fail to comply will face disciplinary action and may lose their salaries until they report to their new postings. The Finance Department, in its latest order,...