Odisha batsmen Rajesh Dhuper, Subhransu Senapati in action Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy match against Baroda at Barabati Stadium   Members of Uttar Purush perform the Odia play No Expiry at Bhanjakala Mandap Wednesday, celebrating Asim Basu’s 93rd birth anniversary   Women celebrate Sindoor Khela at Bapuji Nagar Gajalaxmi Puja Mandap in Bhubaneswar Wednesday....

Bhadrak: A woman agriculture officer was found hanging in her rented house in Odisha's Bhadrak district Wednesday, police said. Police identified the deceased as Niharika Dalai, 30, a native of Randia village under Bhadrak Rural police station. She had been serving in Basudevpur as Block Agriculture Officer (BAO) for the past two years. She was staying in...

Berhampur: Vigilance sleuths Wednesday nabbed an assistant fishery officer (AFO) in Odisha's Ganjam district for accepting a bribe of Rs 8,000 to release a subsidy amount to a beneficiary of a scheme. The accused, identified as Suresh Kumar Behera, was posted at Polsara. He allegedly accepted the bribe amount through the digital mode, Vigilance sources said. The...

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government Wednesday observed the 8th Rashtriya Poshan Maah, a nationwide initiative dedicated to combating malnutrition and promoting holistic child health and nutrition. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the month-long observation September 17, which aims to foster mass awareness and collective responsibility on nutrition, with a focus on women, children, and adolescent girls. “A...

Koraput: Odisha Police arrested a notorious criminal and invoked the National Security Act (NSA) against him, while also busting a major ganja smuggling racket in Koraput district, a senior officer said Wednesday. The police arrested five persons, including a wanted ganja trafficker, and seized two pistols and 350 kg of cannabis in an operation. Hrudananda Nayak alias...

LehJammu: Authorities Wednesday lifted the restrictions in Leh district of Ladakh, 22 days after they were imposed following violence during the statehood protests that left four people dead and over 80 others injured. The district administration had September 24 promulgated prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in Leh, banning the assembly...

Koraput: A transgender priest and a mason, suspected to be in a romantic relationship, were found hanging from a tree near a temple in Odisha's Jeypore town Wednesday, police said. The incident took place near Kanak Durga temple in Gopabandhu Nagar in Jeypore town police station area. The deceased have been identified as Raju Machh, a transgender...

Bhubaneswar: High drama unfolded before the Odisha Congress headquarters here after a jatra (traditional theatre) personality was denied entry to join the party. Ananta Narayan Dhal, proprietor of a jatra party, said he came to join the party after being inspired by Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra. State Congress president Bhakta Charan Das, however, said the party...

Baripada: Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district will reopen for tourists from October 18, an official said here on Wednesday. The tiger reserve was closed for tourists from June 30 due to the monsoon, the STR official said. According to the notification issued by STR Field Director Prakash Chand Gogineni, a maximum of 60 vehicles...

Berhampur: Odisha Police have arrested 684 gamblers and seized over Rs 28.32 lakh in a month-long special drive conducted in Ganjam district during the festival period of September 15 to October 14. Besides the cash, police have also seized 230 mobile phones and 35 motorcycles from the gambling dens during the period, a police officer said. All...