State

Bargarh: Kharif paddy procurement opened in Bargarh district Friday, but not a single bag has been purchased so far, triggering concern among farmers. Mandis under the Attabira, Bargarh and Padampur regulated market committees (RMCs) opened on schedule, and nearly 77,000 farmers have received procurement tokens...

Gajapati: A young woman from Slovakia travelled across continents and reached Paralakhemundi in Gajapati district to marry her long-time partner, illustrating what many describe as the power of committed love. According to local sources, Anna, a Slovak national, had been in a long-distance relationship with...

Kendrapara: The Kendrapara district collector Friday issued directions withholding the November salaries of all employees of 51 government offices for not implementing the OSWAS (Odisha Secretariat Workflow Automation System) mode of paperless work. Sources said that around 300 employees, many of them in panchayat offices,...

Dhenkanal: Three persons in their twenties died in the early hours of Friday after an unidentified speeding vehicle crashed into their scooter from the rear near Gobindapur square on National Highway 55 in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district, police said. Neither the identity of the deceased nor...

Patana/Keonjhar: Hundreds of villagers from Patana tehsil gheraoed the Turumunga police station Thursday morning, demanding the immediate release of six leaders of the Jindal-Posco Pratirodh Manch (JPPM) who were arrested Wednesday night. The arrested leaders were identified as JPPM secretary Benudhar Sardar, his brother Bhubanananda...

Purushottampur: Throwing an open challenge to the government’s commitment to transparency and anti-corruption initiatives, a major land scam has surfaced at the Purushottampur Sub-Registrar Office, where fraudsters allegedly used a forged Aadhaar card and an impersonator to sell someone’s land. According to sources, land mafia...

Chhatrapur: An unknown tag attached to a migratory bird was spotted near the Rushikulya estuary Thursday morning. The bird, identified as a greater sand plover, was captured by local environmentalist Rabindranath Sahu on his camera. A native of southern Siberia, ranging from Algeria to Mongolia,...

Koraput: Residents of five villages staged a protest near the Bharatmala project camp in Koraput, demanding urgent repair of the severely damaged road from Machara Square to Odapur village. The agitation drew significant public attention as villagers refused to disperse without a firm response from...

Cuttack/Bhubaneswar: In a major crackdown to curb rising road accidents and promote safe driving, the Commerce and Transport (C&T) department has suspended the Registration Certificates (RCs) of 241 vehicles across the state for repeatedly violating traffic rules. The decision comes as part of the state’s...

Sambalpur: Odisha Police Thursday arrested a man for allegedly duping investors of around Rs 50 crore by promising high returns, officials said. The accused has been identified as Madhusudan Baral (36), a native of the Khetarajpur police station area in Sambalpur district. He was arrested...