Archive for December, 2009
The first Koshli E-magazine “BENI” launched in January 2010
Read the first edition of first Koshli E-magazine “BENI” here. Thanks to Saket Sahu, Editor of ” BENI” for this initiative and hard work. Also, we would like to express our deep thanks to the members of the Editorial Board for their enthusiastic support and valuable suggestions for the development of the journal, to the contributors, the supporters, and wise citizens of “Koshalanchal”.
Website on Bargarh Dhanu Yatra launched
The growing popularity of the famous Dhanu Yatra prompted the Government to launch a website on the annual festival here. Minister of Health and Family Welfare Prasanna Acharya inaugurated the website on Wednesday.
The web address is www.bargarhdhanuyatra.nic.in. The step taken by the Government in opening a website would act as a catalyst in furthering the Yatra into an international phenomenon. The Yatra, the biggest open-air theatre in the world, is an enactment of a portion of the Mahabharata epic. This year’s festival, which started on December 21, will culminate on Thursday with the symbolic death of Kamsa.
Chief Minister’s relief fund and childcare unit of Sundargarh
Following is a report from The Samaja:
Poverty stares in face in Odisha’s industrial, minerals-rich districts
Following is a report from The Pioneer:
Even though the utopian promise of universal prosperity is made by the economists and the Naveen Patnaik regime too has jumped into such a bandwagon on the assumption that the key to prosperity and poverty alleviation is industrial boom in a mineral-rich State like Odisha, revelations startle by stating that the districts, bestowed with the nature’s treasure trove and dotted with industries of varied sizes and shapes, are still left in the lurch while 50 per cent of their populace languish in abject poverty.
A case in point is the tribal-dominated districts of Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Koraput and Jajpur.
India’s first President Rajendra Prasad had ignited the historic blast furnace Parbati of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) on February 3, 1959 igniting hopes and aspirations in the minds of the locals. Meanwhile, over 45 sponge iron plants have sprung up in Sundargarh besides scores of crusher units and 130-odd mines.
Yet, only five unemployed local youths out of the registered 70,000 have been absorbed by the private sectors during the last five years, sources claimed. Moreover, the Food Security related update of the Union Rural Development Ministry reports that out of the 3,29,000 households in the district, only 1,82,085 families are blessed with food security. 18,980 families are not even lucky enough to stuff their bellies with one square meal a day while 44,162 families go half-starved with two squares meal a day. Thus, over 60,000 households out of the total 3,29,000 are being deprived of food security.
Similarly, Keonjhar district owns 116-odd mines and over 50 industrial units. It earns a distinction of contributing 21 per cent of the total iron ore mining in India. Ironically, 60 per cent of its population, chiefly tribals, are below poverty line and ranks 24th out of the 30 districts in the State. Koraput ranks 28th with 79 per cent BPL population despite its 40 per cent contribution of bauxite mining in the national average. The case of Jajpur is awe-striking as it amazingly ranks 22nd in terms of poverty alleviation despite its impressive 95 per cent contribution of chromites mining at the national level.
New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)’s findings reveal that 7,16,183 Indian youths could avail of job opportunities at the mines sprawling nationwide while over three crore could get absorbed in the large and medium industries. However, by 2005, the figure has respectively declined to 5,56,647 and 1.90 crore paradoxically putting the utopian promise of universal prosperity on a reverse gear.
It is high time for a second thought ought to be given on Bhutan’s youngest ever King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck’s 21st Century economics of Gross National Happiness (GNH) in preference to the traditional belief of Gross National Product (GNP). It was on December 23 (Wednesday), the King of Bhutan, a deemed icon of the Gen X, during his maiden visit to Bhutan’s ‘steadfast partner’ India had made his keynote address at the Madhav Rao Scindhia Memorial Lecture at Teen Murti House in New Delhi and had enthralled Home Minister P Chidambaram, Congress strategist Janardan Dwivedi and CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury, prominent among other dignitaries and economists.
Farmer suicides are not due to crop loss:Minister for Agriculture,Orissa
Following is a report from The Samaja:
KKD submits memorandum to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Koshal state
Following article is from webINDIA123.com:
Rourkela | Koshal Kranti Dal (KKD), a regional political outfit, today demanded the Centre to carve out a new state out of Orissa.
In a memorandum to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, KKD General Secretary Baidyanath Mishra said the state-Koshal- should comprise 12 districts, Athmalik subdivision of Anugul district and Kasipur block of Rayagada district. The memorandum was submitted to the Union Minister through the ADM Rourkela.
The districts which the KKD demanded to form the Koshal state were–Kalahandi, Nuapada, Bolangir, Bargarha, Subarnapur, Sambalpur, Boudh, Deogarha, Jharsugura, Sundergarh, Phulbani and Nabarangpur. Mr Mishra said the inhabitants of these areas had been demanding the formation of the state under Article 2 and 3 of the Constitution.
The memorandum also demanded the inclusion of Koshali dialect in the eighth schedule of the Constitution. Earlier, supporters of the KKD held a demonstration in front of the ADM office here in support of their demand and burnt Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in effigy. — (UNI) — 18CA38.xml
Organisations demanding bifurcation of Orissa and creation of a new state of Kosala consisting mostly of western districts have decided to launch their agitation afresh following the recent developments in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh over Telangana issue.
These organisations have already chalked out a series of programmes to press for their more than a decade-and-half-year-old demand. “To begin with, we will be holding a dharna in front of the Governor’s house in Bhubaneswar on December 23 which will be followed by other programmes,” said P K Mishra of Kosala Kranti Dal.
Stating that there will be road blockades and bar on economic activities in the western Orissa districts over the issue in the coming days, he said, the students of the schools, colleges and other educational institutions had already been appealed to join in the proposed agitation.
Though different organisations in western Orissa have been demanding Kosala state for more than fifteen years now, successive governments in Bhubaneswar had never taken them seriously claiming that they(the organisations) had no public support behind them.
AAI seeks 800 acres of land for Jharsuguda airport
Following is a report from http://www.orissatv.com:
Taking into account the rapid pace of industrialization in Orissa, Airports Authority of India (AAI) has evinced interest for setting up an airport at Jharsuguda and discussed the issue with chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday.
Talking to newsmen, AAI chairman, VP Agarwal informed to have urged the government for 800 acres of land for the establishment of an airport at Jharsguda.
Agarwal was here to inaugurate a new parking lot at Biju Patnaik airport here in the capital city. “Additional car parking facility has been created where 200 cars, 200 autos, and six buses can be parked,” he said.
A mega expansion plan is also on the cards and Rs 150 crores would be invested for the establishment of a new terminal building at Bhubaneswar. The project would make the Biju Patnaik airport a major airport in eastern India and a viable alternative to the one at Kolkatta.
“We are going to establish a new terminal for domestic use. Once the building is available both the new and old would be converted to international standards,” Agarwal added.
Moreover, work for the proposed terminal building start from April next year he added.
The new terminal building would be designed to accommodate 1000 passengers and it would be centrally air-conditioned. The capacity of the existing terminal at the airport is of 500 passengers.
Kosal Discussion and Development Forum 