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BJD Announces First List Of Candidates For Nine Lok Sabha, 72 Assembly Seats

By LokMarg 27th March 2024

The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday announced the first list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Odisha.

Odisha CM and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share the list of the nine Lok Sabha candidates, namely for Sambalpur, Kalahandi, Bhubaneswar, Kendrapara, Nabarangpur, Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj, Aska and Koraput seats.

Naveen Patnaik will re-contest from the Hinjili Assembly constituency for a sixth term.

Back in 2000, Patnaik became the chief minister of Odisha for the first time.

BJD General Secretary Pranab Prakash Das has been pitted against Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan of the BJP in Sambalpur.

Hours after joining BJD, the Biju Janata Dal announced Manmath Routray, son of Congress veteran leader Suresh Routraya, as the Lok Sabha candidate from Bhubaneswar.

Former Odisha Congress MLA Anshuman Mohanty, who joined Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on February 16, will contest the election from the Kendrapara Lok Saha seat.

Pradeep Kumar Majhi, who left Congress on October 22, 2021 and joined BJD later on, is a nominee from Nabarangpur.

BJD filed former Indian Hockey Captain and Padma Shri awardee, Dilip Tirkey as the party nominee from the Sundargarh seat.

Minister of Revenue and Disaster Management (Government of Odisha), a five-time MLA, has been named a BJD candidate from Mayurbhanj.

The party fielded Lambodhar Nial from Kalahandi, Ranjita Sahu from Aska and Kaushalya Hikaka from Koraput.

Further, the BJP declared 72 names out of 147 assembly seats.

BJD filed Jagannath Saraka as the party nominee from Bissamkatak, Raghunath Gamango from Gunpur, Anusaya Majhi from Rayagada, Debesh Acharya from Bargarh, Rita Sahoo from Bijepur, Snehangini Churia from Atabira, Susanta Singh from Bhatli, Ashiwni Patra from Jales war, Subhasini Jena- from Basta, Sanjib Mallick, from Bhandaripokari, Prafulla Samal from Bhadrak, Bishnubrata Routray from Basudevpur, Sanjay Das from Dhamnagar, Byomkesh Ray from Chandbali, Pramila Malik from Bijharpur, Pranab Balbantra from Dharmasala, Sujata Sahoo from Jajpur, Pritiranjan Ghadei from Sukinda, Sudhir Samal from Dhenkanal, Prafulla Mallick from Kamakshyanagar, Nursingha Sahoo from Parjang, Mukesh Pal from Pallahara, Sushant Kumar Behera from Chendipada, Niranjan Pujari from Sonepur, Nihar Behera from Loisingha, Saroj Meher from Patnagarh, Kalikesh Nayarayan Singh Deo from Bolangir, Tukuni Sahu from Titilagarh, Rajendra Dholakia from Nuapada, Nabina Nayak from Umerkote, Ramesh Majhi from Jharigaon, Kaushalya Pradhani from Nabarangpur, Manohar Randhari from Dabugaon, Pradip Dishari from Lanjigarh, Dibyashankar Mishra from Junagarh, Puspendra SinghDeo from Dharmagarh, Latika Nayak from Bhawanipatna, Saluga Pradhan from G Udaygiri, Mahidhar Rana from Kantamal, Pradip Amat from Boudh, Debi Prasad Mishra from Badamba, Debi Tripathy from Banki, Sauvik Biswal from Cuttack-Choudwar, Ranendra Pratap Swain from Athagarh, Pramod Mallick from Niali, Chandra Sarathi Behera from Cuttack-Sadar, Arvind Mohapatra from Patkura, Pratap Deb from Aul, Dhruba Sahu- from Rajnagar, Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak from Mahakalpada, Sunil Mohanty from Puri, Uma Samantaray from Brahmagiri, Sanjay Dasburma from Satyabadi, Rudrapratap Maharathy from Pipili, Bibhuti Balbantray from Jatni, Satyanarayan Pradhan from Ranpur, Ramesh Behera from Daspalla, Arun Sahoo from Nayagarh, Bikram Keshari Arukh from Bhanjanagar, Srikant Sahoo from Polsara, Latika Pradhan from Kabisuryanagar, Subhash Behera from Chhatrapur, Sanghamitra Swain from Sorada, Naveen Patnaik from Hinjili, Bikram Panda from Gopalpur, Biplab Patra from Digapahandi, Chanmanya Nanda from Chikiti, Chandrasekhar Majhi from Kotpad, Raghuram from Koraput, Manas Madkami from Malkangiri and Badrinarayan Patra from Ghasipura.

The Lok Sabha elections in Odisha, which comprise 21 constituencies, are set to take place in four phases. The voting dates have been scheduled for May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Odisha, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) emerged as the dominant party, securing 20 out of the 21 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a single seat.

However, the 2019 elections saw a shift in the political landscape. The BJD’s seat count was reduced to 12, while the BJP made significant gains, winning 8 seats. This change marked a notable increase in the BJP’s presence in the state. The Indian National Congress (INC) also managed to secure a seat in the 2019 elections. (ANI)

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8 Die Of Scrub Typhus In Odisha, Testing Intensified: Health Director

By LokMarg 6th October 2023

At least eight people have died in Odisha due to scrub typhus, the state’s health director said.

“At least eight people in Odisha died due to scrub typhus infection, which spreads through bites of infected chiggers,” Niranjan Mishra, Odisha’s Health Director said.

Several districts have reported scrub typhus infection, and people are advised for testing at the hospitals across Odisha, the director said adding that the number of testing against scrub infection has been increased to 22 thousand in the state this year.

The Odisha Government last month asked district health authorities to increase the surveillance for seasonal upsurge of Scrub Typhus and Leptospirosis in the state.

The state Health and Family Welfare Department has given directions to all the Chief District Medical and Public Health Officers, Director, Capital Hospital Bhubaneswar and the Director, RGH, Rourkela.

“Scrub typhus and Leptospirosis cases are being reported from most of the districts across the state. So intensive surveillance system for early diagnosis need to be strengthened to ensure timely treatment for prevention and management of Scrub Typhus and Leptospirosis,” read the statement from Odisha’s Health and Family Welfare Department.

The Health Department asked the district health authorities to ensure the availability of tests in DPHL by procurement and supply of required test kits, sensitize doctors to advise the tests in case of PUO, and increase public awareness and early diagnosis along with Increased surveillance.

The department also has asked the authorities to use appropriate antibiotics and an adequate stock of drugs.

Scrub typhus is a disease caused by a bacteria called Orientia tsutsugamushi. Scrub typhus is spread to people through bites of infected larval mites. The most common symptoms of scrub typhus include fever, headache, body aches, and sometimes rash.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals. It is caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira. In humans, it can cause a wide range of symptoms. (ANI)

IMD Yellow Alert For 18 Districts Of Odisha From July 3-7

By LokMarg 3rd July 2023

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, has issued a yellow warning for 18 districts of Odisha from July 3 to 7.

According to the IMD forecast, light to moderate rain or thundershowers are very likely to occur in a few places in the districts of Odisha.
“Thunderstorm with lightning very likely to occur at one or two places over the districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Ganjam, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nayagarh, Angul.” IMD prediction for July 3 from 8:30 am.

For July 3 from 8:30 am to 8:30 am of July 4, IMD predicts “thunderstorm with lightning very likely to occur at one or two places over the districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Angul, Boudh. Heavy Rainfall very likely to occur at one or two places over the districts of Gajapati, Ganjam, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Kandhamal, Nawarangapur.”

On July 4, from 8:30 am to 8:30 am of July 5, the IMD predicts a “thunderstorm with lightning very likely to occur at one or two places over the districts of Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sonepur, Boudh, Bolangir. Heavy Rainfall very likely to occur at one or two places over the districts of Nuapada, Nawarangapur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Ganjam, Gajapati, Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada.”

From July 5, 8:30 am to 8:30 am on July 6, IMD forecast Heavy Rainfall very likely to occur at one or two places over the districts of Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati,Boudh, Bolangir, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Nawarangapur, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Koraput, Cuttack.

From July 6, 8:30 am to 8:30 am on July 7, IMD forecasted “Heavy Rainfall very likely to occur at one or two places over the districts of Koraput, Rayagada, Nawarangapur, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Bolangir.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday informed that Tamil Nadu will likely receive light to moderate rainfall in several districts in the next 4 days.

According to the IMD, a gyre zonal circulation prevails over the Southwest Bay of Bengal and also due to the variation in speed of the westerly wind Tamil Nadu will experience light to moderate rainfall at many places in the coming days.

“On July 3, light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning at many places over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal. Heavy to very heavy rainfall at one or two places in Nilgiris and Coimbatore districts, Tirupur, Dindigul, Theni, Thenkasi, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari, Tiruvallur, Chennai, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu, Vellore, Ranippet, Tirupattur, Thiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Cuddalore and Puducherry districts”, the IMD said in a statement.

The statement further said that light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning at a few places over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal on July 4.

Light rainfall has been predicted in the Delhi-National Capital Region over the next two-three days, followed by light to moderate rains for the next three days, as per India Meteorological Department. (ANI)

Heat Wave To Continue For 3 Days in North India: Met Dept

By LokMarg 11th June 2023

India Meteorological Department on Sunday said that hot weather and heat wave conditions will likely continue for the next three days in Odisha and several places in the state will experience temperatures 4-6 degrees Celsius above-normal.

While speaking to ANI, IMD Scientist Umashankar Das said, “We are expecting hot weather conditions and heat wave conditions to continue for the next three days. Apart from that, several places in Odisha will experience above normal temperatures by 4-6 degrees.”
IMD Scientist Das further mentioned that an orange warning has been issued in this regard.

“We have issued an Orange warning. This condition will continue till June 13. We are expecting that afterwards there is a slight fall in temperature. So, heatwave conditions will no more prevail in various districts,” he said.

As several parts of the country are grappling with severe heatwave conditions, IMD Scientist Naresh Kumar issued an advisory on the current situation in the country.

IMD Scientist Naresh Kumar said, “Talking about the heatwave conditions in India, the main heat wave zone currently is East India. The heat wave conditions are prevailing in Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal. For this, the IMD issued an orange alert in these regions. Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are also coming under the influence of heatwave.” (ANI)

Only Coromandel Express Met With Accident: Railway Board

By LokMarg 4th June 2023

Days after the Odisha triple train tragedy, Railway Board on Sunday citing premiliary investigation said there was some issue with the signalling and only Coromandel Express met with an accident in Balasore that claimed the lives of 275 passengers.

Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Jaya Varma Sinha, Member of Operation and Business Development, Railway Board said, “According to the preliminary findings, there has been some issue with the signalling. We are still waiting for the detailed report from the Commissioner of Railway Safety. Only Coromandal Express met with an accident. The train was at a speed of around 128 km/h.”
In a major breakthrough in the tragic accident, she said that the goods train did not get derailed since it was carrying iron ores and had maximum damage on Coromandel Express.

“The goods train did not get derailed. Since the goods train was carrying iron ores, the maximum damage of the impact was on Coromandel Express. This is the reason for a huge number of deaths and injuries,” said Jaya Varma Sinha.

She further said that derailed bogies of the Coromandel Express hit the last two bogies of the Yashwantpur Express.

“The derailed bogies of Coromandel Express came on the downline and hit the last two bogies of Yashwantpur Express which was crossing at the speed of 126 km/h from downline,” she said.

Sinha said that the Railways first focused on relief and rescue work after the accident.

“Railways first did relief and rescue work after the accident and after that repair work is being done. There are four lines at Bahanaga station. It has two main lines. There was a goods train on the loop line. The driver had received the green signal at the station. Both vehicles were running at full speed,” she said.

The official further said that the helpline number has been made available for the family members of the injured or deceased.

“Our helpline number 139 is available. This is not a call centre number, our senior officers are answering the calls and we are trying to connect as many people as possible. The family members of the injured or deceased can call us and we will make sure that they are able to meet them. We will take care of their journey and other expenses,” said Jaya Varma Sinha.

Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Secy Pradeep Jena clarified that the death toll is 275 and not 288, it was checked and found that some bodies were counted twice.

“The death toll is 275 and not 288. The data was checked by DM and it was found that some bodies have been counted twice, so the death toll has been revised to 275. Out of 275, 88 bodies have been identified,” Jena told ANI.

“Out of 1,175 injured, 793 have been discharged after treatment. The figure will be updated around 2pm,” he added.

As per the Ministry of Railways, the restoration work is going in full swing and the officials are closely monitoring the restoration process at the accident site.

A manpower of over 1000 people is engaged in the work. More than seven Poclain Machines, two Accident Relief Trains, and 3-4 Railway and Road Cranes are deployed, the Ministry stated. (ANI)

Odisha: Modi Chairs High-Level Meet, To Visit Accident Site Today

By LokMarg 3rd June 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday chaired a high-level meeting to take stock of the situation in Odisha where at least 238 people were killed in an accident involving three trains.

The Prime Minister will visit the accident site in Balasore and also the Cuttack hospital where the injured are being treated, according to sources.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah was also present at the meeting called by the Prime Minister.

As per the latest estimates by the South Eastern Railway, the death toll in the train accident involving two express trains — Bengaluru-Howrah Express and Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express — and a goods train in Balasore was 238.

Around 650 injured passengers have been taken to hospitals of Gopalpur, Khantapara, Balasore, Bhadrak and Soro, the South Eastern Railway said.

According to the preliminary report by the State Emergency Operation Center, around 900 people are injured.

Seven National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Teams, five Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) Units and 24 Fire Services and Emergency Units engaged in rescue operations.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) deployed Mi-17 helicopters for the evacuation of the deceased and injured.

According to the Eastern Command, IAF is coordinating the rescue efforts with the civil administration and Indian Railways.

Prime Minister Modi had on Friday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the deceased.

According to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office, the ex-gratia amount will be allotted from Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to the next of kin of the dead.

According to Railway spokesperson Amitabh Sharma, the accident took place around 7 pm on Friday.

Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reached the spot and supervised the rescue operation. He has ordered a detailed high-level inquiry on the incident.

The rail safety commissioner will also conduct an independent inquiry, Vaishnaw said on Saturday. (ANI)

Coromandel Express Collides With Goods Train In Balasore; 132 Injured

By LokMarg 2nd June 2023

After a collision occurred between the passenger train and a goods train in Odisha’s Balasore district on Friday, leaving at least 132 people injured, an additional rescue team of Odisha Fire and Emergency Service comprising 26 members with advance rescue equipment of Odisha Fire and Disaster Response Academy Bhubaneswar moved to the train accident site for rescue operations, the Odisha government said.

Several coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed near Bahanaga station in Odisha’s Balasore after hitting a goods train.
The injured have been shifted to Soro CHC, Gopalpur CHC, and Khantapada PHC, said Chief Secretary, Odisha.

According to the Railway Spokesperson Amitabh Sharma, the accident took place at around 7pm on Friday.

“At around 7pm, 10-12 coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed near Baleswar and fell on the opposite track. After some time, another train from Yeswanthpur to Howrah dashed into those derailed coaches resulting in the derailment of its 3-4 coaches,” Sharma told ANI.

NDRF’s first team of 22 members from Balasore Railway Station (BLS) has already reached the site. Another team from Centralised Traffic Control (CTC) of 32 members started half an hour before, said officials.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has directed the state minister Pramila Mallik and Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) to reach the accident site immediately. Minister and SRC are heading towards the incident place.

After the accident, West Bengal CM Mamata shared emergency numbers after the Odisha train accident.

“We are coordinating with the Odisha government and South Eastern Railway for our people’s sake.”

The CM also shared emergency control room numbers 033-22143526 and 033-22535185.

“I am monitoring the situation continually personally,” she added.

She further said the government is trying to coordinate with the Odisha government.

“I am monitoring the situation continually personally with Chief Secretary and other senior officers,” she said.

However, Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep said that a large number of buses have been dispatched to the accident site in Balasore.

“Nearly 50 ambulances were sent but the injured appear to be far too many. (ANI)

59 Cases Of H3N2 Influenza Cases Reported In Odisha

By LokMarg 12th March 2023

A total 59 H3N2 Influenza cases has been confirmed out of 225 samples collected in the month of January and February this year in the State. Confirming this Director Dr Sanghamitra Pati, Regional Medical Research Center (RMRC) Bhubaneswar, said that “Symptoms are similar to the seasonal flu viruses including fever and cough etc.”

Amid sharp surge in H3N2 virus cases across the state, Health Secretary of Odisha on Sunday directed all district administrations to be vigilant and step up influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) surveillance at Health facility level and community level, Department of Health informed.

State Health Department stated in a press statement that, “H1N1 and H3N2 are subtypes of Influenza A virus . It’s common flu virus quite common in children and elderly from December to March. Most of the illnesses are mild and self limiting. Handwashing, personal hygiene and avoiding crowded places are the key measures to be followed as done earlier.”

“Our 30 DPHLs are continuously monitoring the trend of ILI and SARI cases by testing samples regularly in our 23 RTPCR labs and DPHLs. Our 30 DPHLs are doing H1N1 testing on regular basis. Each of them have requisite infrastructure and lab logistics to conduct the tests if a surge is seen in near future,” the Health Department further said.

“Our State is continuously testing the samples of ILI and SARI cases for detection of Covid cases, District IDSP units are in readiness and constantly monitoring the situation. Labs are kept in readiness to handle the surge of cases occurs if any,” he Statement from Health Department added.

According to the Union Health Ministry Karnataka and Haryana have confirmed one death each from H3N2 influenza so far.

H3N2 has been the dominant subtype followed by H1N1. Both these subtypes belong to Influenza ‘A’ type.

However, the Union Ministry of Health on Friday said that the cases arising from seasonal influenza including H3N2 which has claimed one death each in Haryana and Karnataka are expected to decline from March end. (ANI)

Odisha Is Investing Rs 2500 Cr In Sports Infra: Patnaik

By LokMarg 15th February 2023

Focusing on the development of Sports infrastructure at the elite and grassroots level, the Odisha Government led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is investing more than Rs 2500 crores as its one of the priority sectors, said R Vineel Krishna, Secretary of Sports & Youth Services Department of the state.

Speaking at the Senior Officer’s Conference, he said, “Odisha is investing more than Rs 2500 crores in sports infrastructure which includes 90 indoor stadiums in ULBs, India’s first indoor Athletic Stadium, indoor aquatic center, High-performance centers for Hockey, badminton, weightlifting, gymnastics, athletics along with Hockey training centers, Football training centers, Swimming Training centers, Gymnastics Training centres.”
Krishna, elaborated on the Chief Minister’s vision of creating a new identity for Odisha through Sports and productively engaging the youth through sports as a major platform.

“The Chief Minister desires that Odisha should become a health, fitness and sports-oriented society. And therefore, in the last few years the state government has been investing in creating massive infrastructure, organizing national and international sports championships, unique models of coaching in partnership with corporates and elite sportspersons among others,” he said.

“The successful organisation of the Hockey World Cup recently is a prime example of the team work of the State Government, wherein all the departments and districts put up a grand show which brought laurels to the state and country,” he added.

“The largest seated Hockey Stadium, the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, Rourkela was created within a short period of 15 months in spite of various challenges, that Stadium was co-host of 2023 World Cup along with Kalinga Stadium Bhubaneswar,” he said. (ANI)

Murmu Visits Lingaraj Temple

By LokMarg 11th February 2023

President Droupadi Murmu who is on a two-day visit to Odisha, visited the Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar and offered prayers here on the second day of her visit.

Murmu paid obeisance to the Lord and then attended a program at the National Rice Research Institute (NRRI) Cuttack before returning to the capital.
President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Bhubaneswar on Friday on a two-day visit. Governor Prof. Ganeshi Lal, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan with other dignitaries welcomed Droupadi Murmu at Biju Patnaik International Airport on her arrival to Odisha.

On the first day, she attended the foundation day the of Jnanaprabha Mission at the Utkal Mandap in the afternoon. Later she attended the second convocation of Rama Devi Women’s University, Murmu’s alma mater. Murmu also inaugurate a banquet hall at the Governor’s residence and spent the night at Raj Bhavan.

Addressing the 2nd Convocation of Rama Devi Women’s University, the President recalled the days – she spent at this University (then college) as a student.

Highlighting the diverse role of women, President Droupadi Murmu on Friday said women empowerment is no longer a slogan, but it has become a reality to a large extent.

She said that she had studied in this institution for four years after completing her schooling at Unit-2 Girls School in Bhubaneswar.

President Murmu said that she is still in touch with many of her classmates from that time adding that this great educational institution has always been a source of inspiration in her life.

Addressing the students of the University, the President said that they should feel proud as girl students, that is, as representatives of women.

“It is heartening that the representation of women is increasing in all democratic institutions from Panchayats to Parliament. It is a great achievement of our democracy that for the first time, the number of women parliamentarians has crossed 100. This is a good sign for the future of our democracy,” said the President.

After assuming the office, this is the second visit of Murmu to Odisha. Earlier in November 2022 also President Murmu visited Odisha. (ANI)