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Showing posts from December, 2012

Focus on strengthening basic policing: Sinha

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Rourkela: Newly appointed Superintendent of Police, Amitendra Nath Sinha, said that he will give top to basic policing to deal with law and order and prevention of road accident. Interacting with media persons, Sinha said that a plan is being made to carry out policing with the involvement of all citizens of Rourkela. Cooperation from all sections of society is required for a peaceful, disciplined society, he added. “For better policing, we have launched a website www.rourkelapolice.in with provision of receiving complaints on-line,” the SP noted. “We have also decided to put information boards with telephone numbers of all police stations at all tourist places in a bid to curb anti-social activities. In case of any emergency, one can dial 100 to seek help from Police Seva Kendra (PSK) which was made operational in December,” Sinha added. As for traffic management and accident control, the SP said that there is a proposal to deploy interceptor vehicles to check sp

KGBV rekindles hope for poor girl students

Rourkela: Poor girls in Sundargarh district, who had to skip school earlier due to poverty or distance , can now forward to starting all over again. The Union HRD ministry, under its Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) scheme, has sanctioned the opening of eight hostels exclusively meant for girls from backward communities in this predominantly tribal district where they would be provided all basic amenities free. The eight proposed hostels meant for girls from ST, SC, OBC and minority categories would be set up at Subdega, Rajgangpur, Nuagaon, Kuarmunda, Lathikata, Bisra, Gurundia and Lahunipada at a cost of  Rs. 72 lakh each. Each hostels would provide accommodation for about 100 girls. “Irrespective of the place and category, one can live in these hostels and get proper education with all facilities”, says Rajendra Kumar Patra, a senior SSA (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan) official of Sundargarh. All essential amenities and materials to ensure a comfortable stay and prope

State faces acute shortage of IPS officers

Rourkela: Even as the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) is spreading its tentacles in various parts of the state, acute shortage of Indian Police Service (IPS) officers has become a major hurdle in effective combat against the Maoism, which has posed a serious threat to the State’s security. This is what the security experts feel. The strength of IPS cadre strength in the state is 188 posts while 131 posts are for direct recruits and 57 posts are under promotion quota. Currently, only 69 IPS officers are manning the law and order affairs and 119 posts are lying vacant. Out of 131 posts provided for the direct recruits, 103 officers are in position, but 20 of them are in central deputation while six are manning junior posts. In all, 69 IPS officers are actually in position. It is said that as suitable officers are not available, all the 57 posts of promotional recruits are lying vacant. In the next 8 to 10 years, these vacancies may not be filled up because there is no direct re

Inter-College Drama fest from Jan 29

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Rourkela:   The Six-day Inter-College Drama Mahostav-2013 will commence from January 29. The drama fest to be organised by Koel Club will conclude on February 3. Scores of student participates from as many as 10 colleges will take part in the Mahostav to be held at Civic Centre. Briefing media persons here, General Secretary of Koel Club, Akshay Parida, said the Club has been promoting art, culture and language by organising cultural programmes since 1992. The Mahotsav will provide a platform for the students to showcase their hidden talents in the field of acting, he added. He called upon college principals to encourage their students to take part in large numbers in the drama fest. The meet was presided by Jiten Mohanty, President of Koel Club. Among others, Jayashree Panigrahi, Cultural Secretary, Dillip Mohanty, Organising Secretary, Mihir Ray, Advisor and noted dramatist Bidhu Bhusan Nanda of Koel Club were present. 

Seminar stresses protection of consumer rights

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Rourkela: The government should protect consumers’ interest, apart from ensuring accountability and efficiency for both the Government and the corporate sector, said speakers at a function here today organised to mark National Consumers’ Day. To create awareness among students about consumer rights and functioning of its redressal mechanism, H K Ray Mahavidyalaya (HKRM) today observed the National Consumers Day. It was organised by Rourkela Consumers’ Front (RCF). Jugal Kishore Acharya, an advocate and consumer activist, spoke on Consumers Protection Act, 1986. Consumers, clients and customers always demand value for their money in the form of quality goods and better services, he added. He also said consumers’ rights empower them to seek legal recourse to claim loss or defect in the goods they purchase. With the introduction of the Consumer Protection Act in 1986, RCF helps consumers take advantage of redressal the system. It ensures speedy settlement of grievance

Flower show in steel city

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Rourkela: “If Rourkela is a clean, green and beautiful city today, it is because of the efforts of its residents,” said G S Prasad, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) while addressing a gathering of nature lovers at the 27th Rose & Chrysanthemum Show organised by the Horticulture department of RSP at Jubilee Park here yesterday. He also advised Rourkelites to maintain the greenery of the steel city and reduce the use of plastics to preserve the beauty of the city. The show, which brought together 806 entries for competitions held in different categories, showcased an exquisite collage of flowers of myriad hues and fascinating floral arrangements. In all 169 prizes were given away on this occasion. The CEO along with the other dignitaries went around the pavilion and had a glimpse of different varieties and colour of roses and chrysanthemum blooms.  Prasad and other dignitaries distributed the prizes to

TechnoPrep launches offline NEET classes in Rourkela

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Rourkela: TechnoPrep, a premier entrance coaching website in the country, announced launching of its offline classes exclusively for NEET (Medical) coaching in Rourkela. Briefing media persons here at Rourkela Club, Brahmanshu Mishra, Chairman, TechnoPrep, said “We received repeated requests from students and their parents from Rourkela to provide quality coaching for medical entrance. We decided to open the offline centre here to offer focused coaching to students.” In less than one year, TechnoPrep has been successfully helping students realize their dreams of notching up high rank in the all India entrance exams, claimed Mishra. He also said TechnoPrep is planning to launch NEET Crash Courses from March, 2013, at Rourkela, followed by full-fledged coaching for students of XI, XII and plus two classes. The coaching will cover a rigorous offline curriculum and the tests will be conducted both in online and offline formats. “Now that the government is movin

Master craftsmen showcase their creations

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Rourkela: Art connoisseurs from the state and others are in for a treat as more than 150 master craftmen from the country have showcased their exquisite creations at the Gandhi Shilpa Bazar (GSB) here. The craftsmen have presented wood carving and furniture from Saharanpur and Delhi, wood inlay, earthenware pots, Modern Arts murals ceramic, Rajasthan miniature paintings, Rajasthan embroidery and footwear, dresses from Gujarat, dry flowers, all kinds of leather items, jute products, vegetable print dress materials, artificial imitation jewellery, gem stone jewellery, marble painting, Karnataka silk sarees and Channapattan toys, all kinds of Terracotta items and other handicrafts and handloom items. Apart from this, the fair has brought together a wide range of handicrafts and handloom products from across the country. The expo features exclusive products ranging from terracotta to artifacts. They also include dazzling and colour varieties of Dhokra casting, stone carvi

Developmental trial of Astra missile conducted

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Rourkela: India today conducted developmental trial of its indigenously developed beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile ‘Astra’ from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, about 15 km from Balasore. The sophisticated missile was test-fired from a launcher in launch pad-2 of the ITR at about 01.25 PM targeting a flying object being supported by a pilotless target air-craft ‘Lakshya’, defence sources said. The single stage, solid fuelled ‘Astra’ missile is more advanced in its category than the contemporary BVR missiles and is capable of engaging and destroying highly manoeuvrable supersonic aerial targets. The 3.8-metre long missile, having a diameter of 178 mm with an overall launch weight of 160 kg, can carry a warhead containing conventional explosives weighing 15 kg. It can be fitted to any fighter aircraft. It is intended to be eventually integrated with Sukhoi-30 MKI, MIG-29, Mirage-2000, Jaguar and the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft of the

Record life of Steel Ladle achieved at Rourkela Steel Plant

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Rourkela:   The Steel Melting Shop-I (SMS-I) of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) has achieved a record Steel ladle life of 100 heats on   15 th  December 2012, which is a major milestone in the history of SMS-I. This has been possible with the combined effort of the employees of Refractory Engineering Services, SMS-I and other associated departments.   It is worth mentioning here that till the year 2007-08, the ladle life used to be around 40 heats. After the innovative introduction of full Mag-Carbon lining, the ladle life improved upto 50 heats in 2008-09. Since then, many improvements have been implemented in the areas of Operation and Refractory Practice, which has resulted in achieving an average life of 80 heats and a record life of 100 heats at present. The new practices include the study of wear out profile and modifying brick composition and lining pattern accordingly, systematic joint inspection of ladles starting from early life and taking corrective action, intr

Prithvi-II test fired successfully

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Rourkela: India today successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile with a strike range of 350 km from a test range at Chandipur near Balasore. The surface-to-surface missile was test fired from a mobile launcher in salvo mode from launch complex-3 of Integrated Test Range at about 9:21 AM, defence sources said. The launch of the sophisticated missile, conducted as part of operational exercise by the Strategic Force Command (SFC) of the defence services, was successful, they said. “The missile was randomly chosen from the production stock and the total launch activities were carried out by the specially formed SFC and monitored by the scientists of Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) as part of practice drill,” sources said. The Prithvi-II missile, developed by the DRDO, is already inducted into the Indian Armed forces. Prithvi, the first missile developed under India’s prestigious Integrate

Santhali writer nominated for Sahitya Academy award

Rourkela: Gangadhar Hansda, a banker and litterateur has been nominated for the prestigious ‘Kendriya Sahitya Academy Award’ for the year 2012 for his collection of short stories in Santhali language, ‘Banchaw Akan Gojhona’. Hansda, an eminent Santhali writer and Santhali culture activist, has devoted himself to the popularization of Santhali literature and culture after retiring as a Branch Manager from Union Bank of India. His contribution to Santhali literature includes short stories, essays, history, one act play and novels. He has published eight books till date. He has also translated several books from Santhali to Odia and the famous ‘Chhamana Atha Guntha’ by Fakirmohan Senapati from Odia to Santhali.  He has co-authored a history and an essay book with his eminent writer wife Damayanti Besra who has already been honored with Kendriya Sahitya Academy award in 2009. Hansda is an active contributor to various journals and magazines on Santhali culture. He has won A

Plus two exams to start from March 1

Rourkela: The Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE), Odisha today declared that it would conduct Plus Two examinations from March 1 to 30. While examination will be held for all the three streams- Arts, Science and Commerce, exam for vocational education will also be held during the month. Examination for theory papers will be held from March 1 to March 23 and those for practical papers will be held on the rest of the days, informed Yashobant Behera, Controller of Examinations, CHSE. He also informed that the examinations will be conducted in two sittings to accommodate all the students. While around three lakh students are expected to appear in the plus two examinations in the State, examination forms can be filled from January 2 to 21.

More business expected at Swadeshi Mela this New Year

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Rourkela: Subrata Pattnaik, Chairman, Centre for Bharatiya Marketing Development (CBMD), Rourkela, said that the annual Swadeshi Mela this new year will register a bigger turn over than the Rs. 70 lakh it had notched up last year. The CBMD will organise the nine-day 14th Swadeshi Mela from January 5 at Bhanja Bhawan near Exhibition Ground here. Addressing a press conference today at Bramahani Club here, Pattnaik informed that more than 200 stalls will be put up during this nine-day mela that aims at encouraging medium and small-scale entrepreneurs in the context of globalisation and increased competition. He said that CBMD, a unit of Swadeshi Jagaran Foundation, aims at striking a balance by strengthening swadeshi goods for the country’s overall development. CBMD is now concentrating on efforts to instill Swadeshi thoughts to provide further impetus to the movement that works to guide ‘bharatiya’ enterprises to become self-reliant by competing globally, and thus promote

Apollo to set up 314 tele-clinics by March 2013

Rourkela: Apollo Tele Health Service (an initiative of Apollo hospitals group), in collaboration with Odisha Trust of Technical Education and Training (OTTET), is going to set up 314 Apollo tele-clinics in 314 blocks of the State by the end of March 2013, said General Manager (Business Development) of Apollo Tele Health Service Kishore Reddy at Bhubaneswar today. He added that the country needs about 2.8 million beds in different hospitals by 2014. “We have only 0.07 per cent beds in different hospitals of the country. If we create 1 lakh beds per year in all hospitals, it will take 20 years to fill the gap”, he stated. He was speaking at the launching ceremony of Tele-medicine services at Apollo hospital. Interacting with media persons Reddy said, “Specialist services in health care are not available in rural areas. About 90 per cent of the specialist doctors are living in urban areas and more than 70 per cent of the rural population is living in rural and semi urban areas

Sinha joins as SP, Rourkela

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Rourkela: Amitendra Nath Sinha joined as the new Superintendent of Police (SP) here today. An IPS officer of 2002 batch, Sinha succeeded the 2003 batch IPS officer Himanshu Lal, who was transfered to the Enforcement Directorate under Central Government. He had served as SP, Puri, DCP in Commissionerate Police and Commandant of Special Operation Group (SOG). After joining, Sinha called a meeting where all senior police officials of Rourkela welcomed him and discussed the current law and order situation of the district. 

Green Energy Corporation in State soon: Minister

Rourkela: The Odisha Government is soon going to establish a Green Energy Corporation to promote renewable sources of energy, said State Energy and I & PR Minister Arun Kumar Sahoo while inaugurating an international conference on Solar Energy Photovoltaic at KIIT University at Bhubaneswar today. Speaking at the conference organised by the School of Electronics Engineering of KIIT University, the Minister said that renewable energy sources like solar energy have great importance as those are not finite like natural fuels such as coal and petroleum. But the generation of solar energy is expensive and scientists and researchers should try hard to make it affordable. KIIT University Vice-Chancellor P P Mathur said that country like India needs energy security which only solar energy can provide. One of the keynote speakers at the conference, A K Beura of Bengal Engineering and Science University, Howrah said there is a need to speed up the development of appropriate techno

Automated Blood Cell Separator at IGH, Rourkela

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Rourkela: A sophisticated Automated Blood Cell Separator was installed at the RSP-run Ispat General Hospital (IGH) here yesterday. The state-of-the-art Blood Cell Separator is a Mobile Collection System and operates on the highly updated apheresis technology. It is a highly mobile, compact and lightweight total apheresis system and technically advanced. Once the operator initiates the MCS+ procedure, this sophisticated separator automatically removes whole blood from a donor, separates the blood into components (red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, and platelets), retains one or more of the components, and returns the reminder of the blood to the donor. It takes comparatively less time (60 to 65 minutes) for the programme to run. The components obtained are transfused or used to prepare blood products for administration. It is both user and donor friendly and helpful to the patients where there is absolute indication of platelet transfusion. Inaugurating the