Population control measure (sterilization camps) in Odisha

Recently, Times of India carried a news piece where bicycle pumps were used on 56 women who undergone sterilization surgeries as a government measure to control population at a camp in Odisha's Angul district on November 28 and soon after that the state government on Tuesday (2nd Dec 2014) issued a blanket ban on sterilization camps after an administrative probe confirmed that the pumps had been used during the procedures at Angul. 

Odisha health secretary said in a statement that "The government has decided that henceforth no such camp will be organized for sterilization to ensure quality care. Only established healthcare centres with proper operation theatres can conduct the surgeries adhering to universal infection prevention practices only on Mondays between 9 am and 4 pm. Stringent action will taken against those found not following standard operation procedures." 

But is such a blanket order justified? While we acknowledge that providing basic minimum level of health care facilities is of extremely important, at the same time we also feel that India and Indians need such sterilization camps not just to control India's population, but to make household economically and socially sound and independent. Instead of arranging better heath care facilities during such govt. organized camps which are quite popular among people, the government of Odisha instead declared a blanket ban, which will now deprive many people from various strata of the society to avail this cheap facility. The government must organize more such camps after providing quality infrastructures.

Odisha Mining Scam - CEC held Odisha Govt. responsible

It seems the mining scam in Odisha going to be a big political issue both at the center and state level, considering the gravity of the issue. 

We all know that there were large scale irregularities in licensing of mining activities by the government and at the same time there were gross misuse by the companies involved in the mining activities. With all the mining activities stopped, now the question arise how the state will move ahead with its developmental activities. 

But saying that, we also need to keep in mind that Odisha's economic development has already slowed down in the recent years and if the mining remains blocked, its going to hurt the state further. At this juncture, CEC has thrown literately bomb against the Naveen Patnaik government. 

A Central Empowered Committee (CEC) appointed by the Supreme Court to probe the Odisha mining scam has held the state government responsible for alleged illegal mining from 2000 to 2011.

Submitting its report to the apex court Friday, the CEC said mining companies illegally produced more than 2131 lakh metric tonnes (mt) of iron ore and 24 mt of manganese with a notional value of Rs. 17,576 crore during these eleven years.

The CEC said mining operations in Odisha had been taken up almost by all the lessees without environmental clearance.

 

“It is most disturbing to note that the entire production without or in excess of the statutory approvals has been transported under the transit permits (TPs) issued by the officers concerned of the state government after payment of royalty at applicable rates,” the CEC headed by PV Jayakrishnan said in its 178-page report.

The report added that the state-owned Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) was a major violator and headed the pack whioh included government of India undertakings and companies belonging to reputed corporate groups.

“The senior officers of the state government from the chief secretary downwards cannot escape responsibility for such wholesale and brazen violation of the acts, rules and guidelines and the directions of this Hon’ble Court and also points towards lax governance,” the CEC said.

This is the second indictment of the Naveen Patnaik government, with Justice MB Shah commission that probed the multi-crore mining scam having recommended an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation in February.

After the opposition first raised it in the Odisha assembly in 2009, the Patnaik government ordered a vigilance probe. But opposition parties and social activists have been demanding a CBI inquiry saying the state vigilance department is remote-controlled by the government.

Now it has to be seen how the Odisha government is handling its mining policies, especially under the Modi's developmental policies at the center.  May the time has just come for Naveen to shake hands with BJP !

Special status for Odisha - Naveen Patnaik demands

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had a great chance of getting special status for Odisha before the election, when BJP was scouting for partners. But Naveen at that time did not realize the importance of BJP and never thought of reviving the old friendship broken just few years back. But he has not given up his hope and still continuing to demand since the previous Congress government. Citing the relative backwardness of Odisha and the Polavaram project, which in its present form would severely affect tribal population, Naveen on Monday stepped up the demand for special category status for his state.

During a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, Patnaik also sought early release of special central assistance of Rs 1,397 crore for organising Nabakalebar festival of Lord Jagannath, commencement of international flight operations from Bhubaneswar, completion of ongoing railway projects and sanction of new projects to actualise rail corridor and port connectivity in the state.

The Prime Minister assured that all the issues raised by the Chief Minister would receive his personal attention and that the Union Government would extend the required support for accelerating the socio-economic development of the state, a press release by the state government said.

The Chief Minister also demanded release of compensation amount on account of reduction of central sales tax (CST) from four to two per cent and release of central assistance for Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) and other schemes like MNREGS and for an additional 5 lakh beneficiaries under Indira Gandhi National Pension Scheme.

Patnaik raised issues like Polavaram Project and its consequences for the backward tribal dominated district of Malkangiri, the release said.

Referring to the relative backwardness of Odisha and the recommendation by Raghuram Rajan Committee, he reiterated the need to accord special category status to Odisha for ensuring adequate flow of funds and enabling it to catch up with the other developed states of the country.

He urged the Prime Minister for early release of special central assistance of Rs 1,397 crore to supplement the efforts of the state in organising Nabakalebar, a significant event in eastern India.

This is a ritual followed for centuries at the Jagannath Temple where the deities leave their old form and assume new ones every 12-19 years. Over 5 million pilgrims and tourists are expected to congregate at Puri town during a three-month period necessitating huge setup of infrastructure.

Patnaik told the Prime Minister that Nabakalebar is scheduled to be held in July 2015 and requires preparations on war footing, including creation of adequate infrastructure. The Chief Minister also raised the challenges of severe floods, cyclones and drought in the state.

Politicization over Odisha IIM continues

The politics over site selection of the proposed Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Odisha continues as as many as 12 locations have now come up as the possible sites for this prestigious institute. 

Few days before the government of Odisha had identified six locations as the possible sites for the institute, but even before its establishment, the IIM Odisha has already become a talking point in various circles. Politicians and academicians have been feverishly pitching for locating the elite institute in their respective areas of influence.

The state government has identified 12 locations in six districts for setting up of the proposed campus of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) announced for Odisha. The collectors of six districts - Sundargarh, Koraput, Cuttack, Khurda, Sambalpur and Ganjam, have sent two proposals each to the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation(Idco) as ideal locations, for setting up the premier institute.

Initially, Idco, the state's land acquisition agency, had written to collectors of four districts - Cuttack, Khurda, Sambalpur and Ganjam for identifying 200 acres of litigation free land in their districts.Later, industries secretary Vishal Dev had directed the collectors of Sundargarh and Koraput for identification of land for IIM near Rourkela and Jeypore.

After receiving the proposals, the employment and technical education & training department has forwarded it to the state chief secretary G C Pati for taking a final call on identifying three suitable locations.

Though the final call to zero in on a site for IIM Odisha will be taken by the Centre's site selection committee, the state government now faces an uphill task to shortlist 2-3 locations.

In July, the Union finance minister Arun Jaitley had announced establishment of five new IIMs, including one in Odisha in the General Budget.

Following the announcement, the human resource development ministry in a letter to the Odisha government, had asked to provide free land measuring 200 acres for establishment of IIM. The ministry had set riders for selecting the land- it should be free from litigation and situated in a city that offers good rail, road and air connectivity.

IIM Odisha has already been added as a choice for candidates appearing the Common Aptitude Test (CAT) in November this year.

Odisha discusses about Angul-Talcher-Chhendipada Common Corridor Project despite protests

Despite huge resentment from the local people against the mining activities in the Chendipada block of Angul district, the State Government recently decided to take up the proposed Angul-Talcher-Chhendipada Common Corridor Project in partnership with the Railways.

Located in Angul district, home to one of the country’s largest coal deposits, the proposed coal block contains an estimated 12 million tonnes of coal and a life of 48 years. The mineral lies beneath 7,500 acres of a thriving agrarian economy across nine villages. These are home to more than 10,000 people, whose education and relative prosperity put them in the rural middle class, with capabilities and resources to assert their rights.

The tract was marked out as the Machhakata Coal Block by the Ministry of Coal, one of several coal blocks created in this area, and was allotted in 2006 to MahaGuj Collieries Ltd, a public sector power company jointly formed by the Maharashtra and Gujarat state governments.

Click on this link for details about the protests reported on 11 September 2014 at the Chendipada block.

The proposed project discussed at a meeting at the Secretariat was presided over by Chief Secretary GC Pati and attended by officials of the railways and State Government.

The financial feasibility report of the 162 km  common corridor project was also discussed. “It has been decided that the project will be taken up in partnership between the State Government and the Indian Railways,” Pati said and directed the officials to prepare a definite proposal for approval of the State Government.

The Rs 1,240 crore project which will be implemented by IDCO will require 6,200 acres of land. The corridor will cater to the transport requirement of 32 coal blocks in the area besides saving substantial amount as transportation expenditure. Official sources said the corridor will handle coal traffic in excess of 100 million tonnes a year. The corridor will be connected with the rail heads at Jharpada, Angul and Budhapanka. As many as 55 industries, including steel plants and power projects, would be benefited by the project.

The meeting also reviewed the progress of different railway projects in the State keeping in view Nabakalebar festival next year.

Pati asked the Collectors and SPs of districts concerned to provide required assistance in distribution of compensation and ground-level operations.

The projects included doubling of Delang-Puri, Khurda-Barang (3rd line), Cuttack-Barang, Raja Athagarh-Barang, Titilagarh-Raipur, Sambalpur-Titilagarh, Sambalpur-Talcher and Bansapani-Tomka-Jakhapura rail lines. Budget allocations have been made against all these projects during  2014-15.  As per the decision taken at the meeting, the antisocial elements creating bottlenecks in implementation of the projects would be  strongly dealt with.

IIM Odisha - Politics of Land Selection

Which part of Odisha will host Odisha IIM as proposed by MHRD, Govt. of India? It seems there is lot of politics going on for the last selections. 

Is the Biju Janata Dal Government playing politics over selection of land for the proposed Indian Institute of Management in Odisha to keep the people of different regions in good humour and throwing the ball to Centre’s court? The answer seems to be in the affirmative.

Even though the Centre had asked the State to suggest “two to three” suitable locations for the purpose, it has so far asked as many as six District Collectors to identify land for the proposed educational institution to keep the people of different regions happy for the time being.

While the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) on Tuesday asked the District Collectors of Khurda, Cuttack, Ganjam and Sambalpur to identify suitable locations by September 10, the organisation on Wednesday wrote to the District Collectors of Sundergarh and Koraput asking them to identify land suitable for the establishment of the IIM.

According to political analysts, the State government has asked six Collectors to identify 200 acres of land for the IIM in view of the growing demand by the people living in Rourkela, Sambalpur, Jeypore and Berhampur who were opposed to the establishment of the proposed IIM near Bhubaneswar.

It is clear that by suggesting land in as many as six districts the BJD government was trying to save itself from criticism because it was the Union Human Resource Development Department that would take a final view on the issue and select one location for the B-School.

A politically smart move has been adopted by the State government as people from different regions, led by their elected representatives, had approached Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to highlight their demand that the proposed IIM be established in their region.

Union Human Resource Development Department secretary Ashok Thakur had asked Odisha Chief Secretary in July last week to suggest suitable locations free of cost and free from all encumbrances. The location identified should have necessary physical and social infrastructure which includes good roads, rail and air connectivity, Mr. Thakur had said.

Interestingly, the BJD government in its previous term had written to the Centre to consider two regions — Western and Southern — for the establishment of a permanent Bench of the Orissa High Court after demand in this regard was made by lawyers in several areas across the State.

On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders too were indulging in similar political gimmicks by extending support to the people’s demand for the new IIM near different towns.

Model Schools in all 314 Blocks in Odisha

The Odisha government is making constructive efforts towards augmenting the education quality at the school level. In its bid to upgrade standard of Odisha students, the state government today decided to open model schools in all the 314 blocks on the pattern of central schools, official sources said.

Under the centrally sponsored model school scheme, these schools will be set up under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode in all 314 blocks of the state on the pattern of central schools that aims at up-gradation of standard of Odisha students.

Besides English and Odia, the students would be imparted education in Hindi and Sanskrit languages, the minister said adding that the model schools will be run through a special society similar to Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) that runs central schools, he added.

This was decided at a high level meeting presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here. "The state government will spend Rs 190 crore this fiscal for the purpose of construction of 162 model schools," school and mass education minister Debi Prasad Mishra told reporters today.

Stating that 50 per cent of seats in such model schools will be reserved for the girl students, Mishra said arrangements were being made to construct ladies hostels close to the schools.

Apart from this, each school in Odisha will have green fencing and kitchen garden at their school premises, the Minister said. He suggested that the School Health programme should be integrated with Red Cross for conduct of blood grouping tests at school level.

Commissioner-cum-Secretary of School and Mass Education Department Smt Usha Padhee proposed that JRC counsellors of each school should ensure proper hand wash before mid-day meal. Besides, she also stressed on creattion of Eco-Club in the schools.

Chief Minister Patnaik has also directed the school and mass education department to create a separate cadre for the faculty members. Besides usual courses, the model schools would have provision for vocational training.

The model schools would have classes from standard VI to XII, the minister said. Hopefully, these model schools will set a trend among other government schools already in a pathetic conditions to model themselves in the line of these model schools.

Child labour problem in Odisha - 21 Minors Rescued from Mumbai

The problem of human trafficking in various forms is not new in Odisha, a state that is considered one of the poorest in India. Many poor from several parts of the state leave Odisha every year searching for jobs. While many of them get low paying jobs at various parts of India, but many other falls in the hands of human traffickers who cheat these helpless poor to do various  activities in violation of labor laws. 

While poor women from Odisha have been reported to forcibly brought into prostitution trade, but the most often reported issues are one related to labor rights  violations involving child laborer. In the recent past, there are several cases invloving children from Odisha who are are forced to work as bonded laborer in many factories of South and Western Indian states. 

Despite this, Naveen Patnaik government in Odisha is yet to come up with a plan about how to solve this acute problem involving the lives of many kids.

Following is another such problem involving child labor reported by The Hindu.

Twenty one minor labourers from Odisha, facing physical and mental torture, have been rescued in Mumbai this past week. Twenty of them are girls.

A team from Odisha, consisting of police officers and child right activists, has reached Mumbai to take them back home. Speaking to The Hindu from Mumbai, a member of Gajapati district Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and member of the team, Bhagyalaxmi Nayak, said all the rescued have been kept in a child care home.

“We have met and interacted with them. All of them want to return to their homes. They will be produced before the Mumbai CWC on Monday and we will take their custody,” said Ms Nayak.
Of the rescued, 11 are from Gajapati district, five from Kandhamal, two from Dhenkanal and one each from Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts.

All of them are from poor families. They were lured by promises of good wage and better life by some middlemen.

They were working in a packaging unit in Mumbai on monthly wages ranging from Rs. 3000 to 5000. They alleged physical and mental torture at the work place. They were working and living without any basic amenities and health care facilities.

About a month back, one of them had escaped and reached his home in Kandhamal district. The latest rescue operation was based on the information provided by him.

The racket of luring minors from remote areas of Odisha to outside the State by dubious middlemen continues. Twenty six girls, including nine minors, were rescued by Childline activists from Berhampur railway station on August 23 while they were being sent to Tamil Nadu.

On August 1, Childline activists had rescued 16 girls from the same railway station while they were being taken to outside the State.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is a hit in Odisha

Business Standard reported yesterday that more than 500,000 bank accounts have been opened in Odisha under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), a pet project of Prime Minister Modi. This program has been projected as the first step for a comprehensive scheme for financial inclusion. On the day of launch of the scheme, over 62,000 accounts were opened.

Jual Oram, Union minister for tribal affairs along with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who inaugurated the program said that “more than 62,720 bank accounts have been opened on the launching day and about 50 launching events are organised throughout the state,”.

The banks having operations in Odisha have overshot the target of 400,000 bank accounts allotted by the Union government to the state. More than 500,000 accounts have been opened in Odisha under the scheme, said Arun Kaul, chairman and managing director of UCO Bank. Data compiled by State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC), Odisha shows that 497,623 accounts have been opened in the state till August 27 through 3,010 camps.

UCO Bank, the SLBC convenor, has opened the most number of accounts (89,720) followed by State Bank of India (SBI) with 81,276 new accounts.

Among others, Bank of India has opened 32,179 new accounts under the scheme while Indian Overseas Bank and Andhra Bank  have opened 28,744 and 24,704 accounts respectively. In toto, PSU banks have opened 431,734 accounts while private sector banks and regional rural banks under the mission mode project, have opened 4,495 accounts and 61,394 accounts respectively.

Besides bank accounts, the other benefits under the scheme includes  RuPay debit card, Rs 1 lakh accidental insurance cover and an additional Rs 30,000 life insurance cover for those opening bank accounts before January 26, 2015.

Speaking on the occasion, Patnaik assured of all support from the state government for the gigantic task of covering unbanked households.

“I wish all success in their endeavour and assure them of all help and support from the state government in achieving the goal of universal financial inclusion in the state,” he said.

The chief minister also called upon the banks for opening of brick and mortar branches in all unbanked gram panchayats of the state within the specified time frame (March 31, 2019).

The SLBC has allotted 4,597 gram panchayats to the banks with operations in the state for opening of branches by March 31. For accommodating the branches, banks will be provided Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendras free of cost for five years.

Launching the progarmme in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that though the initial target of PMJDY was to open bank accounts for 75 million families in one year, he had exhorted that the concerned officials to complete the task before January 26, 2015.  About 15 million bank accounts was opened on the day of launch of the scheme.

Supreme Court order on Coal Mines going to affect Odisha

On 25th Aug 2014 (Monday), India's Supreme Court ruled that all coal mining licences awarded between 1993 and 2010 are illegal and will now examine whether some or all 218 permits should be revoked. In the ruling, the high court said that successive governments gave rights to mine coal to state and private companies in a style that was “not fair and transparent” and without competitive bidding.

The court is also expected to rule on possible fines on firms currently holding those permits, most of which have not been developed, as mines in remote rural areas proved too costly to bring into operation.

But in the process of allocating those licences, India has become tangled in accusations of corruption and mishandling.In the past twenty years India has granted coal blocks to a range of companies in sectors such as power and steelmaking, partly to overcome fuel shortages stemming from its inefficient and state-dominated mining sector.

Coal dependent Odisha

India is one of the largest producers of coal in the world and more than half of its commercial energy needs are met by the fossil fuel. The coal-rich regions include huge swathes of eastern states like Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, and pockets in the central and southern parts of the country. 

Coal mines in Odisha are already reeling under regular protests by the local populations who are demanding compensations against the damages caused to their lifestyles due to mining activities. In Talcher area of Angul, there was a 3 days protest by locals that was brought under control after assurance by the management from the coal mining companies to compensate the people suitably. However, sources reports that still people are not happy and may go for protests soon.

Under such circumstances, state like Odisha that very much depends on the revenue for mining activities will go down for sure that will affect developmental activities in the state. This opinion by SC is definitely a headache for the naveen Patnaik government in Odisha. 

Coal shortage from Talcher coalfields causing power shortage in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh

Dr. Narla Tata Rao Thermal Power Station (NTTPS), previously Vijayawada Thermal Power Station (VTPS), is heading for a crisis. The 1,760 MW power plant, with an assured coal linkage from Talcher coal fields in Orissa, is facing severe shortage of fuel required for power generation. Telangana and parts of Andhra Pradesh are already in the grip of power crisis due to drop in generation from the Kothagudem thermal power station.

Any decline in power generation from VTPS could accentuate the situation further, officials said.

VTPS officials said the plant would require about 28,000 tonnes of coal a day. But the supply was not commensurate with the requirement. In addition, adequate stocks could not be positioned in advance due to various reasons.

In this background, officials are worried that the sudden rise in the demand for power owing to severe heat wave conditions had the potential to pose problems for the utility. Speaking to The Hindu on Friday, VTPS Chief Engineer J. Sammaiah said “We are receiving coal on daily basis and this is enabling power generation without any hassles. But if the coal supply is affected even for an hour, then its impact can be severe.” “We are getting three rakes of coal a day from the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) as an emergency measure.

The AP Genco authorities are exploring options to procure coal from other sources to meet the increased demand,” Mr. Sammaiah said.

Though there was no problem as of now, any delay in receiving the coal consignment from Mahanadi Coalfields on account of transportation and other problems could cast an impact on the generation.

High temperatures at Talcher and employees’ unions strike are said to be the other reasons for poor production at MCL.

We are getting three rakes of coal a day from SCCL as an emergency measure, says Chief Engineer J. Sammaiah. Any decline in power generation from VTPS could accentuate the situation further, officials said.

Source : The Hindu

Odisha as an Information technology destination

“Odisha will soon be the most preferred destination in the country for investments on software products and services emerging from the USA,” said IT Secretary, Sanjeev Mishra. He was referring to the tie-up between the State Government and Silicon Valley in Santa Clara, California at the TiE conclave.

Addressing the ‘Digital Marketing Workshop’ organised by NASSCOM and Confederation of Information Technology Enterprises (CITE), Mishra said unlike the industrial and manufacturing sectors, development of infrastructure for the IT industry is being welcomed from all quarters of the political spectrum.

Mishra revealed that several offers from electronics and hardware companies from Taiwan and Singapore to start their operations out of the State were received by the Government. Scrutiny on these offers has started, he added.

Regional Head of NASSCOM East, Nirupam Chaudhari said the company is promoting emerging companies in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. He also briefed the delegates on the schedule and agenda of NASSCOM Product Conclave (NPC)-2014, to be held at Kolkata in June.

Speaking at the conclave, Regional Head of NASSCOM East, Nirupam Chaudhari said NASSCOM has been instrumental in supporting start-ups and mid-sized software firms comprehensively. It is promoting emerging companies in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, added Chaudhari. He urged the stakeholders of the industry to prioritise and invest on research and development by catering to the service needs of the West.

Orissa Essential Services (Maintenance) Act (ESMA) imposed at MCL, Talcher

Angul (Odisha): With growing dependency on energy to carter the ever growing industrial sector and over-reliance on thermal power sources, India is spending a large amount of foreign currency to buy coal from America, Australia and many other foreign countries. This phenomenon has been severely criticized by economist as well as policy makers, especially in a situation when the value of rupee is  so high against international currencies like dollar. 

Since long time many scholars are recommending the government to expedite domestic sources to produce more coals to support India's growing energy needs. However, the erstwhile Congress government was not giving any heed to such proposals. However, with BJP on the center with a full majority and Naveen Patnaik with a  never before strong mandate, the situation has changed. 

The State Government has recently imposed the Orissa Essential Services (Maintenance) Act (ESMA), 1988 in the industrial belt of Talcher for six months to prevent strike, agitation and blockade which might affect coal production and dispatch to NTPC and Nalco power plants.

Though the notification in this regard was issued by Home Department earlier this month, it reached here three days before. The notification that states that all strikes have been prohibited in Talcher coalfield and at two NTPC plants came into force from April 24.

The notification has evoked widespread resentment among the locals who used to resort to agitation to get justice in compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement issues. “The Government should solve these issues before throttling the voice of the people who are at the receiving end and are demanding justice in a democratic manner,” a local said. 

Imposition of ESMA, 1988 is especially critical because it does not allow rightful protest by labour bodies which is a direct violation of human rights as well as labour law violation. Now the question is whether people's mandate for a strong government at the center and state mean, 'allowing the authority to violate human rights for industrial development'? Why the employees at MCL must not be allowed their rightful rights?