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 !

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.

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. 

Odisha joins hand with Srilanka to revive Buddhist Link

The Kalinga-India Foundation was launched at the Sri Lankan High Commission here on Thursday by High Commissioner Prasad Kariyaswasam and India's former foreign secretary Lalit Mansingh. The foundation, based in Gurgaon is part of Kariyawasam's endeavours on developing unique ties with individual Indian states on the basis of their cultural linkages with the island nation.

Besides spearheading initiatives to build upon the common heritage between Odisha-- traditionally known as Kalinga-- and Sri Lanka, the foundation would encourage investment to exploit the human and mineral resources of the two. It would also promote research in socio-cultural and economic ties and give institutional support to scholars and artistes. The more visible impact of the foundation would be to promote and facilitate the visits of tourists and pilgrims to sites in two regions.

Mansingh, a recipient of Odisha's Kharavela Samman said, “In the last decade, the state has had political stability and we get dozens of proposals for investment. The foundation would facilitate entrepreneurs from Odisha and Sri Lanka to go for joint ventures.” He added that the strategic locations of Lankan and Odia ports offers easy access to the markets of South East Asia.

Mr. Kariyawasam said that reinvigorating the ancient links of Lanka to Kalinga with a productive, vibrant and stable relationship with Odisha would complement robust ties with India. “When South Asia and Asia rise, our two regions that once controlled the sea trade at the time may also rise,” he said.

Besides a common Buddhist heritage, Sinhala kings have been from Kalinga. The founder of the Sinhala race was Kalinga's Prince Vijaya and the tooth relic of the Buddha in Kandy -- considered a national symbol of Lanka-- was also brought Dantapura in Kalinga.

Kariyawasam who is set to take on the key diplomatic role of Ambassador to the United States, had earlier facilitated the establishment of a temple to Sita near Nuwara Eliya sponsored by the Madhya Pradesh government. The High Commission has taken keen interest in participating and providing inputs to the Sanchi University of Buddhist-Indic Studies in MP.

The relationship with Odisha is linked to the rise of state's mining industry. The cultural, linguistic and behavioural similarities of Odisha and Lanka in addition to sites of common heritage like the Buddhist Diamond circuit of monuments in state are focus areas of the foundation.

Among the invitees senior politician KP Singh Deo, leader of the Biju Janata Dal in the Lok Sabha-- Bhartruhari Mahtab, renowned hotelier T. Banambar Patra, industrialist K. Madhusudana Choudary, artist Jatin Das, economist Santosh Panda, former Odisha Chief Secretary Debi Prasad Bagchi and several serving and former bureaucrats.

Mass termination at MCL, Talcher in Odisha

MCL, an arm of state-owned Coal India Ltd, has terminated the services of 126 employees in Odisha for not vacating the land in lieu of which they were given the job as per the terms of appointment, said an official. 

"In total, 126 Mahanadi Coalfield Ltd (CIL arm) employees who were given jobs against the land were sacked as they were not vacating land in place of which they were offered jobs in the company," according to a Coal India official. "They had violated tthe terms and conditions of the appointment. Even after giving them jobs they were unwilling to vacate their lands. As a result, disciplinary action was taken against them," the official said. 

The employees who were placed in the Talcher coalfields of MCL were given final notice in November last year, he said. As on December 2013, more than 11,292 jobs are provided in the MCL to those who gave up their land, the official added. As on April 1, 2014, MCL has 22,278 people on its roll, he said. 

Talcher Coalfield is located in Angul district of Odisha, in the valley of the Brahmani. MCL, formed in April 1993 and created out of South Eastern Coalfields Ltd and Central Coalfields Ltd. The company produced 107.89 million tonne coal in FY'13 as per its website. 

Obtaining jobs in lieu of providing land has been a major issue in Angul district of Odisha in recent years due to the influx of large scale industries. Similar problems have been regularly reported from the Jindal and Bhusan Steel plants situated in Angul district.

Source : ET

50% Growth in Crorepatis in Odisha Assembly members in Five Years

One of the poorest state in India, Odisha has surprisingly largest number of richest elected members in its legislative assembly. Odisha assembly this time will have at least 76 crorepatis while their were only 32 after the 2009 elections, according to a report by Odisha Election Watch (OEW). Its a growth of more than fifty percent in the last five years. Out of the 147 winners analysed by the OEW, 76 (52 per cent) winners are crorepatis, while there were only 32 (24 per cent) crorepati winners in last assembly polls, said Ranjan Mohanty, state coordinator of the OEW.

While 62 (53 per cent) out of 117 winners from BJD are crorepatis, nine (56 per cent) out 16 winners come from Congress and four (40 per cent) out of the ten from BJP are crorepatis. The average assets of 147 winners is Rs 3.22 crores. The average assets per winner for 117 BJD winners is Rs 2.03 crores, for ten BJP winners the average is Rs 13.44 crores and for 16 Congress MLAs it is Rs 1.92 crores, the report said.

The top three winners with highest declared assets are identified as Dilip Kumar Ray of BJP from Rourkela (Rs 106 cr), Independent Sanatan Mahakud from Champua (Rs 69 crore) and BJP’s Nitesh Gangadeb from Deogarh (Rs 17 crore). Three winners with lowest declared assets are all from BJD. They are Priyanshu Pradhan from Chhatrapur (Rs 2.76 lakh), Basanti Mallick from Mohana (Rs 3 lakh) and Ramesh Patua (Rs 3 lakh) from Rengali.

Meanwhile, at least 52 (35 per cent) of the 147 winners this time have declared criminal cases against them while in 2009 there were 42 (31 per cent) winners with criminal cases out of the 134 winners, it said. In terms party-wise winners with criminal cases, Mohanty said, 32 (27 per cent) out of 117 winners from BJD have declared criminal cases against them while nine (56 per cent) of the 16 from Congress and eight (80 per cent) out of 10 from BJP have declared criminal cases in their affidavits.

Significantly, the OEW report said that 23 (20 per cent) out of 117 winners from the BJD have declared serious criminal cases against them while eight out of 16 winners from Congress and seven out of 10 winners from BJP have declared serious criminal cases in their affidavits.

Source: The Indian Express

Only seven AAP Candidates in Odisha got more than 2000 votes in the assembly election

Aam Admi Party (AAP) has failed to take off in Odisha with its candidates making no impact in both Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

AAP candidates had contested in 106 out of 147 assembly seats in the State. However, 58 of 106 candidates could not garner more than 1,000 votes. Many candidates have got less than 300 votes.

In Aul assembly segment in Kendrapara district, Soumya Ranjan Dhal of AAP secured 248 votes whereas Congress candidate Debendra Sharma, who won the seat, polled 81,254 votes. Similarly, in Chandbali and Basudebpur, AAP candidate got 257 and 276 votes respectively.

Only seven candidates were able to cross the 2000 mark in the assembly election.

Ajay Kumar Das in Kantabanji assembly seat in Bolangir district seems to be the only saving grace for the new party. Although he was not in the top three candidates in the seat, the AAP candidate got 20,333 votes. In neighbouring, Patnagarh constituency, Sunil Goel secured 5,588 votes. Only these two candidates of AAP had managed votes in excess of 5,000.

Even AAP has failed to make an impact in urban areas like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Rourkela, where it had claimed to have good support base. The performance in Lok Sabha election is even worse. Lingaraj Pradhan, AAP’s face in Odisha who was considered to have realistic chance of winning the election, finished sixth with 15,672 votes in Bargarh Lok Sabha seat whereas the winning BJD candidate secured 38,3320 votes, 24 times of AAP votes.

The party had fielded candidates in 18 out of 21 seats. Only three candidates got more than 10,000 votes. In Balasore, the AAP candidate got 2,664.

AAP got fewer votes than that of ‘None Of The Above’ option. In Lok Sabha election, 3,32,780 voteers opted for NOTA in comparison to 1,47,898 for AAP. Situation was somewhat similar in Assembly election. AAP’s vote share in Assembly election is 0.6 per cent whereas NOTA’s share constitutes 1.3 per cent. In fact, AAP’s vote shares in both Assembly and Lok Sabha election was not even 1 per cent of total votes polled in the State.

Source : The Hindu

A Special Paper on Odisha Politics in Ravenshaw University

This will be definitely a new initiative by the professors in the Ravenshaw University, situated in Cuttack, Odisha, that will not only give the students a firth hand experience about the political scenarios of the state, but it will also help the student to go through practical politics on the backdrop of political theories.  The massive win of BJD in assembly and Lok Sabha polls, Narendra Modi's failure to sway voters in Odisha, downfall of Congress and such events in 2014 elections have encouraged Ravenshaw University here to include a special paper on Odisha's political scenario in its curriculum.

The university authorities have decided to introduce 'political and social change in Odisha' for postgraduate students of political science. A team of faculty members are busy designing the content of the course, which will be introduced from this academic session, varsity sources said.

The decision was taken at a two-day seminar, organized by the varsity, to discuss curriculum reforms. Noted political scientists participated in the event, which concluded on Saturday, and proposed a special subject on Odisha politics.

"Our students study political economy and history of America. It's an irony that they know nothing about Odisha's political background. Electoral politics in Odisha is a very interesting subject and a lot of research work can be done on it," said Bishnu Mohapatra, a former faculty of Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Initially, it will be an optional paper. The authorities would make it a compulsory subject after assessing the response of students, varsity sources added.

"The syllabus will be an amalgamation of traditional and contemporary development in Odisha politics," said Ravenshaw vice-chancellor B C Tripathy. It is being prepared under Mohapatra's guidance, he added.

Source : TOI