Odisha's Chilika Lake - "Destination Flyways" of UNWTO

This is a old news piece but a very important one. At least finally one World body has recognized the bio-diversity of Chilika Lake. 

Chilika lagoon has been named 'destination flyways' by United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) after its inclusion in a list of eight such sites worldwide. It is the only site in Asia to be thus recognized by UNWTO.

The lagoon was so named because it is a sustainable and resilient destination for migratory water birds, said official sources.

"UNWTO is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of universally accessible tourism. Over the years, Chilika has proved to be the ideal destination for migratory birds, which is the reason why it is also a globally-acclaimed tourist destination," said chief executive of Chilika Development Authority (CDA) Ajit Kumar Pattnaik. He said it was heartening to get the title as the UNWTO offers support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.

The name was recommended by Secretariat of the Convention of Biological Diversity (SCBD), the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS), the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, the World Heritage and Man and the Biosphere Programmes of (WHC and MAB), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Wetlands International and Birdlife International.

"This initiative of UNWTO aims at promotion sustainable tourism at Chilika. The UNWTO has also commissioned a mission for Chilika in January, which is being led by Virginia Trapa (a member of UNWTO). During its visit to Chilika, the mission discussed the management of Chilika Lake. The team interacted with reformed bird hunters, who are now bird watching at Magalajodi," said Pattnaik.

The number of winged visitors to Chilika Lake fell this season with 1.58 lakh fewer migratory birds sighted than the previous season. Ornithologists said the number of birds had perhaps dwindled due to the effect of cyclone Phailin.

 The annual bird count conducted in the 1,100sqkm lake a week ago put the count at around 7.19 lakh birds belonging to 58 species. Around 8.77 lakh birds of 180 species had visited the lake last winter and 8.83 lakh birds of 167 species had visited the blue lagoon in 2012, the sources said.

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 !

Pattachithra painting camp at Mysore

I just came across this news piece on TOI about the spread of Odia arts in India. Its really a sad situation that no concrete efforts are being made by the Odisha government to promote the culture and arts of our rich land. Odisha has so many things to offer to the world, but except Odishi dance, nothing is known about Odisha. The following news made me happy that at least people from out of Odisha are inviting our artists to learn our arts. Here is how Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS), Mysore has taken the initiative.

A learning camp about the traditional Odisha painting style known as Pattachithra is planned by the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS). Artists from Odisha have been roped in to train Mysoreans on preparing various Odisha art forms. Pattachithra is a traditional art form using textile design that focuses on religious subjects like the Jagannath of Puri, Vaishnava culture and Krishna and Radha or subjects from nature like fields, farms, valleys and waterfalls. The training programme is spread over a ten day period. 

Pattachitra does not make use of regular colours. Poster colours, water colour, acrylic, crayons, charcoal and oil paints have no place here. Instead, colours in Pattachitra are prepared by traditional methods and include a range of raw materials like vegetables, stones and minerals. Pattachitra's whites, for example are made from conch shells. The shells are powdered, boiled and then filtered before they can be used. Reds come from Hingula, a mineral, a yellow stone, known locally as haritala is ground to provide yellow pigments. For blacks, pattachitra practitioners use a dye made from burnt coconut shells. Traditional Pattachithra paintings use a limited set of colours: red, yellow, indigo, black and white. 

Participants in the programme will learn to prepare different colours and learn colour-mixing techniques. They will learn how to convert normal colour into water-proof colours. After successful completion of the training, candidates will be issued a central government certification. They will also be able to take home the the paintings they create during the course of the training. "Mainly, Patachithra paintings were made on cloths. The name itself reveals the form of art. Pata means cloth, and Chithra means art in Sanskrit. Traditionally, pattachitra was a family undertaking. The men folk did the artwork and the women worked on preparing the dyes" says Nagendra from Southern Regional Centre of IGRMS. 

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.

Odia Palm Leaf Manuscripts now available online through e-Pothi Project

Here is a great news for all those who love Odia Classical literary works from various fields or who wants to do pre-modern research related to Eastern India, especially of Odisha.The Odisha government, has now, through the state museum's homepage, made available the catalog of all those priceless palm leaf manuscripts in Odia and other languages like Sanskrit. You can order the paper version or soft copy version of the work from the http://www.odishamuseum.nic.in/ homepage. 

The unique and rare palm leaf manuscripts of Odisha will now be accessible at the click of a mouse. As many as 40,000 manuscripts in possession of the Odisha State Museum have been digitised, e-catalogued and hosted on the Web through a dedicated webpage, e-Pothi.

Embedded in the website of Odisha State Museum - odishamuseum.nic.in - some of the categories under which those can be accessed are Illustrate Manuscripts, Sanskrit Purana, Tantra, Veda, Odia Literature, Shilpasastra, Jyotisha, Grammar, Ganita, Dharmasastra, Darshan and Ayurveda.

e-Pothi, a project of the Culture Department and implemented by National Informatics Centre (NIC), will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday.

This works like an online catalogue, where a visitor can search based on author, subject or even category and get access to the manuscripts. A visitor can get access to the first and last page of an individual manuscript and if he wants to read or take copies of the manuscripts for research purpose, there is a facility for online purchase through payment. Charges will be higher for commercial use of the digitised format of manuscripts.

At the State Museum, the manuscripts have been categorised under 27 sections and showcased at the Palm Leaf Manuscripts gallery, all of which would be available online now.

Last year, a dedicated webpage on Jaydev’s Geeta Govinda manuscript was launched by the Culture Department, which was also integrated into the State Museum website. While the first 20 to 25 pages of Geeta Govinda can be downloaded free of cost, the rest would be charged.

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.