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  In a shocking incident, three women were killed in a landslide in Koraput district on Friday. The incident occurred in Podaguda village of Renga Panchayat under Pottangi Police limits. According to sources, 11 women from the Miriyalipadu village of Rayagada Panchayat had visited Renga to dig limestone. This is when a portion of the land collapsed on them. Among the 11 women, three women reportedly died on spot while one was critically injured. As per reports, the injured woman was admitted to Pottangi Community Health Centre for treatment.

With COVID19 infections rising in Odisha, the State government has decided to suspend all examinations and physical classes in universities and colleges. As per the notification of the Higher Education department, all examinations and physical classes in universities and colleges coming under the administrative control of the department will remain suspended from April 19th. The department has issued directives to close down hostels and vacate boarders. Revised examination schedule shall he communicated later on after consulting with Vice Chancellors and Principals. Meanwhile, classes shall be held in online mode to complete the syllabus on time while all concerned institutions will function with 50% teaching and non-teaching employees from April 19th. The teachers have been asked to conduct online classes from their institutions as well as homes depending on the situation.

There will be no COVID19 vaccination during the weekend shutdown in all urban areas of the 10 districts bordering Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. In a letter to all the district collectors and municipality commissioners, Additional Chief Secretary of Health, Pradipta Mohapatra informed that COVID19 vaccination will be halted during the weekend shutdown in all urban areas of Sundergarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Bolangir, Sambalpur, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Malkangiri districts. However, vaccination will continue uninterruptedly in other places in Odisha, the letter added. Earlier on Thursday (April 15), Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra had ordered weekend shutdown in urban areas of the 10 districts bordering the states of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.

As a part of a mock fire drill conducted in Sonepur District Headquarters Hospital,  Fire Services officials show how to tackle a fire triggered by a LPG cylinder leak.

This is some shocking news coming your way, if you are a true fan of Kartik Aaryan. The actor has reportedly been banned from the one of the biggest production houses of Bollywood.

No cheer for Odisha this monsoon season. As per the forecast of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Odisha along with Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Assam are likely to receive below-normal rainfall during the Southwest monsoon. For Odisha, the cumulative forecast for the period of June – September predicts below normal rainfall in western, northern, central and southern districts. While releasing the first Long Range Forecast for the four-month rainfall period from June to September, the Ministry of Earth Sciences informed that rainfall will be normal or above normal in the rest of the country. The Long Period Average (LPA) will be 98 per cent with an error margin of plus and minus 5 per cent, said M Rajeevan, secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences. The Southwest monsoon, which brings about 75% rainfall in the country, plays a pivotal role in driving the country’s economy, in which agriculture and its allied activities are the key pillars.

There seems to be no let up in COVID19 cases in Odisha as the state continues to witness rise in fatalities & new infections. In the last 24 hours, as many as four people succumbed to COVID19 taking the death toll to 1942 in the state. The four deaths were reported from Bolangir, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi and Sambalpur districts. New infections in the state also surged with 3,144 new cases being reported in the last 24 hours. With these addition of new cases, the active caseload in the State rose to 19,077. As per the data provided by the Information and Public Relations department, as many as 1823 new cases were quarantine cases while the rest 1321 cases were local contact cases. Sundergarh reported highest new infections with 523 cases while Khordha saw second highest spurt in infections with 497 cases. Seven districts in the State saw over 100 new cases in the last 24 hours.

  In a disconcerting development, gangster Sheikh Hyder has tested positive for COVID19. The news comes after the high drama surrounding his escape from Cuttack and subsequent arrest from Telanagana. According to sources, gangster Hyder’s infection was confirmed after his RT-PCR test. After his report came out positive, he has been shifted to the isolation ward in Choudwar Jail. His police remand has been put on hold following the confirmation of his Coronavirus infection. Cuttack Deputy Commissioner of Police, Prateek Singh informed that the scheduled seven-day remand has been postponed as he tested positive for Covid-19. The notorious criminal, who had escaped from SCB hospital while undergoing treatment on April 10, was nabbed by a special team of Cuttack Police from Sangareddy district of Telangana.

  In a shocking incident, a pregnant cobra was put through brutal torture by some miscreants, who sealed its mouth with glue. The incident was reported in Bhubaneswar on Thursday (April 15), when snake helpline members rescued the pregnant cobra snake. As per the snake helpline members, they received a call from locals near Gobindeswar Road regarding a cobra snake in the area. After receiving information, the snake helpline members reached the spot and discovered, to their horror, that its mouth had been sealed using synthetic glue. Then on Friday morning (April 16), the snake was taken to Odisha University of Agriculture & Technology (OUAT) Veterinary College for a check-up. Subsequently it was found that the snake was pregnant. To keep the reptile safe, the snake helpline members decided against using chemicals to remove the glue. Instead, they used lemon juice to loosen the glue, stuck in the snake’s mouth. After a long and tedious process, the team of snake rescuers finally managed to remove all glue from the snake’s mouth. Currently, the cobra is under-observation and would be released into the forest area after it is deemed fit.

Biju Patnaik was a visionary leader, freedom fighter & real-life hero. On his death anniversary today, let us pay tributes to the legendary Biju Babu.

In another big spike, Odisha recorded massive 3664 positive cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the active n-CoV cases to beyond 20,000 in the state. Two Covid-infected persons, one from Bargarh and another from Sundargarh district, succumbed to the disease during the period. BIG SPIKE recorded in Odisha! Daily Covid-19 cases cross 3500-mark in Odisha. ACTIVE CASES breach 20k-mark in Odisha. 3664 n-CoV positive cases reported in Odisha in last 24 hours. 2127 cases in QUARANTINE, 1537 LOCAL CONTACT cases. 1 death reported from Bargarh, 1 from Sundargarh. Death toll in Odisha mounts to 1944. In last 24 hours, KHORDHA reports maximum 704 Covid-19 cases. 340 cases in Sundargarh, 324 in Kalahandi, 221 in Nuapada, 210 in Bargarh, 199 in Sambalpur, 198 in Cuttack, 183 in Jharsuguda, 143 in Puri, 119 in Mayurbhanj district. ACTIVE Covid-19 cases in Odisha rise To 21436. Total corona positive cases so far in Odisha at 3,68,258. Total recoveries at 3,44,825.

Bringing laurels to the country, the Navonmesh Prasar Student Astronomy Team (NaPSAT) from Odisha has managed to make history again! This was the first ever high school team to represent India at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Human Exploration Rover Challenge. Now this same team of 10 enthusiastic students has managed to bag 3rd position in the ‘Overall Category’ as well as the ‘Best Videography Award’ in the high school division. The prestigious awards were announced on April 16th on a virtual platform. The news was also announced by NASA on its official twitter handle. The NaPSAT team secured third position in the overall category in the high school division. Parish Episcopal School Team 1, Dallas, Texas and Stillwater Area High School, Stillwater, Minnesota bagged the first and second positions respectively. The team also proved its mettle in another category and bagged the ‘Best Videography Award’ in the high school division. The NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge is an annual competition held by NASA for high school and university students. Students have to design, build and test a rover, capable of traversing exoplanetary-like landscapes as well as work on communication, management, stem engagement, etc. The team from Odisha had built a rover named NaPSAT 1.0 under the guidance of Young Tinker and the Navonmesh Prasar Foundation. The rover made by the team is capable of traversing all different kinds of terrains which brought it success at this year’s competition.

This is your forecast for April 19-25 : Know What This Week Has In Store For You

In the wake of rising cases of COVID-19 in the country, the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Sunday postponed the April Session of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2021. NTA said that the decision has been taken keeping in mind the present situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and also taking into account the safety and well-being of the candidates and examination functionaries. The JEE (Main) -2021 April Session was scheduled for 27, 28, and 30 April. According to the official notification of NTA, the revised dates for the JEE (Main) — 2021 April session will be announced later on and at least 15 days before the examination. The National Testing Agency is organizing the JEE (Main) — 2021 in four sessions. Two of these sessions have already been completed in February and March. The Session 1 was held from 23 to 26 February 2021 and Session 2 from 16 to 18 March. The candidates have been advised to frequently visit the official websites of NTA (www.nta.ac.in) and (jeemain.nta.nic.in) for the latest updates. Earlier, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) which was scheduled to be held today (April 18) was also postponed in light of the surge in COVID-19 cases in the country. In the last 24 hours, India has reported 2,61,500 new COVID-19 cases and 1,501 deaths, in what is said to be its highest ever single-day spike.

With over 2.61 lakh Covid-19 cases, India has recorded the biggest single-day spike pushing the country's tally to 1.47 crore. In the last 24 hours, the country also witnessed death of as many as 1501 persons due to the virus. India sees a grim record of MOST FATALITIES due to COVID-19 in one day. RECORD 1,501 people succumbed to COVID-19 disease in India in last 24 hours. Death toll in India mounts to 1,77,150. Shattering its own record, India saw a massive surge of 2,61,500 new COVID-19 cases in 1 day. Total COVID cases in India reached 1,47,88,109 India's active cases rose to 18,01,316 after today's surge. India is now the 4th-worst hit country in terms of active cases. In the last 24 hours, 1,38,423 persons recuperated from the disease. The number of recoveries in India now stand at 1,28,09,643. India's recovery rate slips to 86.62 per cent.