Guest Column News Updates

Niyamagiri-Mining
Op-Ed: Poma Tudu Transfer Proves The Govt Will Go To Any Length To Oblige Mining Lobby

By Sandeep Sahu Weeks before the 2004 elections, I happened to be Kalahandi. After completing the day’s work, I happened to meet a few people who had just returned from the Gram Sabha earlier in the day where consent was wrested for setting up of the 1 million ton per annum (MTPA) capacity bauxite refinery […]

Kashmir1
Op-Ed: A Bold Step

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Modi government’s decision to scrap article 370 conferring special status on Jammu and Kashmir and to split the state into union territories, one with a legislature and another without one, has evoked a flood of contrasting reactions across the country. The J&K itself seems to be in a ferment with the […]

polavaram
Op-Ed: Odisha Must Scale Up The Fight Against Polavaram

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: In a clear indication that Odisha is determined to step up its fight against the controversial Polavaram project coming up in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh the state assembly has set up a committee comprising members from various parties to take up the issue with Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. With the union environment […]

kalia-scheme
Op-Ed: KALIA Lands In A Fresh Controversy

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: State government’s much talked about KALIA Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation) scheme for farmers finds itself in the midst of another controversy with agriculture department initiating the process of vetting beneficiaries after a large number of them have already received the money in their bank accounts. It has asked […]

Op-Ed: Women SHGs A Success Story

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Empowerment of women has been one of the major achievements of Naveen Patnaik government. Mission Shakti, the most important initiative on this front, has become symbolic of dignity and self-reliance of the members of the fair sex. There are around six lakh women self help groups (SHGs) in the state engaged […]

puri-fani1
Op-Ed: Government Must Accelerate Work in Fani-Hit Areas

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: More than three months have passed since cyclone Fani struck the Odisha coast but the state is yet to recover fully from its effects. People in several villages of Puri district, which was the worst affected by the calamity, are still struggling to rebuild their damaged houses. Power continues to play […]

Sun-Temple
Op-Ed: Odisha Must Showcase Its Best On Tourism Front

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Odisha BJP leaders have made a strong pitch for Puri Jagannath temple and the sun temple at Konark being included in the list of Centre’s iconic tourist sites. This was expected of them because like most other Odias they must have felt disappointed at none of the state monuments finding a […]

BJP
Op-Ed: What BJP Needs To Do In Odisha To Find A Winning Formula

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: The BJP in Odisha has achieved its first objective of replacing the Congress as the main opposition party in the state. But the party cannot be satisfied with its performance in the recent elections. While its Lok Sabha tally went up to 8 from one in 2014 it could win only […]

Congress-President-Sonia-Gandhi
Op-Ed: Congress Cannot Look Beyond The Family

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: The Congress story is beginning to look boringly familiar. The appointment of Sonia Gandhi as the party’s interim president is bound to induce a feeling of déjà vu among people who have been following its fortunes closely. The development makes the long drawn out meetings held to choose a new party […]

Ayushman-Bharat-scheme
Op-Ed: Political Considerations Come In The Way of Odisha Adopting Ayushman Bharat

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Bhartiya Janata Party MPs from the state have made a fervent plea for state government adopting and implementing the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat scheme. There is no denying the importance of the scheme for the people but residents of the state are being deprived of its benefits because Odisha government has pitted its […]

chilika
Op-Ed: The Challenge Of Safeguarding Chilika

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: In a few months from now Chilika, the largest brackish water lake of Asia, will be playing host to lakhs of migratory birds that turn the lagoon into a plumed wonder during the winter months every year. As the Chilika Wildlife Division officials gear up for the winter congregation of the […]

BJD-BJP
Op-Ed: Democracy Needs Constructive Opposition

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: It is the job of Opposition to criticize but criticism must be constructive and aimed at enhancing the quality of governance. Blind opposition is the biggest threat to democracy. Unfortunately in Odisha certain sections of the Opposition have begun to show this tendency. They find nothing right with the Naveen Patnaik […]

Op-Ed: Why Western Odisha Suits BJP More?

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: What is it that makes BJP stronger in western Odisha compared to the state’s coastal belt? Right from the beginning the party has been winning more seats in the western region while it has found it difficult to penetrate the coast where currently the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) dominates. […]

Elephant
Op-Ed: Odisha Needs A Fool-Proof Plan To Check Man-Animal Conflict

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: There are fresh reports of depredation caused by elephants in different parts of the state. The pachyderms have been destroying crops and damaging houses, triggering anger among the residents of affected areas. In the past there have also been cases of jumbos killing humans and vice-versa. The truth is man-animal, especially […]

srimandir1
Op-Ed: Resistance Notwithstanding Reforms Should Be Implemented

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Change, as the proverb goes, may be the only constant in life but it is never easy to effect. Most people, by their very nature, are reluctant to accept change for it threatens to disturb the equilibrium of their lives at least temporarily. Even a change for the better takes time […]

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