News from Koraput

Four visually impaired cricketers from Odisha, part of India's 15-member blind cricket team, will travel to Boston on July 24 to teach American counterparts the game. The Indian team, recognized for their excellence in blind cricket, will stay in the US for 55 days imparting their skills.

Apart from clearing encroachments and illegal parking, it has also been decided at the joint committee meeting chaired by Sub-Collector to clear other encroachments from other parts of the town.

Universities in Odisha face a crisis with significant teaching and non-teaching staff vacancies. Notably, Vikram Deb and Fakir Mohan Universities are struggling due to halted recruitment processes.

An anthrax outbreak is suspected in Padeiguda village, Koraput district. Two people tested positive among six samples sent for testing. The CDMO has instructed the affected individuals to remain isolated to prevent further spread.

An 11-year-old child's death from Diphtheria in Koraput, Odisha has sparked fear across nearby villages. Health officials are investigating and have vaccinated 468 children with a booster dose while surveillance continues in the affected areas.

WHO team along with health department officials are visiting villages in the affected districts of the state. The health department officials have urged people to use masks as a precautionary measures.

BSF jawan Dhrubraj Pradhan was found dead on a railway track in Koraput district, with the cause of death still unclear. GRP has initiated an investigation to determine whether it was a case of suicide or murder.

In the first phase elections in Odisha, tribal voters hold significant sway in districts like Nabarangpur, Koraput, and others. Discontent over government apathy towards tribal development and the PESA Act's poor implementation has fueled voter sentiment. Major parties vie for their crucial votes amidst promises and grievances.

Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai lambasted the BJD for treating tribals as a vote bank without fostering their development. He highlighted the non-implementation of central schemes like Ayushman Bharat in Odisha, promising rapid progress under the prospective BJP-led 'double-engine' government.

Many candidates' wives are actively campaigning for their husbands. They participate in various campaign activities, from door-to-door visits to public meetings, in different assembly seats such as Bolangir, Korei, and Jeypore.

In his address, Patnaik said, “The opposition is telling lies and its leaders are shedding crocodile tears. Bless me and BJD’s MLA and MP candidates.”

BJD candidate Jagannath Saraka, BJP candidate Jagannath Nudruka, Congress nominee Nilamadhab Hikaka and Independent candidate Nilamadhab Ulaka are in the fray in the Bissam Cuttack Assembly seat in Rayagada.

As a part of its strategy, the grand old party has lined up prominent and veteran leaders like Priyanka Gandhi, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, who will hit the campaign trail for their party nominees in the south, where a major chunk of the electorate are Telugu speaking people. 

Family members of Param Manding, wife of Satama Manding, contacted for an ambulance. But the ambulance couldn’t come to their village as it doesn’t have a motorable road.

Opposing their own nominees and challenging the decision of the top leaders, some leaders have even filed nominations as independents for the Lok Sabha seat and Assembly seats such as Gunupur, Bissam Cuttack and Jeypore.