By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: There is some heart-warming news for wildlife lovers from Ganjam district. The number of muggers, an endangered crocodile species, in the district’s Ghodahada irrigation reservoir and adjoining water bodies has gone up to 65 from 58 last year. While 44 muggers were found in the 5 sq km reservoir, 21 were […]
By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: For the last few years I had been hearing about the ’ positive ‘ changes the city of Varanasi, part of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency, has undergone since he began representing it in the parliament. My classmates from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), some of whom still live in […]
By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: It is heartening to note that the state government is trying to promote eco-tourism through fresh initiatives like ‘Eco-trails Odisha’, a trekking and hiking programme. Apart from creating awareness about new sites richly endowed with natural beauty, it seeks to educate tourists on flora and fauna of these destinations. Media reports […]
By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Ridding Chilika, Asia’s largest brackish water lake, of illegal prawn gherries ( enclosures) is a Herculean task. The gherries re-appear within days of demolition by the administrations of Puri, Ganjam and Khurda, the districts straddled by the huge water body which was declared a Ramsar site long ago. The Puri district […]
By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: The rise of BJP as the main opposition party in Odisha has not surprised anyone but most political observers have sought to attribute this to the steep decline in Congress’s fortunes in the state. The argument is that BJP’s vote share has risen almost in direct proportion to the fall in […]
By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: A Block Education Officer (BEO) was recently beaten up by people over the poor quality of mid-day meal (MDM) rice being supplied to a primary school in Nowrangpur district. The residents of the village where the school is located wanted to lodge a complaint with the BEO with regard to the […]