Tag: Columnist Ashutosh Mishra

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: The Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is on a high following its landslide victory in the just concluded Bijepur assembly by-poll. On present form it seems to be miles ahead of its rivals—BJP and Congress—who have utterly failed to project themselves as an alternative to Patnaik. Congress is down in […]

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: With despondency growing and future appearing bleak in the wake of yet another defeat, this time in a by-poll, younger generation Congress leaders in the state are becoming impatient. The campaign for the removal of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president, Niranjan Patnaik, launched at a meeting of party leaders at Panth […]

By Ashutosh Mishra London: Britain is getting ready for its first December election since 1923. Before that, the country had gone to polls in the year-end month in 1918 when troops returning from World War I had joined women voting for the first time. A December election follows opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn’s willingness to pick […]

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Odisha government’s decision to organise Marine Drive Eco Retreat festival near Konark from December 14 is obviously aimed at drawing more tourists, especially foreign tourists to the area which not only houses the world famous 13th century sun temple but also has an excellent beach and a beautiful wildlife sanctuary. The […]

By Ashutosh Mishra London: Being used to the boisterous and colourful election campaigns in India I find the ongoing campaign for the Christmas elections in this country strangely quiet and drab. There are no banners and posters, no loudspeaker mounted vehicles blaring out songs and slogans and no processions with dance and music. For us […]

By Ashutosh Mishra London: Political analysts here appear worried that Brexit fixation of major party leaders is going to make the Christmas elections terribly skewed. One commentator calls it the hijacking of the elections by Brexit which, by all indications, has turned into an obsession. Everything else has become secondary. Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, who […]

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Sundari, the Royal Bengal tigress who was brought to the Satkosia tiger reserve from the Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh under the first-ever inter-state tiger translocation project in the country last year, remains confined to her enclosure after a brief period of independence when she was allowed to roam free […]

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: For all Nature lovers safety of the endangered Olive Ridley turtles, who nest on the beaches of Odisha between November and March every year, remains an overriding concern. This is because hundreds of them are killed every year by fishing trawlers which routinely violate the fishing restrictions imposed by the authorities […]

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: The worst part of the migrant labour trade is that a sizeable chunk of the labourers going out of the state in search of livelihood are children. According to one estimate, around 30,000 children from the drought belt of Bolangir and Nuapada leave their homes behind to work on farms and […]

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: If not special category state status, Odisha at least deserves special treatment from the Centre. Battered periodically by natural calamities like cyclones and floods the state has a strong case for being put in the special category in terms of financial assistance. The damage caused by a series of disastrous cyclones […]

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Chilika, the largest brackish water lake of Asia, has turned into a plumed wonder with hundreds of migratory birds presently lazing in its cerulean waters. This is the best time of the year to visit the lagoon when it is bathed in exotic colours with winged guests making all kinds of noises. […]

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: The figures keep changing. The latest claims put the number of people who received money under the KALIA (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation) scheme without fulfilling the eligibility criteria at 45,965 which is nearly 14,000 more than what the earlier statistics provided by the government had shown. These bogus […]

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik deserves kudos for demanding ‘National Maritime Heritage Festival’ status for the Cuttack Balijatra which has come to symbolise the great maritime tradition of Odisha. The coast of Kalinga, as the state was known in ancient times, was dotted with important ports which were fulcrums of trade and […]

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Last week Sundergarh police arrested a quack who had been working as a doctor at a government-run health centre. While the mystery of how his fake MBBS degree managed to pass the scrutiny of those who recruited him still remains unresolved there are reports of another charltan masquerading as a doctor […]

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: The signs are ominous. The seizure of brown sugar and other narcotics by the police in the last one year or so is believed to be just the tip of the iceberg. Drug mafia appears to be well entrenched in the state with its tentacles spreading everywhere. What is worrisome is […]