Odisha Chief Secy: Meet the Housing and Livelihood of Tribal Groups

Meet the housing and livelihood need of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups ( PVTGs) through convergence of various ongoing programmes and projects directed Chief Secretary Sri Gokul Chandra Pati. Chief Secretary gave this direction while presiding over Governing Council Meeting of the Odisha Tribal Development Society ( OTDS) held in secretariat conference hall today wherein Director ST welfare Sri Raghu Prasad Dash presented issues for discussion. 

The Society has also been asked to prepare draft MOUs to be signed with various societies and corporations operating under different departments for convergence and collaboration targeting investment of around Rs.1000 cr during coming two years. Director Scheduled Tribe & Scheduled Caste Research Institute Dr A.B. Hota present in the meeting said that there are around 20,000 PVTGs spread over 20 blocks of 12 districts. They are living in near about 542 habitations. Chief Secretary Sri Pati has directed the Society and the ST & SC research Institute to work out specific action plan for saturating the housing and livelihood need of these vulnerable tribal groups. It may be pertinent to mention here that OTDS has been formed with prime objectives of providing support for planning, implementation and monitoring of tribal development programmes. Providing technical support to the departments and taking up capacity building activities for the stakeholders are other key objectives of the society. 

Chief Secretary Sri Pati has directed to convene the meeting of the society in each 6 month and plan out interventions necessary with feed back from the field. In the meanwhile, the OTDS has taken up Focused Area Development Plan ( FADP) for supporting ST families with viable livelihood options. Around 13 specific land and non-land based livelihood focus areas have been identified. The major ones include wadi- agro horticulture, coffee cultivation, rubber cultivation, commercial vegetable cultivation, improved agriculture, micro enterprise, NTFP collection & marketing, farm mechanization, poultry farming, goat rearing, placement linked skill development, tribal handicraft & handloom. These programmes are being implemented in Champua, Koraput, Jeypore, Rayagada, Gunupur, Th.Rampur, Baliguda, Phulbani, Nabarangpur, Sundargarh, Panposh, Bonai, Baripada, Kaptipada, Karanjia, Rairangpur, Paralakhemuni, Malkangiri, Nilagiri, Kuchinda and Keonjhar areas. The programmes are being implemented with the support of Facilitating Non Govt Organizations. 

Chief Secretary has directed to prepare an estimate of around Rs1000 cr. to be invested in augmenting these activities and for providing assistance for house construction. The society has been advised to entre in to agreement with MGNREGA society, NRLM, Odisha Livelihood Mission, ORMAS, National Horticulture Mission, Watershed Mission, Forest Development Corporation etc and to dovetail funds from various housing schemes like Biju Pucca Ghar , IAY etc. The Director, Sri Dash has been asked to prepare these MOUs within a month. Development Commissioner Sri U.N.Behera, Additional Chief Secretary Finance Sri R. Balkrishnan, Principal Secretary Agriculture Sri Rajesh Verma, Secretary Panchayati Raj Sri D.K. Singh, Secretary Fisheries & Animal Resource Development Sri Bishnupada Sethi along with senior officers from concerned departments participated in the discussion.

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Airtel 3G services now available in Odisha

Airtel 3G services now available in Odisha

Now offers a wide bouquet of mobile services – 2G & 3G – in the state

Bhubaneswar: Bharti Airtel Limited (“Airtel”), a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, today said that it will offer high speed 3G services to customers in Odisha. With this, Airtel now offers a wide bouquet of mobile services to customers in Odisha, with its offerings spanning 2G & 3G services. Airtel is the largest mobile operator in Odisha with over 8.5 million customers.

Airtel 3G will be available to customers in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Brahmapur, Keonjhar, Jajpur Road, Jajpur Town and Paradip. Airtel customers across these cities can now experience high speed 3G mobile broadband experience and enjoy buffer-free video streaming, high speed downloads, file sharing and transfers, online gaming and much more on the go. Airtel 3G services will available at prices starting as low as Rs. 27/- and customers can choose from a variety of simple and affordable plans.

To know more or avail 3G roaming services from Airtel - customers can SMS ‘3G’ to 121 or log on to http://www.airtel.in/3G

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National Tribal Art & Craft Mela-2014 inaugurated

National Tribal Art & Craft Mela-2014 inaugurated

Bhubaneswar: The National Tribal Art & Craft Mela-2014 inaugurated by ST&SC Development Minister Sri Lal Bihari Himirika today at SCSTRTI premises on Wednesday. Others who were present on the occasion are Commissioner-cum-Secretary, ST & SC Development Department Sri Surendra Kumar, Director(ST), Sri R.Raghuprasad, Director(SC) Sri Ramesh Chandra Sai, Director, SCSTRTI Prof.(Dr) Akhil Bihari Ota, MD, T.D.C.O.L, Sri Sushanta Nanda.

The National Art & Craft Mela is being organised by SCSTRTI, Bhubaneswar and IGRMS, Bhopal. Eight Tribal dominated states have sponsored their tribal artisans to participate the National Tribal Craft Mela. 81 numbers of participants representing 22 tribes are displaying 14 crafts in this Mela.

TRIFED, Govt of India & World Art have also sponsored 12 nos of artisans to participate in the National Tribal Art & Craft Mela. The Muria Painting, Bell Metal, Metal Work, Iron Craft & Bamboo Craft of Chhatisgarh, Painting of Madhyapradesh, Jharkhand, Maharastra, Gujurat & Manipur, Textile of Manipur & Assam, Basketry & Mask making of Manipur & Assam are displayed in the Craft Mela.

Tribal communities of Odisha like Lanjia Saura, Gond, Bhottada, Lodha, Juang, Santal & Bathudi, Mankiridia, Dongria Kandha have also displayed their arts & crafts on painting paddy craft, Bamboo Craft, Comb making, Lacquer Craft, Siali Fiber Craft, Jewellery Work, Dokra Craft & Embroidery Work.

The National Art & Craft Mela will continue till 27 th November and will be opened from 10AM to 6.30PM everyday at SCSTRTI premises.

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Sate Govt Support for Raw Material Linkage to Steel Industries Encouraging: Rakesh Sing

Bhubaneswar: State Govt has provided encouraging support for raw material linkage to steel industries in the State and there has been substantial progress in the matter said Sri Rakesh Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Steels, Govt of India while replying to a media query after taking review in a high level meeting held under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary Sri Gokul Chandra Pati in secretariat conference hall today.

Sri Singh also said that Ministry has targeted to enhance steel production to 300 million tons by 2025 in phases. In the first phase, target has been set to boost up the production to 200 MT per annum by the year 2020-2021. Chief Secretary Sri Pati has advised the central PSUs and private companies to put their statutory clearance applications on first track with all the required papers, DGPS maps, land schedules, compensatory afforestation plan etc. in one go.

They have also been advised to take immediate possession of acquired land and start setting up their units. They have been asked not to leave the land unutilized as it is likely to create many other legal and social complications.

The issues relating to long term coal linkage, renewal of license, support to downstream industries in steel sector, payment of compensations, fulfillment of resettlement & rehabilitation responsibilities and Corporate Social responsibilities by the industries, setting up pelletization units by SAIL and RINL were discussed in the meeting.

Central PSUs like SAIL, NMDC, RINL, NSDC, IBM and private companies like Zindal, Tata Steels, Bajaj Steels, Visa Steels presented their problems which were discussed in detail and necessary decisions were taken for quick resolution of the issues.

Secretary, Steel & Mines Sri G. Srnivas presented the updates on allocation of coal blocks, coal linkages, expression orders etc. for facilitating quicker resolution of the issues. The proposal relating to reserve of 50% of total coal production from working mines in Odisha for industries having their production units in the State also figured in the meeting.

The matter received in principle nod from all the stake holders. Sources say, the matter is being examined by the department of Steel & Mines as per the existing laws and regulations of mining. Additional Chief Secretary Revenue & Disaster management Dr. Taradatt, Principal Secretary Forest & Revenue

Sri Raj Kumar Sharma, Secretary Steel & Mines Sri G. Srnivas, MD OMC Sri S.N. Girish along with other senior officers from respective departments and representatives of the PSUs as well as Industries participated in discussion.

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ZICA to Award Scholarships to Students to achieve their educational goal

Bhubaneswar: Zee Institute of Creative Art (ZICA), an active player in promoting the growth of animation industry in India, is once again rewarding performance with its ‘Zee Vidyanidhi Scholarship’. Through initiatives such as this, ZICA is trying to take steps toward making it easier for young talented students to fulfill their dreams of being a world class animator. With the ‘Zee Vidyanidhi Scholarship‘, 1000 talented students can get up to 100% scholarship for all courses at any ZICA center across India.

This is the third consecutive year when ZICA is rewarding performance with the Zee Scholarship campaign. Application for the scholarship opens from November 11 and runs till 31st December, 2013. The scholarship is provided across all the 30 ZICA centers in India and is valid for all the courses offered at the centre.

ZICA provides practical training in 2D Animation, 3D Animation, Visual Effects, Graphic & Web Designing & Gaming, covering all the stages of visualization, Pre-production, production and post-production.

The Scholarship examination will test the students’ creative abilities, enthusiasm and motivation to become a creative professional. With a unique question paper prepared for this purpose and a personal interview following the test, the candidates will be evaluated thoroughly to ensure that they deserve the award.

Talking about the initiative, Mr. Anshuman Choudhary, Business Head of ZICA, said, “At ZICA, we believe in promoting creative talent. We want to encourage talented people to pursue their dreams of making it to the creative industry by eliminating any barriers that may come in their way. Scholarship is one such means of helping all potential students realize their dreams. With this initiative we are aiming to bring together a pool of well deserved talent from across the country.”

Depending on the results of the exam and the following personal interview, the scholarship will offer deserving students a 100% waiver on the course fees.

About ZICA

Zee Institute of Creative Art (ZICA) is India’s first full-fledged Classical and Digital Animation Training Academy that trains youth in classical 2D and modern 3D animation. The institute has adopted a novel training style and is focused entirely on creating a stimulating environment for its students. ZICA is now operating with over 30 centres in more than 15 major cities. Zee Institute of Creative Art, with its state-of-the-art infrastructure, gives practical training in 2D Animation, 3D Animation, Visual Effects & Gaming, covering the stages of visualization, Pre-production, production and post-production. Students are assured of creative exposure with a healthy mix of theory and practical sessions, delivered with the right amalgamation of Art & technology, under the supervision of in-house experienced faculties and industry experts from India and abroad. ZICA’s Training Studios are equipped with high end animation tools, 2D animation facilities, 3D software, Visual FX Labs and imaging technologies.

Visit ZICA at www.zica.org

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More Women City Buses in Bhuabaneswar

Good news for the women commuters in the capital of Odisha – Bhubaneswar. The government has decided to start dedicated city buses for women in the city. If everything goes as per the plan then the launch of the city buses for women could be possible by June first week.

In this regards the Bhubaneswar Puri Transport Services Limited has completed design and branding of the two proposed city buses of women. Recently the government has started two city buses for women in the capital.

DTS has been plying city buses in Bhubaneswar helping many commuters to reach their destinations in the city. Prior to the city bus services in Bhubaneswar, commuters were depending on auto vehicles. The city bus services have been successful in many aspects connecting many places and commuters daily.

The introduction for two new dedicated city buses especially for women would help them reaching their places securely.

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SNPs best implemented in Odisha: Planning Commission

By Sandeep Pattnaik 
& Brahmi Priya Samantray

Bhubaneswar: Odisha has achieved a higher scale in delivery of Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) services, as its frequency of delivery services is above 80%, a Planning commission survey said.

As per the commission's report, programmes under SNP, which provides for quality nutritional food to children and pregnant women in the state, remain above satisfactory level.

This was made possible by decentralization of Supplementary Nutrition Programme, an initiative by the state government, under which Anganwadi Centers (AWC) are empowered to procure food materials locally at an affordable price.

In a State Level Monitoring & Review Committee Meeting held under chairmanship of Chief Secretary Sri Bijay Kumar Patnaik, W & CD Secretary, Smt. Arati Ahuja outlined about the production of supplementary nutrition involving community through local women group.

The said programme was also hailed for its success by Commissioners of Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, Ahuja said.

Citing the decentralization process of procuring foods under SNP as the best practice followed by the W & CD department of Govt of Odisha, Hon’ble Commissioners Dr. S. R. Saxena and Sj. Harsh Mander recommended the model to be followed by other states.

The Planning Evaluation Organization (PEO) of Planning Commission in its quick evaluation study of Major Developmental Programmes in left wing infected districts also found out high level of satisfaction among people for AWC services in left wing affected areas.

While congratulating the department for these achievements Chief Secretary Sri Patnaik has advised to empower the Janch committees and Mothers committees with more knowledge & information on nutrition.

Sri Patnaik has also advised them to plan for their orientation and training at block level through reliable NGO’s. The department has been advised to develop a comprehensive plan for communication on nutrition in consultation with experts from State Institute of Health and draw up a year long calendar of communication activities.

Chief Secretary has advised the department to undertake training programmes for SHG engaged in THR (Take Home Ration) production and ICDS supervisors about how to maintain nutrition level in THR.

Other important issues that figured in meeting related to fighting malaria, malnutrition, making CHC’s ( Community Health Centers) more effective, service oriented and attractive for handling institutional delivery.

Opinion was expressed in the meeting that the mothers should be encouraged to stay at least for 2 days in the hospital with their new born babies for proper care and treatment. Chief Secretary advised to department to plan out details for giving them child health, feeding and sanitation information along with a model baby kit in hospital.

The Development Commissioner Sri Jugal Kishore Mohapatra advised the department to prepare a detail plan for development of maternal and child care units in CHCs and ensure deployment of gynaecology specialist in each CHCs. The department has been advised to saturate distribution of mosquito nets in all the endemic areas and take up intensive campaign for prevention and detection of activities in all these areas.

Reviewing Pre-school and early child hood education activities in ICDS centers Chief Secretary has advised the department to develop a best model for children with inputs from experts and activist operating in the filed of early childhood education.

Secretary Rural Development Sri S.N.Tripathy participating in discussion on sanitation activities in AWC suggested that the beneficiaries covered under MAMATA can be obliged to construct their household toilets. And if they do it added Sri Tripathy, Department will provide them financial and technical assistance to the tune of Rs.10, 000/-, that will be transmitted to their bank accounts directly.

Secretary Labour CTM Suguna, Director NRHM Sri P.Meherda along with other senior officers and members participated in deliberations.

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