Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, also the president of the ruling BJD, has nominated former party MLA Debasish Samantray and BJD leader Subhasish Khuntia as the party's candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. The seats will be vacant in April when the terms of Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and BJD leaders Prasant Nanda and Amar Patnaik end.
Lab reports are awaited for samples collected from hostels in Dakshina Kannada. The hostel in Valachil, where food poisoning was reported, will be allowed to reopen after water testing. The health department took action last year based on a negligence complaint.
State cabinet on Monday decided to extend the Sishu Abang Matru Mrutyura Purna Nirakarana Abhiyan (SAMMPurNA) scheme for another five years from 2023-24 to 2027-28. A sum of Rs 1015.6 crore has been allocated for this period of five years, said the official sources here. The scheme was launched in the state in 2015. Objective of the scheme is to reduce infant mortality rate (IMR) and maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in the state.
The inaugural ceremony of Cognizant's new facility in Bhubaneswar was attended by various dignitaries including Tusharkanti Behera, the state's electronics and IT minister, VK Pandian, 5T chairman, Manoj Kumar Mishra, the department principal secretary, and Rajesh Nambiar, Cognizant India CMD.
The Assam government has presented a budget of Rs 2.9 lakh crore for the financial year 2024-2025. The budget has a deficit of Rs 774.47 crore and does not propose any new taxes. Assam Finance Minister Ajanta Neog announced that the government will support the education of 10 lakh girls up to post-graduation level to combat child marriage in society.
Residents urge Rakesh Tikait, the national president of Bharatiya Kisan Union, to engage in a dialogue with the government and the state chief minister to address the farmers' demands. They express concern about the potential fallout of the 'chakka jam' protest.
Rahul Gandhi's yatra in Kashi will move through Muslim-dominated localities, including Pilikothi, as part of the strategy to focus on votes from all sections.
