Noted Odia NRI activist Digambara Patra has written an e-mail to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressing dissatisfaction over the continuous neglect of western Odisha in higher education by the State Government since the past 50 years.

Patra, who is an Assistant Professor of chemistry at the American University of Beirut, has also sent a copy of the e-mail to the Higher Education Secretary, MPs from Odisha and mediapersons.

Formation of Higher Education Task Force is a welcoming step. However, without political willingness for backward region like KBKK (Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput-Kandhamal), such task force might get meaningless.

More number of new higher educational establishments is required especially in these backward regions owing to tremendous potential for growth, he opined. Taking the example of Bhawanipatna Government College, he said that despite being located in a remote place it has proven in the State as well as national levels, among the first three colleges to be granted as potential centre of excellence in the State by UGC. He lamented that instead of encouraging such an oasis in higher education in the backward pocket, the State Government has discouraged this institution in several ways. “If the State Government is unable to address many important issues of the college, how the higher education vision could be realised in the long run?” he asked.

I am afraid that the efforts put by many well-known educationalists for preparing the vision in higher education would not be limited to pen, paper and political euphoria, he wrote to the CM.

He blamed political negligence as one of the very serious causes affecting higher education enrolment in KBKK and western Odisha region. Most of the new Central Government institutions are coming either in Cuttack-Bhubaneswar or southern Odisha region but not a single one is being established in western Odisha which lacks sufficient number of higher educational and research institutions. The State Government has at the last moment undermined a Central University in Kalahandi, he pointed out.

What more one can expect to aspire for higher education from a backward place where the literacy rate is not yet touched 50 per cent, he asked further. The region is continuing its effort to aspire for a National University without getting any support from the Government. Instead of rewarding such places, unfortunately the State Government is giving consolation. This should be addressed, he urged.

Unless these regions are seriously taken care and the situation in the State continues in the similar line, higher education and its gross enrolment will never improve for the whole State except for few selected regions, he apprehended.

Coimbatore-based RVS Group of Institutions, led by Dr KV Kuppusamy, is managing 87 Educational Institutions through out the Country. 

The high-level committee, headed by Development Commissioner Satya Prakash Nanda, has favoured the RVS Group’s proposal out of a total of six which came in response to the WODC’s offer.

Approving the recommendations of a high-level committee, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has asked the Western Odisha Development Council (WODC) to go ahead with a MoU for the purpose.

Planning and coordination Minister Anananga Udaya Singhdeo also discussed with the WODC officials in this regard and the MoU would be signed some time Next week . 

The WODC had invited expression of interest for the Medical College and Hospital in Balangir district last year in view of Shree Balaji Education and Charitable Trust backing out of the project.

The RVS Group will invest at least Rs 100 crore, while the WODC would provide a Rs 10-crore grant and 25 acres of land in Balangir. The Medical College will have an intake capacity of 100 with a 300-bed Hospital at its initial stage. 

Subsequently it would be enhanced to a 500-bed Hospital and gradually to a 1,000-bedded super specialty Hospital . 

Source :- Orissadiary.com

Ullgunan means revolution in Sambalpuri and the film attempts to portray a revolution that had taken shape in 18th century Western Orissa by the local people against the ruling Marathas who were misbehaving with the women while coming to the villages to collect taxes, explains Deepak Panda who has scripted the story, screenplay and dialogues. “It’s partly fact and partly fiction. In fact there has been a very popular story in this region that tells how a young man’s courage to fight the mighty Marathas’ evil looks at women inspired the masses to revolt against the rulers,” he adds.

Acclaimed filmmaker Mehmood Hussain, the proud product of the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune who made the critically acclaimed film Dhare Alua, has returned to direction after a long interval. “We are confident that a filmmaker of his calibre would be able to do justice to the period film,” states producers’ duo Sanjay Sahoo and Purnamasi Sahoo. Hussain has roped in cinematographer P.Satya and Biswanath Ray as his film editor.

The cast includes Partha and Dipti – the lead pair besides many amateur actors from the region where the film’s story is based. The film has been shot in several locations in Western Orissa and actors have been chosen from among the locals to give the film an authentic flavour, says the director.

The enchanting Sambalpuri music and dance play a pivotal role in the film. Babloo Mitra has scored the music while popular singers Pankaj Jaal, Sailabhama, Pamy and a few others have lent their voice. Amulya Pal, Amir Pati and Pintoo have been the dance choreographers. The film will be ready for release in the New Year.

Source:- Indian Express (Shyamhari Chakra)

Saturday night. Prior to this, at
least six farmers in western Orissa had killed themselves in the current kharif
season. Kartik Mahakud (60) of Karnapali village of Birmaharajpur sub-division allegedly consumed poison and died.

The incident severely affected traffic on Sambalpur-Sonepur Road on Sunday afternoon, as both Congress and BJP workers blocked the road, demanding justice for the farmers. Carrying Mahakud’s body, they de-manded adequate compensation for the family of the deceased farmer. They called off the agitation after Subarnapur additional district magistrate Gangadhar Mahandanda assured villagers of appropriate action to help the victim’s family.

Sources said Mahakud of Karnapali was a renowned farmer of the locality. He owned five acres of land. But that was not sufficient to maintain his big family. Mahakud has two sons and five daughters. Of them, he had managed to get one of his sons and four of his daughters married. “He was a good and sincere farmer, but was troubled over severe crop damage this year,” a villager Rabi Sahu said.

Sources said the deceased had consumed some poisonous substance on Saturday night. He was found in a critical condition by villagers the fol-lowing morning and taken to the hospital where he was declared brought dead. Police have registered an unnatural death case and handed over the body to his family on Sunday, after conducting an autopsy.

“We have registered a case and handed the body over to his family, after conducting an autopsy,” a senior police officer of the district said. How-ever, police could not identifythe substance he had consumed to commit suicide. “We are not sure whether it was pesticide or something else. We will know after we get the post mortem report,” police added.

But, the district administration followed their usual agenda of denying any links of the suicide to debts or crop loss. “Since the harvesting is yet to start in the locality, how can a farmer assume the quantity of his paddy production. I do not thing the cause has any link with crop loss or debts,” collector (Sonepur) Bhawani Prasad Panda said. “But, I have send my ADM to review the situation and submit a report in this issue,” Panda added.

Incidentally Pandab Bhoi (38) of Rengali block committed suicide on August 12, Gourahari Patra (48) of Lakhanpur block on October 4, and Bidyadhar Bagh (40) of Rengali block on October 7. On October 18, An-gad Barik (65) of Jamenkira block committed suicide by jumping in front a running train.

Similarly, Kusha Majhi of Tarbode (Nuapara) and Maharshee Narang of Hemgir (Sundergarh) had committed for the same reason. Three other farmers from coastal and southern Orissa had committed suicide over the past one week.

Source :- Times of India

Police registered two separate cases in this connection. On the first day, Shakti Prasad Mohanty, a student of the Shushree Institute of Technology, Balangir died on the spot as he was run over by a police van.

The same day another student, Sashi Kumar Panda was admitted to the VSS Medical College and Hospital.

The incidents gave rise to a lot of public resentment and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded the arrest of the Balangir Superintendent of Police for inept handling of the situation.

Chhatra Congress called Balangir and western Orissa bandh to protest police excesses. A release issued by the police headquarters here maintained that the inquiry has been handed over to the Crime Branch for a fair and impartial investigation after public hue and cry over the matter.

The State Government has also appointed retired judge of the High Court Justice SK Mohanty to inquire into the violence.

Justice Mohanty will submit his report within three months.

Meanwhile, Congress has demanded that the District Collector and SP be removed by the State Government for an impartial inquiry.