Odisha government to engage new promoter for revival of Kalahandi Medical College

Times of India, Sept 30, 2015
BHUBANESWAR: The state cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to engage a new promoter for revival of the Sardar Rajas Medical College at Jaring in Kalahandi district. 

Future of the medical institution was uncertain after the Medical Council of India (MCI) denied permission to the college due to inadequate infrastructure. 

The cabinet, headed by chief minister Naveen Patnaik, also decided to rehabilitate the 124 MBBS students of the beleaguered college in three private medical colleges in Bhubaneswar. 

While 100 students were taken admission in 2013-14, remaining 24 students were enrolled in the following year (2014-15), official sources said. 

"The Orissa high court has asked the state government to consult with the MCI for one-time increase of seats in the three private medical colleges of the city for rehabilitation of the students," said development commissioner U N Behera after the cabinet meeting. "We hope the MCI would agree with our proposal since the high court has asked to do so," he added. 

In January, 2004, a MoU was signed between Selvam Educational and Charitable Trust and the Western Odisha Development Council (WODC), a wing under the state planning and coordination department, to set up the medical college and hospital on public private partnership mode. 

"The Western Odisha Development Council has already cancelled the MoU with the trust and lodged FIR against it for improper management of the medical college," Behera said. 

He also said that according to the conditions of the MoU, the WODC would take over the infrastructure of the medical college since it had sanctioned Rs 10 crore to the trust earlier. 

The 300-bed hospital attached to the medical college would be closed till engagement of a new promoter.

Odisha Govt. may decide on Sardar Raja Medical College in the cabinet meeting

Thanks to Prof. Chitta Baral for sharing this news
Sambad, Sept 30, 2014

No action yet on Jaring Medical College

Sambad, Sept 25, 2015

Gudahandi Needs Care from Tourism Department of Odisha

Reported by Sri Debendra Bisi
Sambad, Sept 24, 2015

Rise in child death worries Kalahandi

Times of India, Sept 6, 2015
BHAWANIPATNA: Even though Kalahandi has been receiving special focus in implementation of several welfare schemes for more than a decade now, child healthcare continues to paint a dismal picture. 

According to official data, infant death rate in the district has increased from 951 deaths out of 25,470 newborns in 2013-14 to 1,116 deaths out of 25,882 newborns in 2014-2015. 

Reports from far-flung areas said deliveries are made at home because people can't reach the nearest community health centre (CHC) in time due to the inaccessible terrain. Baduli Majhi, 25, gave birth to a baby girl in Madanpur Rampur block's Pilabanji village, 100 km from here, on August 25 night. The mother's health began to deteriorate after the delivery. Next day, her husband Rana Majhi brought her to the main road on a cot with the help of villagers walking seven km. Then they called an ambulance and the person manning it said it would take one hour to reach the spot. They could not wait for the ambulance and further walked five km to reach the CHC. Luckily, the mother and the baby remained safe. 

People in remote pockets like Lanjigarh, Thuamul Rampur and M Rampur cannot reach the nearest health centre due overflowing nullahs in the rains. With no other options they are forced to take the help of quacks. 

Health authorities said in the remote pockets, pregnant women seldom heed health workers' advice regarding precautions to be taken during pregnancy resulting in newborn deaths. 

Chief district medical officer (CDMO) Braja Kishore Brahma said most infant deaths are reported because of birth asphyxia, respiratory infection, low birth weight (LBW) and premature delivery. 

In 2014-15, as many as 194 infants died of 1,585 admitted to the sick newborn care unit (SNCU) of district headquarters hospital at Bhawanipatna. The SNCU has 12 beds, which is much below the requirement. Three paediatricians have been appointed in Bhawanipatna but there is no paediatrician in nine blocks, where trained nurses, auxiliary nurse midwives and AYUSH doctors take care of the newborns. Of the 23 paediatrician posts in the district, 17 are lying vacant. 

"Due to the overload of infants in the 40-bed children ward in the Bhawanipatna hospital, many babies are treated on the floor as on an average 150 children are admitted daily," the CDMO said. 

From April to June, 31% LBW babies were reported in the district. The babies weighed less than 2.5 kg and the measure cause behind the LBW is poor nutrition in pregnant women, said a doctor. "Most of the babies weigh between 1,500 and 1,700 gm because of nutrition deficiency among the mothers," said an official of the NHM Santosh Kumar Ojha. 

A 220-bed maternal child healthcare unit is under construction at a cost of Rs 16 crore at Bhawanipatna. The unit, funded by the NHM, is expected to be completed by this year-end. 

Congress threatens CM for converting Sardar Raja Medical College

Sambad, Sept 4, 2015

Lanjigarh Bandh for Vedanta Refinery

Sambad, Sept 4, 2015

Sishu Bhawan, Kalahandi med college: Dharmendra slams Odisha Govt

Prameya News, Sept 4, 2015

Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday came down heavily on the Odisha Government for the unabated infant deaths at the Sishu Bhawan and ongoing stir at the Sardar Rajas Medical College at Jirang in Kalahandi district.

“We take up the Sishu Bhawan issue with the Prime Minister and he asked the Union Health Ministry to send a medical team to the paderatic centre. But the Odisha Government instead taking the chance did not entertain the doctors which is ‘embarrassing,” said Pradhan at a Press conference in Bhubaneswar.

He appealed to the State Government to reconsider the issue so far as federal structure is concerned.

The Union Minister also said that the State Government is responsible for the stir and withdrawal of the MBBS seats at the Sardar Rajas Medical College and Hospital.

“The Sardar Rajas Medical College is a State-sponsored medical college. Funds have been provided to it out of the WODC fund. The MCI has just done it duty. If the Government will not ensure adequate requirements as the MCI guidelines then who will be held responsible,” rued Pradhan.  

State Govt to Set up Modern Data Centre at Infovalley-II

The New Indian Express (Bhubaneswar), Sept 3, 2015

BHUBANESWAR:  In its plan to position Odisha as next best destination for information technology (IT), the State Government on Wednesday decided to set up a modern data centre at Infovalley-II.

The proposed State Data Centre will provide shared, secured and managed infrastructure for consolidating and securely hosting State level data and applications. The Data Centre will provide better operations and management control and minimise overall cost of data management.

This was decided at a high level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here.

The IT Department has also planned to set up business process outsourcing (BPO) units in rural areas of the State.

The Department is in the process of formulating a rural BPO scheme under which the Government plans to offer subsidies for creating BPO seats, official sources said.

Initially 5,000-10,000 seats will be created at the locations where Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) stations are operating. These locations are Bhubaneswar, Balasore, Rourkela and Berhampur. The objective is to provide jobs to rural youths, the sources said.

The scheme will help achieve the employment generation target made in the State information and communication technology (ICT) policy. The ICT policy aims to create direct employment for 60,000 professionals in 800 IT, IT-enabled services and electronic system design and manufacturing (ESDM) units.

Meanwhile, the State Government has submitted a proposal to the Centre for opening six more STPI stations at Angul, Sambalpur, Jajpur, Jeypore, Bhawanipatna and Rayagada.

The meeting further decided to make the Capital and several other cities of the State WiFi enabled by March 2016. WiFi services have been made available in six important locations of the city from August 10.

The entire Capital City will be WiFi enabled and STPI has been asked to prepare a detailed project report, Minister of State for IT Pranab Prakash Das said.

The Chief Minister also reviewed the Internet connectivity programme in the State.

PUNISH PEOPLE BEHIND K'HANDI ATTACK: NRO TO CHIEF MINISTER

The Pioneer, Aug 2, 2015

NRO and Kalahandi native Prof Digambar Patra of the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, has urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for a probe into the attack on peaceful demonstrators on August 28 in Kalahandi and bring the attackers to book.

He said that in the past few days there was a complete shutdown of Kalahandi in demand of converting Sardar Raja Medical College to a Government institution. The shutdown was called by independent and non-political organizations led by a central action committee, which was supported by all political parties, social and business organisations in Kalahandi.

Not to mention that there was a strong support from general people of Kalahandi, from village to town level, for this agitation, which was evident from the response the shutdown received in past two days. Perhaps such a level of success was to be seen for the first time in past two decades.

However, on August 28 last, a group of people attached some of the protestors, which included former Union Minister Bhakta Charan Das and a few people from Congress.

Kalahandi is a peaceful and peace loving region. Despite strong public frustration due to failure of Sardar Raja Medical College, people in Kalahandi are not used to violence.  Kalahandi people do not prefer violence and have been agitating peacefully.

The attack, which happened on August 28, is extremely condemnable. Though such attack was targeted at Das and his party colleagues, it is highly regrettable and common people of Kalahandi have not taken such attack lightly. All the political parties, lawyers association, private bus owners association, traders association, labour unions etc. in Kalahandi have come together for the common interest of region and given their complete support for the cause without keeping any political bias. Therefore, people of Kalahandi were not expecting that any group used such situation for political revenge, as it would dilute the cause and demean the interest of the region.

The attackers, who tried to bring politics and disturb peaceful environment of Kalahandi, must be brought into legal action. Unfortunately, the police have made no arrest yet.

WODC Lodges FIR against Medical College Chairman

The New Indian Express (Bhubaneswar), Sept 2, 2015

BHUBANESWAR:   With students of Sardar Rajas Medical College and Hospital at Jaring in Kalahandi district left in the lurch following withdrawal of MCI recognition, the Western Odisha Development Council (WODC) on Tuesday lodged an FIR against its chairman Dr SA Raja.

The WODC has accused Raja of violating the MoU and mismanagement in not putting up the required infrastructure and facilities for proper functioning of the institution that has resulted in MCI action. As per the MoU signed in 2004, WODC had provided `10 crore as its share for setting up the college and hospital. It has alleged gross irregularities in execution of the project and administration of the medical college, which has pushed the future of students to uncertainty.

On August 23, the WODC had served a notice to Raja asking him to explain why action should not be initiated for failing to honour the conditions in the MoU. On Tuesday, it sent across a fax stating that it should be treated as an FIR.

While `10 crore was given to it in as many instalments for setting up infrastructure, Government had also allocated 25 acre for the project.

Since these conditions were not met and Raja is accused of misappropriating the funds, the Council had threatened in the notice to start proceeding to recover the funds at 10 per cent interest rate.

The MCI had approved 100 seats for the medical college for 2013-14 academic session with the condition that it would meet infrastructure and staff requirement.

However, as the college authorities failed to do so, it withdrew approval this year.