Sardar Rajas medicos can be sent to govt colleges

Times of India, Oct 31, 2015
Bhubaneswar: The Medical Council of India (MCI) wants the state government to split students of Sardar Rajas Medical College and Hospital, Jaring in Kalahandi district, in both government and private colleges.

According to minutes of a meeting convened by the Union ministry of health and family welfare in New Delhi on October 12, the MCI wanted the state government to relocate those admitted in management quota to private colleges and others admitted under government quota to government colleges. From among the 124 students of two batches, only 15 were admitted in management quota.

The MCI also sought an undertaking from the state government that the Jaring college would be shut down. On October 8, the state government had submitted a proposal to the MCI to relocate the students in three private medical colleges in Bhubaneswar. The health ministry has sought a revised proposal from the state. "We will submit it soon," said a senior government officer.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Friday declined to stay its order and that of the Orissa high court on relocation of the medicos.

Hearing an appeal by the Tamil Nadu-based Selvam Educational and Charitable trust, which runs the Jaring college, and another petition by the MCI, an SC bench of Justice Anil R Dave and Justice A K Goel stuck to the SC's interim order on September 30 and said the HC was at liberty to decide all the issues, the students' advocate Pratap Venugopal said.

On October 6, the Selvam trust had filed a petition in the apex court seeking interim relief from the SC's September 30 order and the HC's October 1 direction on the grounds that such a move would completely shut down the college resulting in loss of crores to the trust. The trust had pleaded before the apex court to examine if the HC overlooked rules as there was no provision to transfer students of one medical college to another under the Indian Medical Council Act 1958.

On October 1, the HC had asked the Centre, the state and MCI to shift the 124 students of two batches (2013-14 and 2014-15) to other colleges in two weeks. On September 30, the SC had observed that the students admitted in the college in 2013-14 and 2014-15 academic years can be relocated to other recognized medical colleges and that the HC can proceed in that direction.

If not able to fulfill demand for converting Sardar Raja Medical College, relieve Kalahandi from Odisha

Sambad, Oct 29, 2015

Odisha to make fresh bid for Niyamgiri mining

Business Standard, Oct 28, 2015

More than two years after local tribals nixed plan to mine bauxite on top of Niyamgiri hills, straddling Kalahandiand Rayagada districts, the Odisha government is gearing up to conduct fresh palli sabhas and woo tribals in favour of the project.

The state government is making a renewed bid to mine atop the ecologically fragile hills since its PSU OdishaMining Corporation (OMC) is still the leaseholder even after the tribals unanimously trumped the mining plan at gram sabhas held in July-August 2013.

"The state government is keen to hold gram sabhas again for Niyamgiri bauxite mining. We will seek legal opinion on whether we should seek permission of the Supreme Court or the Union ministry of environment & forest to conduct the gram sabhas," said steel & mines minister Prafulla Mallick.

Experts feel the road is going to be tough for the state government to restart the gram sabhas given the unfavourable ambience at the ground level.

"The gram sabhas for Niyamgiri bauxite mining were conducted as per the directions of the Supreme Court. Now, the state government has to seek permission from the apex court to start the process again. I believe this is going to be tough", said mines expert and former director of mines with Odiha government, B K Mohanty.

Niyamgiri hills has 72 million tonne of bauxite reserves. Bauxite mined from this hill top was supposed to feed Vedanta's alumina refinery installed at the foothills.

OMC had formed South West Bauxite Mining Company (Pvt) Ltd, a joint venture with 26% equity of Sterlite Industries India Limited (SIIL) in 2009 for mining bauxite over Niyamgiri.

But, plans to mine bauxite came unstuck as tribals of 12 hill slope villages in Rayagada and Kalahandi districts gave a thumbs down to the project, claiming community and worship rights over the entire Niyamgiri hill range.

Dharna to press for state takeover of Sardar Rajas

Times of India, Oct 26, 2015
Bikash Khemka,TNN | Oct 26, 2015, 08.41 AM IST
BHAWANIPATNA: Demanding takeover of the Sardar Rajas Medical College by the state government, the joint action committee has decided to sit on a dharna here at Bhawanipatna from October 28.

The president of the JAC, Akhyaya Kumar Nanda, allegedly told mediapersons here on Sunday that the cabinet decision to cancel the MoU with Selvam Educational and Charitable Trust and assurance to sign the new MoU with the PPP mode was taken prior to the BJD's padayatra so that the Kalahandi people do not show their resentment.

He alleged that the state government has not yet clarified its decision on how it will run the college in Kalahandi's Jaring area here.

Nanda alleged that by not using the Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF) a fund of Rs 1,500 crore, the state government returned it to the Centre, which was allocated in the last five years.

"Had the state wanted, it could have spent the fund by taking over the medical college itself," Dr Nanda said.

Earlier, on the demand of state takeover of the college, students of Sardar Rajas Medical College, led by the JAC, supported by the political parties, were on strike from August 1-28 and Kalahandi remained bandh for two days which had caused the normal life out of gear.

No mountain too high

Times of India, Oct 26, 2015
BHUBANESWAR: Two ace mountaineers of the state who have successfully scaled Mount Everest have turned master trainers as they not only motivate youths to take to adventure sports but also train them.

Kalahandi-based mountaineer Jogabyas Bhoi's gang of students includes four girls and three boys. Jogabyas provides them basic training by taking them to the mountains nearby. "Starting from physical exercise to soft skills and breath control, I am teaching them how to shed fear and stay focused while climbing a mountain. A few of them have shown extraordinary zeal to scale the peaks of local mountains. If they are successful, I will plan to send them for training to the glacier, which is important to be an ace mountaineer," said Bhoi, the first Indian to scale the 17298-ft high Renik mountain in the Himalayas without oxygen in June 2008 after successfully conquering Mt Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in South Africa, without oxygen. He made it to the Everest peak in 2011, again without oxygen.

He has also climbed a mountain in Europe, Mt Elbruse, located in the western Caucasus mountain range, in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay, Russia, without oxygen.

Bhoi recently led a team of cyclists, who covered 1,737 km in Bhutan. The bicycle expedition was meant for strengthening the bond between Bhutan and India.

Another Everest conqueror, Ganesh Jena, is also training interested youths in mountaineering. Ganesh provided basic training to a batch of six students at the Indira Gandhi park here. He subsequently sent them to Manali for further training in glacier and higher peaks. "In Manali, the students will receive training at 15 rocks and 15 different glaciers. The height of local mountains is a maximum of 5,000 ft and we need to train students to scale up to 7000 ft," said Ganesh.

Jena trained in mountaineering at Manali and successfully climbed peaks like the Mamostong Kangri, Mount Kamet, Mount Saser Kangir, Mount Ladakhi, Mount Satider, Mount Friendship and Mount Stock Kangri. He also participated in various mountaineering expeditions in India and abroad.

Dhenkanal-born Kalpana Das is the first Odia to scale Mount Everest in 2008. Her success inspired youths to take up mountaineering. A year later, Das scaled Mount Mc Kinley, the highest peak in North America.

Moving Sardar Rajas medicos faces hurdle

Times of India, Oct 25, 2015
Bikash Khemka & Ashok Pradhan,TNN | Oct 25, 2015, 04.09 PM ISTBHUBANESWAR/BHAWANIPATNA: More than three weeks after Orissa High Court on October 1 asked the state government and Medical Council of India (MCI) to relocate MBBS students of Sardar Rajas Medical College at Jaring in Kalahandi to other recognized institutions by October 14, the students' fate still hangs in balance.

In fresh hurdle to the move, the college management has moved the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the HC order. On the other hand, the MCI is yet to respond to a state government relocation plan submitted before it more than a week ago.

Health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said that in accordance with the court direction and keeping in mind the students' academic interest, the state government had worked out a plan to distribute the students in three private medical colleges in the city. "The director medical education and training (DMET) has submitted the plan to MCI. We hope the MCI will take a favorable call soon," he said.

On October 1, the HC asked the state and MCI to shift the 124 students of two batches (2013-14 and 2014-15) to other colleges in two weeks. On October 6, the Tamil Nadu-based Selvam Educational and Charitable trust, which runs the college, filed a petition in the apex court seeking interim relief from the HC order on the grounds that such a move would completely shut down the college resulting in loss of crores to the trust. The trust has pleaded before the apex court to examine if the HC had overlooked rules as there was no provision to transfer students of one medical college to another under the Indian Medical Council Act 1958.

The trust pointed out that the state handed over 10 acre land in 2007 in a delayed move three years after it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Western Odisha Development Council. It said the government provided the land on lease of 99 years. However, the Kalahandi district administration did not issue a no objection certificate to the trust to raise loan against the leased land contrary to provisions in the MOU.

The trust said when the building was complete in 2008 the state government took it on rent for three years to run the Kalahandi College of Engineering and returned the same in 2011. Passing the blame to the state for the current state of affairs, the trust said the government did not fill the seats reserved for WODC candidates for the academic year 2014-15. The 15 % NRI quota could not be filled up because of a HC order, it said.

As reported earlier, the WODC has lodged an FIR against the management for criminal breach of trust of 2004 the deal.

Hundreds of Animals Sacrificed in 'Chhatar Jatra' Festival

The New Indian Express (Bhubaneswar), Oct 21, 2015

BHUBANESWAR: Hundreds of animals were sacrificed in full public view today at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district on the occasion of famous 'Chhatar Jatra' of the presiding goddess Manikeswari, officials said.

The animals, including goats and hen, were sacrificed on the road in presence of police and district administration officials as the procession of 'Chhatar (umbrella) Jatra' passed from the Kalahandi royal palace till Jenakhal, a distance of 3 kilometre, in the town.

This was held despite a massive awareness campaign by the police and district administration against sacrifice of the animals.

"Though animals were sacrificed this time too, the number has come down due to massive awareness campaign. It can be stopped totally, but gradually," Kalahandi Superintendent of Police Brijesh Kumar Rai said.

Like every year, lakhs of devotees from various places throng Bhawanipatna town to get glimpse of the 'Chhatar Jatra' of the deity.

Tight security arrangements were made from Jenakhal to Manikeshwari temple.

Kalahandi Deveolpment Forum organized Dialogue on Development seminar

Orissadiary, Oct 17, 2015

Report by Odisha Diary bureau, Kalhandi: Kalahandi Deveopment Forum today organized it’s Kalanhandi Chapter of ‘Dialogue on Development’ to discuss with prominent citizens of the region in wake of a crisis facing Kalaahandi due to concerns over the dying down syndrome of development in the district which is pushing the region backward and into a crisis for future.

It is interesting to note that in the last few decades many sincere attempts and initiatives to bring about industrialization and development in Kalahandi have failed. To name a few, these are sugar mill at Bhawanipatna, Oil complex and chilling plant at Kesinga , spinning mill at Bhawanipatna, Sugar factory at

Mathura .Similarly the medical college, Doordarshan Kendra , All India Radio and Vedanta are on the verge of closure. It appears that Kalahandi is suffering from a ‘Close down Syndrome’.

The reasons of such closure are varied and many. Sometime it is the apathetic attitude of the government and sometime it is the local resistance a by a few. Incase of the resistance which comes from a few corners, a large segment of the masses prefers development but choose to remain silent as they are not very vocal about the reality on ground. Their voice which should have been otherwise decisive is lost in the louder breeze of protest.

The district has huge resource base, be it Bamboo, Quartz, water, sunshine, wind, precious stones and overall a huge mineral base. All we need is entrepreneurs and capital investment. It is irony of the fate that when

everything is in place the fate of an industry is decided by a few people with support from various other groups which has no role to play in the development of the district so far. An industry was established her with nearly

10,000 crore investment here providing potential for development but no raw material has been provided to the same till date. Where as raw material of our district is given to other industries which have their plant elsewhere

or in some other district. Is not it a matter of concern?

The Kalahandi Development Forum (KDF)herewith propose to play a meaningful role to provide a level platform for development through proper industrialization and converge different stakeholders to express their point of view , share pros and cons for development and contribute their might for the development of the district.

We also resolve to engage in a dialogue with Vedanta and the local people to bring out as constructive synergy for holistic development of the region by meeting them in the month of November 2015.

Today’s meeting was presided by Dr. A.K.Nanda and other key participants like Mr. Uma Shankar Kar, Simanchal Mishra, Ashok Patra , Bhavendra Panda,Umesh Sathpathy , Rahasa Bihari Behera , Dr. Ajaya Kumar Mishra , Abdul Kadir and Saroj Kumar Dash and many other prominent citizens of the region who have extended their support to our cause.

- See more at: http://www.orissadiary.com/CurrentNews.asp?id=62258#sthash.QEeN5NAD.dpuf

Infighting: Naveen to meet leaders after Puja

Times of India, Oct 18, 2015
BHUBANESWAR: Amid reports of growing infighting in the party, chief minister Naveen Patnaik would meet the leaders after Durga Puja.

The district observers, who oversaw the padayatra programme, have already submitted reports to the state observers regarding internal wrangling.

"Whatever happened during the padayatra programme, we have submitted the report to the state observers. The chief minister is likely to visit New Delhi during the puja vacation. After that, he will go through the reports and summon leaders for discussion," said a senior leader of the party.

During the annual padayatra programme, which was launched on October 2 with an aim to refurbish party's image, the BJD faced embarrassment due to disagreement among own party leaders at a number of places, including Jagatsinghpur, Malkangiri, Balasore, Kalahandi and Sambalpur.

The leader said the party is growing. So, it is natural to have differences of opinion among leaders. But it sends a wrong message to the people. "The chief minister is not happy with the reports of infighting. Disciplinary action is likely to be taken against some leaders," he added.

Meanwhile, housing and urban development minister Pushpendra Singh Deo on Saturday met the chief minister at his residence along with other MLAs of the Kalahandi district he represents. "We met the chief minister to discuss some of the problems of our district. It was not related to padayatra," said Singh Deo.

Since some of the leaders faced public ire during the padayatra programme at Mayurbhanj, Malkangiri and Jagatsinghpur, Naveen is likely to go to the root.

According to party insiders, the chief minister has also collected reports of infighting from some other sources.

OMC writes to environment ministry seeking guidance on Niyamgiri bauxite deposit

Economic Times, Oct 16, 2016
BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government hasn't quite relinquished its right to mine the controversial Niyamgiri bauxite deposit, originally identified to supply ore to Vedanta Resources' nearby alumina refinery. State-owned Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC), which was granted mining rights for 30 years in 2004, has written to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF), seeking "guidance on how to proceed" with the matter.

Two years ago, a dozen villages in southern Odisha invoked their right to worship the Niyamgiri hilltop, warding off government plans to open a bauxite mine in their neighbourhood.

The historic and exceptional referendum ordered by the Supreme Court was cited in January of 2014 by the then Congress-led union government to refuse final forest clearance to the proposed mine, critical to Vedanta's refinery at Lanjigarh - about 4 km from the 72-million-tonne deposit.

Environmentalists world over celebrated the victory of the Dongariah and Jarnia Kondhs primitive tribal groups from one of least developed corners of the country, in the "David versus Goliath" battle against London-listed Vedanta.

Vedanta recently said it cannot continue running the loss-making plant for much longer in the face of low global aluminium prices and lack of cheap bauxite.

While OMC's letter to the MoEF remains unanswered, the state plans to write again to the Centre, placing the ball in its court. "We would like the Government of India to clarify on whether the stage I clearance holds, we start all over again or the verdict (based on the referendum) is binding forever," said Odisha Chief SecretaryGokul Chandra Pati.

Environment and Forest Minister Prakash Javdekar didn't respond to an email seeking comment. Jairam Ramesh, who was the environment minister when early clearances granted to the project were withdrawn, said the decision based on the referendum was final. "It is foolish on Odisha government's part to try again after the SC verdict," Ramesh said.

Environment lawyer Ritwick Datta was also surprised over the state's move. "But, neither OMC nor the state has filed an appeal against the SC order. Nor have they moved the National Green Tribunal against MoEF's decision to deny them final, stage II clearance," he said. If OMC, despite the SC order, seeks so desperately to revive the Niyamgiri project, it must seek again not just forest clearance but also environmental clearance from scratch, Datta said. The order that allowed the Kondhs a say in 2013 though was "exceptional", guided by the fact that it was both a Fifth Schedule area (an area populated by tribes), attracting Panchayats (Extension of the Scheduled Areas) Act provisions, and inhabited by primitive tribal groups, like the Dongariah Kondhs, he said.

Curiously, the Niyamgiri case hasn't been called upon as a precedent in any matter, while rights provided under the Forest Rights Act continue to be ignored in many subsequent cases, said Datta.

The Modi government has been accused by green and tribal activists of diluting such provisions. The MoEF, according to media reports, was stopped in its tracks from waiving off the requirement of gram sabha consents even in tribal dominated areas for certain projects only by the tribal affairs ministry.

The latter was strongly opposed to any move to change the 2009 guidelines that made it compulsory for all projects requiring diversion of forest to obtain consent of affected village councils.

In July last year, Niyamgiri's inhabitants reiterated their objections to mining of the deposits, during a public hearing to complete a sixfold expansion of the Lanjigarh refinery. Vedanta, which had embarked on the expansion in 2009, has in its submissions to the state pollution control board cited a deposit 3.7 km from the plant as the source of raw material. Company executives have on record said that they wouldn't make any move on Niyamgiri without local consent.

Niyamgiri is one among the many bauxite deposits scattered over these parts of the Eastern Ghats that account for 60 per cent of the country's known reserves.

For investors such as Vedanta and Aditya Birla Group who ventured to set up plants here, the added proximity to coal - aluminium being a power intensive business - promised to change the world order of aluminium producers.

Now, with aluminium makers battling falling global prices, Vedanta suffers also from the disadvantage where bauxite is concerned.

Bamboo bridge over Nagabali in Sikerguda of Thumaul Rampur block

Reported by Sri Debendra Bisi
Sambad, Oct 8, 2015

Under tree school in Kalahandi even after 68 years of independence

Reported by Sri Debendra Bisi
Sambad, Oct 8, 2015

Congress Wants Odisha Government to Take over Sardar Rajas Medical College

The New Indian Express (Bhubaneswar), Oct 7, 2015

BHUBANESWAR:  The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Tuesday demanded that the Government should take over the Sardar Rajas Medical College and Hospital at Jaring in Kalahandi district, rejecting the State Government’s decision to hand over the college to another private company.

The State Government should take immediate decision to clear the uncertainty over the future of the students who had taken admission in the college, OPCC president Prasad Harichandan said.

Such a situation has arisen because of the faulty decision of the State Government, Harichandan said and added that its action has made the future of students uncertain. The State Government cannot avoid its responsibility as the medical college was set up jointly by the Rajas Group and Western Odisha Development Council (WODC).

While the State Government had provided 25 acres of land at Jaring for the establishment of the medical college, the WODC had spent `10 crore for infrastructure development of the educational institution. The medical college can meet the requirement of the backward Kalahandi district only after Government takeover, Harichandan said and added that it can work as referral hospital for the entire KBK region. Meanwhile, the Health and Family Welfare department maintained that as per the direction of the High Court, the process for relocation of 124 students of the medical college to other recognised medical colleges has started.