Bandh over Medical College Total

The New Indian Express (Bhubaneswar), Aug 29, 2015

BHUBANESWAR: Life was hit on the second day of 48-hour bandh called by Kalahandi Medical College Kriyanusthan Committee demanding Government take-over of the Sardar Rajas Medical College at Jaring on Friday.

Like Thursday, all the business establishments remained closed while vehicular traffic came to a grinding halt.

Members of Kalahandi Merchants Association, truck owners, auto and Bar associations extended their support to the bandh call and so did members of all political parties. Road blockades and street corner meetings were organised by the agitators who threatened to intensify the agitation, if the State Government does not agree to their demand.

K’HANDI LOCALS URGE CM FOR VEDANTA BAILOUT

The Pioneer, Aug 29, 2015

Over 100 local people of Lanjigarh block and Bhawanipatna met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the Naveen Niwas here on Friday and submitted a memorandum.They sought urgent intervention by the Government to bail out Vedanta’s alumina refinery from the current crisis which it faces in absence of bauxite from Odisha.

 

They demanded that the Odisha Government should immediately take steps to secure bauxite from Niyamgiri for the refinery and informed that once the refinery is closed, nearly 10,000 people will be directly affected. They demanded that the Government must ask the company not to go for a shutdown. 

 

They sought personal intervention of the Chief Minister in the issue. The delegation was accompanied by MLAs Balbhadra Majhi, Anama Naik and Dibyashankar Mishra.

 

All efforts should be made to keep the project operational as it is essential for the development of the local economy, said Majhi.Meanwhile, sources have confirmed that the Ministry of Steel and Mines will convene an urgent meeting on Saturday and has invited MP Kalahandi and all regional MLAs including of Lanjigarh, Junagarh, Bhawanipatna and Narla along with the company officials to discuss the issue.

2nd day Kalahandi Bandh

Sambad, Aug 29, 2015

For Medical College, Bandh on

The New Indian Express (Bhubaneswar), Aug 28, 2015

BHAWANIPATNA:The 48-hour Kalahandi bandh, called by Kalahandi Medical College Kriyanusthan Committee demanding Government take-over of the Sardar Rajas Medical College at Jaring, threw normal life out of gear on Thursday.

Members of Kalahandi Merchants Association, Truck Owners, Auto and Bar Associations extended their support to the bandh call besides members of all political parties. All the business establishments remained closed while vehicular traffic came to a grinding halt.

The bandh was total in Junagarh, Kesinga, Dharamgarh, Kalampur and Jaipatna. Work was also hit in Government offices and courts. On Monday, the committee members had met the Chief Minister at Bhubaneswar demanding Government take-over of the medical college and hospital in larger public interest. Not satisfied with the talks, they called for the bandh. This year, apparently, the MCI did not give permission for admission to the medical college for 2015-16 academic session owing to several shortcomings. Set up by Tamil Nadu-based Selvam Education and Charitable Trust at Jaring in Kalahandi district, the medical college has no adequate faculty and infrastructure and the hospital functions with skeletal staff.

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

 Last year, the MCI barred admission to the medical college as infrastructure was not upgraded nor staff strength increased. The situation is the same this year too.

KALAHANDI MEDICAL COLLEGE TAKEOVER DEMANDED IN HOUSE

The Pioneer, Aug 28, 2015

Members cutting across party lines on Thursday urged the State Government to take over the Sardar Rajas Medical College and Research Centre at Jaringi in Kalahandi district soon in order to safeguard the future of 128 MBBS students and to provide healthcare to poor tribal people in the whole KBK region.

Raising the issue in the Assembly, BJP Legislature Party Leader Basant Panda said future of 124 MBBS students who had taken admission in the medical college has been pushed into dark as the MCI has already withdrawn its approval for poor infrastructure. As there is no medical college and people are not getting proper healthcare in the KBK area, the Government should take over it as soon as possible, he demanded.

His party colleague KV Singh Deo supported Panda and urged the Speaker to direct the Health Minister to hold talks with concerned officers, including Kalahandi Collector, and take necessary action soon so that the future of students can be saved.

Intervening into the issue, Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra said the person who had founded the college is a fraud, and as the MCI has withdrawn recognition, the House should know what steps the Government has taken to safeguard the students. He urged the Speaker to direct the Minister to make a Statement in the House.

Among others, Opposition Chief Whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati, BJD MLAs DS Mishra, Anam Nayak, Balabhadra Majhi and Ranendra Pratap Swain too supported the issue.

The Health Minister made a statement, saying the issue is now pending with the High Court. The Government is waiting for the court order and would act accordingly, he said.

48-HR BANDH HITS NORMAL LIFE

The Pioneer, Aug 28, 2015

A two-day Kalahandi bandh was held on Friday demanding Government status to Jaring-based Sardar Raja Medical College. Normal life was disrupted in Kalahandi with shops and daily market remaining closed on account of the bandh.

The central action committee of the Kalahandi medical college has called the bandh, backed by various political parties and the district lawyers’ association. Both the aggrieved citizens and the students are also participating in the stir against the private management of the college. They demand that the State Government take over the institute as soon as possible to save the future of the students. Moreover, the private bus owners’ association, traders’ association and labourers’ union have also pledged support to the bandh.

Notably, with the Medical Council of India (MCI) approval, the medical college had taken 124 students in academic year 2013-14. But, the MCI cancelled the student-intake approval in 2014-15 citing poor infrastructure and lack of faculties as reasons. However, the college took 30 students in the same year as the Supreme Court gave a ruling in favour of it.

The State Government would apprise the MCI for its approval to permitting 124 medicos to pursue their courses in the different medical colleges of the State, Junagarh MLA Captain Dibya Shankar Mishra said.

Kalahandi Bandh for Converting Sardar Raja Medical College: Discussion in the Odisha Assembly

Sambad, Aug 28, 2015

Vedanta to close down Lanjigarh refinery due to falling metal prices

The Indian Express, Aug 26, 2015
The Niyamgiri hilltop, which Vedanta wanted to mine, contained an estimated 72 million tonnes of bauxite. 

Written by Debabrata Mohanty | Bhubaneswar | Published:August 27, 2015 1:19 am

Anil Agarwal-owned Vedanta has decided to close down its one million tonne alumina refinery at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district due to non-availability of bauxite ore and falling global metal prices.

Vedanta’s chief operating officer KK Dave said with the current market turmoil, “which is not likely to improve soon and in absence of access to bauxite ore from within the state,” the company was forced to start the process of closure. He said the plant is operating with a daily loss of Rs 3 crore. The Niyamgiri hilltop, which Vedanta wanted to mine, contained an estimated 72 million tonnes of bauxite. But the company could not mine due to opposition from Dongaria Kondh tribals residing on the hill slopes.

The Odisha government also showed its helplessness today saying it can’t provide bauxite as no lease was available with its mining PSU Odisha Mining Corporation. State steel and mines minister Prafulla Mallick said OMC has no running bauxite mine. In 2009, OMC had formed South West Bauxite Mining Company, a joint venture with 26 per cent equity of Vedanta for supply of bauxite from deposits in Kalahandi and Rayagada districts to feed the alumina refinery. Though Vedanta officials did not say when the refinery would be shut down, they indicated that it may be done in a fortnight. The shutdown would affect over 1000 employees. In December 2012, Vedanta had shut down its unit temporarily for over 7 months due to economic non-viability and shortfall in bauxite ore supply. Earlier in August, Vedanta decided to suspend production at the rolling mill at Korba in Chhattisgarh as aluminium prices dipped down. 

Kalahandi Bandh on Aug 27 and 28: Demand for converting Sardar Raja Medical College to a Govt. Institution

Odisha Sun Times, Aug 27, 2015

48-hour bandh paralyses life in Odisha’s Kalahandi

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhawanipatna, Aug 27:

Normal life was disrupted in Odisha’s Kalahandi district today following a 48-hour bandh called by Kalahandi Medical College Kriyanusthan Committee demanding government status to Sardar Rajas Medical College at Jaring in the district.

File Pic

All trading establishments remained closed while vehicular traffic came to a grinding halt in Bhawanipatna, Kesinga, Junagarh and Dharmagarh towns in the district.

However, essential services like supply of drinking water and health services were kept out of the purview of the bandh by the Committee.

Several opposition political parties and the Kalahandi District Bar Association have extended support to the bandh call. Besides, the private bus owners’ association, traders’ association and labour unions have also supported the bandh.

“There was a massive agitation by the people in the district in 2004 demanding a 500-bedded medical college and hospital. As there is no speciality hospital in the district, the patients usually move to Vizag, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Burla and Raipur to get better treatment spending a lot of money. Following the agitation, the state government had entrusted the Rajas Group of Institutions to set up a medical college and hospital in the district. But the fact remains that the Rajas Group of Institutions has no medical colleges and the teaching faculty. Besides, the company is not financially sound to set up a medical college and hospital which requires an investment of at least Rs 400-500 crore,” senior Congress leader and former Kalahandi MP Bhakta Charan Das told the media today.

The issue cropped up during Zero Hour in the State Assembly today with members cutting across party lines drawing the attention of the Speaker and demanding government takeover of the medical college and hospital keeping the future of the students in view.

“The matter is presently sub judice in the Odisha High Court. The state government, after the verdict of the court, will take necessary steps in consultation with the Medical Council of India (MCI),” Health and Family Welfare minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said in his reply.

The minister also requested the agitators to withdraw the bandh call.

Hoping that ovt. (A) College Bhawanipatna will be considered under RUSA

When we wrote:

Rural: For solving rural problems and generating high quality human resource in the socially backward rural pockets, India should build National Rural University in the line of Central University in each rural, backward and economically poor pocket and cluster across the nation. Kalahandi is a central place in KBK, Kandhamal region, thus, a National Rural University should be established in Kalahandi.

The reply from center is:
The Ministry has launched Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) - a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), in 2013 to address issues of equity, access and excellence in higher education.

WE HOPE UNDER RUSA, Govt. (A) College Bhawanipatna will be considered for a University status, which is our long standing demand.

Medical Council of India halts renewal of 250 MBBS seats in Odisha

DNA, Aug 24, 2015

The number of MBBS seats for Odisha has come down by 250 from this year. The Medical Council of India (MCI), the apex medical education body, has not renewed 250 MBBS seats in Odisha’s three medical colleges for the academic session 2015-16.

The MCI denied permission for admitting students to Hi-Tech Medical College, Rourkela, and Sardar Rajas Medical College, Kalahandi. Besides, the council slashed the number of seats at Kalinga Institute of Medical Science (KIMS) Bhuabaneswar, to 100 from 150 on the grounds of lack of the adequate infrastructure.

Notably, both Hi-Tech and Rajas had admitted 100 students each last year.

Official sources said the MCI had asked these colleges to improve infrastructure to consider the renewal.

There are a total of 650 MBBS and 150 BDS seats in the state of which counselling would begin for 85% of seats by the Odisha Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) on Monday. SCB Medical College in Cuttack will be the nodal centre for counselling. Students can register themselves for counselling till August 28.

23rd day: Govt. needs to act on Sardar Raja Medical College

Sambad, Aug 23, 2015

Local liquors consumption growing in Bhawanipatna

Reported by Sri Debendra Bisi
Sambad, Aug 22, 2015

Ramjas MBBS students may be moved to other

Times of India, Aug 22, 2015
Bikash Khemka & Ashok Pradhan,TNN | Aug 22, 2015, 03.40 PM IST

BHUBANESWAR/BHAWANIPATNA: The state government is likely to transfer 124 students of Sardar Ramjas Medical College in Kalahandi district to other institutions, a government response to a petition in Orissa high court said.

The students have been agitating in front of their college since July 30 seeking government intervention to rescue them from the continued uncertainty since the college has no infrastructure and faculty to meet statutory norms of the Medical Council of India (MCI).

Hearing a petition filed by students, the high court on August 19 said advocate general S P Mishra had submitted in the court that the state "would take all necessary steps to try and ensure that the future educational needs of the students are not in any manner affected". To this end, the AG has asked for time to initiate discussion with health secretary Arti Ahuja and institutions where these students could possibly be accommodated, the bench of I Mahanty and D P Choudhury said.

On August 4, the HC had asked the health secretary and the director medical education and training P C Mohapatra to visit Selvam Educational and Charitable trust, which runs the Kalahandi college, and submit a report before the court.

MCI counsel R C Mohanty told the court that if the state government requested for transfer of the students who have already been admitted, it would deal with the matter forthwith.

The HC will hear the matter again on August 25.

Junagarh MLA Divya Shankar Mishra told reporters in Bhubaneswar that since the future of the students is involved, the government would take a positive stand. "Hopefully, the students will be moved to other colleges if MCI gives its nod," he said.

While 100 students took admission in 2013-14, 24 others were enrolled in 2014-15. The MCI had given provisional approval to the college in 2013-14. Since the institution could not meet the eligibility norms, the MCI declined recognition in 2014-15. The college managed to admit the students that academic year on the basis of a Supreme Court order on its petition.

Addressing a news conference in Bhubaneswar, the students on Friday said the college did not have a single permanent faculty member while the hospital was completely defunct. "The state must intervene since the college is a public private partnership project," they said.

The college was established by the Tamil Nadu-based Selvam Educational and Charitable Trust. The state government had given Rs 10 crore and 25 acre land after the trust signed an MoU with the Western Odisha Development Council (WODC). The WODC had taken the initiative to establish the institution to remove inequality in medical care in the tribal dominated area.

48 hours all party mass movement for Agriculture University in Kalahandi

Sambad, Aug 22, 2015

Strike of medical college continues for 23 days

Samaja, Aug 22, 2015

Working committee to meet CM and Health Minister on Jaring Medical college

Prameya, Aug 22, 2015

Protest from village level for Govt. medical college

Sambad, Aug 21, 2015

Drought-like situation in Kalahandi

The Statesman, Aug 19, 2015

Kalahandi district is facing a drought-like situation and farmers are alarmed over the failure of monsoon and the continuing moisture stress condition in the soil.

Paddy and non paddy plants in non irrigated pockets in all the 13 blocks of the district have been reportedly affected by the long dry phase and moisture stress.

Agriculture field staffs have been directed by district administration to conduct field assessments in all blocks to ascertain the situation and to take curative measures in every way possible.

Farmers hoped for a good khariff crop in June when it rained ( 300 mm average across the district as against 240 mm normal rainfall). They took to preparing the land, broadcasting of paddy and sowing of non paddy crops like cotton and maize.

But to their dismay July and the first two weeks of August have turned out to be dry. The dry spell disturbed all calculations.

In July, except Thuamul Rampur and Junagarh blocks, the other 11 blocks had poor rainfall, which is 264 mm against the normal rain fall of 327 mm for the month. The little rain that occurred was erratic.

August showed no improvement, till 11 August the district has received only 27 mm rain fall.

For the current Kharif it is targeted to cover 185005 hectors under paddy and 198716 hectares under non paddy crops. In the month of June and July paddy broadcasting area was covered in 89738 hectares but operation of the broadcasted paddy was possible only in 20790 hectares. Paddy nursery raised in 9527 hectares for transplanting. So far transplanting of paddy has been done in 41946 mostly in irrigated pockets as against the target of transplantation in 95267 hectares due to long dry phase and moisture stress. This is based on the latest field assessment report of Agriculture department. Besides paddy there is also apprehension that non paddy crops like cotton and Maize may also be affected due to this dry phase and moisture stress. Yellowing of paddy seedlings in nursery bed has been reported.

All Party Meeting in Junagarh for Sardar Raja Medical College

Sambad, Aug 18, 2015