Sariaan paddy sells at Rs 10 a tiny bundle! August 29, 2011 10:57:25 PM

BHUBANESWAR | Tuesday, August 30, 2011 | Email | Print | | Back


Sariaan paddy sells at Rs 10 a tiny bundle!
August 29, 2011 10:57:25 PM

SUDHIR MISHRA | Balangir

With western Odisha’s major festival Nuankhai or Nabanna barely four days away, the Sariaan paddy has started arriving at the market but is selling at a high price.

During the festival, the newly-harvested paddy is first offered to the local deity as a mark of gratitude and then consumed by people. And Sariaan paddy is offered to the deity in the beginning.

A small bundle of hardly 10 Sariaan paddy plants was selling at Rs 10 or Rs 12 in Balangir on the footpath in front of the district Collectorate on Monday.

A woman seller said, “I have brought it (Sariaan paddy) from a farmer of Tangrupadar in Ramchandrapur Panchyat in Deogaon block, 40 km away from here, and I am selling it at 10 rupees per bundle. The paddy has not reached its properly ripened and it will remain intact for next five days,” she clarified the doubt of a person purchasing the paddy.

However, listening to the conversation of the women selling Sariaan paddy at Rs 10 and the customer, an angry villager remarked, “In our village, we give it free. Whoever goes to our field, we give a few Sariaan plants. You urbanites are purchasing it at such high price! However, he simply overlooked to the stark reality that in majority parts of the district and State drought has affected paddy cultivation process, including that of Sariaan paddy.
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Declare special package for Balangir farmers: MP August 28, 2011 10:10:34 PM

BHUBANESWAR | Monday, August 29, 2011 | Email | Print | | Back
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Declare special package for Balangir farmers: MP
August 28, 2011 10:10:34 PM
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PNS | Balangir

Member of Parliament from Balangir Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo has demanded a special package for farmers of Balangir and Subanrnapur districts who have been hit by scanty rainfall and the consequent drought situation.

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Singh Deo stated that inadequate rainfall in Balangir since the beginning of the kharif season this year has badly affected the agriculture operations. While the monsoon rainfall was deficit by 50 per cent in June and it was too low, erratic and irregular in July, he has pointed out in the letter.

The ideal time for planting seedling raised in the nursery bed is 21 days. However, as the paddy plants/seedlings in the nursery bed have become 40 to 45 days old, even if they are planted the yield would be extremely low. Moreover, due to lack of rainfall, there would be shortage of water, Singh Deo has pointed out further.
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Youth dies during anti-graft dharna August 25, 2011 11:08:30 PM

BHUBANESWAR | Friday, August 26, 2011 | Email | Print | | Back
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Youth dies during anti-graft dharna
August 25, 2011 11:08:30 PM

PNS | Balangir

Social activist and Gandhian Anna Hazare’s crusade against corruption and for a strong Jan Lokpal Bill has cast a strong spell on the people of India. This has provoked rallies, dharnas and fasts all over the country. However, reportedly, one such dharna has claimed life of an activist Arun Dash (35) of Kamira village near Junhapank in Boudh district on Wednesday.

According to reports, Das, who is a member of Patanajali Yoga Samiti, Boudh, affiliated to Baba Ramdev Patanjali Yoga Sansthan, had been instrumental in popularising yoga in rural areas of Boudh district after having undergone training in Haridwar. Das had participated in a rally against corruption in Boudh, where he along with his supporters had also sat on a dharna since Monday last.

However, according to reports, after the second day of the dharna, he fell sick and was rushed to the Boudh hospital. But as his condition worsened, he was shifted to the VSS Medical College Hospital at Burla.

Despite all efforts by the doctors to save his life, he died in the hospital on Wednesday morning. His demise shocked Baba Ramdev, who immediately announced the news to the people in the rally at the Ramlila Maidan in NewDelhi. The incident was broadcasted in a TV channel too. This is the first ever report of death of a person during a dharna in support of Anna Hazare.

Balangir holds 12-hr bandh in Anna's support August 23, 2011 11:40:15 PM

BHUBANESWAR | Wednesday, August 24, 2011 | Email | Print | | Back


Balangir holds 12-hr bandh in Anna's support
August 23, 2011 11:40:15 PM

PNS | Balangir
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After the rally by Citizens’ Committee members here on Monday, a 12-hour bandh was held and a rally was organised by the Chambers of Commerce here in support of Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement on Tuesday. Responding to the call by the Balangir District Chamber of Commerce, shopkeepers downed their shutters. However, the other services were kept out of the purview of the bandh.

A procession of businessmen and others, led by the chamber’s president Pramod Mishra moved through the town giving slogans in support of Anna Hazare and demanding that the Jan LokpaL Bill be passed in Parliament.

Later, activists of the Netaji Sangrami Parishad led by its president Laxminarayn Pattnaik staged a demonstration before the district Collectorate, singing kirtan. “We have never seen Gandhi, who made our country free. When Anna Hazare gave the call to make India corruption-free, we decided to support him. He is another person like Gandhi. We are paying our respect and regards to him, and we support his crusade and the Jan Lokpal Bill,” Pattnaik said.
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Solar power plant--part-2

Solarpower plant in Bolangir(Odisha) starts power generation part-1;bySudhirMishra/Bolangir

Revive public sector drug producing units: OSRU August 18, 2011 12:54:50 AM

BHUBANESWAR | Thursday, August 18, 2011 | Email | Print | | Back


Revive public sector drug producing units: OSRU
August 18, 2011 12:54:50 AM
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PNS | Balangir

Responding to a call given by the Federation of Medical and Sales Representatives Association of India (FMRAI), members of the Odisha Sales Representative Union (OSRU) Balangir unit on Wednesday staged a dharna before the district Collectorate here protesting takeover of country’s public sector drug units by multinational companies and demanding revival of these units and other issues.

“We are staging the dharna mainly to protest the takeover of Indian companies by multinational company. We demand revival of public sector drug units, including vaccine producing units,” said ORSU Balangir unit president Surula Matari.

“We demand publication of 356 essential drugs’ list and their easy availability. We oppose the banning of well-established products of Indian companies without substantial grounds and protection of jobs of workers,” he said, adding that there must be an end to unethical trade and marketing practices by drug companies and effective steps must be taken against fake drugs dealers.Besides, the medical representatives also submitted a15-point charter of demands relating to their service conditions to the Union and State Governments and drug companies through the district administration.
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BHUBANESWAR | Thursday, August 18, 2011 | Email | Print | | Back


Campaign in Anna's support continues in Balangir
August 17, 2011 10:49:45 PM

PNS | BALANGIR

For the second day on Wednesday, people from different sections of society staged protest here against the Union Government's format of Lokpal Bill introduced in the Parliament and demanded introduction of the Jan Lokpal Bill drafted by Anna Hazare and his group comprising eminent personalities known for their anti-graft fight.

While members of the Balangir District Bar Association boycotted court, members of Bhumkia, a cultural organisation carried out a signature campaign against the Government's Lokpal Bill and in support of the Jan Lokpal Bill. And leading dignitaries of the town, members of citizens' committees staged a dharna before the Collector's office supporting Anna Hazare's stand.

In the evening the civil society group is also schedule to take out a candle light procession supporting Anna's movement.
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