Orissa Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik  launched a web-based grievance redressal and monitoring system 'e-Abhijoga'  ( www.cmgcorissa.gov.in )  to facilitate speedy redressal of grievances over Video Conferencing at the State Secretariat. Orissa is the second state in the country after Haryana to launch the system. Inaugurating the system, the Chief Minister said the system would be extended to all public dealing  offices of the state soon. Mr Patnaik said aspiration and grievances of the citizens were increasing. In a welfare state, addressing the issues of the people through an efficient system demands top priority, he added. This new online application on grievance redressal will be more efficient and less time consuming, the Chief Minister said. In the e-Abhijoga system, a citizen can submit his grievance online from anywhere in the world at any time. A senior officer would monitor the process for speedy redressal. The petitioner will be provided with a unique registration number and the applicant can track the progress made on his complaints and get a print out of the action taken report. The Chief Minister said 'e-Abhijoga' will have several advantages like transparency, instant information on status and action taken on grievance, effective monitoring and timely disposal of grievance. Mr Patnaik hoped that e-Abhijoga system will bring in more accountability of officials and result in reduction of paper work and physical movement of grievance petition.  This initiative has been made possible by the joint efforts of the administrative reforms wing of GA Department, the PG&PA Department and the National Informatic Centre (NIC). The National Informatics Centre (NIC) has provided the necessary support for implementation of the e-Abhijoga system. Shri S K Panda, Senior Technical Director NIC gave the detail presentation of e-Abhijoga System. Shri R.N.Behera, TD along with Portal Group team also present during the function.

           Shri Ananga udaya Singh Deo, Minister Planning & Coordination, Shri Prasanna Achrya, Minister Health & Family Welfare and Public Girevance and Shri Surjya Narayan Patro, Minister Revenue & Disaster Management,  Shri Prafulla Samal Panchayatiraj Minister, Shri Tarunkanti Mishra, IAS, Chief Secretary and many senior Govt. Officials were also graced the occasion. At Angul VC Studio, Shri D.V.Swami, IAS, Collector & DM, Shri Satyabrata Bhoi, IPS, SP,  Shri S.K.Chatterjee, TD & DIO, NIC Angul District Unit and all BDOs, Tahasildars were present.

CSR Excellence Award for JSPL>>

                       The Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) has received the Corporate Social Responsibility Excellence Award from ASSOCHAM for the year 2010. The award was received jointly by CSR teams of various JSPL units namely Angul, Raigarh and Patratu. The company's CSR policy aims at bringing about a radical transformation in the quality of people in and around the operation areas of the company through positive social upliftment interventions. Its key focus areas are Health, Education, Women Empowerment, Livelihood, Livestock Care, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Youth and Sports, Natural Resource Management and Infrastructure Development. These intervention areas are developed in line with the Vision 2020 and Millennium Development Goal 2015.

JSPL seeks Govt help for Rs 42,000-cr projects at Angul>>

                The Executive Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) Sri Naveen Jindal seek support from State Govt. for smooth implementation of its four proposed industries in Angul district, Odisha.  JSPL is currently executing a 6-mtpa mega steel project which is perhaps the only mega scale steel project to take off in the state. The Jindal Project has shaped up well with several units scheduled for commissioning in the last quarter of 2010. Sri Jindal emphasized his group’s stress on integrating with the local culture & economy at Angul, and attributed the success of the Odisha project to the support extended by the people of Angul. The four proposals  include Coal to Liquid Project proposed to be set up in Angul district with a projected investment of Rs 42,000 crore.  This project is a national priority, and uniquely seeks to convert locally available coal to diesel and other useful byproducts. JSPL’s other proposals include ramping up the steel project’s capacity from 6 mtpa to 12.5 mtpa, a 1320 MW merchant power plant and a massive industrial park, all in the district of Angul. These four projects have been proposed to set up at a total investment of a whopping Rs 101,100 crore and one lakh people will get employment when activated, he asserted. Sri Jindal further informed that success in setting up Greenfield projects has once again been reinforced by the unprecedented success of the Angul Project, and JSPL has now virtually become a benchmark for Greenfield ventures, particularly in Odisha. The meticulous planning, the outstanding CSR and periphery development activities, and the emotional bonding with the concerned local people are all worthy of emulation, and JSPL  is today poised to take forward the aspirations of  an industrially vibrant state, he said.

Angul tops the highest annual growth and per capita income as per State Economic Survey report  2009-10>>

                Odisha's economy grew by 8.35 per cent in 2009-10 in line with the national trends and bouncing back from a 6.65 per cent growth which the state had clocked in 2008-09 when it had to grapple with global economic recession. Angul district has reported the highest annual growth rate of 7.84 per cent during 1999-00 to 2004-05 while Deogarh has posted the lowest growth of 0.72 per cent during the said reference period. Angul also clocked the highest per capita income among all the districts with Nabarangapur at the bottom. The top five districts in terms of average annual growth rate during the period are Angul, Ganjam, Khurda, Cuttack and Sundergarh.

Talcher Fertilizer Plant to be revived >>

              The Centre has decided to explore the feasibility of revival of the closed public sector fertilizer units of Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation Limited (HFCL) and Fertiliser Corporation of India Limited (FCIL) including the Talcher and  Ramagundam units of FCIL subject to assured availability of natural gas. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Sri Srikant Kumar Jena informed that the Centre has constituted an Empowered Committee of Secretaries (ECoS) with the mandate to evaluate all investment options for revival of the closed units and make suitable recommendations for consideration of the government. ECoS has already considered various possible investment options for revival of each of the closed units and finalized its recommendations regarding the suitable financing option. Sri Jena also informed that the recommendations of the ECoS are under consideration of the Government. No preferential treatment is being given to any specific unit, he added.

Angul Govt. ITI (Polytechnic) >>

                The Central Government, Ministry of Human Resource Development and Department of Higher Education have sanctioned financial assistance to the State to set up 22 new Government Polytechnics in un-served districts. The new polytechnics are to be set up by the State Government in Gajapati, Boudh, Sambalpur, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Jajpur, Nayagarh, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Sonepur, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Deogarh, Angul, Bargarh, Balangir, Balasore, Bhadrak, Koraput, Kandhamal and Mayurbhanj. The Central Government has sanctioned Rs 12.30 crore per polytechnic to be released in installments on the performance under Coordinated Action for Skill Development.

                The Industries Department has agreed in principle for establishment of the polytechnics. A single patch of land measuring 10 acres has been identified by the State Government in each district for setting up of a new polytechnics during the academic session 2010-11. Out of Rs 12.30 crore, Rs 8 crore will be spent on civil works and rest will be spent on machinery, furniture and learning resources material.

Janaseva Kendra (Common Service Centre) launching vehicle flagged off>>

               Janaseva Kendra (Common Service Centre) launching vehicle was flagged off by Shri D.Senapati, OAS(I), ADM at Collectorate Angul. Shri Sudarsan Parida, OAS(I), Sub Collector, Angul, Shri S.K.Chatterjee, District Informatics Officer (DIO), National Informatics Centre (NIC) and many other officials were present during this occasion. Under National e-Governance Plan, Janaseva Kendra will be established at Panchayat, Block & Tahasil headquarters to provide various e- Governance services. Zoom Developers Pvt. Ltd. has been identified as the Service provider for Janaseva Kendra in the Angul District by Govt. of Odisha.

Aluminium park to come up at Angul>>

                       An Aluminum Park would be set up at Angul with an investment of Rs 75 crore. The proposed project would be a joint venture of the Orissa Industrial Development Corporation (IDCO) and the National Aluminum Company Ltd (Nalco). A Memorandum of Understanding to this effect was signed to this effect between the state government and Nalco at the State Secretariat recently.Chief minister Shri Naveen Patnaik, Industry and Steel and Mines minister Shri Raghunath Mohanty, CMD Nalco Shri C.R.Pradhan, Chief Secretary Shri Tarunkanti Mishra, Development Commissioner Shri Satya Prakash Nanda and other senior officials were present on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, the industry minister said that as per the Industrial Policy-2007 and MSME Policy-2009, the state government is giving highest priority for development of ancillary and downstream industries in MSME sector for greater value addition of steel and aluminum products in Orissa. State Agencies like IPICOL and Directorate of Industries will be closely associated in the planning and marketing of the park. The ancillary and downstream units identified to be set up in the proposed industrial park in the Alumina/Aluminum sectors will be Caustic Soda, Calcined Petroleum coke, coal tar pitch, aluminum fluoride, aluminum conductors, aluminum extrusions, aluminum castings, slugs and circles and aluminum power.                            

                    MCL has implemented the e-Procurement system (http://mcltenders.gov.in) developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC), Govt. of India for all Civil, E&M, Extraction of Coal, Transportation and loading tenders etc. valuing Rs.2.00 lakhs & above.  It is an initiative of MCL to use the leverage of web based technology in compliance with the guidelines of Central Vigilance Commission to ensure transparency in Tendering process. In this system, bids will be received on-line from the bidders having Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) and the evaluation of bids will also be done on-line. To participate in e-Tenders the Bidders are required to obtain DSC from any of the agencies authorized by Controller of Certifying Authority (CCA), Govt. of India. This on-line auto evaluation system is a unique system of its kind and being done first time in CIL. A training programme was held recently at Angul  by NIC for the successful implementation of e-procurement at MCL.

MCL to set up medical college at Talcher>>

             Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) will set up a 500-bed medical college and hospital at Talcher in Angul district. It will also upgrade its Nehru Satabdi hospital to a super speciality hospital. This was informed at the meeting between the State Health and Family Welfare Minister, Mr Prasanna Acharya, and MCL CMD Mr SR Upadhaya. While the company had earlier proposed the medical college and hospital, the State Government recently gave its no-objection certificate for this hospital. The medical college would be set up on a 60 acre patch of land along the same lines as Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), Lucknow. Mr Upadhaya further informed that the State Health and Family Secretary would be the Chairman of the medical college’s governing body, while the company CMD or senior director will act as the co-chairman. Minister Mr Acharya suggested the MCL delegation abide by the MCI guidelines while setting up the college, and stressed the importance of keeping it pollution-free.  

Angul to have India's largest integrated steel plant>>

                   Notwithstanding the current worldwide economic slow down, Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) has made much headway in setting up the nations’ largest integrated Rs. 15000 crore steel plant in Angul district. JSPL authorities are trying hard to commission the three million tonne plant by the end of 2010. The second phase three MTPA plant will go on steam in a year after. About 5,000 tonne of equipment from Italy, UK, Germany and China and other countries have already arrived at the plant site and another 10,000 tonne equipment are lying at various national and international ports. The progress have been made in the field of direct reduced iron (DRI), coal gratification, steel melting shop, plate mill and power plant construction activities.

Tikarpada now beckons eco-tourists >>

       

                Satkosia Sanctuary authorities had launched eco-tourism in Tikarpara to boost tourism potential of the area.  Ten tents have been built on the banks of the Mahanadi at Tikarpara, with all the modern amenities like toilets, kitchen, solar light & fencing around the camp etc. and tourist can enjoy the exotic nature there.

                  Eco-Tourism at Satkosia sanctuary, this year, is expected to yield thrice the revenue of last year to the local community, which manages the nature camps. Nature camps were launched at Satkosia on November 7 this year and this facility would continue till March-end. The revenue so far has been nearly Rs 1.2 lakh in the form of bookings in just 24 days. Eco-tourism has been being organized since 2006 at Tikarpara of Satkosia forest region. As part of this, 10 spacious tents called nature camps are set up on the banks of the Mahanadi at Tikarapra. Each tent has double beds with lavatory and water. Catering is also provided to the visitors. For a 24-hour stay in the camp beginning 11 AM, an adult is required to pay Rs 550. While children up to the age five are not charged, five to 12-year-old children are charged Rs 330 a day. Though the booking is made by the Forest Department authorities, the management of these camps is entrusted to Tikarpara Paribesh Paryatana Samiti. All the money goes to the samiti and 35 per cent of it goes for maintenance. Tourists are taken for boat cruise, nature walk and elephant ride in the forest areas during their stay. This is the only community based camp in our State.              

NH-42 to be four lane soon to streamline traffic>>

                    National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has prepared a feasibility report with an outlay of Rs 700 crore to convert NH-42 into a four lane driveway for streamlining of traffic. In the first phase 107 km stretch of this highway from Panchamahala to Manguli will be taken up as this section runs through the highly industrialized Angul-Dhenkanal industrial zone.  Heavy steel plants like Bhushan Steels , Jindal Steel and Power Limited(JSPL), Rungta , BRG Steel, Nav Bharat Chrome, Aarati steel and a number of ancillary industries have come up in the region which has resulted in four fold increase in vehicular traffic, mostly heavy vehicles. A survey conducted by the NHAI recently has revealed that over 26000 vehicles ply between Gudiakateni(Dhenkanal) and Banarpal(Angul) regularly and this figure is expected to increase further in days to come as the Angul-Talcher-Dhenkanal belt has been attracting a number of steel and power tycoons all over India owing to cheap availability of coal, water and other good infrastructures. In order to ease traffic at busy places, the NHAI has also decided to construct fly over at Bhushan Steels at Narendrapur. Movement of traffic will also be streamlined at PTC Chhak, Buddhi Thakurani Square,  Nalco Smelter and CPP square by installation of  high-tech electronic gadgets and traffic islands.

Rs 150-Cr. road project in Angul >>

                   With an aim to develop the infrastructure of Angul-Chendipada road in view of the rapid industrialization and mining, the State Government has mooted a Rs. 150 crore road project. The plan envisages doubling the single narrow road from Angul to Budhapal. The cost would be shared by industries including the public sector company Mahanadi Coalfields Limited. This was decided at a high level meeting chaired by Works Minister recently. Besides the road, there would be a by pass around Angul town to link the proposed road with NH-42 for smooth movement of traffic. As per the proposal, eight industries will contribute funds for the construction of 23 km long Angul-Kosala double road while Mahanadi Coalfields Limited will bear the cost of next the 17 km road from Kosala to Chhendipada. The next patch of the road will be taken up by a group of industries to be operative beyond Chhendipda areas of the Angul.     

Satkosia notified as a tiger reserve >>

                     The state government has notified Satkosia as a Tiger Reserve after the central steering committee cleared Satkosia to be State’s second tiger Reserve. Satkosia Tiger Reserve consists of Satkosia and Baisipalli wild life sanctuary covering the districts of Angul, Cuttack, Boudh and Nayagarh, according to the notification issued by State Government. As per the census in 2004 and monitoring held in 2006 there were 18 Royal Bengal Tigers and 32 leopards’ in the Satkosia Tiger Reserve. The total area of the new Tiger Reserve is 963 sq km while the core area remains within 532 sq km, according to the notification.  This sanctuary was established in 1976. The forest type of Satkosia sanctuary is one of mixed deciduous forest with predominant species of sal, mahua and bahera. The forest was at one time the habitat of tigers and leopards, but at present these faunal species are rarely found. About 10 km south of the gorge at Purnakote and Labangi, Gharials had made their home in the Mahanadi river and this sanctuary was established primarily to protect the crocodile, an endangered species.

Manjore project got clearance from Centre >>                 

              Manjore Medium Irrigation Project, Athamallik in Angul District got clearance from Water Resources Ministry, Govt. of India. This project will help to provide irrigation facilities in Athamallik Sub Division.

Central Tourism Ministry adds Deulajhari (Athamallik) in Village tourism list >>

                The Tourism Ministry, Govt. of India has decided to include Deulajhari Village near Athamallik in "Village Tourism List". Deulajhari is the ancient citadel of Saivism.  The Shiva temple has been consecrated amidst dense indigenous-jasmine forest (locally known as Kiabana) that stand as the high walls. To the south of the temple flows the sacred river Chitrotpala, and in the north stands the towering hills of Panchadhara. The uniqueness of the place lies in its hot springs that surround the temple. As per the ancient records there are eighty-four such springs.  But many of them have been overshadowed in the jasmine forest. Now twenty-four springs are alive. A large number of tourists visited this place every year.