Tuesday 25 June 2013

Berhampur students make rich haul of IIT-JEE ranks


Source: The Sambad

Several pilgrims from south Odisha districts stranded in Uttarakhand


Several pilgrims from districts of south Odisha are reported to be stranded in floodwater in some areas of Uttarakhand. According to sources, around 40 of them are from Paralakhemundi area in Gajapati district and around twenty are from Berhampur and Ganjam district. As per unconfirmed reports twenty other pilgrims from Koraput and Malkangiri districts are also stranded in the flood-hit mountainous area. The pilgrims from Gajapati district had reached Uttarakhand for ‘chardham yatra’ that includes visit to Kedarnath and Gangotri area, which were worst affected by the recent floods. They had gone there in two batches of thirty members each. According to the information provided by one of these stranded pilgrims, M. Dharmaraju of R. Sitapur village near Paralakhemundi, twenty pilgrims from Gajapati district had safely returned to Haridwar, while the others were stranded at Uttarakashi, Gangotri and Kedarnath. After receiving information, Gajapati district administration has started collecting information regarding all persons of the district stranded in Uttarakhand. Similar measures have also been initiated by the Ganjam district administration. Meanwhile, the State Home Secretary Upendra Nath Behera declared that Odisha government was making all possible efforts for safe return of Odia pilgrims stranded in Uttarakhand. According to him the resident commissioner of Odisha posted in New Delhi was in touch with Uttarakhand government regarding state of Odia pilgrims stranded there.

Source: The Hindu

Flood fury in South Odisha districts


Major South Odisha colleges including Khallikote College to loose Autonomous tag? Odisha Government tight lipped


South Odisha gets technical education boost


ITI, Berhampur
The Odisha Government is planning to start two new polytechnics in Gajapati and Kandhamal districts and increase the number of seats in the ITIs at Berhampur and Chhatrapur in Ganjam from this year. The objective is to boost technical education in southern Odisha. The new polytechnics would function at Paralakhemundi and Phulbani in Gajapati and Kandhamal districts respectively. Sixty students each would take admission in the civil, mechanical, electrical and electronics and telecommunication streams in each polytechnic course, official sources said. The buildings of the new polytechnics are nearing completion and are likely to be handed over next month. The Government, however, is yet to appoint teachers for the new institutes. “We expect the Government to appoint teachers before the commencement of classes on August 1,” said the in-charge of the polytechnic and ITI Phulbani Principal, D. P. Patnaik.

Meanwhile, the Government has increased the number of seats in the Government-run ITIs in Berhampur and Chhatrapur in Ganjam by 340 and 378 seats respectively. The seat strength was doubled in the fitter, electrical, welder and electronics streams in ITI Berhampur, while three new trades — instrumental, mechanics and welder — have been introduced at ITI Chhatrapur, besides doubling the seats in the existing disciplines — mechanics, electrical and electronics. The total strength has now been increased to 1,300 and 567 in ITI Berhampur and Chhatrapur respectively, said ITI Berhampur Principal Rajat Panigrahi. He said infrastructure was being provided to accommodate the increased number of students. The Government has already provided instruments worth around Rs 80 lakh to the institutes. Two new buildings were set up on their premises at an expenditure of Rs 65 lakh.

Source: The Hindu

Friday 14 June 2013

Maa Tara Tarini hill shrine to get new Rope-way

Tara Tarini hill shrine near Berhampur in Ganjam district is all set to get a new ropeway to the hill top shrine. According to authorities of the Tara Tarini Development Board (TTDB), a test run of this new modernized ropeway had started from May 14. After completion of one month of test run, there would be a proper security check and date of its inauguration would be fixed. It may be noted that a Kolkata-based company had started a ropeway to the hill top in 2007. In August 2012 this company withdrew from the project. Now Usha Breco Pvt. Ltd, Ghaziabad has established this ropeway at the Tara Tarini hill shrine near Berhampur on the lines of the modern Ropeways at Mansa Devi in Haridwar. According to the secretary of the TTDB, Pramod Panda, the ropeway had remained defunct since August 2012. Source: The Hindu

Thursday 6 June 2013

College in South Odisha that has never seen a student pass out

By: Hrusikesh Mohanty
Berhampur: It's a college where no student has passed since its inception. The state government-run junior science college at Jeerango in Gajapati district retained its dubious distinction with the nil result in Plus II (science) examination this year too.
As many as 20 out of 27 students took the examination this year. No student of the college has passed in last five years since its first batch sat the examination in 2009, official sources said.
The college was established in 2007 with Central government funds to facilitate education of mostly Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Scheduled Caste (SC) children. Altogether 14 students had taken the exam in 2009 (first batch). While five students had appeared in the subsequent year, four and six students took the exam in 2011 and 2012, respectively, sources said.
College authorities attributed the nil result to lack of permanent staff. Only two lecturers (botany and mathematics) from Khallikote junior college, Berhampur, teach the students three days a week while one Odia lecturer from SKCG College, Paralakhemundi, is the in charge principal. "There are no teachers to teach chemistry, physics, zoology and English," said in charge principal KC Padhy.
Though there are several rooms in the college, but it is going without a laboratory, power and telephone. "We have written letters for appointment of permanent faculties in the college to higher education department," said collector (Gajapati) Basudev Bahinipati.
"I have also raised the issue at principals' conferences. I also apprised officers of higher education department of the lacunae after becoming in-charge principal in February," said Padhy. The collector has suggested the government to hand over the college to SC & ST Development Department. "As most of the students are from SC and ST communities, it is better to hand over the college to the department concerned," Bahinipati said. ToI 

Comments in the Times of India 
Mahendra Kumar Nayak (Bhubaneswar)
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A shameful story. The Principal, other lecturers should not defend themselves. Despite the shortcomings if they had treated the students as if their own child the results would have been different. All other colleges where students are coming out successful are having some or the other problem, still they are able to come out successful. On the other hand I am not arguing that facilities should not be provided to the college.

kamal (Delhi) replies to Mahendra Kumar Nayak17 mins ago
Instead of shooting the principal of the college why not the so called intelligentsia of Odisha asking for better facilities and staff for this college from the state government, which has always been showing discrimination towards the colleges of South Odisha. The people of the State must think, is it really possible to ensure good result with only two lecturers in hand? Are the colleges in Bhubaneswar performing with having same type of problems? It is difficult to understand that what type of plight the students of the backward districts of south Odisha are facing? therefore, intelligentsia of the state should force the state govt. to give more attention, staff and facilities to the colleges in the backward districts of south Odisha instead of bashing the principal and temporary staff of the college.

E-district project to all Odisha districts after successful implementation in Ganjam and Mayurbhanj


BERHAMPUR: The Odisha government has decided to extend the e-district project to all districts by this year end after its successful implementation in Ganjam and Mayurbhanj. "The project was implemented in the two districts on a pilot basis last year. It will be rolled out in the other 28 districts soon," Information and Technology (IT) secretary MS Padhy said in Berhampur.
Padhy was in Berhampur to attend a workshop on National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), jointly organised by the department of information and technology and Odisha Computer Applications Centre (OOAC).
Through the e-project, certificates like caste, residence, solvency, income and legal heir are being received online in both the districts. To quickly deliver the services and ensure transparency, the Centre has decided to implement NeGP across the country.
Under the project, the revenue circles are connected with tehsil offices and common service centres (CSCs), set up by private entrepreneurs. People can apply for certificates from, any CSC and receive it within a week without even going to the office, Padhy said.
District collectors, sub-collectors, tehsildars from Ganjam, Gajaati, Kandhama, Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangapur, Malkangiri, Kalahandi and Nuapada districts participated in the workshop. ToI