BHUBANESWAR: Having witnessed a quantum rise in the production of horticulture crops in the last 10 years, the State Government has now decided to lay emphasis on floriculture, coconut and banana crops. Three new schemes - floriculture development, coconut development, banana development - besides inter-cropping have been introduced under the State plan for the current financial year.

After deciding to integrate railway freight data with the Integrated Mines and Mineral Management System (i3MS), the online data verification and permit generation software for mineral transports, the steel and mines department now plans to integrate the software with the commercial tax department.

“By June 1, the integration with the Railways will be completed wherein information on mineral transported from Odisha will be cross verified in real-time. Efforts are now being taken to integrate i3MS with the commercial tax department on verification of sale value of the mineral,”

The Centre and Orissa government find themselves on a war footing as the Centre holds the state responsible for stepping on its toes by determining royalty rates of iron ore. Acknowledging complaints from steel producers that the state is executing a royalty regime which is in contravention to the Mineral Concession Rules (MCR), the mines ministry has demanded an immediate clarification from the state and directed it to expressly abolish the system.

JAIPUR: One person died and five were injured, three seriously, on Sunday evening as heavy thunderstorm hit some parts of Korei, Bari, Rasulpur and Vyasnagar in the district. The deceased has been identified as Sarathi Malik (60) of Haripur village in Rasulpur block. Sarathi died when a branch of a tree fell on her while she was collecting mangoes from an orchard in the village.

Bhubaneswar: Orissa’s Keonjhar district, long considered endemically poor, has undergone a transformation: it has turned daily wage labourers into crorepatis. Guali, a village that falls on a cart track, today has the latest SUVs whizzing around. A leading private bank operates a profitable branch for wannabe millionaires.

Bhubaneswar: In a move to ensure inclusive growth of minerals-bearing areas of Odisha including livelihood programmes, experts have suggested floating of a micro-enterprise fund with Rs 200 crore to the state government. This fund would be utilised to ensure the tribal population’s access to credit and grants for setting new businesses as part of their alternative livelihood options.

Australian mining major Rio Tinto is planning to invest around $2 billion (Rs 9,886 crore) in setting up a major iron ore mining project in Orissa. The investment, largest so far by the miner in India, would help it establish a strong foothold in the country’s mining space.

“It is a $2-billion project. We expect ramping up the project’s capacity quickly to 15 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) to cater to clients ,” Sam Walsh, chief executive of Rio Tinto’s iron ore division said during a press conference.

BHUBANESWAR: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday said the implementation of the Integrated Action Plan (IAP) should be made more participatory by consulting people’s representatives in districts. Chidambaram reviewed the implementation of IAP in the State through video-conferencing with district collectors. Chief Secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik and secretaries of departments, including Home, Panchayati Raj, Women and Child Development and Rural Development, participated in the video-conference. The IAP is being implemented in 18 Naxalite-affected districts of the State.

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has been urged to lift the ban on road transport of minerals. Antarastriya Manavadhikar Association, a Keonjhar-based organisation fighting for the common cause of the people, has made the plea. ‘’The Government decision has created a great deal of discontent among the public, particularly those families depending on transportation business,’’ president of the Association Mitrabhanu Mahakud said in a memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

BHUBANESWAR: Worried over the recurring incidence of electrocution, the State Government has decided to replace single and double poles with elephant-friendly electricity structures in districts where the jumbos are most vulnerable. To avoid the electrocution, narrow based lattice structures (NBLS) will be established in Dhenkanal, Angul, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj by replacing the single and double poles in all 11 KV and 33 KV lines in future.