KalingaTimes CorrespondentBhubaneswar:
Congress MLA from Champua Assembly segment in Orissa's Keonjhar district Dhanurjaya Sidhu was critically injured when unidentified miscreants fired at him in Barbil town on Monday night.
Sidhu, who was hit by three of the total 14 bullets fired at him, was brought to the Shri Ram Chandra Bhanja Medical College and Hospital by a helicopter on Tuesday morning after his condition deteriorated at the government hospital in Keonjhar.
The incident occurred around 9-45 pm on Monday when Sidhu was returning home in a Scorpio vehicle. The assailants who came in a motor-cycle fired at Sidhu when the vehicle was trapped in a traffic snarl.
The legislator was first admitted to Barbil Hospital and later shifted to Joda before he was brought to the district headquarter hospital at Keonjhar.
Political rivalry following the recently concluded three-tier panchayat polls could be a reason behind the attack, said police.
The Keonjhar police have deployed additional police personnel in and around Barbil town to prevent any untoward incident following the attack on Sidhu.
Although a case had been registered in connection with the incident, the police had not been able to trace the assailants till Tuesday afternoon.


RELEASE OF CENTRAL FUNDS TO ORISSA FOR DPAP UNDER HARYALI GUIDELINES
The Ministry of Rural Development has released Rs.2.67 crore to the State Government of Orissa towards second installment of Central Funds for the Watershed Mission, Kalahandi district of the State under Haryali-II guidelines for the implementation of the Drought Prone Areas Programme (DPAP) in the district of Kalahandi for the year 2006-07. The grant is towards plan expenditure and its utilization is subject to the terms and conditions laid down in the guidelines for watershed development and also to the conditions laid down and orders issued from time to time by the Government of India. Department of Land Resources has brought out a new initiative called Haryali with an objective of empowering Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) both financially and administratively in implementation of Watershed Development Prorammes. Under this initiative, all ongoing area development programmes namely, Integrated Wastelands Development Programme (IWDP), Drought Prone Areas Programmes (DPAP) and Desert Development Programme (DDP) are to be implemented through the PRIs. New projects under the aforesaid area development programmes are implemented in accordance with the Guidelines for Haryali from April 1, 2003.

By Manoj Kar Kendrapara:
If one has the right connections at the right place and possesses the capability to grease the palms of the authorities, obtaining a disability certificate is easy even if he is physically fit and fine. Such a nefarious trend of persons endowed with perfect health profile sneaking into the list of enumerated disabled persons has become the order of the day in Kendrapara district of Orissa. Nearly 100 cases of persons faking physically challenged status have been detected in the district.
While the government used to provide succour like monthly pension, reservation of seats in educational institutions, monthly scholarship, free disabled aid such as hearing aid, tri-cycle and walking stick, travel concession besides income tax rebates, many able persons figure in the list of disabled. Thanks to official patronage mainly by medicos, their number has swelled in arithmetic proportion.
If the district social welfare department and health department sources are to be believed, unusually high ratio of more than 3 per cent of the population in this district languish in physical disability of various forms. As against 10/1000 national average, more than 30 are found to be physically challenged out of 1000 population in Kendrapara.
While the district has more than 13 lakh population as per the latest census, 39330 of them are afflicted with physical deformity of some form or the other. This is as per the official statistical record prepared on the enumerated disabled persons by the district social welfare department, health department of Cuttack and Kendrapara districts. Prior to 1993, Kendrapara formed the part of the undivided Cuttack district.
The disability detection is done by social welfare department by intensive district-wide surveys. Besides the medical board especially constituted for the purpose certifies the disability status of individual cases, according to official sources. The lists of enumerated disabled persons include orthopaedically handicapped, hearing and speech impaired and visually impaired.
Kendrapara District Magistrate Kashinath Sahu when asked on high disabled ratio said cases relating to persons faking disability enrolling themselves in government survey list have come to the notice of the district administration. As per preliminary report, nearly 100 such cases are believed not to be genuine. The matter is being inquired into by the district social welfare department and necessary action on the alleged lapses would be initiated after the submission of inquiry report, he added.
The departmental sources confided that more than 50 per cent of the enumerated persons do not qualify to come under disabled category. The medical examination of the disability-afflicted persons was either conducted haphazardly or the medical board constituted for the same resorted to foul play. This apart, the periodic 'disabled' survey conducted by the social welfare department may have been done on pen and paper only leading to massive upswing of disabled population in coastal district, sources revealed.

NEW DIRECTOR FINANCE OF STEEL AUTHORITY
Shri Soiles Bhattacharya has taken over as Director (Finance) of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). Prior to this he was Executive Director (Finance & Accounts) in SAIL’s Central Marketing Organisation. After graduating as a Metallurgical Engineer from Banaras Hindu University Shri Bhattacharya joined SAIL as Graduate Trainee in 1974. He completed his ICWA in 1989 while in service. Shri Bhattacharya has served in different units of SAIL and has been credited with setting up the cost control department during his stint at SAIL’s Rourkela Steel Plant.

Rourkela resellers reel under service pressureTalk Back?
CRN Network, February 27, 2007
In a market with cut-throat competition, it is said that a company with quality after sales service and best customer satisfaction will rule the market. But what if there is no after sales service and zero customer satisfaction? It becomes difficult to judge which brand to rely on.
The much talked about segment these days is the 'upcountry segment'. But that's only in terms of sales, feel many partners. Not many think about the service part. Considering that the western part of Orissa, including Rourkela, Jharsuguda, and Sambalpur, contributes a major share to the overall sales of IT products in the state, there's very little in terms of vendor service support. Being an industrial belt, there is a lot of awareness - and even usage - amongst people about IT.
"If we consider the sale of PCs, the share of branded and assembled is almost 50:50. Considering the coming trend the branded machines are going to grasp a bigger pie. Also, the boost in sales of laptops has positioned the brands in a better place. The major brands in terms of market share in this region are Lenovo and HP-Compaq, while the remaining brands share a small chunk of the market. But it is ironical that none of these major brands have authorized service centers in this region. The systems apart, the region reels under the service pressure for accessories even for such products as printers and UPSes," says Praveen Agarwal, proprietor of Rourkela-based Digital Plaza.
None of the major brands have a service center in Rourkela. The whole region is dependent on Bhubaneswar for service. More ironical is that even the service centers in Bhubaneswar often do not have the requisite spare parts. "Why in the world are these service centers being set up, then?" questions Agarwal. It is really pathetic to hear the service center telling the customer to wait for 45 days before his problem could be fixed, he says.
The minimum turn-around time for service is 15 days, which is too much, considering the dependence of people and their business on IT.
Comments Agarwal: "The usage of IT has become similar to the usage of electricity and even a little failure leaves the customer in a restless state. When a consumer purchases a product, the first thing that he asks the dealer is, "Where is the service center?", and the dealer is left dumb-struck because he knows the answer would shy the customer away!"
In Aggarwal's opinion it is high time IT companies took a cue from consumer durables and automobile companies and set up service centers at the bigger hubs of the state. Adds Sayant Mukherjee from RB Infotech, Rourkela, "It is difficult for customers to log in to toll-free numbers or mail their complaints to the company. A local service center instead would make the task much easier for an end user. Also, why should we dealers have to depend on Bhubaneswar for service, when we are selling products here in Rourkela?"
What are your views on the complaints of Agarwal and Mukherjee about the service set-up of big vendors in places such as Rourkela?

BHEL bags Rs 144 cr PowerGrid order in Maharashtra
New Delhi, Feb 27. (PTI):
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has bagged a Rs 144 crore order from the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PowerGrid) for a new 400 KV substation and expansion work in Maharashtra.
The World Bank-funded turnkey contract is for setting up a new 400 KV substation at Wardha and extensions of 400 KV substations at Seoni, Akola, Aurangabad, associated with the Sipat Super Thermal Power Project State-II supplementary transmission system.
The project would be commissioned by BHEL in a schedule of 19 months, BHEL said in a statement.
The contract envisages BHEL to design, engineer, manufacture, test, supply, erect and commission auto transformers, shunt reactors, circuit breakers, 400 KV and 220 KV instrument transformers, control and relay panels, string insulators and other associated auxiliaries other than complete civil works.
BHEL has earlier set up 400 KV substations for PowerGrid at Gazuwaka, Kanpur, Allahabad, Trivandrum and Siliguri besides undertaking extensions of existing 400 KV substations at Jamshedpur, Rourkela, Farakka, Malda, Jeypore, Vijaywada, Madurai and Sriperumbudur.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -
A sick woman in Orissa was beaten to death by her in-laws because they suspected she had AIDS and feared she would infect the rest of the family, a newspaper said on Monday.
Sabita Behera, a 30-year-old widow from a village in Puri district in Orissa, was suffering from a fever for several days which her in-laws believed was due to the deadly virus, the Asian Age reported.
There was no test conducted to determine the cause of her illness, the newspaper said.
The woman's husband died three years ago of a liver-related disease which his family believed was also linked to AIDS, the daily said.
Fearing that the rest of the family would contract the disease, her in-laws killed her late on Saturday, the newspaper quoted police officer G.S. Nanda as saying. Two members of the husband's family have been detained.
AIDS activists say a lack of awareness and widespread stigma and discrimination has contributed to paranoia about the virus and also forced thousands of patients to hide their infection and shy away from social life.
According to the United Nations, an estimated 5.7 million Indians are living with HIV/AIDS, the world's largest caseload.

Ishita Ayan Dutt: Steeling Mittal`s future
BACKSTAGE
Ishita Ayan Dutt / Kolkata February 26, 2007
Some people stand out just by being unassuming. Sanak Mishra, chief executive officer (CEO), Mittal Steel India, is one of them. But his demeanour is deceptive. Beneath a completely approachable and non-CEO persona, lies a strong personality with a steely resolve to accomplish his job, come what may. His colleagues at the Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), where he completed his term as managing director, Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP)in 2006, recall how he completely changed the work culture in the plant.

A people’s person, Mishra’s management skills turned RSP around. He introduced a programme called Sanskar in the plant, where half a day every week was devoted to telling a representative class of workers, the status of the plant, its productivity and how the workers could make a difference.

The exercise was followed up by an open house session, in the true sense of the term. Workers could discuss their problems with their bosses and the management would take it up with their immediate superiors in the session itself.

Mishra along with his two executive directors would cover 400 people every week and within a year all the people remotely connected to the plant were heard and their problems solved on the spot. Sanskar motivated the employees, which was what RSP required at that point in time, because it was not an outdated technology that was pulling down down the plant’s bottomline, but the work culture. Thanks to Sanskar, people’s mindset changed and deadlines became sacrosanct.

Mishra is known for his photographic memory. “He knew the deadlines he had set for different jobs, whether any one else ever remembered them or not. And he never had to jot them down anywhere. It was just there in his mind,” a colleague fondly recalls. He built not just a plant, but a world class township, he adds.

Mishra took over as RSP’s MD in 2002. He has more than 30 years’ experience in the steel industry in SAIL and is also founder member of the R&D Centre for Iron & Steel. “He is an extremely serious person and does not mix business with pleasure,” says a SAIL old timer.

But Mishra is not a single-faceted man and his determination extends even to leisure. He owns one of the most fascinating collections of old Hindi songs. Apparently, he keeps a slip in his pocket; it’s a note with names of the songs that are missing from his collection and are must-haves.

So determined he is to replenish his collection that he is known to search high and low for old Hindi songs. “He will go all out to do justice to the mission he has set out to achieve,” an old aide reveals.

Not surprising, given the way he has stuck his ground as far as the Chiria mines are concerned. As an ex-SAIL person, Mishra is fighting tooth and nail to get the mines leased out to SAIL, on behalf of Mittal Steel. A true professional, nothing comes between him and his work.


CENTRAL ASSISTANCE TO ORISSA UNDER SGSY
The DRDA of Sundergarh in Orissa get Rs. 1.36 crore as Central Grants from the Ministry of Rural Development. The Central Grants are released under `Swarnjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana’ (SGSY) as the second instalment of funds during the current year 2006-07. The amount should be utilized on the Programme as per approved guidelines of SGSY. The funding pattern will be 75:25 by the Centre and the State. The release is also subject to the condition that the State Govt/DRDA/ZP submits the report of State and District Levels Vigilance & Monitoring Committee meeting held during current year by March 31, 2007, otherwise Ist instalment during the next year will be held up. The State Government should release its share within one month of the date of release of the Central assistance. Under SGSY, assistance is given to the poor family living below the poverty line for taking up self-employment. It actively promotes group approach by organising the rural poor into Self-Help Groups.


KalingaTimes CorrespondentBalasore:
A two-day Aqua Expo Orissa 2007 to create a knowledge-base in terms of self-employment , revenue and export possibilities besides seeking the attention of the policy makers and expert advices in resolving technical, administrative and infrastructural problems, was inaugurated by Fisheries Minister Golak Bihari Naik here on Thursday.
While various issues were discussed Revenue Minister Manmohan Samal, besides assuring the farmers of government cooperation also said that the State would soon accord the status of aquaculture at par with agriculture and take up the financing projects with the banks and financial institutions (FIs). He also assured for considering the land allotment policy for leasing out government land (for the culture) as a step to employ the rural un employed youths adding the importance of agriculture and aquaculture is the call for day.
In his welcome address, chairman of the expo PR Patnaik explained the problems faced by the exporters due to biotic rejection, besides urging the farmers to desist from same. He also called for improving management practices to get more profits.
Naik besides assuring all feasible supports from his Ministry too called upon the farmers to adhere to adequate management practices especially while stocking of seeds. Earlier among the demands the president of Sea Food Exporters' Association Ramesh Mohapatra stressed the need for recognising aquaculture as an agriculture activity.
Secretary of Aquatic Feed Dealers Association Abhay Mohapatra expressed the need for exemption of Entry Tax on the feeds. He also justified the contribution of feed dealers for growth of shrimp farming and how they are being harassed by banks while extending finances.
MPEDA joint-director BC Behera in his address informed that 'Ind- Aqua' conference would be held in Bhubaneswar.
President of Orissa Shrimp Farmers Association and member of National Fishery Development Board Sanjay Mohanty besides lamenting the snail pace of the government's policy, also observed that that while a steel plant of Rs 5,000 crores generates employment for 5,000 people , the shrimp sector could generate employment up to 1.5 lakh with investment of Rs 100 crores.More than 1,000 farmers from Orissa and other States attended the meet and a souvenir was also released by the two Ministers. The event was organised by Orissa Shrimp Farmers Association, Aquatic Feed Dealers' Association and Orissa and Seafood Exporters Association of India-Orissa region.

By Sulochana DasBhubaneswar:
After they applied all sorts of tricks to influence the voters to cast votes in their favour in the run up to the panchayat polls, they are now out to influence members of their own tribe to occupy different seats of power in the three-tier panchayatiraj institutions in Orissa.
Even though the results of the panchayat elections were yet to be announced officially, the politicians of different hues are now working overtime to play the number game to win the indirect elections to bag the posts of Chairman in different Panchayat Samitis, Zilla Parishads and others posts in different districts.
The number game that has started with the end of the fifth and last round of elections on Wednesday is primarily of two types. The politicians have to outsmart their own party men to grab various posts in the Panchayat Samitis and Zilla Parishads or garner supports of Independents and those elected with the support of smaller parties to assume power.
For the key players in different districts, the venue has suddenly shifted to Bhubaneswar where they have started lobbying to seek the blessings of the top leaders of their own party to clear their names for the posts of Chairman of Zilla Parishads and other crucial positions.
In the second kind of battle, the politicians have to win over the Independents or those elected from smaller parties to establish a majority for their party or alliance to occupy key positions in various Blocks and districts.
In districts where the major parties such as the Biju Janata Dal, Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party were not likely to secure a majority in the Panchayat Samitis and Zilla Parishads, the leaders of these parties are now working overtime to garner support of the Independents and winners of smaller Opposition parties.
As horse trading takes to the centre stage, money power is all set to dominate the scene in the coming weeks, according to political observers.
Unofficial reports indicate that the BJD was likely to form the Zilla Parishads in a majority of the 30 districts on its own, followed by Opposition Congress, the BJP and other parties.The horse trading was likely to be fierce where no party or the BJD-BJP alliance would be able to secure a majority on their own.According to the State Election Commission, the results for the posts of Ward Members and Sarpanches will be officially announced on February 22 and for the Members of Panchayat Samitis and Zilla Parishads will be declared on February 24. There was also the likelihood of a delay in the announcement with respect of some seats where re-polling was scheduled to be held on February 23.
The indirect election for the posts of Naib-Sarpanch is scheduled to be held on March 10, Chairman of Panchayat Samitis on March 11, President of Zilla Parishads on March 13, Vice-Chairman of Panchayat Samitis on March 21 and Vice-President of Zilla Parishads on March 22. Thus, the weeks ahead would be crucial for those wanting to enjoy power in the panchayat bodies for five long years.


February 22,2007
BSE Orissa to set up exam centers within jail premises
Cuttack -- The jail inmates looking forward to forthcoming matriculation examinations now need not have to worry about the examination centre.
For their convenience, the Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Orissa, has decided to open two examination centres at two separate jails in the State. Says Manmohan Swain, BSE controller of Examination, "At least seven inmates at Choudwar circle jail and three others at Koraput district jail appear this year's matriculation examinations that are scheduled to begin on March 7. Their respective jail premises have been declared as examination centres at which a senior teacher of the nearby high school will be appointed as the centre superintendent and the jail welfare officer will function as deputy centre superintendent."Source -- Indiaedunews.net


By Amarendra BoseBaripada: It may not be long before the ethnic musical instruments such as Changu, Kendera and Sukwa become extinct in the interior parts of Orissa. The implementation of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, has put a stop to the manufacturing of these musical instruments made from the skins and other organs of animals and much in vogue among the various tribes.
Gurva Soren, general secretary of Mayurbhanj-based Society for Research and Development of Tribal Culture, said Santhals and other tribes are finding it difficult to have their instruments replaced ever since the Act was enforced.
Changu, for instance, is used by primitive tribes like Bathdi, Juanga and Khadias and made from the hides of monkey and deer, he said.
Since both of these endangered species are covered by the graded schedule of the Act, the manufacturer of these instruments is well nigh impossible, Soren stressed.
The Khadias, who live in dense forests, believe that tigers could be kept at bay by playing the Changu at night to the accompaniment of their traditional instrument, he pointed out. Once Changu vanishes, the tribe's cultural ethos would also disappear, rued Soren.
Then there are Kendera and Sukwa or bugle, both made from the skins of endangered species. While the first one is made from the oval-shaped hard shell of the freshwater turtle, the other is manufactured from the horns of the Indian bison or gaur. Once the bugle is blown, the sound travels for miles to fetch all members of the community either to a social do or for a hunting expedition, he indicated.
Animal hides were also used to make Dhumsas or kettle drums, Soren disclosed. Another instrument Khanjani, used mainly by the Vaishnabs and made from the hide of the Great Bengal Monitor Lizard, also comes under the graded schedule being a seriously threatened species. All these soft musical tunings will be lost when the hides of the animals are replaced with the skins of goats or cows.
Besides, the instruments would lose the sanctity and cannot be used to perform Jahira Puja, Soren added. He suggested that the sounds of these traditional tribal instruments be documented and a research on possible replacement with the hides of other unprotected animals but of course without losing the original charm.
Sonali Murmu, a tribal activist, also expressed apprehensions about the vanishing instruments made from animal hides.

JAMSHEDPUR, FEB 22:
Medical division heads of 10 steel hospitals in the country are meeting here on Friday for a three-day conference to discuss, among other things, occupational health in the industry.
Being organised by Tata Steel's medical division, the 28th All-India Steel Medical Officers' Conference, 2007 (Aismoc-07), will also deliberate on a host of other topics like osteoporosis, microbiological aspects of acquired infections in hospitals, cerebral attack, depression, stem cell transplant, etc, through symposia, panel discussions and guest lectures by eminent doctors from around the country.
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"It is the centre of our corporate social responsibility and an important part of the steel industry," said Dr B Ray, general manager (medical services), Tata Steel, and also the chairman of the organising committee of Aismoc-07.
Around 300 delegates from medical wings of 10 steel plants, including Durgapur, Bhilai, Bokaro, Rourkela, are expected to attend the conference, where 11 guest lectures will be presented.
Steel plant hospitals of Bhilai, Bokaro, Rourkela and Jamshedpur also provide postgraduate training and teaching programmes under the National Board of Examinations, New Delhi.


Stardom bid denied- Turnout triggers cancellation of auditions for musical hunt on TV
SUDESHNA BANERJEE

Contestants in the talent hunt rip posters at the venue after the auditions were cancelled on Thursday. Picture by Amit Datta
Yet another TV show audition in Calcutta triggered trouble when Zee TV cancelled the first round of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007 barely a few hours before the start of the musical talent hunt on Thursday.
The auditions were scheduled to start at 10 am at Vidya Mandir, on Moira Street, and Himesh Reshammiya was to judge the candidates for the Voice of India.
But from 8 am on Thursday, police started announcing the cancellation of the kick-off auditions for the popular show.
“How could an event be allowed at a 700-seat venue when the application stated that they were expecting 3,000 people?” demanded an officer of Shakespeare Sarani police station, explaining the reason behind the cancellation.
According to police, around 3,000 people had gathered at Vidya Mandir by 7 am. Police played it safe as vandalism had marred the auditions for Sony’s talent hunt, Fame Gurukul, in 2005, when participants went on the rampage protesting mismanagement.
“They did not have the permission and went ahead with just the receipt of their application for police permission,” added the thana officer.
But with just a single hand-written poster pasted on the venue gate, aspiring singers — coming from places as far as Bihar, Jharkhand, Nepal and Tripura — refused to relent and let go the opportunity to book a ticket to stardom.
In the absence of any channel official to clear the air, confusion reigned.
“Are they waiting for Madhyamik exams to end?” asked a girl who had reached the venue at 10 am and was hanging around even at 3 pm, hoping for the auditions to start.
“I have spent Rs 11,000 on this trip. But, my heart cries for the disabled boy who came all the way from Rourkela at dawn yesterday to be the first in the queue, and went away at noon today in tears,” said Sindhu Dasgupta, a contestant from Tripura, clueless despite waiting non-stop for 15 hours.
With Assam’s Debojit Saha winning the crown in the last edition of the talent hunt, the hopes among the participants were high. From Wednesday itself, people had started queuing up in front of Vidya Mandir. They even stayed on overnight, braving police charges.
“A Zee van came twice yesterday to distribute forms. Even at 10 pm, channel officials told us to come back with the form in the morning,” said M.D. Mustaq, from Asansol, who had stayed put since 9 am.
As the officials were missing in action, the participants were seen frantically calling up the show helpline in Mumbai and were asked to call back after four-five days.
“The channel had not expected the overwhelming response for the auditions…. The police had to intervene,” was the official word from Zee.
The last-minute cancellation caused inconvenience to many, but did little to dampen the spirit. “How else can we middle-class people become famous?” said a youngster.

Secretary of the organisation Haren Sahoo said Ekatra group of Rourkela will stage ‘Pratikshya’ on the second day while Loo of Bargarh will stage ‘Kuili ...

The next big thing in medicine for malaria is most likely on your kitchen shelf.
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore are readying for human trials to develop an affordable and non-toxic drug to fight malaria, a disease that strikes about two million Indians every year.The drug will be laced with a component of turmeric, the traditional Indian spice and home remedy also known to have anti-cancer properties.
“The new drug could hit markets in two years,’’ G Padmanabhan, former IISc director and project head told the Hindustan Times in Hyderabad. “There is no need for Phase-1 trials to assess drug toxicity, since turmeric is eaten raw.’’
With Rs one crore funding from the department of biotechnology, the Phase-II human trials are set to begin this year on 100 volunteers each at the malaria-hotspots of Rourkela in Orissa and Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. Half of the reported malaria deaths in India are from Orissa, and 95 per cent Indians live in malaria-risk areas.
After successful trials on mice, the team announced last year that curcumin, the ingredient that gives turmeric its yellow colour, contains anti-malarial properties that could be developed in a drug. A drug combo of curcumin obtained from turmeric and an artemisinin derivative will be tested on the volunteers. Artemisinin is a widely prescribed Chinese drug considered effective against malaria. But the World Health Organisation says that there is a risk of the malaria-causing parasite developing resistance when artemisinin is used solo.

The next big thing in medicine for malaria is most likely on your kitchen shelf.
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore are readying for human trials to develop an affordable and non-toxic drug to fight malaria, a disease that strikes about two million Indians every year.The drug will be laced with a component of turmeric, the traditional Indian spice and home remedy also known to have anti-cancer properties.
“The new drug could hit markets in two years,’’ G Padmanabhan, former IISc director and project head told the Hindustan Times in Hyderabad. “There is no need for Phase-1 trials to assess drug toxicity, since turmeric is eaten raw.’’
With Rs one crore funding from the department of biotechnology, the Phase-II human trials are set to begin this year on 100 volunteers each at the malaria-hotspots of Rourkela in Orissa and Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. Half of the reported malaria deaths in India are from Orissa, and 95 per cent Indians live in malaria-risk areas.
After successful trials on mice, the team announced last year that curcumin, the ingredient that gives turmeric its yellow colour, contains anti-malarial properties that could be developed in a drug. A drug combo of curcumin obtained from turmeric and an artemisinin derivative will be tested on the volunteers. Artemisinin is a widely prescribed Chinese drug considered effective against malaria. But the World Health Organisation says that there is a risk of the malaria-causing parasite developing resistance when artemisinin is used solo.

RSP DGMs promoted as GMsWednesday February 21 2007 10:51 IST
ROURKELA:
Ten deputy general managers (DGMs) of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) were on Tuesday elevated to the rank of general managers (GMs). RSP sources said this is the first time in the last one decade that so many executives have been elevated to the post of GM at one go.Managing Director, B N Singh handed over the promotion orders to the executives. The move came after the Board of Directors of SAIL approved the promotions under its corporate policy. While six of the promoted officers will continue with RSP, four have been transferred with promotion to different SAIL units.


Bhubaneswar, Feb 17 (IANS)
At least three people were killed and over 20 injured early Saturday after the bus in which they were travelling fell into a river in Orissa's Keonjhar district.The private bus, carrying about 50 passengers, was going from Angul town to Jamshedpur in the neighbouring state of Jharkhand when it fell into the Baitarani river at Turumunga village in Keonjhar, around 250 km from here.
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"Police and fire fighters have rushed to the spot and rescue operations have been launched," said B.K. Murmu, officer in charge of the Turumunga police station.

Keonjhar (Orissa):
At least three persons were killed and around 20 others injured when a bus plunged into the Baitarani river near Kurmanga, about 30 kilometre from Keonjhar on Saturday morning.
The bus was on its way from Angul to Jamshedpur when the mishap occurred at around 0400 hrs, IST, the officer-in-charge of Kurmanga police station, Bijoy Murmu said.
There were between 40 to 50 passengers in the vehicle, he confirmed.Fire brigade personnel had so far retrieved three bodies from the water while around 20 persons had been rescued. Some others had managed to swim to safety as there was not much water in the river.
The rescue operation was on, Murmu said. The injured had been shifted to government hospitals here and at Karanjia.
The cause of the mishap is not known as yet. The vehicle had crashed through the railings before plunging into the water, Murmu added.


Bangalore Lions melt Orissa Steelers BALBIR SINGH Friday, 16 February 2007

CHANDIGARH: Holders Bangalore Lions bounced back into the race for the title with a well-deserved 4-3 verdict over leaders and strong contenders Orissa Steelers in the third edition of the Premier Hockey League being played under lights at the Sector 42 Astroturf Hockey Stadium here on Friday night.
Watched by a goodly crowd, Bangalore Lions fought off a stiff challenge from an equally impressive Orissa Steelers to claim full three points from their crucial encounter. Lions fell in arrears twice but kept up the tempo to level the game and scored twice in the space of two minutes in the third quarter to take the lead. Bangalore Lions increased the lead to 4-2 early in the last quarter, but Orissa played with determination and pulled one back in the very next minute to keep up the fight till the end. However, Bangalore defended stubbornly and made sudden counters to walk away with full honours. Bangalore now have 12 points and move up to third place on the table after eight matches while Orissa still lead the table with 17 points after as many matches.
Orissa displayed controlled aggression with main stress on defence in the first quarter. Marking the rival forwards tightly, they used flanks to make their raids. Forcing their first penalty corner in the 10 th minute, Orissa Stelers forged ahead through skipper Dilip Tirkey, whose powerful hit deflected off Bangalore first-runner Ignace Tirkey's stick and settled in the net. (1-0).
Later, both the teams fought a grim battle to control the midfield and fortunes fluctuated either way. Sunil Ekka missed a sharp chance for Orissa in the 21 st minute and off Bangalore's first short corner in the 23rd minute, Orissa custodian Salman Akbar made a brilliant save to stop Len Aiyappa's flick. But Bangalore kept the pressure up and notched the equalizer in the 30 th minute off their second set-piece drill. Tushar took the push but their South African import Paul Blake fumbled with the stop and ball went to Arjun Halappa at the dotted line and he quickly put Sandeep Michael in possession near the spot. Michael turned around to avoid a defender and found the boards with a smart reverse-stick shot. (1-1).
Within six minutes, Orissa Steelers took the lead once again converting their third and final short corner. Off the 36th minute penalty corner, Dilip Tirkey's direct hit was blocked by Lions' first-runner Ignace Tirkey and ball went to Prabod Tirkey. Prabod miscued the shot but an alert Dilip Tirkey was at hand to bang home their second goal. (2-1) However, the lead was short-lived with Bangalore forcing their third short-corner in the 40 th minute to draw level. Len Aiyappa, who played a superb game in the defence, flicked a powerful grounder that left Orissa custodian Salman Akbar stranded. (2-2).
Thereafter, the lead changed hands as Bangalore made repeated raids on the rival citadel and the sustained pressure yielded results in the 42 nd minute. Following a long corner, Rehan Butt sent a stunning back pass from the right goalline and Ignace Tirkey pulled the ball into the circle and slammed in to make it 3-2. The goal saw Orissa switch into an attacking mode with their midfielders constantly moving up to assist the forwards. They did create some anxious moments for the rival defence but their Argentine star Mario Alamada had a narrow miss when his reverse hit missed the target by inches. They continued to attack and conceded one more goal to a counter attack when Hariprasad gained a penalty corner for Lions in the 58 th minute. Len Aiyappa took the drag flick once again but hit the right vertical and Sandeep Michael pounced on the rebound to tap it home. (4-2).
With a never-say-die spirit, Orissa pulled one back in the very next minute to keep themselves in with a chance. In the 59th minute, Prabodh Tirkey sent a power-packed long ball towards the goal from the midfield and Sunil Ekka stretched his stick to deflect home. (4-3). However, Bangalore held on to the narrow lead and survived anxious moments as Orissa ran out of time to suffer their second defeat.
Sandeep Michael of Bangalore Lions, who scored two opportunistic goals, was adjudged Lion of the day.
Tomorrow's fixtures: Hyderabad Sultans vs Chennai Veerans ( 5p.m.) and Chandigarh Dynamos vs Maratha Warriors ( 7.30 p.m).

Orissa handicrafts’ exhibitionHT CorrespondentBhopal, February 15, 2007
SHOWCASING HANDICRAFTS and paintings of Orissa, Sakuntala Women Chandua Hastashilpa Cooperative Society Limited has organised a handicafts exhibition at Gandhi Bhawan. The exhibition-cum-sale will continue till February 18.
Sponsored by the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) Ministry of Textiles, the exhibition has displayed colourful products of terracotta, appliqué, stone carving, palm leaf engraving, Dokra castings, wood carvings, shell-work and miniature painting.
“The miniature paintings have shown the folk-tale of Lord Krishna (Krishna-Leela),” said Lingraja Temple, Bhuwaneshwar, temple priest Ajit Mohapatro.
A new item on display are small gift envelopes, with miniature painting on it, which could be used as wall-hanging.Local coordinator Parthasarthy Dubey said the exhibition also has exclusive decoration-cum-usable items and garden umbrellas of Applique art.

BHUBANESWAR: Thousands of devotees early on Friday thronged temples dedicated to Hindu god Shiva across Orissa on the occasion of Shivratri. ...

Orissa to set up VC fund for IT firms
Nirmalya Mukherjee / Bhubaneswar February 16, 2007
Taking a leaf out of Karnataka, Orissa is exploring the possibility of setting up a Venture Capital Fund (VCF) for small and medium IT enterprises in the state.

This is in line with plans to set up a National Venture Capital Fund (NVCF) for IT SMEs, which is currently pending with the Planning Commission.

The Karnataka government has already set up a VCF with the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) with a corpus of Rs 15 crore to promote the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI). Known as the country's silicon valley, Karnataka is the first state to accept the NVCF proposal and has become a role model for other states.

Currently, Orissa STPI has a catalogue of 100 registered IT/ITeS companies, of which only five per cent are in the big league and the remaining are IT SMEs. State STPI officials said they were aware of the NVCF formation proposal and are already making efforts to establish a state venture capital fund (SVCF).

A highly placed official said, “We are talking to the Orissa government, especially the IT department, on the possibility of setting up a SVCF. This would benefit the 95 per cent IT SMEs operating out of the state.”

Senior officials said matters on those lines are currently being explored into. According to STPI estimates, Orissa's software exports stand at Rs 465 crore and officials are confident that with the surge in IT companies, the exports would cross Rs 650 crore.

Interestingly, 85 per cent of Orissa's software export earnings are from Infosys and Satyam - both long time players. Of late, TCS, Wipro, MindTree and Hexawire are also planning forays into the state. According to STPI estimates, Rs 1000 crore has been invested in the IT/ITeS sector in the state.

India's software exports are pegged at Rs 1,08,000 crore, of which Karnataka alone contributes Rs 37,000 crore followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. West Bengal and Orissa are in the eigth and ninth positions respectively.

STPI officials are working closely with their counterparts in Karnataka to work out the SVCF model with assistance from the Orissa government. The SIDBI model would work depending on which bank or financial institution the state government would tie up with. The corpus would be determined after detailed discussions.

A STPI official said, “Things are at a nebulous stage. We are trying hard to make things work out soon.” The STPI has requested the Orissa government for three acres to set up technological incubators, which would facilitate IT SMEs. It would be an one umbrella facility with rooms, space common voice and other ready-to-use facilities.

Thousands throng Orissa temples on Shivratri
Posted on : Fri, 16 Feb 2007 07:47:01 GMT Author : Indo Asian News ServiceNews Category : Culture (General)
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Bhubaneswar, Feb 16 Thousands of devotees early Friday thronged temples dedicated to Hindu god Shiva across Orissa on the occasion of Shivratri.
Shivratri is celebrated on the 13th or 14th day of the dark half (Krishna Paksha) of Phalgun (February-March), according to the Hindu calendar. It is widely believed that Shiva, one of the holy trinity along with Vishnu and Brahma, married Parvati on this day.

Amway expands services in OrissaStatesman News Service KORAPUT, Feb. 21:
Amway India inaugurated a fully computerised office in Jeypore after increasing the number of its offices in the state to four. Mr K Shankar Narayan, associate vice-president (East), said as part of its distribution expansion strategy, Amway has opened the office near Aurobindo Nagar in Jeypore. This office would cater for the needs of Amway business owners residing in the surrounding districts and towns of Jeypore, Koraput, Damanjodi, Sunabeda, Nawarangpur, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Simliguda, Munniguda, Gunpur and Umarkot. Amway India closed the twelve-month period of January-December 2006 at Rs 738 crores, from Rs 633 crores of the corresponding period of 2005. It hopes to reach the Rs 1,000 crore milestone soon, said Mr Narayan. Amway Opportunity Foundation (AOF) has organised Hepatitis B vaccination camps and typhoid vaccination camps in Jaipur, Balasore, Rourkela, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Bhubaneswar and Baripada benefiting about 3,000 people. Blood donation camps have also been organised in different parts of the state, besides free eye-check camps.


Congress ready to take chairmanship at zilla parishad levelStatesman News Service PARALAKHEMUNDI, Feb. 21:
The Congress is all poised to grab the post of the chairman of the zilla parishad after it nabbed two more seats today taking its total to eight. Of the three seats to which the elections that were conducted today the Congress won the Kasinagar zone-2 and the Gosani zone-5 while an independent candidate won from the Gumma zone-4. The BJD which had desperately wanted to get one of the seats in order to be in a position to form the zilla parishad with the cooperation of the BJP had to be satisfied with only one seat out of the 14 zilla parishad seats while the BJP has improved its standing in the district with four seats. The Congress while holding the zilla parishad chairman’s seat for the last two terms will again be getting the said coveted post, but with a reduced margin. The winners today were Mr Chaitanya Sabara from the Kasinagar zone, Ms Binaya Kumari Lima from the Gumma zone and Ms Nirmala Pasupureddy from the Gosani zone. There were reports of ballot box snatching from two areas, one from the Kasinagar zone where the police have detained a BJD leader with nine others for allegedly trying to take away a ballot box from the Madhusudanpur village booth and in the Gumma block re-polling has been ordered in Janiguda booth after a miscreant fled snatching a few ballot papers .A case has been registered in this regard and the re-polling will be held on the 23 February again.

Amway expands services in OrissaStatesman News Service KORAPUT, Feb. 21:
Amway India inaugurated a fully computerised office in Jeypore after increasing the number of its offices in the state to four. Mr K Shankar Narayan, associate vice-president (East), said as part of its distribution expansion strategy, Amway has opened the office near Aurobindo Nagar in Jeypore. This office would cater for the needs of Amway business owners residing in the surrounding districts and towns of Jeypore, Koraput, Damanjodi, Sunabeda, Nawarangpur, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Simliguda, Munniguda, Gunpur and Umarkot. Amway India closed the twelve-month period of January-December 2006 at Rs 738 crores, from Rs 633 crores of the corresponding period of 2005. It hopes to reach the Rs 1,000 crore milestone soon, said Mr Narayan. Amway Opportunity Foundation (AOF) has organised Hepatitis B vaccination camps and typhoid vaccination camps in Jaipur, Balasore, Rourkela, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Bhubaneswar and Baripada benefiting about 3,000 people. Blood donation camps have also been organised in different parts of the state, besides free eye-check camps.


Officer held for electoral malpracticeKENDRAPARA, Feb. 21:
A presiding officer was arrested today on the alleged charges of perpetrating electoral malpractice in Patkura area even as the last leg of the panchayat polls passed off peacefully. The arrested presiding officer of booth No-9 of Ramachandrapur grama panchayat under Garadapur block had allegedly colluded with the ruling BJD workers in rigging the re-poll held yesterday. Police said that the accused presiding officer, Mr Prasanna Nayak, was arrested under Section 171, 134/136 (1-G) of Peoples’ Representation Act on the basis of complaint lodged by the local block development officer. He was later forwarded to judicial custody, police added. At the booth located at Puhana village of Ramachandrapur panchayat, the ruling party hooligans had captured the booth and resorted to rigging during the poll on 15 February. The State Election Commission had ordered for repoll that was held yesterday. The arrested officer reportedly admitted that some BJD supporters had snatched away the ballot box and resorted to rigging, while the ballot box was being taken for counting, said the police. n SNS


BDO taken off election dutyStatesman News Service JAJPUR, Feb. 21:
Jajpur collector Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee today relived Bari block development officer and block election officer of his election duty and replaced him with additional project director, Jajpur District Rural Development Authority, Mr Sarat Chandra Biswal until further order. Collector’s withdrawal of BDO from the poll duty came in the wake of an action taken report, recommended by the inquiring officer ordered by him yesterday. According to the district election officials, polling was stopped at four booths from 1 PM to 4 PM in Ratalanga grama panchayat of Bari block following violence on the third leg of the three-tier panchayat polls on Saturday. Polling was stopped just after an hour of its commencement following Congress polling agents were beaten up and driven out of the booths by BJD workers. Presiding officers of the booths reported the matter to the BDO and block election officer Mr Bishnu Mohan Bhanja immediately after the incidents. Instead of intimating it to the collector concerned, Mr Bhanja suppressed the irregularities. Later, the villagers brought the matter to the notice of the collector. Collector ordered an inquiry into the incident and the inquiring officer found the BDO guilty of dereliction of duty. Based on the inquiry report, the collector withdrew the BDO from poll duty and gave the charge to additional project director, DRDA, Jajpur. When contacted, Jajpur collector Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee said that Bari BDO had committed mischief and suppressed the incident. On prima facie, he is guilty. “I have withdrawn him from the poll duty and recommended the SEO to hold re-poll of these four booths. I have also recommended to the SEO to initiate action as he deems fit against the Bari BDO for his severe negligence in duty and carelessness.”

People not aware of life insurance benefits: SurveyStatesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, Feb. 21:
Max New York Life Insurance Company Limited and the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), today released the findings of Max New York Life ~ NCAER ~ India Financial Protection Survey, which showed how there was little or no awareness of the need for financial protection and that despite accelerated economic growth, majority of people had inadequate financial protection. The survey conducted over 63,000 Indian households across rural and urban areas assessed how India earns, spends and saves. Mr Gary Bennett, managing director and CEO of Max New York Life, said: “There is lack of understanding about the real benefits of life insurance towards both financial protection and long-term wealth creation. The life insurance sector needs to educate Indian households about their risk profile, through sound quality advice and the right mix of product offerings.” A release issued here by the company also quoted Mr Suman Bery, director general, NCAER, saying that the results broadly confirmed the fact that Indian households were in the habit of saving and also that they were fundamentally optimistic about their financial future. However, for almost a quarter of households, current income is insufficient for their routine expenditure. While governments have a role to play for the poorest households, in general financial security, it is the responsibility of each household, and both the needs and options available are more complex today than before. “Currently, 51 per cent of Indian households deposit their savings in banks and 36 per cent simply keep their savings at home. We at Max New York Life as life insurance specialists will continue to help our customers make right choices to meet their financial goals,” stated Mr Sunil Sharma, COO, Max New York Life. Dr Rajesh Shukla, senior fellow and project leader, NCAER, added that it was a first-of-its-kind study that assessed the income, expenditure and saving patterns of households based on primary data. It underlined the need to improve financial literacy and understanding of the true value of life insurance and help understand the financial risks of ‘living too long or dying early’, spread awareness about financial planning. Another significant feature of the findings was that only 14 per cent women in India were life insurance owners compared to 86 per cent being men.

Fractured verdict in DhenkanalStatesman News ServiceDHENKANAL, Feb. 21:
The political observers view that it is difficult to predict election results in Dhenkanal district is right considering the results declared today. In the final phase of election today, BJD bagged two seats in Bhuban ~ zilla parishad zone numbers one and two, while BJP won Kanakdahada zone No 1. The winners are Mr Sipra Baral, Mr Jamunarani Tudu in Bhuban, Mr Krushna Chandra Sahoo in Kankadahada, Mr Sudhakar Behera and Mr Sajalendra Jena in Gandia. According to reports, Congress has failed to bag any seat today. Presently, crisis deepens in Congress as it has already won 13 seats out of total 27 seats by fourth phase.


Statesman News Service JAGATSINGHPUR/JAJPUR. Feb. 21:
The final phase of panchayat elections, considered critical to the fate of the proposed Posco India plant area and projects in Kalinga Nagar area due to resistance movements, turned violent today, while the political sensitive history in notoriety was created with a re-poll being rigged necessitating a re-re-poll and arrest of a presiding officer today. Polling in the highly sensitive areas in the proposed Posco project area was riddled with clashes, booth capturing and violence, while in Kalinga Nagar, it was strikingly peaceful. The difference between the two areas, which have been witnessing unrest for over one-and-a-half years, was largely because of the fact that in Kalinga Nagar, the Visthapan Birodhi Janmanch, leading the tribal agitation, had decided to participate in the elections whereas in the proposed Posco areas of Jagatsinghpur district, there was division with one faction calling for boycott and the other contesting the polls. Polling was severely affected in 13 booths of Govindapur and Dhinkia village of Dhinkia panchayat of Jagatsinghpur district due to clash between those who were for and against Posco. Most of the pro-Posco activists owe their allegiance to the BJD. Villagers promptly sealed all the entry routes to these villages stalling movement of the officials. It is alleged that anti-Posco activists threatened to attack polling agents of other candidates and when some of the youths in Dhinikia and Govindapur areas ignored the warning they were driven out of the booths. Enraged by this, a few ruling BJD supporters, who back the Posco project, reportedly went berserk ransacking seven booths in Gobindapur village. Later, hundreds of anti-Posco groups, including women, sealed the entry routes in Dhinikia village making it impossible for the district collector, SP and other officials to enter the villages. Some miscreants attacked one ZP candidate, Mr Saubhagaya Behera, and damaged his vehicle and three motorcycles. The violence affected polling at seven booths of Gobindapur and six booths in Dhinikia village. Election observer Mr Sudrasan Nayak, district collector Mr Pramoda Kumar Meherda and SP Mr YK Jethwa rushed to the spot and reviewed the situation and discussion is going on at the Kujang police station for identification of booths for re-poll Repoll has been ordered for 14 booths of Jagatsinghpur district, said election commission officials. In sharp contrast to what happened in the peripheral areas of the Posco project, things were peaceful in the trouble-torn Kalinga Nagar area as the industrial project-related unrest and the Maoist call for boycott did not disrupt the polling process. A turnout of 63 per cent was recorded in Kalinga Nagar area. Earlier, Maoists had threatened to disrupt the election in the mines and mineral belt of Sukinda and Danagadi blocks of the district. They also put up a few posters urging people, especially those in the mining belt, not to participate in the panchayat election. Tomka police found the posters near the forest guard gate in Tomka near Kalinga Nagar. The posters carried the name of Anna Reddy of CP (ML), Janashakti. The ultras had also claimed responsibility for the killing of three forest guards at Kankadahada in Angul district, burning of tippers and trucks of a railway contractor at Harichandanpur in neighbouring Keonjhar district and the burning of four vehicles at Kamarda mines in Kaliapani. Taking it seriously, Jajpur district administration had stepped up security and declared Chingudipal, Kanas, Lembu, Kuhika, Pimpudia, Kaliapani and Ranhansola panchayats under Sukinda block as Maoist-infested. District chief election officials said no untoward incidents were reported during polling in mining pockets of Sukinda block despite the threat of Maoists asking the villagers to boycott the polls. All the 37 polling booths, declared hyper-sensitive, in the tribal-dominated grama panchayats of Chandia, Gobarghati and Sarangapur in the Kalinga Nager industrial area went for polls peacefully without cops. There were, however, reports that many of the people rehabilitated in colonies by industrial houses failed to vote today as they scared of making it to the polling booths and no alternative arrangement was made for them. State Election Commission officials in Bhubaneswar said that voters’ turnout in the fifth and final stage today was over 75 per cent and repoll has been ordered in 30 booths, including 14 in Jagatsinghpur district, six in Jajpur, nine in Ganjam and one in Gajapati district.

Wishlists, critiques inside ballot boxesStatesman News Service JAGATSINGHPUR, Feb. 21:
Ballots send a message and mandate to political parties. But some of the voters felt that along with the ballot, a stronger message by way of letters needs to be “posted” in the ballot box. Therefore, along with exercising their voting rights, some people in Jagatsinghpur district today posted letters. Officials at the counting centres came across several letters, some of which were addressed to the President of India and a few to the chief minister and other ministers. The messages found in the ballot boxes were concerning the selection of the panchayat areas coming under the proposed Posco project area. Not all of them were anti-project messages, a few, in fact, pleaded for the availability of permanent jobs in the upcoming project. Many people wanted the projects to be shifted to uninhabited areas while a few extended their support towards the project. Dhinikia, Naugaon and Gadakujang panchyats which come under the proposed project area had their polls today. A woman voter identifying herself as Mrs G Das has addressed her letter to the Prime Minister of India and pleaded for the scrapping of the project as it will rob them of their livelihood she said. Another voter’s message said that the newly elected panchayat bodies should resolve against the project. One Mr Narendra Swain of Gadakujang village had dropped a message in the ballot box saying he was unemployed and ought to be given a job in the Posco project. Three others had dropped their letters in the ballot box instead of the post box requesting the CM to expedite the process of land acquisition for the project in the area. Another voter, wrote that his consolidated salary, working as a survey assistant for the project needs to be increased while another announced that the project will never come up and any use of force towards it will prompt the people to take the Maoist path.

Explosives seizedStatesman News Service RAYAGADA, Feb. 21:
Police raided a house at Bhairavgado under Muniguda police station jurisdiction, Rayagada, and seized explosives, country-made guns and components needed for making revolver. On a tip-off, the Rayagada SP, Mr RP Koche, directed the Rayagada SDPO, Kavita Jalani, ASI Param Guru, RK Tripathy and magistrate Nilo Bhoi to conduct the raid. A gun butt made of wood, iron barrel, a cleaning rod, a wick bundle, two broken old pistols, a long spring, 16 triggers, gunpowder, two cartridges and a butt for a newly made gun were recovered in the raid. The accused, Murali Gantayat and his brother Mutu Gantayat are absconding and police are investigating the matter.

World Am's Senz-It Subsidiary Hires Ph.D.-Level Director of Engineering

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Feb. 16, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) (PRIMEZONE) -- World Am, Inc. (OTCBB:WDAM) today reported that its wholly owned Senz-It subsidiary has appointed Dr. Sudhi Sant as its Director of Engineering. Dr. Sant brings to the assignment more than 17 years of industrial research and development experience in Canada and the U.S.
During that time, Dr. Sant worked in a variety of industries, including electronic materials, biopharmaceuticals, ceramic coatings, capital equipment, data storage, semiconductors, and wafer processing, developing and transferring new processes to manufacturing. For his work, he was awarded three U.S. and worldwide patents for creating an antimicrobial nanocrystalline coating that applied antimicrobial therapeutic agents in a solid form on burn dressings that was among the first commercial nanomaterial in the biomedical field.
Dr. Sant obtained his B. S. in Metallurgical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology in Rourkela, India. He received his M.S. in Metallurgical Engineering and his Ph.D. in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from Queen's University at Kingston, Canada.
Prior to his new position, Dr. Sant held the following senior level management positions: Director of Technology for PowerMetal Technologies, Carlsbad, Calif; President, Twin Technologies, Garden Grove, Calif.; Technical Manager, OpticNet Inc., Hayward, Calif.; and Manager, West Coast Applications Lab, Veeco Inc., San Jose, Calif.
Dr. Sant has delivered numerous conference presentations, and also has collaborated on scholarly articles that have appeared in prestigious peer reviewed publications such as the Journal of Applied Physics, Philosophical Magazine and Acta BioMaterialia.
"We are extremely fortunate to have recruited such a well rounded and well known person in the scientific community to help guide the potential future of Senz-It," said World Am Chairman & CEO Robert A Hovee. "Sudhi Sant brings a level of accomplishment that hopefully will be enhanced in his years with us as a key member of the Senz-It team."
Said Dr. Sant: "Opportunities like this sometimes only happen once in a person's life. I enjoy the challenges of commercialising technology, and the products that Senz-It is developing are at the cutting edge of nanotechnology. Senz-It is intent on building a world class organization, and I am honored to have been asked to be part of what appears to be a company on its way to greatness."
World Am has two operating subsidiaries, Senz-It and Isotec. Senz-It represents an innovative advancement in the field of micro-sensors that have applications in homeland security, indoor air quality monitoring, food processing and health care. Its potential products are intended to compete in the developing field of real-time detection and notification devices. Senz-It is being designed to identify patterns of molecules present in liquid, blood and air environments for significantly less cost than current approaches.
Senz-It's sister subsidiary is Isotec, which develops, integrates and supplies passage control security products broadly categorized as access control, weapons control, or materials control systems that rigorously control entry or exit of people and materials into and/or out of a facility, while reducing the need for security personnel. Applications of the technology have been delivered to the commercial, retail and government sectors. Isotec's experience in this field allows it to provide high quality, code compliant, application-optimized solutions at the lowest cost in the shortest timeframe.
Additional information on the company is available at http://www.world-am.com/.
Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All statements, other than statements of fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential future plans and objectives of the company, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Technical complications that may arise could prevent the prompt implementation of any strategically significant plan(s) outlined above. The company cautions that these forward looking statements are further qualified by other factors including, but not limited to those, set forth in the World Am, Inc. Form 10-KSB filing and other filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (available at www.sec.gov). The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any statements in this release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

CONTACT: World Am, Inc.
Investor Relations
(951) 279-8884

Wipro centre in Orissa soon

Nirmalya Mukherjee / Kolkata/ Bhubaneswar February 08, 2007

After big names like Infosys ,TCS, MindTree, Hexawire, Satyam and the country's biggest BPO Genpact, Wipro is now looking at Orissa.

Wipro is treating Orissa as its second base in this part of the country and has decided to open a centre in Orissa by April 2007.

Sources at Wipro's Bangalore headquarters said opening of Wipro's centre at Bhubaneswar was in its final stages.

A Wipro spokesperson from Bangalore told Business Standard that preparations for opening of an office were progressing, adding, "Wipro views Kolkata and Bhubaneswar as priority venues in eastern India for East and South East Asia. These are the only two cities in our radar in western India where the company plans to expand and develop in a big way."

The Orissa government has offered around 27 acres in the Info City near Bhubaneswar with a SEZ status to Wipro.

Initial plans for an office would be completed in a month.

Wipro would take 18-20 months for starting full operations in Bhubaneswar.

The Orissa government has been trying to get Wipro here from the time it opened its centre in Kolkata.

Wipro would set up a Development Centre and expansion and development work were likely to be completed by April 2007.

The Wipro spokesperson said the company would initially spend around Rs 3 to 4 crore for starting its operations.

This sum included hiring of people.

The manning would be done with an eye on the eastern and north-eastern markets. Wipro would hire around 5000 persons over the next few years.

This figure could go up if its business in the eastern and north-eastern Indian markets and overseas in East and South-East Asia expanded.

A highly-placed government official said, "So long Orissa had Infosys - now with Wipro's entry, our desires are fulfiled ".

Wipro had been offered land at the city's Info Park quite some time back, but the company had not responded initially.

This had the government worrying.

Only a few days ago did the government receive a positive feedback from Wipro.

Most big IT names were setting up centres in Bhubaneswar.

The Orissa government expected Rs 1000 crore investment from the IT/ITes sectors.

Currently, about 100 IT companies were registered with the Department of Information Technology (DIT) promoted Software Technology Parks of India (STPI).

Most of these were SME sector players with high attrition rates.

According to government estimates, Infosys and Satyam accounted for almost 85 per cent of the software market with the former being the largest player by far. Wipro would be competing with Infosys, TCS and Satyam for manpower here.


STPI to expand Orissa operations

Nirmalya Mukherjee / Kolkata/ Bhubaneswar February 08, 2007
In a bid to promote the IT and ITes sector in Orissa, a state-wide plan is being worked out by the Department of Information Technology (DIT) promoted Software Technology Parks of India ( STPI).

The state-wide plan, commonly known as State Internet Exchanges (SIXI) plan will be effective within this year.

DIT has already introduced a national plan whereby termination points for internet exchanges have been set up at STPIs in the four metros, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.

The national plan has been named as NIXI. For a fast and smooth implementation of SIXI, STPI Bhubaneswar has already started talking to different service providers like, Reliance Infocom, VSNL, BSNL and Bharti Telecom.

Depending on traffic, SIXI would basically be contributing towards developing a robust bandwidth with low consumption, less latency and a stable performance from IT bodies.

STPI officials in Bhubaneswar said, SIXI would come in handy for all as inter and intra-state networking would then surge with easier access for service users.

Alongside, STPI Bhubaneswar is also planning setting up centres in tier II towns of the state.


DGP arrest relief extended
LALMOHAN PATNAIK
Cuttack, Feb. 15: Orissa High Court today heard the arguments of the additional advocate-general, Rajasthan, before extending IPS officer B.B. Mahanti’s immunity from arrest till February 26.
“Put up the case on February 26. The order passed earlier stands,” the single-judge bench of Justice Laxmikanta Mahapatra ordered.
The hour-long argument of Jaipur’s representative, R.S. Rathore, revolved around the maintainability of Mahanti’s anticipatory bail petition.
Earlier, Rajasthan police had registered a criminal case against Mahanti, the director-general of Orissa home guards, for allegedly helping his son Bitihotra jump parole and shielding him after that. The youth is a rape convict.
Mahanti had filed the anticipatory bail petition after Rajasthan police lodged the case against him under Sections 120 and 130 of the IPC at Lal Kothi police station in Jaipur. The court had granted him immunity from arrest twice before today.
Rathore argued that Orissa High Court was not in a position to deal with Mahanti’s plea as the offence was committed at a place in the Rajasthan capital. It was also not in the court’s jurisdiction, he added, to provide immunity from arrest to the DGP.
The Rajasthan government filed a 15-page “objection affidavit” today along with documents in support of the case registered at Lal Kothi police station.
“It was the petitioner (B.B. Mahanti) who had executed the surety bond and taken the requisition dasti from the office of the ADM, Jaipur, to the office of superintendent, central jail, Jaipur. Thereafter, his son was released on parole. In view of the facts and circumstances, the petitioner (B.B. Mahanti) has deliberately concealed the material facts so as to mislead Orissa High Court,” the affidavit said with supporting documents.
It added: “The petitioner has adopted tactics, which are creating obstacles for the police to proceed in furtherance of the FIR and to bring back Bitihotra to jail. Investigation... clearly shows that a prima facie case is made out against the petitioner.” Mahanti had earlier denied having visited Jaipur.

KalingaTimes Correspondent
Bhubaneswar: Aggrieved over denial of a party ticket to contest the forthcoming panchayat polls, a woman member of the ruling Biju Janata Dal on Tuesday attempted to commit suicide by immolating herself at a public meeting of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Puri district of Orissa.
Saraswati Nayak, who hailed from Mahakud village in Gop police station area, was about douse herself with kerosene that was carrying in a polythene bag when alert policemen swung into action and took her into custody.

Nayak had lost in the last panchayat polls five years ago by contesting as a Biju Janata Dal nominee. However, she was not given the party ticket to contest the ensuing polls.

The Chief Minister, who has been going ahead with hectic campaigning across the State to seek votes for the nominees of his party, addressed several meetings in Puri district during the day.

The attempt to suicide incident occurred when he was addressing a public meeting at Ganeswarpur village of the district.

The local police have registered a case against Nayak on the charge of attempting to commit self-immolation.

NDTV Correspondent

Tuesday, February 6, 2007 (Bhubaneswar):


Indonesia's former president Megawati Sukornoputri and her daughter are on a three-day visit to Orissa.

She met with Biju Patnaik's widow Gyan Patnaik and her son, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at their Bhubaneswar residence on Monday night.

Considered the 8th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine, the 60-year old leader owes her name to Biju Patnaik who christened her on the request of her father Sukorno, the first president of Indonesia.

Megawati last visited Orissa in 1995 when Biju Patnaik was the chief minister. She and her party PDI-P lost Indonesia's presidential elections in 2004.

Orissa villagers boycott panchayat polls

KalingaTimes Correspondent
Bhubaneswar: After people stayed away from participating in the ongoing electoral process, the administration of backward-Kandhamal district has initiated steps for choosing government nominees to occupy three posts of Panchayat Samiti Members, five posts of Sarpanches and 86 posts of Ward Members in Chakapada Block of the district.
No nomination was filed for three Panchayat Samiti Member posts despite the State Election Commission seeking nomination papers in two phases - first from January 9 to 15 and in the second round from January 25 to 29.

The Panchayats for which the State Government will nominate candidates to discharge the duties of Panchayat Samiti Members are Pasara, Kakharujhola and Chahali.

The Kandhamal District Collector has already requested the Panchayati Raj Department to choose nominees for the three posts as elections could not be conducted for these seats in the absence of any contestant.

Initially, no nomination papers were filed between January 5 and 15 for the Panchayat Samiti Member posts in five panchayats of Chakapada Block such as Pasara, Kakharujhola and Chahali, Chakapada and Brahmanapada. However, nomination papers were received for the post with respect of the panchayats of Chakapada and Brahmanapada during the second phase.

What has been more embarrassing for the administration is withdrawal of nomination papers by the aspirants with regard to five posts of Sarpanches for the gram panchayats of Pasara, Kakharujhola and Chahali, Chakapada and Brahmanapada.

The District Collector has already asked the Sub-Collector of Baliguda to start the process for nomination of candidates for the five Sarpanch posts. Candidates will also be nominated for 86 posts of Ward Members in the five panchayats as all those who had filed their nomination papers had withdrawn the same at the last minute.

A vast majority of the people in the five panchayats seem to have gone by decision taken by Jan Jagran Manch, a mass organisation working in the area, that no one should take part in the forthcoming polls as the government had not paid any heed to their demand for shifting the Chakapada Block office from Bastingia to Chakapada town.

The administration had organised flag marches by the police in Chakapada area to instill confidence among the people to ensure that no candidate withdrew his nomination papers. However, the candidates for the posts of five Sarpanches and 86 Ward Members opted to withdraw from the electoral process.

The administration, however, has not been able to initiate any action against the leaders of Jan Jagran Manch which `pressurised' the people to boycott the coming polls.

The three-tier panchayat polls in the State in scheduled to be conducted in five phases starting from February 13.
Orissa Jail Superintendent arrested

KalingaTimes Correspondent
Jagatsinghpur: A jail official was arrested by Jagatsinghpur police on Monday on the charges of helping a murder accused run his criminal activities from inside the jail.
Superintendent of Alipingal jail Laxminarayan Panigrahi was arrested by the police after evidence collected during the preliminary investigations indicated that he was involved in the crime.

Panigrahi was produced before a local court and remanded to 14 days' judicial custody.

The accused official had allegedly supplied mobile phones to under-trial Dhirendra Samal who had threatened two leaders of the ruling Biju Janata Dal of dire consequences by using those phones in December last.

Preliminary investigations also showed that Panigrahi had been talking to Samal over the mobile phone on several occasions although it was illegal.

Samal, who is lodged in the jail for his involvement in several cases, including one that of murder, was running his extortion racket from the jail by using the said mobile phones that were supplied to him in full knowledge of Panigrahi.

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