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Telegraph, UK has a travel article on Orissa, with a focus on Puri.

Business Standard reports on this. Following are some excerpts.

The central government has offered Orissa Rs 10,000 crore for various power sector initiatives. The amount will be invested over a period of five years in rural, semi-urban and urban areas.

“The funds will be utilised for improving generation, distribution and transmission of power in Orissa,” A K Lakhina, chairman and managing director, Rural Electrification Corporation (REC), said.

Orissa has been facing difficulties in privatisation of the sector as private enterprises are unable to pursue rural electrification with vigour, he said.

He said, the Centre has utilised the services of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) and National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) for taking up rural electrification in Orissa.

While four projects have already been sanctioned for Nayagarh, Anugul ,Ganjam and Gajapati, projects in three more districts have received the Centre’s in principle approval. All the remaining districts of the state will be covered under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY), he said.

There was a feeling that villages and hamlets with sub-300 populations would not be covered under RGGVY. Orissa, having many such hamlets, was apprehensive of the success of the programme in the state. Lakhina said, the Union government is aware of the issue and the limit may be reduced to cover villages and hamlets with population of 100.

It may be noted, the Orissa government had announced launching of ‘Biju Gramjyoti Yojana’ to provide electricity to the villages and rural hamlets having less than 300 population. It also made a budget allocation of Rs.50 crore during 2007-08 for this programme.

Interestingly, the Orissa government has sought assistance of about Rs. 600 crore from REC for improving transmission. REC will examine the proposal, Lakhina said.

On reducing the transmission and distribution losses, the REC chairman said he has requested Patnaik to undertake underground wiring in the state’s premier cities which could be expanded to other areas.

Samaja reports on this. Tathya.in also has an article on this. Following is from Samaja.

Pragativadi reports on this. Following are some excerpts.

… fisheries and animal resources development minister Golakh Nayak said …, the state would be in a position to export marine products in a large scale to foreign countries.

… he said that the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) will provide the technological assistance to the state government.

The technology would be used by way of implanting satellite radio receivers and Internet facilities in fishing boats and installing electronic display boards at fishing harbours for constant monitoring of vessel movement and fish counting.

The INCOIS is being provided with necessary support by the Space Application Centre, National Remote Sensing Agency, ISRO’s Regional Remote Sensing Service Centre (RSSC) and the Central Fishery Research Institute.

The technology would substantially reduce the search time and human effort in high seas by almost 70 percent, Nayak pointed out.

He said that with the ICT know-how, the marine fishery would use satellite images to identify the prospective areas of fish aggregation.

Later, the information would be given in local language of the respective area thrice a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays during the fishing season.

At the same time, the information would be communicated to about 225 nodes along the entire coastline through telephone and fax, the minister informed.

It may be mentioned here that the maximum sustainable yield of marine fish in the state stands at 1.61 lakh tonne per annum.

Giving further plan details, the minister said that 20 electronic display boards would be set up at fishing harbours in the first phase for which the state government would bear 20 percent of the cost.

This apart, 10 Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) Boards would be installed while the ICT kiosks in these centres would be set up by the United Nation’s Development Programme (UNDP), Nayak said.

It may be mentioned here that there are two PFZ boards installed at Nuagolabandha ICT Centre in Ganjam district and Balaramgadi ICT centre in Balasore district.

Odihsa.com and Tathya.in report that a delegate from Orissa is going for a roadshow in the Punjab-Haryana area to attract investors for medium and small enterprises. The team will be lead by Dr. Ashok Dalwai, the current industry secretary of Orissa.

Following is Dharitri’s report on this.

Following is ECOR’s press release (dated July 19 2007) on this.

East Coast Railway has increased its freight loading and passenger carrying during the first quarter of the current financial year i.e. from Apr ’07 to June’07 and earned Rs.1266.86 Crores in originating basis during this period which is Rs.179.68 crores more than the corresponding period of last year.

ECoR has loaded 21.81 million tonnes of freight by registering an increase of 8.88% more in loading than the corresponding period of last financial year and has earned Rs.1115.66 Crores from this by registering an increase of 16.04% more revenue as compared to last financial year.

On passenger front, ECoR has carried 14.49 million of passengers by registering an increase of 11.37% more than the corresponding period of last financial year and has earned Rs.131.48 Crores by registering an increase of 20.46% more than the previous year.

ECoR has earned total revenue of Rs.1266.86 Crores from the first quarter of the current financial year registering an increase of 16.52% from the last financial year.  It may be mentioned that, during the period of last financial year, ECoR earned Rs.1087.18 crores from passengers, freight, and other business operations.

New Indian Express reports on this. Following are some excerpts.

The Department for International Development (DFID) of UK has agreed in principle to provide Rs 228.6 crore (30.487 million pounds) to the Orissa Government for the public enterprises reform programme.

Out of this, 29.8 million pounds would be provided to the State Government in the form of financial assistance and 0.687 million pounds would be given under technical cooperation grant.
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The budget provision under the State plan is meant for redundancy payment to the employees of the public sector undertakings (PSUs), 80 per cent of which is reimbursed by the DFID.

Since the start of the Orissa Public Enterprises Reform Programme (OPERP), the State Government has reimbursed Rs 240 crore from the closure of 11 enterprises and more than 32,000 workers have availed of VRS during the period. The State Government has set a target of restructuring four units and privatisation of two PSUs during the next financial year.

The units to be restructured are Orissa State Seeds Corporation, Orissa State Civil Supplies Corporation and Orissa Forest Development Corporation. Besides, the OSCARD bank, Tribal Development Cooperative Corporation of Orissa, Orissa Bridge and Construction Corporation, Orissa State Cashew Development Corporation, Orissa State Housing Board and Orissa Agro Industries Corporation will be restructured in later phases.

Independent studies are also being conducted to assess the post-reform outcome for Orissa Lift Irrigation Corporation, Orissa State Finance Corporation and Orissa Construction Corporation.

There have been various news reports on this. Following are excerpts from a news report on this in Pioneer.

The Public Health and Engineering Department decided to supply water round the clock in the city soon, but every home having piped water supply would get a meter installed to determine the quantum of water used. The consumer would have to pay bills regularly according to the meter reading. In the first phase, the scheme would be implemented at Sahid Nagar on a pilot basis from August, according to PHED sources. The Japan Bank of International Cooperation would provide technical assistance for the scheme, which is expected to determine the quantity of water being wasted.

Earlier, the department used to supply water intermittently at fixed hours. PHED is supplying water to 60 per cent areas of the city. According to a survey, the water consumption per person in the city is nearly 135 litres. The city’s water requirement is 120 million litres, but the quantity of water supplied is quite higher at 212 million litres. …

Deepika Global reports on Paradeep Phosphates’ record production this year. Following are some excerpts.

The Paradeep Phosphate Limited (PPL) has registered a record of 13.18 lakh tonnes production in last fiscal and earned a net profit of Rs 109 crores while raising its income to Rs 2067.2 crore. … of the total production the DAP alone accounted for 8.2 lakh tonnes.

Among the intermediary products, Phosphoric Acid, he said was 2,80,300 tonnes, registering an increase of 8.6 per cent over the previous year.

Similarly, Sulphuric Acid registered an increase of 3.4 per cent in comparison to last year with 7,60,610 tonnes.

He said in addition to 13.10 lakh tonnes production, the PPL also sold 1,42,152 tonnes of imported Mauriate of Potash (MOP), 3,13,470 tonne of Gypsum and exported 31,000 tonne of fertiliser to Nepal.

Mr Nandrudikar claimed that the Navaratna Krushi Vikas Yojana implemented in Orissa and Chhatishgarh had been very successful in increasing the yield with the use of improve techniques of agriculture.

Besides improving the agricultural productivity, the PPL had also undertaken mushroom cultivation and tissue culture of bananas in four districts, two each in Orissa and Chhatisgarh, he added. …

He said the company had already invested Rs 140 crores in first year and another Rs 142 crores last year further adding that it had decided to invest another Rs 140 crore during the current fiscal.

Following is Samaja’s report on this.

Following is Samaja’s article on this.

New Indian Express has a report on this. Following are some excerpts.

The Centre will invite global tender through the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for the preservation of the 13th century heritage Sun temple at Konark.
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The Centre would release Rs 13 crore for the project as well as periphery development around the Sun temple.
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the Centre has sanctioned Rs 1 crore for the renovation and development of the State museum at Bhubaneswar. Besides, Rs 92 lakh has also been earmarked for construction of the open theatre, Kalamandal, here.
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The ASI, NCF, the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Indian Oil Foundation have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for five important monuments of India – Sun temple, Konark, Kanheri caves, Mumbai, Group of temples at Khajuraho, monuments at Hampi and Warangal Fort. The IOC has contributed Rs 25 crore for the project.

The coastal highway is proposed to run along the coast from Gopalpur to Digha. Tathya.in reports on attempts to revive the proposal.

New Indian Express has a report on this. Following is an excerpt.

Arun’s paper sculptures are flying off the walls thick and fast ever since he put them up at the Orissa Modern Art Gallery here. …

July 22 2007 Update: Thanks to the readers for the correction and the extra information connecting Aricent and Hughes.

Kalinga Times reports that Aricent, a global communication software company, will open a development center in Bhubaneswar. Following are some excerpts.

Global communications software company Aricent on Friday announced its decision to open a Development Centre in Bhubaneswar.

The company will also set up a Global Training Centre in the State.

Manoranjan Mohanty Mohapatra, president and chief operating officer of Aricent, made the announcements at a meeting with Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here.

According to an official release issued by the Chief Minister’s Officer, the Development Centre of the company will have 1200 employees.

The Global Training Centre will have provision to impart training to 1000 students. Subsequently, the student strength in the centre will be increased to 3000 . …

A more detailed report on this is here.

People Daily online reports that a MOU was signed for improving tourism across multiple tourist desitinations in India and Malyasia.

Bhubaneswar was listed as one of the potential destinations for flight connectivity. This might in Future lead to International flights in Bhubaneswar airport.

Excerpts

“It was further decided that the designated airlines of both sides could operate any number of services to/from 18 tourist destinations in India: Patna, Lucknow, Guwahati, Gaya, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Khajuraho, Aurangabad, Goa, Jaipur, Port Blair, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram Kozhikode, Amritsar, Visakhapatnam, Ahmedabad and Tiruchirapalli.”

Economics Times reports on a recent survey. Following is an excerpt about Bhubaneswar.

In Bhubaneswar, for instance, a whopping 83% of the respondents feel that business conditions have improved.

Equitybulls.com reports on this. Following are some excerpts.

Hindustan Dorr Oliver Ltd has announced that the Company has got an order from Vedanta Alumina Ltd valuing Rs 300 millions for Complete In-plant water circulation and distribution piping system and compressed air piping with accessories for their 5 million ton per annum Aluminium Smelter Plant at Jharsuguda, Orissa. Execution of the said project shall be completed by December, 2007.

The Company is already working alongwith its Chinese partner Chaileco in the above Jharsuguda refinery for a Fume Extraction Plant valuing Rs 2100 million.

Kalingatimes reports that Posco is definitely interested in the Orissa project.
Excerpts of the Article below

… The latest statement from the authorities of POSCO-India makes it clear that they were here to stay – to pursue their 12 million tonne per annum capacity steel mill project in Jagatsinghpur district.

…, the company has said in a statement that it was `confident, determined and committed’ to make its Orissa steel project happen. …

But the company has said that as per its human resource plan, overseas staff deployment in POSCO-India project was purely need based.

“Staff deployment is in relation to specific assignments and the employee moves with the changes in assignment. Accordingly, when the construction phase begins, there would be reallocation of staff from overseas in large number,” a statement from the company said.

Although there had been undue delay in the implementation of the project due to non-acquisition of land for the proposed steel plant, the company has announced it was hopeful of starting ground leveling work by December this year.

“The company is further encouraged by the support extended by Government of Orissa as well as Government of India for expediting the project,’ the statement said.

“Going by the recent developments, the company is happy to note that there is a greater understanding and wider consensus in favor of the project building up at all levels, notably among people in the project site.” …

If official sources are to be believed, … POSCO authorities were ready to wait for several more years to implement the project.

“The main worry of POSCO-India authorities would be over the day they were granted prospecting licence for the Khandadhar iron ore mines by the Central government.

As regards the people’s opposition to displacement by the proposed steel plant in Jagatsinghpur as well as the move to grant of prospecting licence to the company for Khandadhar mines, sources said that POSCO was used to such resistance.

“They are hopeful that things will slowly start changing and the opposition will lose strength in due course,” a senior government official observed.

Rehabilitation process begins

Meanwhile, the company, in association with the district administration, has started the process for rehabilitating 48 families that had left Patna village under Dhinkia panchayat of Jagatsinghpur following their differences with those who were against the setting up of the steel plant in their locality.

The company was hopeful that a transit camp for the 48 families would come up within four weeks. Simultaneously, efforts were being made to select a site for constructing a full-fledged rehabilitation colony for these families.

A company official said that once the habilitation colony was set up it would attract people from the camp that was opposed to the project.

The families which had come out of their villages on their own and were supporting the project would be given rehabilitation benefits under the provisions of the existing Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy of the State.

Going by the company’s stand, it appears clear that they might start thinking in terms of packing their bags only if the both the Central Government and the State Government expressed their unwillingness to extend help. But going by the eagerness on the part of both the governments to help POSCO-India, such a situation was unlikely to emerge in the next few years. After all, POSCO-India’s steel project still continues to carry the tag of biggest ever foreign direct investment in the country.

This sounds like a good reinforcement of it’s commitment to the Orissa project.

Business standard reports on government of Orissa and POSCO’s plans regarding R & R and compensation. Following are some excerpts.

… The government is also working on improving the compensation package for the area’s beetle-vine workers, who are among the most vocal opponents of the project as they fear loss of livelihood.

A joint exercise will be started soon for implementing the rehabilitation package. We will sit with Posco executives to decide what best can be offered to the displaced, in excess of the entitlements prescribed by the government’s rehabilitation policy and the package prepared by the company, …

The proposals which are being examined include a pension scheme for the displaced persons and a job card for all the displaced who are less than 60 years in age.