February 2020

ODISHA   Odisha gets Rs 4,373 crore in rail budget The Centre has reduced Odisha’s rail budget allocation by nearly Rs 1620 crore. Against last year’s budget of Rs 5,993 crore, the state has been allocated Rs 4,373 crore this time, revealed the data shared by East Coast Railway (ECoR) here on Wednesday. The Naveen Patnaik government … Read more

ODISHA Infra of 10 colleges may get a boost in Odisha The higher education department will submit proposals to the Centre, seeking funds for improvement of infrastructure of 10 degree colleges located in different minority-concentrated areas of the state. The move came after the Union ministry of minority affairs invited proposals from the state for … Read more

ODISHA Odisha government plans six more projects worth Rs 900 crore for Puri The state government has planned six more projects worth around Rs 900 crore for Puri under the ABADHA scheme as part of its efforts to transform it into a world-class heritage city. Earlier, the state government had already approved 15 projects worth Rs 2,300 … Read more

Sri Lanka’s Army Chief, Shavendra Silva blacklisted by US The United States has blacklisted Sri Lanka’s Army Chief, Shavendra Silva, for human rights violations including extrajudicial killings during the last phase of the country’s civil war in 2009 Lt. Gen. Silva is credited with leading an Army division against Tamil Tiger rebels in the final … Read more

Four hydro projects violate Ganga flow norms Since the government made it mandatory for hydro power projects on the upper reaches of the river Ganga’s tributaries to release minimum quantities of water through the year, 4 of the 11 projects are flouting norms, says a report by the Central Water Commission (CWC). The ecological flow, … Read more

Ease of living index (EoLI) and municipal performance index (MPI) 2019 The ministry of housing and urban affairs have launched the ease of living index (EoLI) and municipal performance index (MPI) 2019_to help assess the progress made in cities through various initiatives and empower them to use evidence to plan, implement and monitor their performance. … Read more

Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand visited the Indian Military Academy Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand visited the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun to strengthen engagement and defence cooperation between the two countries. Princess Sirindhorn has also been an instructor and teaches history at Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy (CRMA). India and Thailand conducted a … Read more

ODISHA   Amit Shah to chair Eastern Zonal Council on 28 February   The 24th meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council will be held on 28 February 2020 at Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The member states of the Council includes the States of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal. The meeting will be chaired by the Union Minister for Home Affairs, Shri Amit Shah. It … Read more

Fifth edition of India-UK joint military exercise ‘Ajeya Warrior’ The fifth edition of India-UK joint military exercise ‘Ajeya Warrior’ will be conducted at Salisbury Plains, United Kingdom from February 13 to 26 The aim of this exercise is to conduct company level joint training with emphasis on counter-terror operations in urban and semi-urban areas. Training … Read more

ODISHA Annual census reported reduced number of dolphins at Gahirmatha marine sanctuary   The January 2020 census reported that the number of dolphins at Odisha’s Gahirmatha marine sanctuary has nearly reduced to half over a year. This has pushed down the state’s overall count. The census was released on 24 February 2020.   The January 2020 census spotted only … Read more