After the Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the annual Rath Yatra, the state government had been facing tremendous pressure from different quarters to intervene in the matter.

The Odisha government on Sunday said it will take "favourable action" as legally permissible on a request by Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb that Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra, which was stayed by the Supreme Court this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, be allowed sans congregation of devotees.

After the Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the annual Rath Yatra, the state government had been facing tremendous pressure from different quarters to intervene in the matter.

"The State Government will take favourable action as legally permissible on the request of the Gajapati Maharaj when the writ petition W.P.(C) No. 571 of 2020 is taken up for hearing before the Hon'ble Supreme Court," Odisha law department said in a statement.

The government's response came a day after Gajapati Maharaja Deb requested it to move a fresh application before the Supreme Court seeking modification of its June 18 order.

The titular king of Puri had also requested the state government to request the court to allow the yatra sans any devotees and only in Puri as the festival is "sanctioned and mandated" according to the religious scriptures and legal provisions.

More than a dozen petitions have been moved before the Supreme Court seeking recall of its order staying the historic Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra, which was scheduled for June 23.

Cyclone Amphan to intensify into 'extremely severe storm': Things to know

Cyclone Amphan is likely to cross West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts between Sagar Islands in Bengal and Hatiya islands in Bangladesh on May 20.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that Very Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘Amphan’ over central parts of South Bay of Bengal is going to intensify into Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm in next 6 hours.

"The trajectory is mostly towards West Bengal, Sagar Islands and probably towards Bangladesh.... But we have to watch the trajectory very closely. NDRF has deployed the teams well in advance.

They are either deployed or moving towards the destination," S N Pradhan, the chief of NDRF said.

The cyclone is also likely to unleash heavy rain and high-velocity winds in large swathes of coastal Odisha and West Bengal. It is likely to cross West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts between Sagar Islands in Bengal and Hatiya islands in Bangladesh on May 20 as a very severe cyclonic storm, Regional MeT Director in Kolkata G K Das said.

"The coastal districts of Gangetic West Bengal, including North and South 24 Parganas, Kolkata, East and West Midnapore, Howrah and Hooghly are likely to experience light to moderate rain at many places with heavy downpour at isolated places on May 19," Das added.

Seven NDRF teams have been deployed in six districts of West Bengal - South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, East Midnapore, West Midnapore, Howrah and Hooghly. According to Ministry of Home Affairs, the cyclone will make a landfall in West Bengal on Wednesday.

Odisha, which has been ravaged by a string of cyclones over the last few years, including the cyclone Fani last year, has made arrangements to shift 11,00,000 people from vulnerable areas, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) P K Jena said.

Twelve coastal districts - Ganjam, Gajapti, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khurda and Nayagarh - are on high alert.

Odisha Tourism's digital transformsation becomes a case study for Adobe

Last year, Odisha Tourism revamped its website to position it as a one-stop shop for all needs of tourists.

Software giant Adobe Systems has decided to highlight the digital transformation of Odisha Tourism as a succinct, yet insightful case study. The selection recognises the one of its kind implementation of the Adobe stack in the government, or public sector.

Last year, Odisha Tourism revamped its website to position it as a one-stop shop for all needs of tourists. Moreover, the launch of the 5T (Technology, Transformation, Teamwork, Transparency & Time) governance framework has accelerated Odisha’s bid to leverage technologies to unlock its potential in an inclusive manner.

Vishal Dev, secretary (tourism & sports affairs), led the transition in Odisha’s digital presence before the Men’s Hockey World Cup was organised in Bhubaneswar in November 2018.

The tourism department envisioned the website to be a one-stop solution for all travellers, supported by an entire ecosystem of tourism service providers on the same platform. In a span of a little over a year and three developmental stages, Odisha Tourism’s website, social media and digital campaign now run as an integrated well-oiled machine, disbursing uniform brand messaging across platforms.

AEM’s Adobe Analytics continues to be used to increase the efficacy of targeting travellers, influence their purchase decisions thereby resulting in increased tourist footfall in the state. With the use of an extrapolated Return on Investment (ROI) model, the company aims to orient digital marketing spending strategies to attract high value tourists. The website features a travel aggregation portal for travel and tour operators to showcase their products and services, a contribution portal for bloggers and vloggers (video bloggers), a ready reckoner on 50+ tourist destinations in Odisha, along with a trip planner. It also features booking for Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) hotels, heritage properties and various hotels.

“The digital initiative has come a long way from its nascent version of just being an idea backed by will, to a tangible asset positively impacting tourism. We plan to leverage the website to bring onboard affiliate travel agents from different geographies to increase the influx of tourists across the globe”, Dev said.

Odisha improves child and mental health faster; UP, Bihar lag behind

In Odisha, stunting--low height for age and a sign of malnutrition--reduced from 46.5% of children below five years in 2005-06 to 35.3% in 2015-16.

Odisha, one of India's poorest states, has made significant progress in reducing child undernutrition—less than India as a whole, but more than other poor states, such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, according to government data studied by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

In Odisha, stunting--low height for age and a sign of malnutrition--reduced from 46.5% of children below five years in 2005-06 to 35.3% in 2015-16; the proportion of underweight children decreased from 42.3% of children below five years to 35.8%; and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), the government’s child nutrition and education program, reached 34% more people in 2017 than it had in 2014.

As National Nutrition Week gets under way on September 1, 2019, and the Indian government prepares to launch Poshan Abhiyaan with an aim to improve nutrition among children, pregnant women and lactating mothers and make India malnutrition-free by 2022, we examine the success of Odisha. IFPRI, a research advocacy based in Washington D.C., studied the progress of several countries and 28 Indian states, identifying Odisha as a "nutrition champion", along with Thailand, Brazil, Bangladesh, Nepal, Peru, Vietnam and Ethiopia.

Odisha performed better than other poorer states

India’s ICDS programme is the world’s largest nutrition programme, launched in 1975 to address health, nutrition and pre-school education of children under the age of six years. The programme operates through a network of anganwadi centres that provide services for pregnant and lactating women, and for children aged six months to six years. The programme mandates one anganwadi per village or for a population of 1,000.

Odisha’s performance on delivering health and education services to children and mothers through this programme was among the best in India and got progressively better between 1992 and 2014, found a study, part of a book, ‘Nourishing millions: Stories of Change in Nutrition’, published by IFPRI.

“Odisha has demonstrated significant commitment to reducing undernutrition, expanded nationally sponsored nutrition-specific programmes, and launched state-led initiatives relevant to improving nutrition,” said Rasmi Avula, research fellow at IFPRI. Odisha also decentralised service delivery through self-help groups and focused on equitable access to interventions for the entire population, she explained.

The study on India, India’s Integrated Child Development Services programme; equity and extent of coverage in 2006 and 2016, and part of the book, was co-authored by researchers at IFPRI and the University of Washington, US, using data from three rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) and the Rapid Survey on Children (RSOC).

Cyclone Fani: Odisha teaches the world how to prepare for disasters

The United Nations office for Disaster Risk Deduction (UNISDR) and other organisations have hailed government and volunteer for their efforts.

Fani, a rare summer cyclone in the Bay of Bengal, hit eastern India on May 3. It is one of the strongest cyclones to have hit India in the last 20 years, according to the Indian government’s meteorological department. Storm surges and powerful winds reaching 125mph blew off roofs, damaged power lines and uprooted countless trees.

But the worst-affected state, Odisha, has been successful in keeping the loss of life and numbers of affected people to a minimum. This is the result of a very effective strategy of disaster preparation and quick responding.

Keep Reading : Business Standard

The United Nations office for Disaster Risk Deduction (UNISDR) and other organisations have hailed government and volunteer efforts that have ensured the levels of destruction have been kept to a minimum. According to official estimates, 64 people lost their lives due to the devastating cyclone Fani. But considering the power of the cyclone, it is remarkable that more lives have not been lost.

To put the death toll in perspective, the 1999 Odisha cyclone (which had 155mph winds) killed 9,658 people and caused US$2.5 billion in damages in the state. It was this super cyclone in 1999 that led the state to become better prepared for future cyclones.

The government’s “zero casualty” policy for natural disasters and the near accuracy of the India meteorological department’s early warning system have helped reduce the possibility of deaths from cyclone Fani. A record 1.2m people (equal to the population of Mauritius) were evacuated in less than 48 hours, and almost 7,000 kitchens, catering to 9,000 shelters, were made functional overnight. This mammoth exercise involved more than 45,000 volunteers.

The statistics are striking when compared to the impact of recent big weather events around the world. When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017 with wind speeds of 175mph, it caused a death toll of 2,975. The same year, Hurricane Harvey struck Texas with winds of 130mph and caused devastating flooding. There was US$125 billion in damage and at least 68 direct storm-related deaths reported in Texas. Most recently, cyclone Idai hit Mozambique on March 14 and ripped through Madagascar, Malawi and Zimbabwe, with more than 1,000 people feared dead.

So the Indian state of Odisha’s ability to put such an effective disaster management plan in place and save thousands of lives is a template that the world can learn from. This, after all, is a state where the average income is less than US$5 a day. We identify four key takeaways from Odisha.

Cyclone 'Fani' likely to intensify in next 12 hours, hit Odisha on Friday

Heavy rainfall is very likely over north coastal Andhra Pradesh on Thursday and light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places a day later.

Cyclone 'Fani' is likely to intensify into an 'extremely severe cyclonic storm' by late night and can hit the Odisha coast by Friday afternoon, the India Meteorological Department said Tuesday.

In its 12 pm bulletin, the Cyclone Warning Division of the IMD said Fani (pronounced as Foni) lays over southeast and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal, about 830 km nearly south of Puri (Odisha) and 670 km south-southeast of Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and about 680 km northeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka).

"It is very likely to intensify further into an extremely severe cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours. It is very likely to move northwestwards till May 1 evening and thereafter recurve north-northeastwards and reach Odisha coast by May 3 afternoon with maximum sustained wind of speed 170-180 kilometers per hour gusting to 200 kmph," the IMD said.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indian Coast Guard were put on high alert and the fishermen were asked not to venture into the sea, the Union Home Ministry said Monday.

Keep Reading : Business Standard

The wind speed of a cyclonic storm is 80-90 kilometres per hour with wind gusting up to 100 kmph. In case of an 'extremely severe cyclonic storm', the wind speed goes up to 170-180 kmph and could gain the speed of 195-200 kmph.

ALSO READ: 'Extremely severe cyclone' Fani headed towards Odisha: All you need to know

Light to moderate rainfall at many places with heavy falls at isolated places is very likely over Kerala, at a few places over north coastal Tamil Nadu and south coastal Andhra Pradesh during the next 24 hours.

Heavy rainfall is very likely over north coastal Andhra Pradesh on Thursday and light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places a day later.

Odisha is expected to get light to moderate rainfall at many places from Thursday. South coastal Odisha is expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall on the same day.

Rainfall is likely to increase at most places with heavy to very heavy rains at a few places with "extremely heavy falls" at isolated places over coastal Odisha and its adjoining districts of interior Odisha on Thursday.

Odisha's Kalia scholarship scheme for farmers' to boost higher education

Children of farmers who have taken admission at Government Professional colleges on merit basis will be eligible for the scholarship scheme.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced the new 'KALIA Chhatravritti Yojana', which is a scholarship for the children of farmers who are the beneficiaries of Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme.

Under this scheme, the children of farmers, who are the beneficiaries of the KALIA scheme will be provided scholarships for pursuing higher education in professional courses free of cost.

Naveen Patnaik made the announcement during a farmers' congregation in Keonjhar and stated that under the scheme State Government will bear the education expenses of the children of KALIA scheme beneficiaries.

Children of farmers who have taken admission at Government Professional colleges on merit basis will be eligible for the scholarship scheme.

Odisha Chief Minister also inaugurated 17 welfare projects worth Rs 66 crore and laid the foundation stone for 47 projects worth Rs 2,100 crore in Keonjhar.

He also announced the approval of drinking water projects worth Rs 1,050 crore to supply safe drinking water in the district.

Patnaik also addressed Mission Shakti Conclave on Sunday and dedicated the development projects worth Rs 45 crore and laid foundation for welfare projects worth Rs 960.34 crore.

Business Standard

Death toll in cyclone-hit Odisha rises to 52, losses worth Rs 22 bn: Govt

Earlier this week, the state government had confirmed 26 deaths due to the calamity.

Business Standard : The death toll in Cyclone Titli and subsequent floods has mounted to 52, while the loss suffered due to the calamity has been pegged at around Rs 2,200 crore, the Odisha government said Wednesday

Earlier this week, the state government had confirmed 26 deaths due to the calamity.

A clearer picture would emerge once the administration gathers information about the ten persons who went missing in a landslide in Gajapati district, Chief Secretary A P Padhi said here after a review meeting with officials.

"The state government has information about 52 deaths in different affected areas, as of now. The casualties mainly resulted from incidents of landslide, wall collapse, drowning and tree felling," he told reporters.

While 39 deaths were reported from "worst-affected Gajapati district", 12 casualties were reported from Ganjam and one from Kandhamal, Padhi said.

"As per preliminary assessment, the loss suffered in different sectors, including infrastructure and agriculture, was estimated at around Rs 2,200 crore. It will take a day or two to get a full report on the total loss incurred due to the disaster," he stated.

Noting that relief work was in progress across the state, the chief secretary said, "95 per cent of the damaged roads have been repaired".

"Almost all thoroughfares have been repaired and power and drinking water supply restored in the urban areas. In rural areas, work is still in progress to bring back normalcy," Padhi added.

A senior government official said the restoration and relief operations were being carried out using State Disaster Response Funds (SDRF).

The state will approach the Centre for necessary assistance after "exact assessment" of the damages, he clarified.

As many as 16 of the 30 districts of the state were ravaged by heavy rain and flood following the landfall of Cyclone Titli last Thursday on Gopalpur in the southerwestern part of the state.

Cyclone Titli makes landfall; uproots trees, damages houses in Odisha

The latest observations indicate that 'Titli', over west-central Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with a speed of about 19 kmph during the past six hours.

The process of landfall of the very severe cyclone Titli started early Thursday with surface wind reaching speeds of 126 kmph at Gopalpur in Odisha's Ganjam district, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

"The process of landfall has started and it will completely cross the Odisha coast in one or two hours.

The system will pass close to Gopalpur," H R Biswas, Director of Metereological Centre, Bhubaneswar, told PTI.

The IMD said, "The forward sector of the eye of the storm has been entering into the land mass."

While Gopalpur in Odisha reported surface winds at 126 kmph, Kalingapatanam in Andhra Pradesh recorded wind speed of 56 kmph.

As the landfall process started, at least five districts like Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri, Khurda and Jagatsinghpur are receiving good amount of rainfall coupled with high speed winds under the impact of Titli.

Biswas said the very severe cyclonic storm (VSCS), 'Titli', is being monitored by the coastal Doppler Weather Radars at Visakhapatnam, Gopalpur and Paradip.

The latest observations indicate that 'Titli', over west-central Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with a speed of about 19 kmph during the past six hours.

After the landfall, the system is very likely to re-curve gradually northeastwards, move towards Gangetic West Bengal across Odisha and weaken gradually.

ALSO READ: Cyclone Titli: 300,000 people evacuated from coastal areas, says Odisha CM

Reports of trees, electric poles getting uprooted and damages to kuchha houses were reported, officials said, adding that road communication in some places, including Gopalpur and Berhampur, was snapped.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government has geared up its machinery to tackle the situation. The state government has already evacuated over 300,000 people living in low lying areas and kuchha houses ahead of the landfall in five coastal districts.

Business Standard

Incessant rains, floods claim 20 lives in Odisha; over 300,000 affected

A preliminary assessment indicated that 8,286 houses have been partially or fully damaged in the deluge that lasted for around four days, beginning on July 20

Heavy Rain : More than 300,000 people in 20 districts of Odisha have been affected, while at least 20 people died due to heavy rains and flood in the state, officials said on Wednesday.

Sources in the Special Relief Commissioner's (SRC) office said a total of 20 people died during two spells of rains and subsequent floods.

While five people died due to heavy to very rains, 15 others reportedly died in flood-related incidents.

The district administrations are verifying whether the deaths were due to floods, deputy SRC Pravat Ranjan Mohapatra said, adding, that four people were reported to have been killed in Kalahandi district.

A preliminary assessment indicated that 8,286 houses have been partially or fully damaged in the deluge that lasted for around four days, beginning on July 20.

While the first spell of rain continued for two days on July 15 and 16, the second one caused more damage from July 20 to July 23. The maximum damage due to rains and floods was reported on July 21 and July 22, they said.

Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) B P Sethi stated that the district authorities have been asked to complete the assessment of damages to private properties in two weeks and furnish a report for allotment of funds in the affected areas.

The situation has, however, changed for better in the past two days in the rain-affected districts and all people living in relief shelters have left for their houses on Wednesday, officials said.

Sources in the Meteorological department on Thursday said the state recorded just 1.4 mm average rainfall in the past 24 hours.

"Altogether, 21 districts have received little showers since Tuesday. Malkangiri is south Odisha received the maximum rainfall of 16.3 mm. Nine districts, including Balangir, Boudh, Dhenkanal, Kandhamal, Kendrapada and Puri, have not received any rainfall in 24 hours," Sethi added.

Read More