This Week Orissa

Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Srikant Jena has joined the campaign against the rates at which mining leases are being given to some corporate houses.

Jena finds mining leases too cheap

Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Srikant Jena has joined the campaign against the rates at which mining leases are being given to some corporate houses. In a latter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik,the Union Minister has asked the Orissa government to take control of the states mineral-rich mines instead of leasing them out at throwaway prices. Jena said he was all for development through industrialisation but the incentives needed by the industry should be given in the form of direct subsidies or similar benefits,not in the form of mine leases at rates lower than those prevailing in the market. In my opinion,the mineral wealth of Sukinda Valley in Jajpur district itself can change the fate of Orissa8230; provided the government takes over chromite mines under its control, he wrote.

Naveens plate of worries full ahead of rural polls

A CBI probe into the implementation of NREGS could not have come at a worse time for the government,with panchayat polls less than a year away. The Supreme Court has ordered a probe into the way the scheme has been implemented in six districts wracked by poverty. Wary about the probe affecting his partys prospects,Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has taken damage control measures such as shifting secretaries and ministers among a number of departments. But this has raised another concern. His adviser Pyari Mohapatra has got four loyalists in,leaving bureaucrats worried that the Rajya Sabha MP would meddle with the administration and that the CM would lose some of his grip.

From next week,Orissas own version of the IPL

In a week,Orissa will have its own T20 cricket league on the lines of the Indian Premier League. Titled Orissa Premier League,it will have 10 teams,each representing a district. The tournament,which will be played in five venues including Cuttack,is being organised by the Orissa Cricket Association. It begins on May 22. Oriya film actor Anubhav Mohanty has been made the brand ambassador of the OPL. The names that the teams have chosen are as intriguing as those in the IPL Cuttack Barabati Tigers,Bhubaneswar Jaguars,Kasvi Power Rangers,Cooperative Kings,Jagatsinghpur Sparks,Puri Emperors,Bhanja Veers,Angul Tuskers,Balasore Baghas and Western Samurais.

Road to Posco project is not all clear yet

The Posco project has not yet cleared all roadblocks ahead,though the MoEF has cleared forest diversion. The state government is set to resume land acquisition for the 12-million-tonne project at villages near Paradip sometime next week. But people have refused to co-operate unless their demands are met by May 15. Demanding at least one job in the project for each displaced family,the United Action Committee otherwise a pro-project group has sought revision of the price of agricultural land from Rs 17 lakh per acre to Rs 19.10 lakh. Another group,the Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti,remains opposed to the project.