Budget evokes mixed reactions in Orissa

October 2nd, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The threat of floods loomed over several districts of Orissa Friday as heavy rain continued to lash the state for the fourth day due to a cyclonic disturbance in the Bay of Bengal. Coastal and northern Orissa received maximum rainfall since Thursday, leading to a rise in the water level in several major rivers.

September 5th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The deep depression formed over the northwest Bay of Bengal crossed the Orissa coast Saturday evening and moved toward West Bengal, weather officials said. "The deep depression has moved in a northerly direction and lay centered at about 50 km north of Digha (in West Bengal)," the Bhubaneswar meteorological centre said.

August 21st, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Maoist rebels have threatened to blow up the residence of Orissa Finance Minister Prafulla Ghadei and kill his son, police said Friday. The letter was received at the office of Orissa Mining Corporation at Jajpur Thursday.

July 13th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The meteorological centre here Monday alerted fishermen in Orissa not to venture into the sea as it would be rough due to a low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal, officials said. The low pressure area has formed over west central bay and adjoining north-west bay off north Andhra Pradesh and south Orissa coast, P.K.

July 7th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Rail services were affected at various places in Orissa Tuesday following demonstrations at railway stations by the youth wing of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) to protest the alleged neglect of the state by the central government in the railway budget. Although the demonstrations were peaceful, railway officials said the movement of trains was affected as protesters sat on the tracks in some places for nearly two hours.

July 6th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Orissa Chief minister Naveen Patnaik criticized the union budget presented Monday by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the Lok Sabha saying that it does not satisfy the needs of the common man. "It is seen that the union budget is broadly continuance of the existing schemes.

July 3rd, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik termed the union railway budget presented by Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Lok Sabha Friday as "disappointing". I am disappointed to find that funds for some railway projects have been reduced considerably from last year for Orissa.

April 27th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - A 10-year-old girl in an Orissa village was beheaded by her grandfather, who believed that sowing seeds mixed with her blood would yield a bumper crop, police said Monday. The barbaric incident, spurred by age-old superstitions, took place Sunday at the tribal-populated Adapathar village in Sambalpur district, over 450 km from here.

April 23rd, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was among the voters who exercised their franchise Thursday soon after polling began for the second and final phase of Lok Sabha and assembly elections, official said. 'Patnaik walked down from his house here, Naveen Nivas, to the polling booth about 100 metres away at about 7 a.m.,' police inspector P.K.

April 8th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The Nationalist Congress Party alliance with the Left parties and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Orissa is 'only Orissa-specific', NCP chief Sharad Pawar said here Wednesday. 'Our arrangement is only Orissa-specific,' Pawar told a press conference, addressed jointly with Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik.

March 28th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief and Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Saturday filed his nomination papers from the Hinjili assembly constituency in Orissa. Patnaik, elected from the constituency in 2000 and 2004, filed his papers at Chhatrapur town, some 160 km from here, in the presence of several BJD leaders.

March 20th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram today assured Orissa Government to provide adequate security for the smooth conduct of polls in the State.

February 25th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Power trader PTC India will swap power with Orissa to help it overcome the power shortage it is facing currently, an official said Wednesday. PTC - formerly Power Trading Corp of India - will supply about 150 MW daily to Grid Corp of Orissa (Gridco), the bulk supplier of electricity in the state.

February 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Following are the reactions from some prominent industrialists and economists to the interim budget presented by acting finance minister Pranab Mukherjee here Monday: Deepak Parekh, chairman, HDFC Bank: Not a disappointment, I did not expect anything in the interim budget. It was never meant to be a giveaway.

February 12th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Orissa has been neglected in interim railway budget presented by Railways Minister Lalu Prasad in Parliament Friday, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said here. 'I am disappointed as Orissa has been neglected,' Patnaik told reporters here, adding that only one new express train was proposed to be introduced in the state in 2009-2010.