The encounter took place when personnel of Special Operations Group (SOG) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were conducting a combing operation inside the forest in Paikmal area of the western Odisha district, close to Chhattisgarh.

Acting on a tip-off about presence of a group of Maoists on Gandhamardan Hill, a team of SOG and CRPF personnel had launched a combing operation and the ultras reportedly opened fire after seeing the cops in a hilly terrain near village Khandijharanunder in the morning.

As the security personnel retaliated in self defence, a fierce gunbattle ensued in the forest, sources said. The encounter reportedly continued for quite some time.

After the exchange of fire, security personnel searched the area and found IED, 8 bags, camp articles, clothes, food items etc. Search is continuing in the area.

Senior police officials have rushed to the area in the wake of the encounter to take stock of the situation.

This is for the 11th time that this native of Chicholi village under Ambabhona Block in the district will don the grease paint for the ‘Maharaja’ role. He played the role of Kansa between 2009 and 2017 and was back on the stage again in December 2022, when the festival was organised after a gap of two years due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Hrusikesh had almost lost the coveted crown by appearing as King Kansa at Dharmasala Mahotsav in Jajpur district in 2016, violating a tradition that restricts a person from playing the character on any other platform. The Artiste Advisory Committee, however, pardoned him after he gave a written assurance that he would never repeat the mistake.

Started during 1947-48 at the time of Independence, Dhanu Jatra is celebrated from the 5th day of ‘Pousasukla’ (bright fortnight) till ‘Pousapurnima’ (full moon day) when Bargarh town is transformed into Mathura under the rule of demon king Kansa. The ‘Balya Leela’ of Lord Krishna takes place at Ambapali on the other side of the Jeera River in the town that is turned into Gopapura.

Here’s a look at the various artistes who have played Kansa at Dhanu Jatra over the years:

Bundi Ratha (originally Bunde Ratha) of Deogaon was the first Kansa. He played the role of the tyrant king of Mathura for two consecutive years. He was succeeded by Bhimsen Tripathy in the third year of Dhanu Jatra. From 1957 to 1980, Yudhistir Satpathy was the Kansa. In 1973, however, there was a break in his long reign with Radheshyam Dash donning the attire of the demon king.

Debendra Biswal replaced Satpathy in 1981 and the following years saw Nilanchal Dash of Sohela playing Kasan before Gopal Sahu began his long innings.

Sahu played Kansa for 23 years from 1984-1998 and 2001-2008. The organising committee, however, replaced Sahu because of his failing health. The ‘loss of his crown and make-belief kingdom’ went on to haunt Sahu for a long time. He preferred to stay indoors and watch the show on TV. “Raja thili, praja heli (I was king, now I have been reduced to a mere subject)” is how the sub-inspector of police had bitterly summed up his feelings.

The credit for encouraging him to take up the role goes to his wife. She felt he was apt for playing Kansa because of his physique and voice. His nephew played the role of Krishna from 2005 to 2008. For the Dwapara Yuga king’s role, Sahu received the Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 1994 and a lifetime achievement award from the then Chief Minister J B Patnaik.

Bhubaneswar Pradhan was selected in 1999 but did not match the expectations of the organisers. So, Sahu was roped in again in 2001. He is the owner of an opera party, Samaleswari Gananatya, and is a professional artiste. Bhubaneswar made a comeback in 2018 after a gap of 17 years and went on to play the role again in 2019.

Speaking on the occasion, Pradhan said, “NSTI will emerge as a modern gurukul to equip candidates as well as trainers with industry and future-ready skills. I am confident that the upcoming state-of-the-art integrated campus of NSTI will empower the youth of New India by providing them cutting-edge skills and knowledge. It will encourage entrepreneurship, equip master trainers with expertise aligned with current and future industry demands and help realise the vision of Viksit Bharat.”

NSTI Plus, under the Directorate General of Training (DGT), apex organisation of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), will train 500 instructors in first phase under the Craftsmen Instructor Training Scheme (CITS) and incorporate another 500 instructors for upskilling and reskilling.

Constructed on 7.8-acre campus, NSTI Plus will not only accommodate institutions like National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Skill India International Centre (SIIC), but also emerge as a potential hub for diverse skill development activities. It will have courses in conjunction with IGNOU, NIOS, SIIC and NIOS.

The NSTI Plus will also serve as a nucleus for emerging start-ups, an incubation centre and a versatile hub for cultivating various skills. It has the potential to serve as a prototype training facility for other states.

Currently, there are 524 ITIs in the region with seating capacity of 1,04,134, and institutions with flexible learning models like NSTI Plus will advance the vocational training framework to be more accessible and inclusive.

Pritiranjan Gharai, Minister of Rural Development, Skill Development & Technical Education; Aparajita Sarangi, Bhubaneswar MP; Muzibulla Khan, MP, Rajya Sabha; Suresh Kumar Routray, MLA; TG Sitharam, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE); Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, MSDE; and Trishaljit Sethi, Director General, DGT were present on the occasion.

The proposed structure will be built over river Ang at Mandiadhip in the district with an estimated cost of Rs 104 crore. The chief minister has also approved the budget for the project

The project would benefit the people of Jharbandh and Paikamal blocks in the district. Besides improving ground water level, the structure would help the drinking water needs, pisciculture and cattle farming in the area.

The proposal was submitted to 5T chairman VK Pandian during his visit to the district and interaction with the locals regarding their problems and suggestions to resolve those recently.

Meet Nirmalaya Rout, who is representing Odisha in rugby at the 37th National Games in Goa.

Nirmalaya’s father Vasudev Raut is a farmer. Apart from her parents, she has two siblings, a brother and sister. Vasudev, despite his constraints, somehow sent his daughter to Bhubaneswar to study. Along with studies, Nirmalaya also took up sports which is helping her to have name and fame in the circuit today. She has led her team to win gold medal in Rugby Sevens at the India University Games 2023.

“My childhood was very difficult, the financial condition of the family was not good and we were three brothers and sisters, it was difficult to survive in such a situation without much facilities.”

“I have also played in Junior National and Senior Nationals for Odisha. The Junior National was held in Bihar in 2022. In that, our team got the second position whereas, in the 36th National Games (Gujarat), Odisha were the champions.”

On the advice of her father, she left the village and headed towards Bhubaneswar, where she took admission in a private school. She saw the game there for the first time.

“When I came to Bhubaneswar for the first time, I saw this game. I liked it and got engrossed in it. Now I see my bright future in it. Ever since I started playing rugby, my family’s financial condition has gradually improved and I now want to give a better future to my siblings and represent the country in the same game,” she said.

The 18-year-old player, who was part of the Asian Rugby Under-18 Championship (Kathmandu) silver medal-winning team, said, “I feel a little scared before every match, but as soon as the first match is over, the excitement of winning automatically fills me. And seeing the enthusiasm of the team, I get the courage to compete boldly.”

As per reports, Rajesh Badi of Andharpalli in Bargarh district, who works in the finance company in Jharsuguda. He had gone to collect the repayment instalments of loan taken by the people of Tilia under Hemgiri police limits in Sundargarh.

While was returning with the cash amounting to Rs 1.2 lakh to deposit in the office, the miscreants wearing masks on their faces came on a bike and intercepted him on a deserted stretch between Tilia and Kaudhar. They beat up Rajesh and took away the money. Then they fled towards Belpahad in Jharsuguda.

Later, Rajesh managed to go to Hemgiri police station and filed a complaint. The police have registered a case and started investigation.

The Chief Minister expressed the hope that apart from fulfilling the communication needs, these new bridges will help in the socio-economic development in the district, a release from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said on Wednesday.

It may be noted here that on the instruction of the Chief Minister, 5T Secretary V K Pandian visited Bargarh district in June and reviewed various development programmes and met common people and heard their grievances.

He informed Naveen about the requests made by the people at various places. The Chief Minister then sanctioned Rs 39 crore for the construction of three large bridges in Bargarh district for the benefit of the people.

Among the three sanctioned bridges, there is a major bridge at Barpali. It will be constructed over the Zealot canal of Barpali. An expenditure of Rs 15 crore will be incurred on this 120-meter-long bridge. It will connect Bargarh and Barpali block headquarters and provide communication facility to the district headquarters. This will benefit about 2.25 lakh people.

Similarly, Rs 12 crore has been sanctioned for the construction of a 60 meter long bridge over the Aagan canal Bargarh municipal area. It will connect Parpali and Bheden block headquarters with Bargarh district headquarters. This will benefit 2.50 lakh people.

Another bridge will be built on a Sarala canal. Rs 12 crore has been sanctioned for this 150-meter-long bridge. It will connect Bhatli with Bargarh and Attabira block headquarters. This will benefit 2.50 lakh