Hota, who was ailing for some time, breathed his last in the morning, family sources said.

A retired IRTS officer and former Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Khurda Road, he was the editor of Odia daily newspaper ‘The Samaya’.

Hota, who was the President of Odisha Sahitya Akademi from March 6, 2013 to March 5, 2016, has penned a number of timeless poems, novels, short stories and essays. He was awarded the prestigious Sahitya Bharati Samman for 2018.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and a host of other distinguished persons have expressed grief over the demise of Hota.

Describing Hota as a renowned writer, administrator and editor, the Chief Minister said that he made immense contribution to the world of Odia literature. Naveen conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family members.

Sushree Devi, who was ailing for quite some time, breathed her last at her Cuttack residence in the afternoon, family sources said.

Born on October 10, 1950, she became active in politics in the early 1970s. She was elected from Aul Assembly constituency in 1990 as a Janata Dal candidate. She represented the constituency till 1995.

Thereafter, Sushree Devi was a member of Rajya Sabha from 2002 to 2008. During her tenure as an MP, she was member of several important parliamentary committees.

A host of dignitaries, including political leaders have mourned her demise. Higher Education Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak has expressed deep grief over the passing away of Sushree Devi and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family.

Born on August 7, 1925 in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district, he was an agronomist, agricultural scientist, plant geneticist, administrator, and humanitarian who played a crucial role in developing high-yielding varieties of paddy that helped ensure India’s low-income farmers produce more yield.

Swaminathan started his career in 1949 researching on the genetics of potato, wheat, rice and jute. When India was on the verge of a mass famine leading to scarcity of food grains, Swaminathan along with Norman Borlaug and other scientists developed the high yield variety seeds of wheat.

Swaminathan, who is known as the “Father of Economic Ecology” by the United Nations Environment Programme, worked with agriculture ministers including C Subramaniam and Jagjivan Ram during 1960s and 70s for the success of the ‘Green Revolution,’ an initiative that paved the way for exponential rise in productivity of wheat and rice through adaptation of chemical-biological technology.For developing and spearheading the introduction of high-yielding wheat and rice varieties into India, he was awarded the first World Food Prize in 1987 following which he set up the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation in Chennai. Swaminathan was also awarded with Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1971 and the Albert Einstein World Science Award in 1986.

He had also been conferred with the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan. He is also the recipient of the H K Firodia award, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award and the Indira Gandhi Prize.

The Indian agriculturalist had also held administrative positions in various agricultural research laboratories. He served as the director general of Indian Council of Agricultural Research and later International Rice Research Institute. He also served as the principal secretary of the ministry of agriculture in 1979.

For developing and spearheading the introduction of high-yielding wheat and rice varieties into India, he was awarded the first World Food Prize in 1987 following which he set up the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation in Chennai. Swaminathan was also awarded with Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1971 and the Albert Einstein World Science Award in 1986.

He had also been conferred with the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan. He is also the recipient of the H K Firodia award, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award and the Indira Gandhi Prize.

The Indian agriculturalist had also held administrative positions in various agricultural research laboratories. He served as the director general of Indian Council of Agricultural Research and later International Rice Research Institute. He also served as the principal secretary of the ministry of agriculture in 1979.

In 1988, Swaminathan became the president of the International Union of the Conservation of Nature and Natural resources. In 2004, he was appointed as chair of the National Commission on Farmers.

Beyond his work in the country, Swaminathan was an spectacular figure globally, contributing to various international agricultural and environmental initiatives. He was named one of the 20 most influential Asians of the 20th century by Time magazine.

He is survived by his three daughters Soumya, Madhura, and Nitya. His wife Mina died in 2022.

According to sources, he was admitted to the hospital two days ago. He breathed his last around 10.50 pm.

He was formerly an OAS officer. He joined BJD last year and played his part in the party’s win in Padampur byelection in December 2022.

According to BJD sources, his mortal remains will be taken to Sankha Bhawan here around 7.30 am on Friday to allow people pay their tributes to the departed soul.

SPG is entrusted with the task of providing proximate security to the Prime Minister of India, former Prime Minister and their immediate family members. Since its inception in 1985, SPG is providing security to its protectees at their office and residence, during local functions and during internal as well as external tours.

According to the group’s website, in view of the prevailing security environment in the country and the threats emanating from transnational terrorism, the force has to constantly strive towards technological modernization and skill upgradation. The future is bound to demand constant changes in our organisation, in our administrative system, in our recruitment process and in our training. Protecting the SPG protectees on a 24×7 basis for years continuously makes this unique force versatile.

According to reports, the Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) scientist died of a heart attack in Chennai.

A former ISRO Director Dr P V Venkitakrishnan took to X to condole her demise and wrote, ”The voice of Valarmathi Madam will not be there for the countdowns of future missions of ISRO from Sriharikotta. Chandrayan 3 was her final countdown announcement. An unexpected demise. Feel so sad. Pranams!”

A native of Tamil Nadu’s Ariyalur, she was born on July 31, 1959 and went to the Nirmala Girls Higher Secondary School before graduating in engineering from the Government College of Technology in Coimbatore. The scientist joined ISRO in 1984 and played a pivotal role in numerous missions. She was the project director of RISAT-1, India’s first indigenously developed Radar Imaging Satellite (RIS) and the country’s second such satellite.

In 2015, she became the first person to receive the Abdul Kalam Award, instituted by the Government of Tamil Nadu in honour of the former president Abdul Kalam in 2015.

His wife Nadine Streak took to social media to confirm the news. “In the early hours of this morning, Sunday the 3rd of September 2023, the greatest love of my life and the father of my beautiful children, was carried to be with the Angels from his home where he wished to spend his last days surrounded by his family and closest loved ones,” she wrote on Facebook.

This comes a week after fake reports of Heath’s death were circulated on social media. His former teammate, Henry Olonga, who had posted the unverified news on his official X profile, later apologised for the gaffe.

Streak played 65 Tests and 189 ODIs for Zimbabwe from 1993-2005 while scoring 4933 runs and taking 455 wickets for his country across formats. He still remains the only Zimbabwe bowler with more than 100 Test and over 200 ODI wickets. In 2021, hewas banned for eight years from cricketing activities for violating the ICC’s anti-corruption policy by allegedly leaking inside-information about T20 leagues, including the Indian Premier League.