Bhubaneshwar, May 23 : A mine workers’ group ‘Birsa Sangram Samiti’ staged a demonstration today in Orissa’s Sundergarh District demanding the reopening of the closed dolomite and limestone mines that had left them jobless.

The mines set up in the year 1960 provided jobs to locals, but made them jobless after 1990.

Bhubaneswar, May 10 : Former President Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam on Saturday said the Pokhran tests strengthened the nation.

Kalam who is on a two-day visit to Orissa said on the eve of tenth anniversary of Pokhran-II. . "It was a very important decision on the part of the Indian government to go for test explosion of nuclear devices on May 11, 1998," said Kalam.

At the time of the test explosions, Kalam was the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) chief and scientific advisor to the Prime Minister.

Bhubaneshwar, May 10 : Former President Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam has favoured the Indo-US civil nuclear deal to boost country's nuclear energy programme. He rejected suggestions that the deal would undermine country's sovereignty.

Speaking at the convocation ceremony of Revenshaw University in Bhubaneshwar, Dr. Kalam said, "India required more uranium to carry forward its peaceful nuclear activities. A growing nation needed clean fuel to meet its energy demands."

He also said the country had plenty of thorium but very small reserve of uranium.

Badrama Ghati/Bhubaneswar, May 3: A mother elephant with its calf, electrocuted by a low da

Bhubaneswar, Apr 29 : Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Tuesday that the State Government would take the help of paramilitary forces like the CRPF to prevent children from joining Maoists in Orissa.

The decision came after reports surfaced that the Maoists were targeting poor children, especially school dropouts to expand their base in the southern districts of Malkangiri and Gajpati.

"We will initiate action through the paramilitary forces and the local police to stop children from joining the Maoists,” Patnaik said.

Bhubaneshwar, Apr 22: At least 22 people have died due to the intense heat wave in Orissa.

The State Government has decided to pay an ex-gratia of Rs 10,000 each from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund to the next of the kin of those who have died.

Schools have been closed from Tuesday because of the heat wave.

The maximum temperature rose above 42 degree Celsius mark in most parts of the state.