The ongoing West Asia crisis has raised concerns over several commodities including fertilisers, triggering fears of food security. With several urea companies in India either shutting down their plants or moving up annual maintenance after Qatari supplies of liquefied natural gas, a key feedstock, were suspended, speculations are rife on India facing shortages of fertilisers, a major backbone of the country’s agricultural infrastructure. Fertilisers are among the most globally traded commodities. Since their production is heavily dependent on natural gas, phosphate rock, and potash—resources concentrated in a handful of countries, a disruption of these supply lines due to the ongoing…
Author: P Das
In a bid to promote community‑based tourism, support local entrepreneurs and create sustainable livelihood opportunities in rural and semi‑urban areas, the government of Odisha recently launched the Go Homestay Portal. The portal, a part of the state government’s efforts to promote rural development, seeks to transform local homes into guest accommodations by preserving cultural heritage, and expanding tourism beyond traditional urban centres. Homestays are intrinsic to Indian culture long before it took the shape of structured tourism. Rooted in the philosophy of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’(the guest is akin to God), Indians accommodated visitors, pilgrims and travellers in private homes, dharamshalas and community spaces, often referred to as sarais. The belief…
As the war between US, Israel and Iran entered 15th day, amid Middle East crisis, Indian assets dropped on Thursday and the rupee fell to a record low. The rupee fell 0.3% to 92.3575, eclipsing its previous lifetime low of 92.3475 hit earlier in the week. Experts have warned that the continuing slide of the Indian rupee against the US dollar will have implications that may go far beyond national macroeconomics. For the unversed, currency depreciation results in the demand for more rupees to buy one dollar. The demand affects trade, investment, prices and government finances. However, for a state…
Odisha, along with many other states across India, is likely to witness an unusually long summer and irregular rainfall this year, mostly in April and May, said IMD director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra recently. Sonepur, Titilagarh, Bolangir, and Bhawanipatna are already recording temperatures over 35°C in the first week of March 2026. As the state braces up for a long and prolonged summer this year, climatologists, while blaming the condition on climate change, have warned that it will also affect the seasonal crops. Climate change is rapidly emerging as a core economic challenge for Odisha, which till date is largely dependent…
Bhubaneswar, March 7: The Odisha government has collected revenue worth Rs 6754.96 crore from export of iron ore during the financial year 2022-23 to 2024-25. According to official data, the State has collected a total revenue of Rs 683.98 crore during the financial year 2022-23, which was increased to Rs 3596.62 crore in the financial year of 2023-24. During the last fiscal year, the State has earned a total revenue of Rs 2474.36 crore. The State dispatched 134.57 million tonnes (MTs), 167.61 MTs and 169.01 MTs of iron ore during the financial years 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25, respectively. Of these…
Odisha, which till recently, was dependent on coal-based power generation and traditional electricity infrastructure, is rewriting history in the energy sector by diversifying its resources and moving on to solar power to build a more sustainable power system. Taking full advantage of PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, the state has not only combined environmental goals with economic pragmatism but has also inspired other states to follow its policy on solar energy. The case in point is Delhi. Recently, government of Delhi announced that it is studying Odisha’s Utility-Led Aggregation (ULA) model to formulate a new solar policy in the…
In a major development, Commerce and Transport minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena recently confirmed the discovery of gold reserves in three districts of Odisha—Deogarh, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj. Replying to a question posed by an MLA in the Odisha State Assembly, the minister informed that gold deposits have been found in the Adas–Rampalli area of Deogarh district, the Gopur–Jaladihi belt of Keonjhar district, and the Madansahi–Kanjia area in Mayurbhanj district. Detailed exploration work is currently underway in these locations, he added. At a time when the yellow metal is becoming a yardstick for the country’s economic growth with prices of gold touching…
In a major boost to Odisha’s bioeconomy, Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati announced an investment of Rs 1,113 crore— a comprehensive plan to strengthen research, innovation, and entrepreneurship in biotechnology. Addressing the members of state assembly during the inaugural session of Budget on February 17, the governor outlined the policy framework of the government that aims to accelerate scientific advancement in the state. Titled ‘Development of Biotechnology’, the ambitious project spanning five years (2025-26 to 2029-30), which comprises 17 sub-schemes, will promote higher education, research, and infrastructure development in the most promising areas of biotechnology. It will also develop and strengthen…
With an eye on Viksit Odisha 2036, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who also holds the portfolio of finance minister, presented a ₹3.10 lakh crore budget for 2026-27 in the state Assembly. Interestingly, this year’s budget marks a pragmatic shift. From a largely infrastructure-led expansion that was the highlight of last fiscal year’s budget, this year’s financial statement is driven by welfare-driven growth model, focusing on household. In simple terms, the latest budget addresses directly to the daily concerns of common man— income security, healthcare access, education for daughters and job creation. In a state, which is marked by migration, agrarian…
In a bid to showcase Odisha’s vision and preparedness in Artificial Intelligence (AI), the state government of Odisha unveiled an implementation-driven plan at the Odisha Pavilion of recently concluded Global AI Impact summit that was held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Addressing the media at the Odisha pavilion, additional chief secretary, Electronics and IT, Vishal Dev said the state is focusing on execution rather than announcements. “We are institutionalising AI through clear governance, dedicated budgets and execution frameworks. Odisha is moving from being a technology adopter to a technology creator, ready to partner with industry, startups and global players to…