ODISHA

Three cities – Bhubaneswar,Cuttack, Rourkela – and four towns – Balasore, Angul,TalcherandKalinganagar- have been reporting high Air Pollution.

A reply in the assembly by forest minister Pradip Amat while responding to a question of Bhandaripokhari MLA Prafulla Samal, said, “Seven cities in the state are identified as non-attainment cities. In these cities, the PM-10 and PM 2.5 are high in ambient air. In these places, clean air action plan has been devised as perNational Clean Air Programme(Ncap).”

Under Ncap, the state has received Rs 54.38 crore in the last financial year out of which Rs 20.52 crore has been sanctioned for Bhubaneswar, highest to ensure that steps are taken to reduce air pollution. While Angul is an industrial belt with major steel and sponge iron industries located there.

The Odisha Regional Office signed a Memorandum of Agreement under FIDF with the Government of Odisha.

The MoA was signed between Principal Secretary FinanceVishal Kumar Devand Chief General ManagerC Udayabhaskarin the presence of Principal Secretary AH and FRDR Raghu Prasad, Special SecretaryNK Rout, Additional Secretary, FinanceRN Das andJoint Director FisheriesSR Panda.

He said dedicated Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) would help in creation of fisheries infrastructure facilities both in marine and inland fisheries sectors and augment the fish production of the State.

Odishahas huge potential, including around 1.5 lakh MW solar power, which is six times more than the assessment of theministry of new andrenewable energy (MNRE), a survey conducted by International Forum for Environment, Sustainability ad Technology (iForest), an environment pressure group, has revealed.

We have conclusively assessed thatOdishahas huge renewable energy potential, especially solar, to become a major renewable energy state of the country. By utilising only 2% of wasteland, Odisha can install over 170 gigawatts of solar capacity, saidChandra Bhushan, chief executive officer and president of iForest.

Indias system is an example before the world, said BishowParajuli, United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) representative and country director to India, here on Wednesday.

Delivering the 18th foundation day lecture at KIIT deemed to be university, Parajuli said, India has made tremendous progress in the field of food security during the last 50 years. It has become a food surplus country from a food-dependent country. Along with food production, conducive policy, Science and Technology, efficient supply chain, market and access are among the factors that have contributed to the progress.

He said the production of food is not equal to the availability of food. Sadly, global hunger is rising. Up to 811 million people do not have enough to eat, while 270 million suffer from acute hunger despite plenty of food production, he remarked.

The Odisha Government has signed an MoU with the University of Chicago Trust, India, to set up a Data, Policy and Innovation Centre (DPIC) in the State for rigorous, evidence-based Governance while using new advances in econometrics, data science and machine Learning.

The MoU was signed between Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC) CEO Manoj Pattnaik and University of Chicago Centre Bhubaneswar Executive Director Dr Leni Chaudhari here in the presence of Electronics and IT Minister Tusharkanti Behera.

The scope of this programmatic PARTNERSHIP would involve researchers from the University of Chicago providing data analysis and evaluation assistance to the Schemes and Policies to benefit the States districts and blocks.

University of Chicago researchers would aid the Government in conducting research, monitoring, impact evaluation and project implementation in the energy and Environment, Health, Education, Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture and water and sanitation sectors.

The creation of this hub for modern data analysis is a pioneering step in using data to advance innovations and drive policy decisions.

The state Health authorities said they would take the help of panchayat members to track and trace foreign returnees in view of the new Covid variant,Omicron, being detected in the country.

The move is in the wake of many returnees not willing to undergo surveillance despite repeated calls being made to their mobile phones. The panchayat members will be involved in identifying such people because other than the anganwadi andAshaworkers, they have the advantage of knowing about the movement of people coming to the villages.

Mo Seva Kendras were opened by the government across the state to help people pay electricity, water bills and various , receive necessary certificates and avail other public Services. The development assumes significance as theOrissahigh court has been closely monitoring the online booking of HSRPs.

It is mandatory for all vehicles registered prior to April 1, 2019, to have HSRP. The STA that already extended several deadlines is likely to relax the October 31 ultimatum in view of the ongoing hearing of the PIL in the High Court. Vehicles, whose registration numbers end with 1, 2, 3 and 4, have been asked to affix the HSRP by October 31.

The government has set November 30 deadline for vehicles, whose registration numbers end with 5 and 6; December 31 for vehicles ending with 7 and 8 numbers; and January 31 for vehicles ending with 9 and 0 registration numbers.

If the has its way, HISTORY-sheeters and dreaded gangsters would be dealt with an iron hand under a special law. The government has proposed to enact Odisha Goonda and Anti-social Activities (Prevention) Act to check organisedcrime syndicates.

Adraft billhas been sent to the law department for vetting, sources in the Home department said. The development coincided with the opposition BJP and Congress persistently targeting the government over a worsening law and order situation in the state.

The draft bill proposes a minimum imprisonment of seven years for Goondas convicted under the special law. District magistrates may get power to attach properties of the accused. Officers, who are found in nexus with the gangsters, will also face stringent action under the proposed law.

As per extant provisions of Indian Stamp Act, for an agreement to sell involving delivery of possession of any immovable property or a power of attorney, authorising the person other than family members, to sell such immovable property, stamp duty of 5% is being collected on the basis of the market value of the property.

However, representations were received by the Revenue Department from various stakeholders to reduce the stamp duty on agreement to sell and power of attorney. Besides, when high stamp duty is prevalent, it encouraged a tendency to evade registration of such documents. In last seven years only 0.02% of sale agreement documents with possession of property and 0.14% of power of attorney with possession of property have been registered in Odisha.

A real estate promoter/developer requires two types of documents executed between the developer and the land owner, viz. a power of attorney giving absolute power to the developer to sell the property to the public after the development/ construction of any structural complex and development/ construction agreement with the land owner with possession of property for necessary development of land/ to construct any residential/commercial complex over the land.

The stamp duty on such documents is charged at par with sale deed i.e. 5%. Such increased financial burden is ultimately passed to the public thereby increasing the cost of the developed land and buildings. As per the amended provisions, in agreement to sell / development agreement /construction agreement involving delivery of possession and power of attorney authorizing the person other than family members to sell immovable property, stamp duty of 2% will be leviable.

When evelopment Agreement and Power of Attorney are executed between the same parties involving the same property, and 2% stamp duty is paid on Development Agreement, then only a nominal amount of Rs1,000 stamp duty will be paid on power of attorney. When power of attorney is given to family members such as father, mother, wife, husband, son, daughter, brother and sister to sell or transfer immovable property, stamp duty of Rs 1,000 is paid.

Through the present amendment, five more relations such as daughter-in-law, grandson, granddaughter, grandfather and grandmother are added within the scope of family members for execution of power of attorney for sale of any immovable property within State. For certified copy of previously registered document, stamp duty has been hiked from Rs 10 to Rs 100 to augment revenue for State.