78.95% pass matric, 387 secure A1 grade

Total 5,44,240 students had appeared in the examination in regular category from 8,439 schools. Of them, 4,28,347 students passed. As many as 387 students, who scored more than 90% were awarded A1 grade. While 7,046 students secured A2 grade (81 to 90%), 28,417 got B1 grade (71 to 80%) and 1,15,817 were awarded F grade (0 to 20%). Students getting F grade are treated as failed, and will have to appear for supplementary examinations to be held on May 30. The results of supplementary examinations are expected by the first week of July.
In the ex-regular category, the pass percentage was equally encouraging. Out of the 48,338 students appearing, 50.09% passed the examination. In SC and ST category, the pass percentage are 71.72% and 76.43% respectively. The number of schools with nil result this time came down to 25 from 51 last year. As many as 434 schools scored 100% success against last year's figure of 289. The BSE had also conducted Madhyama examination in Sanskrit for 5,698 students, of whom 3,093 students passed.
"The reforms have yielded desired results. The performance of students has improved a lot," said Usha Padhee, secretary of school and mass education department. "The gradation system and OMR sheet were appreciated by students and teachers across the state," said BSE president D P NandaCUTTACK: The results of annual high school certificate examination, which were announced on Tuesday, showed the highest ever pass percentage of 78.95. The Board of Secondary Education, which conducts the test, attributed the success of students to reforms in the examination system.

School maintains 100% record

BERHAMPUR: The Saraswati Sishu Vidyamandir, Nilakanthanagar, has achieved a 100% pass for the 21st year in a row, with all its 231 students clearing the board examination.

While 31 students of the school grabbed A-1 (over 90% marks), 138 students got A-2 (80-89% marks), 45 students achieved B-1 (70-79% marks), 11 B-2 (60-69%). Each one student got grade C and D in the school.

S Mohan Rao, the principal of the school said the number of the A-I grade students was likely to increase when the board authorities re-check the Sanskrit answer scripts, as most of the students secured less marks in the paper. "We hope the board authorities will look into the matter," he stated.

The school was established in 1979. The first batch appeared in HSC examination in 1993. Since then, the school has been achieving 100% results, the principal said. "Some of our students might have figured in the top-100 lists in the state this year, as they have secured over 90% marks, said a teacher in the school. The Board of Secondary Education (BSE), however, did not publish the rank-holders' list this year.

Similarly, another school in town, Saraswati Sishu Vidyamandir, Ramahari Nagar, has also achieved cent percent results for the 12th year in a row. Four of the 159 students secured A-1 grade.

Principal of the school S Bisoi said some students missed out on the A-1 grade because they secured less-than-expected marks in the Sanskrit paper.

Matric results out today, no booklet this year

CUTTACK: The Board of Secondary Education will announce the results of annual high school certificate examinations at 8 am on Wednesday.

BSE president D P Nanda said results would be available only on internet and through SMSes as the board has decided not to publish result booklets this year. Students can access their results online after 10 am by logging onto websites: www.manabadi.com, www.examresults.com and www.bharatstudents.com. Students can also know their results by sending SMS ORI10 (space)roll number to 52070 and 58888, OR10(space)roll no to 5676850 and OBSE(space)roll number to 54242.

"We have done away with the practice of publishing the result booklets as it is a complete waste of money and time. Last year, we had spent over Rs 8 lakhs on publication of 4,000 result booklets, which were of no use after the result day. This time, we have increased the number of websites and students will face no problem in getting their results online and through SMS," Nanda added.

Board used to publish over 4,000 booklets every year which were supplied to all districts and sold at centres across the state. Notably, the board had carried out many reforms in the matriculation exam this year.

Board officials cited that students will be provided laminated mark sheets this time which will be equipped with eight security characters. The officials claimed that the initiative will help to put a check on duplication of matriculation mark sheet."We will start distribution of marksheets from May 10 and have plans to complete the work within a week, "added the board's president. 

Business Time for Mat Weavers

With the rising mercury, the demand for khus khus mats has increased manifold. Khus khus mat is made of roots of Bena plant and has the capacity to retain water for a long time. Mats and screens made of khus khus are sprinkled with water to keep rooms cool in summer.

Arund 200 Dalit families of the district have been making khus khus products to eke out a living since long. Members of the families are now busy collecting roots of Bena plants, which are available in riverside areas of Mahakalapada, Rajnagar, Pattamundai and Rajkanika, to make khus khus mats.

“After uprooting Bena plants, we dry the roots and make mats from them,” said Sarbeswar Jena of Patarpur village. Jena is into making of khus khus products for many years.

During the British rule, the demand of the khus khus mats was quite high. Due to non-availability of electricity, the Britishers, landlords and the rich used khus khus mats in summer. But after the advent of air-conditioners, the demand for khus khus took a nosedive, said Balabhadra Jena (78), another mat weaver of Pattamundei. “We make mats during summer only. But those sell at dismally low prices,” he added.

Khus khus mats have a loyal client base who prefer those to air-conditioners as the former is eco-friendly and less expensive.

However, shortage of hands has hit the business hard. “Making mats from khus khus is a seasonal business for which youths of our families are not willing to continue their forefathers’ job. This is the reason why we are not getting young people for weaving khus khus mats,” said Manoj Jena, a weaver. “This summer, we got orders from some banks and offices in Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts,” he added.

Centre push to health & horticulture 500-bed, 100-seat facility on outskirts

Bhubaneswar, March 2: Union labour minister Oscar Fernandes laid the foundation stone for a 500-bed medical college-cum-hospital at Jagannath Prasad on the city outskirts here today.

The project will be set up by the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) at an estimated cost of Rs 701 crore.

The medical college and hospital is expected to be ready within three years. In the first phase, the facility will have 200 beds, which will subsequently be increased to 500. The state government has provided 25 acres free of cost for the establishment of the healthcare institution.

The proposed medical college is expected to ensure better healthcare for industrial workers. It will have a state-of-the-art library, teaching blocks with modern operation theatres, hospital and residential areas.

With industrialisation picking up across the state, the new medical college and hospital will be used as the referral hospital for all the 13.20 lakh insured persons under the various health insurance schemes of ESIC.

The Union labour minister said the medical college would be a milestone in healthcare delivery mechanism for the industrial workers as three more hospitals would come up in Angul, Jharsuguda and Balasore. The proposal for the medical college and hospital was approved by the labour ministry in 2009. However, a dispute over its location delayed the project. It was finally decided to be established in Bhubaneswar.

Rajya Sabha member and ESIC governing body member Ramachandra Khuntia suggested that till the new campus of the proposed healthcare facility became ready, the existing ESIC Hospital at Jayadev Vihar could be used as the site for the medical college.

State labour minister Bijayshree Routray said: “We will try to shortly start the medical college at the existing facility. But, the Centre should provide funds to upgrade it before admitting MBBS students.”

Union minister of state for chemicals and fertilisers Srikant Kumar Jena thanked Fernandes for its decision to set up the ESIC medical college and hospital in the state. He said the Jan Aushadhi scheme to supply generic medicine at lower-than-market rates could only be successful with the support from the state governments and the Centre.

ESIC director-general A.K. Agarwal said the Bhubaneswar hospital would be a “centre of excellence” in the country’s healthcare map.

Banks seek insurance broking relief

 Commercial banks have sought the easing of at least three conditions from the government before they embrace the new insurance broking model.

Lenders now follow the corporate agency model that allows them to collaborate with one life, one non-life and one standalone health insurer to sell their products. When a bank becomes the corporate agent of an insurance company, it is known as a bancassurance partnership.

Several banks in the country have such joint venture agreements with insurance companies where they hold the majority stake.

In December, however, the finance ministry issued a circular directing banks to turn into insurance brokers. An insurance broker can market the product of more than one insurance company. Banks fear that their insurance subsidiaries could lose business if they convert into brokers.

“Giving up the current agency structure and model is likely to raise legal issues, besides leading to the loss of credibility of domestic partners in attracting further investments from their bancassurance partner,” says a senior official of a bank, which has a life insurance tie-up with an overseas partner.

Lenders have asked the authorities to do away with the rule that broking staff involved in sourcing insurance business will not be permitted to conduct any banking transactions.

“Apart from adding to our costs, deploying exclusive resources for insurance business at each branch will not be practical. Thus, many of our branches will not be able to offer insurance to their customers, thereby impacting penetration adversely, which is directly in contravention to the government’s intention,” R.K. Dubey, chairman and managing director of Canara Bank, told.

Banks also want the government to relax the norm that stipulates an insurance broker will not earn more than 25 per cent of its business in a fiscal from the company it has promoted.Besides, banks want the government to ease the earning cap from broking. The insurance regulator has suggested that the maximum commission a bank can earn as a broker should be 30 per cent. This is lower than the 35 per cent ceiling in bancassurance.

Punishments to 3,500 students, caught cheating during the +2 examination

BHUBANESWAR:

 The Council of Higher Secondary Education  CHSE is planning to award different types of punishments to 3,500 students, who were caught using unfair means during the +2 examination.

Last year, 2000 students were found copying. All of them had got the same penalty of cancellation of their respective papers.

CHSE chairman Basudeb Chhatoi said a committee has been constituted to review the malpractice cases individually. "If there is no conclusive evidence against an examinee, he or she will be let off. However, depending on gravity of the crime, the punishments may go up," Chhatoi said.

Chhatoi said the committee will decide whether to debar a student for a particular period of time from appearing for the examination, scrap the particular paper or any other punishment on case to case basis.

Official sources said CHSE, which has already completed evaluation of +2 answer sheets, is busy in tabulation of marks. "Hopefully, the tabulation work will be over by another couple of days," Chhatoi said.

Chhatoi said the council is most likely to publish results of all the streams, science, commerce, arts and vocational, by the first week of June. "We are completing works of science stream on priority. If we fail to complete the process for other streams, results of science will be published first," he said.


The state government has been insisting on publication of results of science at the earliest as the same would be required to draw merit lists of JEE  main. +2 marks are being given 40% weightage in JEE (main), whose ranks will be the basis of admission in many central-funded technical institutions such as NITs, besides engineering colleges in Odisha

Capital Boys High School to be First Tod Jod Fod Centre

Capital Boys High School is set to be anointed as the first Tod Jod Fod (TJF) centre of the State under the initiative promoted by Odisha State Innovation Council to foster innovative mindset in the young.

Taking cue from a similar programme launched by the National Innovation Council (NInC) last year, the State Council decided to implement it in Capital High School providing fun-filled sessions of experimenting and hands-on learning.

The TJF initiative aims at providing an environment where students can deconstruct, reconstruct and re-purpose everyday objects they see or use and link those with the concepts and principles that they learn in the classroom. The exercise of breaking or dismantling objects, machines and apparatus will not only be great fun for the young ones but also enable them to observe and understand the scientific principles behind the common products they use.

By doing so, they will gradually be inclined towards innovating things on their own. They can be drawn towards tweaking the things they dismantle to create new products or even use the items from the broken objects to churn a whole new thing. The sessions will also help them expand horizons to larger concepts and applications enabling them to solve real world problems.

The NInC has been conducting sessions in select schools and colleges in different States. Following the step, the State Innovation Council has decided to pilot it at Capital Boys High School. The theme of the TJF would be “how stuffs work”.

The Planning and Coordination department will be organising an orientation workshop for attuning headmasters and teachers of schools to the niche initiative. While the headmaster of Capital High School will attend the workshop, the School and Mass Education department is keen on pushing other schools like Government Boys High School, Unit-I for the TJF.

Driving school to come up in city

BHUBANESWAR: The state government has decided to set up a driving training institute to teach youths aspiring to drive heavy vehicles free of cost. A 12-acre land has been identified near Khandagiri for it.

"We will run the proposed training institute in public-private-partnership mode. A leading automobile company will operate the institute and train the drivers," regional transport officer (Bhubaneswar) Lalmohan Sethi told TOI.

At present, the state's lone heavy vehicle driving institute is located at Chhatia, which was inaugurated in 2012. To attract more learners to the proposed institute, the state transport department plans to provide free accommodation and stipend to them. The authorities will train the youths for 30 to 45 days.

"We want to attract more helpers of heavy vehicles' because they learn driving without guidance. We often came across accidents caused by rookie helper-cum-drivers," Sethi said.

The NH-5, passing through the city has turned into death trap as bulk of the accidents here was caused by heavy vehicles. More than 2,000 trucks pass through the NH everyday. While 599 and 625 accidents took place in 2011 and 2012 respectively, at least 675 mishaps were reported in 2013. As many as 200 persons died here last year as against 184 in 2012.

Absence of dedicated driving learning tracks for light vehicles here is another cause for concern. At present, private driving training institutes are imparting the skills to people on busy roads, causing mishaps on a regular basis.

School summer break from May 1

BHUBANESWAR:

 With no sign of any relief from the grueling heat, the state government on Saturday decided that summer vacation would begin in schools, both state-run and private, from May 1 and in colleges from May 9.

"Examinations in schools are over and they should go for summer vacation from May 1. Those who want to keep their institutions open beyond the said date have to take permission from the government," said chief secretary Jugal Kishore Mohapatra following a meeting on various measures adopted by the state government to prevent sunstroke cases.

He said the school and mass education department has been asked to ensure that children do not stay in schools after 11 am. The government has instructed anganwadi centres not to expose children to the sun.

Official sources said summer vacation in colleges will continue till June 17.

The government decision came amid serious concern in different quarters about possible heatstroke cases due to the scorching sun.

On Saturday, at least 17 places in the state recorded above 40 degree Celsius.

Of them, the mercury level at nine places hovered above 42 degree Celsius. Hirakud recorded the day's highest temperature of 43.8 deg Celsius, followed by Titlagarh and Bhawanipatna at 43.5 degree Celsius each. The state capital recorded 40.8 degree Celsius.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast that heatwave condition would continue at least till next week and may continue even after that.

Mohapatra said instructions have been issued to all district collectors and administrative departments to take steps to meet the heatwave and water scarcity situation. He also appealed to people to avoid moving outside during peak heat hours.

The state government has decided that heatstroke patients will also be treated in central government-run Employees State Insurance (ESI) hospitals and those being managed by it.

It directed chief district medical officers and other medical officers to undertake prompt inquiry into alleged sunstroke death cases. Ten alleged sunstroke death cases have been reported in the state. One case in Cuttack was confirmed after inquiry.

Official sources said restrictions were imposed on movement of public transport between 11 am and 3 pm. All bus owners and associations have been asked to ensure potable drinking water and first aid boxes in each vehicle and avoid overcrowding. The labour department was advised to restrict the working hours of labourers.

At the meeting, energy secretary P K Jena said uninterrupted power supply would be provided to pump houses, including those, which have defaulted in payment of bills, during summer.

The government also asked health and rural development departments to keep hired generator sets in pump houses to meet any power tripping.

A report from Sambalpur said normal life was affected as the temperature touched 43.4 deg Celsius on Saturday, the hottest day in the town this season.

Market places and commercial establishments remained closed during the day as people stayed indoors.

Last year, Sambalpur recorded the highest temperature of 47.4 deg Celsius on May 24. The all-time high of the town was 47.5 degree Celsius on June, 2, 1998.

Medical colleges to get constructed in Puri, Gajapati and Rayagada

BHUBANESWAR: 

The state government on Monday decided to construct medical college and hospitals in Gajapati and Rayagada districts in public-private partnership (PPP) to provide super- specialty healthcare facilities in tribal-dominated areas.

While the proposed hospitals will have 500 beds each, the medical colleges will have intake capacity of 100.

Health secretary Pradipta Mohapatra said each medical college and hospital will cost Rs 326 crore. He also said the Puri district headquarters hospital will be upgraded into a medical college and hospital. "If everything goes as planned, we will float tenders in June and start construction in October. We plan to make the proposed medical college operational in 2016," Mohapatra told the media.

The proposed medical college will have a student intake capacity of 100 while around Rs 200 crore will be spent for uplift of the hospital into a full-fledged medical college. Official sources said the project will be funded under the centrally-sponsored Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Surakhsa Yojana. The Centre and the state government would share 75% and 25% of the cost respectively.

Cyclone Phailin has started crossing Odisha coast near Gopalpur.

Cyclone Phailin has started crossing Odisha coast near Gopalpur. Windspeeds have touched about 200 kmph, IMD sources say. Meanwhile, heavy to very heavy rainfall is reported in Odisha and north coastal Andhra Pradesh.

Government on Saturday directed Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal to be prepared to handle the anticipated damage to the national highways from cyclone Phailin.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has put the NHAI officials in these states on alert. Regional Officers and Project Directors of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in Odisha, AP, and West Bengal should to be in full readiness to counter the damage to the national highways, an official statement said.

Of the total 3.61 lakh people evacuated in the last 24 hours, 1.2 lakh were from Ganjam district alone, Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister S.N. Patro said.

Besides Ganjam, 80,000 people in Puri district, 16,380 in Khurda district, 56,998 in Jagatsingh district, 16,000 in Kendrapara district, 14,205 in Bhadrak district, 1950 in Balasore district, 46,409 in Cuttack district, 1,235 in Nayagarh district and 8,000 in Gajapati district were moved to safety, Mr. Patro said.

Of the total 3.61 lakh people evacuated in the last 24 hours, 1.2 lakh were from Ganjam district alone, Revenue and Disaster Management minister S.N. Patro said.

Besides Ganjam, 80,000 people in Puri district, 16,380 in Khurda district, 56,998 in Jagatsingh district, 16,000 in Kendrapara district, 14,205 in Bhadrak district, 1950 in Balasore district, 46,409 in Cuttack district, 1,235 in Nayagarh district and 8,000 in Gajapati district were moved to safety, Mr. Patro said

At least five people were killed as heavy rains and strong winds swept coastal Odisha ahead of cyclone Phailin’s landfall. Of the five dead, two died in Ganjam district, where the cyclone was likely to hit land. Two died in Jagatsinghpur district and one in Bhubaneswar.

Four of the deaths occurred as trees uprooted in strong winds fell on the people. An 80-year-old woman died after her mud house collapsed while she was asleep.

Wind speeds in several parts of Odisha were over 100 km per hour. More than a dozen seaside villages have been inundated.

Govt. ready with choppers, aircraft, ships for cyclone rescue

Eighteen helicopters, 12 aircraft and two war ships have been kept ready by the government for rescue and relief operations in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh which are facing the brunt of cyclone Phailin.

Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said the Indian Air Force choppers and aircraft and the two navy ships are placed in close proximity of the eastern coastline and would be deployed for rescue and relief operations.

“The cyclone has left Andaman Nicobar Islands and will hit Odisha any time now. Three districts of Andhra Pradesh and 8 districts in Odisha are likely to be affected,” he told reporters in New Delhi.

Mr. Shinde said 5.5 lakh people in Odisha and 1 lakh people in Andhra Pradesh were evacuated in safer places, mostly in 500 cyclone shelters.

“Some people have showed resistance . Forces have been alerting them. Police have been trying to evacuate them,” he said.

Cyclone Phailin is closing in on Odisha and is just 30 km away from Gopalpur in Ganjam district tonight, chief of Cyclone Warning Centre Mritunjay Mahapatra said.

Mr. Mahapatra told  in Bhubaneswar that the cyclone will strike with a windspeed of 180 kmph to 190 kmph.

Earlier it was predicted that it will hit the Odisha coast between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. with a speed of 210 kmph to 220 kmph gusting to 230 kmph.

The IMD forecast waves with a height of 3.0 metre to 3.5 metre in Ganjam, Puri, Khurda and Jagatsinghpur districts.

The Great Danger Signal 10 has been hoisted at Gopalpur and Puri and Great Danger Signal 9 at Paradip and Chandbali ports.

7.54 p.m. Cyclone Phailin static, gains strength; 30 km from Gopalpur

7.41 p.m. Windspeeds in Gopalpur is about 180-190 kmph.

7.40 p.m. Impact on coastline between Paradip in Odisha and Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh

7:35 p.m. Wind speeds likely to be more than 230 kmph, says IMD. No power supply in coastal areas of Odisha. Power utilities in Andhra Pradesh under the Eastern Power Distribution Company Ltd have geared up to meet any emergency arising out of cyclone ‘Phailin’ hitting the coastal districts of Srikakulam, West Godavari, East Godavari, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam.

7.32 p.m. The West Bengal government deployed disaster management and civil defence personnel in the coastal areas with Cyclone Phailin poised to strike neighbouring Odisha this evening.

Manmohan Singh briefed by Cabinet Secretary on arrangements put in place to deal with Cyclone Phailin: PMO.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh directed that all possible assistance be extended to the states which are on alert for cyclone ‘Phailin’ after reviewing the situation soon after his return from an overseas tour.

The Prime Minister’s Office said Singh was briefed by the Cabinet Secretary immediately upon his return from Indonesia.

He was apprised about the arrangements which have been put in place to deal with the crisis.

“PM was briefed by the Cabinet Secretary on the arrangements that have been put in place to deal with the impact of the cyclone,” the PMO said in a tweet.

The cyclone is set to hit the eastern coastline in the evening with lakhs of people having been evacuated by authorities.

Dr. Singh had gone to take part in the 11th ASEAN-India summit in Brunei from where he travelled to Indonesia.

Intermittent rains and up to 150 kmph winds hit Srikakulam.

Cyclone Phailin, which is likely to hit the eastern coast anytime now, was just 70 km off Gopaplpur and has intensified its speed, Meteorological department said.

The storm, which is likely to make a landfall anytime between 6 to 8 p.m., has intensified its speed to 20 kmph — it was moving at the speed of 15 kmph until few hours back.

“The cyclone makes landfall on Saturday evening and the intensity will continue until Sunday morning, but will slowly mellow down by Sunday evening and Monday morning,” said L.S. Rathore, Director-General Meterology told reporters on Saturday.

“With the tides rising up to 3 to 3.5 meters, sea water could enter in land up to 300-600 meters. The Ganjam area will be maximum hit due to this,” he added.

There's A Dark Side To India's New Prime Minister That Should Worry Everyone

Gujarat's chief minister Narendra Modi speaks during the "Vibrant Gujarat Summit" at Gandhinagar in the western Indian state of Gujarat January 12, 2013. Fresh off his re-election as chief minister of Gujarat and amid expectations he could contend to be the next prime minister, Modi avoided talk of a bigger political future during a state investment event.

Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies have won India's general election by the biggest margin in 30 years.

Modi will be sworn in as the new prime minister of India on May 21.

Indian stocks surged to a record in India, with the BSE having risen as much as 6.15%, and the rupee also strengthened against the U.S. dollar. Modi has largely positioned himself as a champion of economic progress as India's economic growth has languished to 10-year lows. And one can't argue with the fact that Modi is a much more charismatic leader than Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

While there's much optimism around what a Modi win could mean for the Indian economy, there's a lot to worry about as well.

Modi is a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) a Hindu nationalist party and has done a good job avoiding questions about his role in the deadly Gujarat Hindu-Muslim riots of 2002 that left over 1,000 dead. Modi was chief minister of the state at the time.  The riots began after a train with Hindu pilgrims was set on fire in Godhra, killing 59 people. Hindu mobs then turned on Muslims in Gujarat.

In the aftermath, Modi has addressed the issue saying: "I feel sad about what happened but no guilt. And no court has come even close to establishing it."

Modi only fanned the flames with his New York Times interview in 2002, in which he said his only regret was that he didn't manage the media better. Following this, the U.S. imposed a visa ban on Modi and Britain announced a 10-year boycott.

The Supreme Court of India however has given him a "clean chit" — exonerating him of wrongdoing.

Modi has also called for a crackdown on illegal immigrants in India. He has accused West Bengal of being soft on illegal immigration and accused it of sheltering them in order to secure votes from minorities. Sujoy Dihar at LiveMint points out that Modi has said illegal immigrants should have their "bags packed" in case he comes to power. Modi's rhetoric, and it has been argued that of the BJP, has shown an anti-Muslim bias.  

In a note published earlier this year, Nomura's Alastair Newton points out that during a Feb. 23 rally in Assam, Modi called for Hindu migrants from Bangladesh to be assimilated back into India. He said non-Hindus should be sent back to their home nations. Modi's rhetoric has raised concerns about what this could mean for neighborhood politics.

Indian publication Live Mint pointed to Modi's decision to contest the seat in the holy city of Varanasi as a sign that he hasn't abandoned his Hindu supremacist ideology: 

"It is widely expected that Modi’s nomination from Varanasi will positively affect the outcome for the BJP in a number of other seats in Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar which are electorally important as together the two states send 120 lawmakers to the Lok Sabha. Further, the choice of Varanasi is also symbolic in nature which indicates that the party may not have completely abandoned the Hindutva ideology."

Sachin Tendulkar’s world records

Sachin Tendulkar

We will take a look at all the world records currently held by Indian maestroSachin Tendulkar.

He may or may not be the greatest batsman to grace the game of cricket, but he certainly is the best batsman we have seen over the last twenty years of International cricket. Having played the game for 24 long years, he has made some records his own across both the ODI and Test formats.

Sachin Tendulkar’s records in Test cricket

• Most number of runs in the format, the only player to have crossed the 15,000 mark, Sachin ended up with exactly 15921 runs.
• Most number of Test hundreds (51). Jacques Kallis was the only player who was looked at upon as a possible contender to break this record, but with his retirement, one can safely say that this record will stand for many years to come.
• Many players consider themselves to be blessed when they represent their nation for 100 Tests, but Sachin with his last Test did the unthinkable by completing 200 Test matches.
• He holds the record for the most number of century partnerships and most number of runs by a pair, both with his good old friend Rahul Dravid.
• Sachin has hit the most number of fours in the format which stands at a staggering 2058.
• He also holds the record for making the most number of runs at a particular batting position (number 4).
• Most number of 50+ scores in the format: 119.
• He jointly holds the record for the most number of scores in the nineties (10) alongside Rahul Dravid and Steve Waugh.
• Sachin was also the fastest to reach 12000, 13000, 14000 and 15000 Test runs.

Sachin Tendulkar’s records in ODI cricket

• With 18426 runs to his name, he is the top run getter. The next best is 13704, which shows you the kind of dominance he had in this format.
• He has 49 ODI hundreds, the last one being his 100th in International Cricket. The most amazing feature about this record was he scored his first in only his 79th one day game.
• The most number of half centuries: 96.
• Just like in Test cricket, he has also played the most number of matches in the 50 over version of the game (463).
• He holds the record for the highest partnership when he combined with Dravid to put on 331 runs for the second wicket against New Zealand.
• He made the most number of runs in a calendar year in 1998, a record that is yet to be broken.
• The most number of hundreds scored against a particular team. He always cherished scoring against the Aussies and ended up scoring nine hundreds against them.
• Many wonder how many hundreds he would have ended up with had he converted his 90s. He was dismissed 18 times in the nineties which in itself is a world record.
• Sachin dominated almost every single World Cup he played, and has currently made the most runs (2278) in the tournament’s history.
• No other player has won the man of the match (62) and the man of the series (15) awards as many times as Sachin did in his career.

They say records are meant to be broken, but when you take a look at some of the above mentioned records, one does get a feeling that those will remain forever. Some people predict Alistair Cook (in Tests) and Virat Kohli (in ODIs) to get near those records by the time they finish their respective careers. But how consistent can they be in the future is the question, or else these records might very well stand tall like Don Bradman’s magical Test average.

Live election results: Powered by Narendra Modi wave, BJP scripts history with sweep across country; Congress-led UPA decimated

The BJP-led NDA appears to be heading for a victory in the Lok Sabha elections with the trends in the counting of votes giving the saffron party leads in 282 seats on its own while its allies led in 39 seats.

The ruling Congress was struggling with leads only in 47 seats as per the trends. Among its allies, NCP was ahead in five, Kerala Congress and RSP one each.

BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has won from Vadodara and Varanasi. Reacting to this historic result, Modi said that India has won.

In Amethi, Rahul Gandhi was leading with 1666 votes and Congress President Sonia Gandhi was leading by over 56000 votes in Rae Bareli.

BJP has registered a remarkable comeback in Uttar Pradesh and it is leading in 54 seats. BSP was trailing massively and has registered leads in only three seats.

LK Advani won his seat in Gujarat and the BJP is looking to win all the 26 seats.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor is trailing from Thiruvananthapuram and BJP’s VK Singh is leading from Ghaziabad.

Race to achieve 100GW solar target

When the UPA II government launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) in early 2010, the target of 22GW by 2021-22 was considered unrealistic by most solar experts. Solar energy was considered too expensive for large-scale deployment. However, the last few years have seen a dramatic decline in solar power costs, from Rs. 20 per unit to nearly Rs. 5.5 per unit. This has made the government perceive solar energy as an economically rationale choice. It has raised the solar targets to 100GW out of the proposed 175GW of renewable energy. If these targets are met, India will join the ranks of the world’s solar powerhouses in terms of installed capacity.

he solar targets have been divided into grid-connected solar parks and large plants, Rooftop PV (RTPV) systems, 5-10MW ground-mounted projects and off-grid installations. Is this a good move? The increased solar targets have positive economic implications for India. They envisage an investment of around $100 billion in the sector over the next seven years. This opens up the space for foreign investment (especially from China, Japan, Germany and the US) and encourages indigenous manufacturing of solar components.

With 100GW of capacity installed, around nine per cent of India’s electricity requirement will be met by solar alone (currently 0.5 per cent). India would then surpass Germany, where solar energy currently accounts for six per cent of the total power. This highlights India’s seriousness in reducing its carbon emissions by increasing the share of renewables in its energy mix. Showcasing this kind of commitment to climate mitigation will give India a strong position at the upcoming 21st Conference of the Parties (COP 21) in Paris.

The broader benefit of solar energy is its contribution to increasing energy security by reducing reliance on fossil fuel imports. Additionally, off-grid plants under the new solar scheme can help India achieve its goal of universal electrification. This will be a big advantage as currently 300million Indians still lack access to basic electricity services. However, increasing India’s solar capacity from 3.3GW to 100GW in seven years will be a challenge. Such tremendous growth can only be accomplished with a strong policy framework.

Currently, large solar PV plants make up more than 90 per cent of the installed capacity in India. This is because established developers get easy access to finance, security of payment and simple operation and maintenance (O&M). Despite these incentives, certain technical and economic barriers still need to be addressed. Owing to the intermittent nature of solar energy, large-scale deployment will require the development of grid management and load balancing mechanisms in co-ordination with State Load Dispatch Centres and R&D institutions. Green bonds and public financing need to be promoted to reduce the cost of debt and increase loan tenures. India’s good global credit rating will allow the government to leverage low-cost finance (with lower hedging rates) from developed countries to commission large solar projects. To ensure that state utilities have an incentive to deploy solar energy, Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs) need to be stringently enforced.

RTPV is a decentralised technology, which is being encouraged due to its low land footprint and ability to reduce transmission and distribution (T&D) losses. Weak local distribution infrastructure, lack of economies of scale and poor social outlook have prevented RTPV systems from penetrating the Indian market. These challenges need to be suitably tackled.

To counter variability and fluctuations, utilities need to strengthen their distribution transformers. Relevant stakeholder interactions should be held in every state to assess the financial health of utilities, project annual capacity addition targets and establish guidelines for utilities to upgrade their existing infrastructure. This will lead to the formulation of appropriate net-metering and Feed in Tariff (FiT) rates.

Major restructuring is required in the off-grid sector. These projects should be linked with value added services such as rural industries, cold storage units and pumping irrigation water. Streamlining the subsidy disbursal mechanism via one ministry and providing incentives such as tax holidays and minimum return guarantees can encourage private investment.

To ensure long-term sustainability, rural entrepreneurs and public-private partnerships can be encouraged. Local communities should be trained in system O&M. If these challenges are addressed in a structured and phased manner, then India’s ambitious solar target of 100 GW for 2021-22 is achievable and certainly desirable.

Airport sought in Silk City

The Centre should sanction a full-fledged airport in the city, which is the centre of education, culture and business in southern Orissa, Aska MP Ladu Kishore Swain has demanded. The BJD MP has written a letter to the Union civil aviation minister Gajapati Raju in this connection. He has also sent a copy of the letter to the state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.Justifying his demand, Swain said there are several institutions providing higher education under aegis of Berhampur University. That apart, Gopalpur port, military cantonment and an institute like Indian Rare Earths Ltd are situated around the city. An industrial park and a special economic zone of Tata are also being set up in the city. Due to the presence of these premier institutions and offices, academicians, researchers and engineers visit the city frequently, he said in the letter. Critical patients from several areas of the state travel to cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Vishakhapatnam through the city for treatment. That apart, National Highway Nos – 5 and 59 passes through the city, he addeed. In the recent rail budget, funds have been sanctioned for a rail wagon factory in Shitalapalli. Keeping in view all of these, the absence of an airport poses problem towards infrastructure development in the city. A small airstrip at Rangeilunda failed to cater to the needs, the MP said. In his letter, Swain further added that the Berhampur Development Authority in its comprehensive development plan (CDP) has identified a piece of land at Laxmipur for setting up a new airport. He urged the Centre to take immediate steps to start the construction work of the airport. Swain also wrote a letter to railway minister Suresh Prabhu to start construction of the Gopalpur-Rayagada railway track as survey has been completed for the purpose. He also sent a copy of the letter to the Chief Minister. - See more at: http://www.orissapost.com/airport-sought-in-silk-city/#sthash.mKRxSkge.dpuf

Jisun Gametin Laa Video

Google ODIA Translator

Under the Guidance of
Mr. Sashi Bhusan Maharana
              (Asst.Prof  in CSE) 

GROUP 4:
MR. DEEPTIMAN PATTNAIK
MS. SAI SMITA PANI
MS. GEETANJALI KILLARI
MR. JAGANNATH PADHY 


Introduction 

“Google Odia” is a project to make available Odia language in
Google’s all services. Google is providing more than 10 to 15
services to the client. Google search engine is currently
available in more than 64 languages.


GOOGLE MISSING “ODIA”


“Google India” (Google.co.in) is providing 9 regional languages to
the Indian user to use Google products in following 9 Indian
languages.

Indian languages offered by “Google India”-: 
1. Hindi 
2. Bengali 
3. Telugu 
4. Marathi 
5. Tamil 
6. Gujarati 
7. Kannada 
8. Malayalam 
9. Punjabi 
In above mentioned languages Google India is missing “Odia” language.
So common people of Odisha face problem to use the products provided
by Google. We plan to set up a framework or interface where we can use
few of our software application in Odia language.


OdiaApplications

In this major section of the project we have two application in 
different environment. 





1. Webpage word translator ( Desktop )
     2. Android English to Odia dictionary ( Android Mobile device)
Problem Statements

This project is mainly related to the textual translation. We need
to translate a certain English sentence or paragraph into Odia
language. So we came across few problems while developing our
project work.
GRAMMAR STRUCTURE


The grammar structure of various languages is different. The
translation structure for each language is unique. There is no
certain rule to do translation. We can’t write a fix computer
program to do translation of all kind of grammatical sentences.

English structure-: I        am         going to            Puri  tomorrow 
                                            Subject Be_Verb    Verb+ to Infinitive     Noun     Time 
Oriya structure-:       ମୁଁ       କାଲି      ପରୁଁ ୀ ଯାଉଛି
         Subject Time               Noun                 Verb


In the above two structure the rules of the translation is different. The
pattern differs from sentence to sentence. We need few Odia linguist
to guide us about the basic rule of the English to Odia translation.





UNICODE CHARACTER PROBLEM 
We have faced Unicode character problem in the Android device.
We faced problem to display Odia character in the Android device
properly. We got different result in different Android device




ODIA UNICODE IN ANDROID 
We have develop an Android application called font.apk, which is used 
display Odia meaning of English word “Backbone”. We got different 
result in different Android devices. 






PROGRAMMING ENVIRONMENT

In this project we have developed two applications, one is
webpage word translator and another one is Android English to
Odia dictionary. So we came across various programming
languages from web development and mobile application
development.

THE PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES USED 
       1. PHP 
      2. HTML 
      3. Android
Technical Requirements


• Software Requirements of  Webpage Word translator
     
    1. WampServer
    2. Transliteration tool
     3. Web Browser
     
• Hardware Requirements of Webpage Word translator
    
1. Computer
FUTURE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT WORK


In this “Google Odia” we have able to set up a framework or
interface how to proceed to the next phase of the project work in
the future. We have done basic web page word translator where we
solve a major problem to access the DOM element of a webpage
file. Now we can replace any of webpage’s textual element into Odia
language.

In the next phase we will proceed towards the real translation
structure of the English sentences of a webpage. So we are following
a research paper about “Simple Syntactic and Morphological
Processing Can Help English-Hindi Statistical Machine Translation “
from Ananthakrishnan Ramanathan, Pushpak Bhattacharyya
(Department of Computer Science and Engineering of IIT Mumbai) &
Jayprasad Hegde, Ritesh M. Shah, Sasikumar M (CDAC Mumbai).

Conclusion:The “Google Odia” helps the people from rural Odisha who have
lack of knowledge in English language. In today’s modern world English
is one of the best source to dominate the world. That’s why most of the
dynamic persons used English to lead the world. But here one question
arises, person who don’t know English can't he/she express him/herself
to the world. Why a language would be a barrier for a person to give
something to the world. China and Japan could be the example of
dominant country who never rely on English. The point of this
discussion is, if we technical people can able to set a platform where
the people can learn the latest about the world without the help of English .

SSA funds taken back from schools

Funds to the tune of Rs 2.85 crore granted by the Sarva Sikhya Abhiyan (SSA) for construction of school buildings and lying in the bank accounts of the concerned schools for the last eight years have been recovered by the sanctioning authorities.
Managements of 81 schools in Mayurbhanj district have failed to utilise funds granted to them under SSA, the Centre’s flagship programme, to improve the quality of elementary education in the country.
On the direction of the programme commissioner, the funds have been directly transferred to the bank account of SSA. As the funds were sanctioned in phases, the concerned bank authorities have taken time to calculate the interest amount. The interest would also be recovered, sources said. However, funds to the tune of over Rs 1 crore from 19 more accounts are yet to be collected due to lack of sufficient balance. The process of recovery has already begun, the sources added. Reports said the funds were sanctioned to these schools in several installments starting from 2007. The Union government refused to grant further funds and directed the schools to refund the amount which was not utilised.
The non-utilisation of funds for eight years has raised several questions. While the reason for the irregularity was not immediately known, some alleged the money was kept to bungle the interest over the deposits. Some SSA officials are in soup over the issue, the sources said. Earlier, a technical consultant (TC) was given more than Rs 1 crore as advance while another TC’s house was raided for accumulating wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income, the sources said. In the second case, the TC was given `30 lakh as advance. Investigations in both the cases are still on. While the funds had been granted to complete unfinished school buildings, the concerned authorities reportedly spent the money for other purposes.
Baripada tehsildar Diganta Kumar Routray who is in-charge project coordinator of SSA said letters were issued to the schools on several occasions to refund the grant. While action was taken against many, some cases are under probe.

bseorissa.in Result 2012-

www.bseorissa.in Result 2012-
www.bseorissa.in 2012 Resuts-
www.bseroissain to Declare Orissa HSCE and +2 Results 2012

www.bseroissa.in is the official website of Board of Secondary Education, Odisha . the Board was constituted under the Odisha Secondary Education Act, 1953.www.bseroissa.in conducts Orissa HSCE   annual examination.
www.bserorissa.in is to declare +2 results 2012 today on may 30 at 9:30 AM .Students or Arts , commerce and Seience strams may be able to check www.bserorissa.in result 2012 for +2 examinations.
www.bserorissa.in has still not announced the date of Orissa HSCE Results 2012 till now. But we expect that the result will be declared in the first week of June 2012
www.bseorissa.in  will declare HSCE Result  2012 for High School Certificate Examinations. At present bsroiisa.in 2012 results for +2 examnaints (Higher Secondary Examnination- HSE) are to declare by Council of Higher secondary Education (CHSE)
www.bseroissa.in is affiliated with State schools, private schools and collegaes in the State of Odisha to condust and mange Secondary Board High Shcool from Cuttack.

www.bserossa.in has 6 Cental Zonal office in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Balasore , Baripada, Berhamapur and Sambalpur.

Today,bseorissa.in confirms to declare Odisha +2 results 2012 for annual examinaton. Students Should check www.bsreorissa.in to see the annoucement about  the results.

www.bseoriss.in is running very slow due to heavy traffic .So Students  must go thourgh an alternative website ot check the result. Students  need to visit: to check +2 results for Arts/ Commerce/ Science.

Stats of bseorissa.in 2012 results are also to publish for +2 Students may downlaod result summary in  PDF  file vistiing besroissa.in.

Students may be able to download marks statemtent of thier respective subjects visiting: www.bseroissa.in Students need to foloow the steps of checking the results online.

Studnets should keep details of their roll number to check  www.bseorissa.in resluts 2012. We are to update some other details also regarding the results. Students should wait for SMS and IVRS details also.

More than 2.79 lakh studnets apperaed in +2 examinations this year. now they are going to access www.bseorissa.in to check their result. you need ot visit: bseroissa.in/ Resul.htm to check the result.

Education in Odisha

Historically, Odisha has been at the forefront of education and research. The ruins of a major ancient university, Puspagiri, were recently discovered in Odisha. Scholars from far away lands, such as Greece, Persia and China used to study philosophy, astronomy, mathematics and science at this famed university. Along with Takshashila and Nalandauniversities, Puspagiri was among the oldest universities in the world. All three universities were mentioned by the Chinese traveler Huien Tsang  Xuanzangwho visited India in the 7th century, but unlike the others, the whereabouts of Puspagiri university were unknown until recently. As of 2007, the ruins of this university have not been fully excavated yet. Odisha's education prospered under Hindu and Buddhist rule. However, it went into a period of decline under the Sun dynasty, after 1568. The Muslims and the Marathas, who occupied Odisha before the British, did little to spread education. Before the creation of modern Odisha, the mainstay of the education system were the Sanskrit Pathsalas, and the Maktabs, which existed in Cuttack, Balasore, Puri, Angul and Sambalpur, local Chatasalis to cater to grassroot level education, as well as advanced centers of Oriental learning.

The colonialization of Odisha by the British East India Company in 1803 proved disastrous to Odisha in all spheres. It led to the collapse of the traditional education system. Yet, Odisha being one of the last Indian territories to come under the British rule became exposed much later than other parts of India to the system of education they introduced. Under the East India Company, Christian missionaries who took up printing the Old and New Testaments in Oriya, also contributed to some growth in education. The first primary school was created in 1822 by missionaries.

The Cuttack Zilla school, Odisha's first modern school up to matriculation level, was established in 1866. It was extended to become a Collegiate school in 1868, which provided first and second year college education to Oriya students. However, Oriyas were severely disadvantaged by having to attend Presidency College in Kolkata for B.A. degrees. This was until the collegiate branch of Zilla school was converted into a full Bachelor's degree granting college under the then commissioner, T. E. Ravenshaw. This college was named as Ravenshaw College after him.

Women's education was taken up with the establishment of the Ravenshaw Hindu Girl's School in 1873. The Maharajah of Keonjhar, the Rani or Talcher, amongst other notable Oriya personalities, who made contributions. Later, Reba Ray, a former student of this school and Sailabala Das became instrumental in furthering the cause of women's education, leading to the creation of the Sailabala womens College.

Medical education began with the opening of the first medical school in 1876, by Dr. Stewart, the Civil Surgeon of Cuttack, who also translated the Materia Medica into Oriya. The first industrial school was opened in 1884, in Alalpur, Balasore. A survey school began at the same time in Cuttack, which later on became the Orissa School of Engineering, marking the beginnings of technical education in the state.