STPI-Berhampur: Ready for take-off

STPI-BERHAMPUR

Orissa's first Marine bio-technology park to come up in Ganjam

Read the full story from Business Standard on the proposed Marine bio-technology park in Ganjam

The Orissa government has decided to set up its first marine biotechnology park near Rambha in south Orissa's Ganjam district. The park would be developed in the public-private-partnership (PPP) mode. The Ganjam district administration has already identified 23.5 acres of government land for this purpose at Gokharakuda, about 40 km from here. The state owned-Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) has initiated the process to hand over the land for the establishment of the park. A high-level meeting was held recently at Chhatrapur, the district headquarter town to review the progress of land acquisition for different projects including the marine biotechnology park. Priyabrata Pattnaik, chairman and managing director of Idoc said, “The marine biotechnology park would be one of the tourist destinations as it would have the data on the sea animals.” The government has decided to set up the marine biotechnology park but the modalities are yet to be worked out, said a government official. Gokharakuda, the site chosen for the marine biotechnology park, located near the Rushikulya river mouth is famous as the mass nesting site of the Olive Ridley turtles.

PS: Gokharakuda is around 30 kms from Berhampur and it is already a tourist destination for Olive Ridley sea turtles

Source: Business Standard

DNA article inspired by Prince Dance Group of Berhampur

N Raghuraman: Passion dictates destiny

(Read the Full Article)
Passion often defines an individual. It is something that you cannot fake. You either have it or you don’t. For example, consider 30 construction workers who fought their way to fame. Their passion steered them through adversity, propelling them towards a successful and different career — that was away from cement, steel, dust and grime. I’m talking about the Prince Dance Group that outperformed many professional dancers on a television programme called India Got Talent. Over the weeks, dancers showed their agile feet in every competition. The organisers of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi are currently negotiating with the troupe to perform in the games’ glittering opening ceremony on October 3.
The dance troupe consists of daily wage labourers and hails from Berhampur in Orissa. The troupe is unique because all 30 members of the dance troupe work on various construction sites, some as young as 15 and none are professional dancers. Their eagerness, fire in the belly and single-minded aim that their feat would open doors for the future did wonders for them, when they first took part in the reality talent show. The group went ahead and won the prize money of Rs50lakh and a car. For those 30 construction workers, Rs1lakh each (after Rs20 lakh tax deduction) was a big amount. Moreover the workers had a large heart and they donated their car to their village, so that it could be used in case of an emergency.

Source: DNA

16 students of Berhampur city among top 100 in HSC Exams

1. SUBHAM KUMAR PADHI SARASWATI SISHU VIDYA MANDIR,NEELAKANTHA NAGAR, BERHAMPUR
2. B GUPTESH SARASWATI VIDYA MANDIR,GOSANINUAGAON, BERHAMPUR
3. ASISH KUMAR MISHRA DIAMOND TANK ROAD, BERHAMPUR
4. DEBASISHA PANIGRAHI SARASWATI SISHU VIDYA MANDIR,NEELAKANTHA NAGAR, BERHAMPUR
5. PRADEEPTA DAS SARASWATI SISHU VIDYA MANDIR,NEELAKANTHA NAGAR, BERHAMPUR
6. ABHIJEET FERNANDES SARASWATI VIDYA MANDIR,GOSANINUAGAON, BERHAMPUR
7. RUCHI MAHAPATRA SARASWATI VIDYA MANDIR,GOSANINUAGAON, BERHAMPUR
8. B MILAN KUMAR GOVT HIGH SCHOOL,MEDICAL CAMPUS BERHAMPUR
9. DIPEN MAHAPATRA SRI AUROBINDO INTEGRAL EDCN. CENTRE,KHALLIKOTE
10. SIDHANTA CHOUDHURY SARASWATI VIDYA MANDIR,GOSANINUAGAON, BERHAMPUR
11. PRATEEK KUMAR NAYAK SARASWATI SISHU VIDYA MANDIR,NEELAKANTHA NAGAR, BERHAMPUR
12. SRIKANT PANIGRAHY NIMAKHANDI, BERHAMPUR
13. ANANYA MISHRA GOVT SEC AND TRG SCHOOL FOR WOMEN,BERHAMPUR
14. RANJIT KUMAR PANDA ONSLOW INSTITUTION,CHATRAPUR
15. AYUSMAN ACHARYA SARASWATI SISHU VIDYA MANDIR,NEELAKANTHA NAGAR, BERHAMPUR
16. SANTOSH KUMAR PANDA SARASWATI SISHU VIDYA MANDIR,NEELAKANTHA NAGAR, BERHAMPUR

Andhra Bank to set up financial literacy centre in Ganjam

As a part of its endeavour to educate the rural people on various banking services, Andhra Bank has proposed to set up a Financial Literacy and Credit Counselling Centre (FLCC) in south Orissa’s Ganjam district. The bank has already set up FLCCs in the four districts of Andhra Pradesh, where it has the lead bank responsibility. “Andhra Bank is the lead bank in south Orissa’s Ganjam and Gajapati districts and it has proposed to establish FLCC in Ganjam to educate rural people in the district about the banking services”, said a senior officer of the bank. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has stressed on the financial literacy among the rural people to bring them under the purview of banking services for ensuring 100 per cent financial inclusion (FI). RBI has developed nine model villages in the state including Pochilima, near Hinjili in Ganjam district.The bank will reach around 100 such villages under its Berhampur zone where no banking service is available. The Berhampur zone consists of six southern Orissa districts including Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkanagiri, Nabarangapur and the Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh.

The banking services would be provided in the villages of these districts through the Business Correspondence (BC) model. The Government of India has stressed on providing banking services in every village having a population of over 2000 and the RBI has asked the banks to make arrangements to achieve the goal by the end of March, 2011. Commenting on the bank’s business projection in the Berhampur zone for 2010-11, sources said, the bank has targeted a business of Rs 3038 crore with a growth rate of 35.68 per cent. This includes Rs 2050 crore of deposits and advances worth Rs 1033 crore. In 2009-10, the bank’s Berhampur zonal office achieved Rs 2273.23 crore business with a growth of 20.32 per cent. The total business included Rs 1547.54 crore deposits and Rs 724.69 crore advances. The growth rate of the deposits and advances were calculated at 18.91 per cent and 26.07 per cent respectively. Total priority sector advances constitute 75.36 per cent of the total advances.

Source: Business Standard

Berhampur STPI to be operational soon

A software park, set up under the aegis of Software Technology Park of India (STPI) at Ambapua on the outskirt of Berhampur city, is likely to be fully operational soon. While a local IT firm, with about 100 employees, has already started its operation in this park, some more south-based software companies have shown interest to open their units there, a senior officer of IT department said. "We have invited some reputed IT companies to open their units in Bderhampur STPI centre, but they are yet to give any firm commitment", said Manas Panda, additional director, STPI.

The Berhampur STPI centre is the third such institute in the state after Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. The Berhampur complex was set up by STPI, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), at the outskirt of the city at an investment of Rs 5 crore. The state government had provided the land free of cost. The chief minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone for the project on December 13, 2006.

Panda said, STPI will work closely with the state government for promotion of software exports from this centre after it becomes fully operational. "The main objective is to make the region one of the preferred IT destinations for IT companies keen to come to the state and help create job opportunities for the technical educated youths", he added.

Source: The Business Standard

Wildlife Institute of India monitors Olive Ridleys on Ganjam coast

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, has established a temporary study camp near Berhampur at Ganjam (Rushikulya) for monitoring the population of Olive Ridley sea turtles, their nesting and breeding behaviour.

According to an official release the WII is also monitoring migration of these turtles through radio telemetry. Various protection measures have been taken by the State Forest Department to protect the off-shore and on-shore turtles’ populations along the Rushikulya river mouth.

A forest camp has been established by the Forest Department to monitor and protect both on-shore and off-shore sea turtles. The entire beach of the Rushikulya, where mass nesting takes place, is fenced to protect turtles’ nests from predators like dogs, hyena and jackals.

The State Government has also initiated education and awareness programmes in the nearby coastal villages for seeking cooperation of the local people in its endeavour to protect sea turtles.

Source: The Pioneer

Ganjam shows the way; MoU inked with folk artistes to help popularise social schemes

Indian Express/Debabrata Mohanty

In a novel bid to popularise the central schemes like the NREGS and save folk arts from dying out, the state government on Thursday signed an MoU with 22 cultural bodies of Ganjam district. These popular folk art forms of Ganjam are now in a moribund state due to changing preferences of people and a lack of patronage. At present, there are 5,000 artistes who practise these folk arts and make a living out of it.

The MoU, a brainchild of Ganjam collector V K Pandian, aims to give a new lease of life to folk art forms like Pala, Daskathia, Prahallada Nataka, Radha Krushna Leela, Ghudki, Ram Leela and Bagha Nacha by making the artistes a part of central schemes like NREGS, National Rural Health Mission and Sarva Shikha Abhiyan. The organisations based in 22 blocks of the district signed the MoU with the district executive heads of each of the schemes that would fund their performances at villages and help them buy new musical instruments.

The MoU is based on the premise that these central schemes have IEC (information, education and communication) component and the money allocated for IEC is used to spread awareness about such schemes in rural areas through folk art forms. “It is a double whammy. Since these missions are meant for the rural poor, these folk arts are the best medium to popularise the benefits of the government schemes. For a labourer working in NREGS, messages told through folk arts like Pala and Daskathia are easily understood than through TV and radio. In the process, the art forms that are dying out due to a lack of patronage also get a fillip,” said Pandian.

In a novel bid to popularise the central schemes like the NREGS and save folk arts from dying out, the state government on Thursday signed an MoU with 22 cultural bodies of Ganjam district.

These popular folk art forms of Ganjam are now in a moribund state due to changing preferences of people and a lack of patronage. At present, there are 5,000 artistes who practise these folk arts and make a living out of it.

The MoU, a brainchild of Ganjam collector V K Pandian, aims to give a new lease of life to folk art forms like Pala, Daskathia, Prahallada Nataka, Radha Krushna Leela, Ghudki, Ram Leela and Bagha Nacha by making the artistes a part of central schemes like NREGS, National Rural Health Mission and Sarva Shikha Abhiyan. The organisations based in 22 blocks of the district signed the MoU with the district executive heads of each of the schemes that would fund their performances at villages and help them buy new musical instruments.

The MoU is based on the premise that these central schemes have IEC (information, education and communication) component and the money allocated for IEC is used to spread awareness about such schemes in rural areas through folk art forms. “It is a double whammy. Since these missions are meant for the rural poor, these folk arts are the best medium to popularise the benefits of the government schemes. For a labourer working in NREGS, messages told through folk arts like Pala and Daskathia are easily understood than through TV and radio. In the process, the art forms that are dying out due to a lack of patronage also get a fillip,” said Pandian.

The MoU, which was inked after suggestions from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, would see an annual expenditure of Rs 3 crore to these folk artistes for dissemination of information about the government schemes.

ADM Sashi Bhushan Padhi said each of the cultural troupes in 22 blocks would perform at least 300 days a year, making it 6,600 performances. Each of the troupes has been given the seed money of Rs 1 lakh, of which Rs 20,000 was spent for buying new musical instruments.

The MoU has infused a new lease of life in the folk artistes. “The MoU is a second life for us,” said Santosh Kumar Padhi, a lead singer in Bharat Leela.

World famous Prince Dance Group to perform at Commonwealth Games opening ceremony

Berhampur (Orissa) based world famous Prince Dance Group, which came to prominence after winning a national reality TV show, 'India's Got Talent' on Colors TV channel last year, will perform at the opening ceremony of the upcoming Commonwealth Games (CWG) on October 3rd 2010 in the national capital New Delhi.

Disclosing it to the media persons in Mumbai on June 01, the programming head of Colors channel Ashwini Yardi said, "We are very happy to announce that the Prince Dance Group that won the season one of 'India's Got Talent show' has been selected to perform at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi".

Hailing from Berhampur city in Orissa, the group comprises of 26 artistes and Krishna Mohan Reddy is the group leader. The group members are mainly from disadvantaged sections of different parts of Ganjam district. Two of them, Padmanabha Sahu and Telu Tarini are physically challenged and majority are daily wage earners.

Yoga training camp concludes in Berhampur

A two-and-a-half-month long yoga summer camp for young students concluded in Berhampur on May 31. Sixty youngsters, mostly from KBK districts of south Orissa, participated in this camp organised on the campus of Herambalaya residential college in the city. The participants also included 25 girls. Nine participants were from Nabarangpur district and four were from remote naxal affected Malkangiri district. It hinted the increasing interest among youngsters towards use of yoga in developing physical fitness and mental skills. The average age of participants was around 15 years, who had just appeared their secondary school board examination. After completion of their examinations they had joined the yoga camp on March 8.

A young yoga expert of the city, Santosh Kumar Biswal was the main trainer of this camp. Participants could extract much from the camp due to small age difference between the trainer and them. During this summer camp the participants were taught techniques of asana, pranayam, mudra and bandha. Mr Biswal said this training would help these teenagers cope with the stress and strain of competitive life which they would start to face after their school days. The participants also experimented in using yoga in the fields of athletics and dancing. Some of them also tried to perform asanas hanging from a rope. During the concluding session the participants demonstrated their acquired skills of yoga. Their guru Mr Biswal also displayed suppleness of his body and breath control by getting himself packed in a cardboard cube of 20 inch dimension for more than half an hour. He plans to remained packed in a similar box for five hours for travel from Berhampur to Bhubaneswar.

Source: The Hindu