___________

Update: Following are excerpts from a report in Business Standard.

Astha International Limited, one of India’s leading direct selling companies based out of Surat (Gujarat), would invest Rs 5000 crore on a slew of business ventures in Orissa by the end of 2012.

The investment which is to be raised through a mix of debt and internal accruals as well as from its 4.5 lakh odd distributors across the country, will be made on developing an integrated township project called ‘Astha City’ near Berhampur, a star hotel in Puri and a textile mill in Bhubaneswar.

Besides, Astha International would set up a dairy production unit, a multiplex and a hyper mall in the city.

The company has opened an office in the city and this would serve as the zonal office for the states of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal.

Together, all these projects will generate direct employment for over 10,000 people in the state.

All these projects are expected to be commissioned by the end of 2012.

"… The company would first begin with the integrated township project for which it has already identified around 200 acres of land near Berhampur.”

The company is betting big on the Orissa market which currently accounts for about 50 per cent of its overall revenues.

Astha International which has operations in 12 states of the country, clocked a revenue of Rs 300 crore in the last fiscal.

Out of 4.5 lakh distributors of the company, 1.5 lakh are based out of Orissa.

Astha International, which has more than 10,000 products in 26 different segments, also plans to float a bank called Astha Bank by 2011-12.

“We have already got the license of the Reserve Bank of India for starting banking operations and our bank will commence operations from 2011-12”, Chauhan claimed.

The website of this company is http://www.asthainternational.in/. In that site they mention an Astha city in Gujarat. Following is from Samaja.

Following is from a report by Bishnu Das in Business Standard.

The Orissa government has approved nine more solar power projects with an aggregate generation capacity of 57 Mw.

The State Technical Committee (STC), headed by the secretary in the science and technology department, cleared these projects recently.

With this, the total envisaged solar power capacity in the state has gone up to 351 Mw from 294 Mw earlier.

Projects with an aggregate generation capacity of 45 Mw were approved under the Bundling Scheme for Solar Power Plants of the Union ministry of New and Renewable Energy Sources (MNRE). Similarly projects of 12 Mws were approved under the Generation Based Incentive Scheme for Roof Top and Small Solar Generation of the Central sector utility major, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).

The projects approved under the Bundling scheme included Skygen Infrabuild (P) Ltd (5 Mw), Rajratna Energy Holdings (10 Mw), MGM Minerals (5 Mw), Konark Kranti Energy (P) Ltd (5 Mw) and Sunark Solar (P) Ltd (20 Mw).

Skygen Infrabuild plans to set up a 5 Mw solar power project in Khurda district. Similarly, Rajratna Energy Holdings is interested to set up 10 Mw solar power plant in Dhenkanal district.

While the solar plants of MGM Minerals and Sunark Solar would come up in Khurda district, Konark Kranti Energy proposes to locate its unit Dhenkanal district.

On the other hand, four projects cleared under the Roof Top and Small Solar Generation scheme of NTPC included 3 Mw plant of Sunark Solar (Khurda district), 3 Mw project of Abacus Holdings (Ganjam district), 3 Mw project of Orion Solar Projects (Cuttack district) and 3 Mw plant of Skygen Infrabuild (Khurda district).

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

The Orissa government today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ratan Jindal owned JSL Ltd (formerly Jindal Stainless Ltd) for setting up of a 1320 Mw super critical plant with Independent Power Producer (IPP) status at Luni in Dhenkanal district.

The project envisages an investment of Rs 7375 crore and it is expected to generate direct and indirect employment for 2600 persons.

The company has sought allotment of 2000 acres of land through the Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation of Orissa (Idco).

… This would be the second major project of the company in the state. The company is currently setting up a 1.6 million tonne integrated stainless steel plant at Kalinganagar. With this, the total projected power generation from the projects for which the state government has singed MoUs has increased to 32,420 Mw.

…Energy minister, Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said, the government expects the IPPs to be able to generate 2400 Mw by the end of this year and 6450 Mw by the end of 2012-13.

Ratan Jindal, vice-chairman and the managing director, JSL Ltd said, the group is producing about 4000 Mw power at present. This is likely to increase to 12000 Mw by 2012-13, which would put the company among the major power producers in the country.

Referring to the 1.6 million tonne per annum integrated stainless steel project being set up at Kalinganagar, he said, the first phase of 0.8 million tonne would be commissioned by the end of this year. Chief secretary Tarunkanti Mishra and other senior officials were present on the occasion.

One concern I have is the land requirement of these power plants. They should reduce this as much as possible. In this regard some pointers are:

• A 2006 NEERI report.

Following is from an East Coast Railways press release:

Ministry of Railways will introduce the new Bhubanewar-Rameswaram-Bhubaneswar weekly express with effect from 21st May 2010 from Bhubaneswar and from 23rd May 2010 from Rameswaram.

8496 Bhubaneswar-Rameswaram –Bhubaneswar weekly express will leave Bhubaneswar at 12.00 noon on every Friday and will arrive Rameswaram at 11.55 pm on every Saturday.  In the return direction, 8495 Rameswaram-Bhubaneswar weekly express will leave Rameswaram at 6.30 a.m on every Sunday and will arrive Bhubaneswar at 6.40 pm on every Monday.

8496/8495 Bhubaneswar-Rameswaram-Bhubaneswar weekly express will have stoppages at Khurda Road , Brahmapur, Vizianagaram, Duvvada, Vijayawada, Gudur, Chennai Egmore, Villupuram, Mayiladuthurai, Kumbakanam, Thanjavur, Tiruchirapali, Koraikuddi and Manmadurai stations between Bhubaneswar and Rameswaram having one AC-2 tier, one AC-3 tier , 10 Sleeper Class coaches , 04 General 2nd Class coaches, two Guard-Cum-Luggage vans and one Pantry Car in its composition.

This makes three exclusive trains between Bhubaneswar and Chennai. (By exclusive, I mean they will not be already occupied by passengers from/to Howrah thus having more quota for Odisha passengers.) They are:

• 2829/30 Bhubaneswar-Chennai
• 2897/98 Bhubaneswar-Pondicherry
• 8495/96 Bhubaneswar-Rameswaram

Also the newly proposed Haldia-Chennai train may have more room for Odisha passengers as compared to Coromandel and Howrah-Chennai mail.

In general the east coast of Odisha has very good exclusive connectivity to the main Southern cities; Prashanti to Bangalore and Visakha and Konark to Hyderabad.

See http://www.orissalinks.com/orissagrowth/archives/3380 for the other announced trains that are still pending.

Following is from http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=61621.

The Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure today approved the implementation of the project of four laning of Sambalpur-Orissa/Chhatisgarh section of NH-6 and Bhubaneshwar-Puri Section of NH-203 in the State of Orissa under NHDP Phase III on Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT ) pattern.

The total project cost of Sambalpur-Bargarh-Orissa/Chhatisgarh Border is estimated at Rs.909 crore under the DBFO pattern. The concession period of the project shall be for 30 years including a construction period of 30 months.

The total project cost of Bhubaneshwar-Puri section is estimated at Rs.505.29 crore under the DBFO pattern. The concession period of the project shall be for 29 years including a construction period of 30 months.

The project will reduce the time and cost of travel of the traffic, particularly heavy traffic running between Sambalpur to Orissa/Chhatisgarh border and the traffic running from Bhubaneshwar to Puri. It will also increase the potential of employment to local labourers for the project activities.

The project of Sambalpur to Orissa/Chhatisgarh border is major link to the Chhatisgarh and the project of Bhubaneshwar-Puri is major road to link the pilgrim place.

BACKGROUND:

The Cabinet had approved four/six laning of 4000 Km. of National Highways under NHDP Phase IIIA on BOT basis in March, 2005. Subsequently, approval for additional stretches was granted in May, 2006, October, 2006 and April, 2007 for implementation of four laning for a total length of 12109 Km. at an estimated cost of Rs.80626 crore.

See the previous postings on this topic to get a broader picture of highway plans with respect to Odisha. In particular, see the following:

• Plans for four laning of Sambalpur-Rourkela.
• http://www.orissalinks.com/orissagrowth/archives/2651
• Six laning of Chandikhol-Jagatpur.
• Various four laning projects with maps.
• Fourlaning of Angul-Sambalpur.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

With expansion of its units in eastern India in pipelines, public sector steel major, SAIL today evinced keen interest in setting up a port in Orissa, official sources said.

A delegation of Steel Authority of India’s (SAIL) top executives today met chief secretary T K Mishra and other senior officers here to seek the state government’s assistance for the proposed port by the steel giant.

We have assured the SAIL officials of all help if they are keen for a port project," Chief Secretary T K Mishra told reporters, adding that the proposed port would help the public sector to transport coal for its requirement. The proposed port having a capacity of handling 20 million tonnes of cargo would be located anywhere in the state’s 480 KM coastline, Mishra said.
    
The state government had asked SAIL to find any of the 13 places already identified by the state’s transport and commerce department for setting up a port.

The interest in ports in Odisha is due to the mining belt and the related industrial belt in Jharkhand, Chhatisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal. These ports will help the growth of the coastal parts of Odisha. Odisha should leverage these ports to develop communication channles (especially railway lines such as Talcher-Bimlagarh, Khurda Balangir, Gopalpur-Rayagada, Chakulia-Buramara) as well as some logistics hubs in appropriate places in the western parts of Odisha such as Titlagarh and Jharsuguda.

Following is an excerpt from a report in project finance international.

Gopalpur Port project has raised Rs12.12bn loan to fund the construction of a deep sea port located in Orissa, on the east coast of the country. Sponsors are Sara International and Orissa Stevedores which hold 50% share each. Signing was held on April 28 among 11 domestic bank lenders. MLA was SBI Capital.

Following is from http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=61253. In total there is plan for 140 such centers, of which 22 are level I, 58 are level II and 60 are level III. Among them Odisha will have 2 level I, 2 level II and 2 level III trauma care centers.

Some scheme should be found for having trauma care in the western corridor, possibly in the VSS Medical College.

Following is an excerpt from a PTI report.

the state-run power major NTPC is set to pump in over Rs 55,000 crore for additional capacity generation of 9,320mw by setting up two new plants and expanding the existing Talcher plant.

"Over Rs 55,000 crore will be invested in Orissa for new projects at Dadripali in Sundargarh district and Gajmara in the Dhenkanal-Angul belt and to expand the Talcher plant," NTPC regional executive director for East & North IB Pandey told reporters here today.

While the Dadripali plant, to be built in three phases, would have a capacity of 4,800mw with six units, the 3,200mw Gajmara plant would be set up in two stages, he said, adding land for them are likely to be available in about six months.

The website of Jajpur Cluster Development Limited is http://www.jcdl.in/. As per the page http://www.jcdl.in/about.htm Kalinganagar Industries Association (KIA), an association of industries in the Kalinganagar Industrial Complex holds 51% equity capital in JCDL whereas the equity held by IDCO is 49%. The members of the KIA are:

As per http://www.jcdl.in/app_proj.htm the following projects have been approved for implementation.

Tathya.in has a report on the Trijanga township buil by Tata Steel in this area. Following are some excerpts

Eco-friendly atmosphere, planned township, wide concrete roads, round the clock power supply, piped water supply, permanent eco-management and drainage system with lush greenery are something, which even some of the modern townships in the country do not have.

But the new township established by Tata Steel Paribar in Trijanga in Jajpur has all these facilities and much beyond. …

The Company apart from providing 0.1 acres of homestead land and Rs 2.5 lakhs for house construction to relocated families had several round of discussions with them while planning for their new home at Trijanga Rehabilitation Colony.

While It has provided all the basic amenities like water supply, electricity supply, ration, community space, grain storage facility, children’s recreation park, toilets, welfare office, balwadis, dispensary etc, the sprawling greenery that has come up in last two years is for one to see it to believe it.

The colourful houses with dish antennas besides concrete paved roads with avenue plantation and permanent drains shows the commitment of Tata Steel to usher in a better quality of life for the rehabilitated families in Trijanga.

16 km all weather motorable roads, 32km of drainage, solid waste and garbage management through dedicated agencies has been provided.

The Company has also provided sodium vapor halogen lamps for street lighting.

Tata Steel Parivar members are also now use safe portable drinking water from running taps and consume 500 watts per family electricity.

Youths of Parivar member use Community centre for recreational purposes provided by the Company.

Round the clock health care facility is being provided in Trijanga Rehabilitation Colony through a dispensary and 24 hours standby ambulance services.

All of this hard work of rehabilitated tribals in a better atmosphere has blossomed into emerging township where rural and Urban Odisha co-exist. …

Following is an excerpt from a report in Telegraph.

… According to the draft bill, a mining company has to “allot free shares equal to twenty six per cent in the company… in case the holder of the lease (the land being taken over) is a company”. If the holder of the lease is a person, “an annuity equal to 26% of the profit after tax” has to be given as “annual compensation”.

The draft Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act, 2010, also proposes that the mining company has to provide employment and/or other assistance in accordance with the rehabilitation and resettlement policy of the state government concerned.

Government sources said they hoped the draft bill would address these issues through the “partnership” plan. “Their (tribals’) home is being taken away so how will they feel. The point is being driven home,” said an official with the mines ministry.

… The sources said the bill could come up before the cabinet for clearance in a few weeks.

The bill envisages the involvement of gram sabhas or district councils or panchayats — as the case may be — who would identify the families to be affected by mining projects, directly or indirectly, before the commencement of operations to “ensure appropriate benefits”.

“A mining welfare fund will be set up, funds from which will be only for tribal land,” sources in the government said. The plan is to create “model villages”, added an official.

The bill also proposes a mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility document to be attached to the mining plan. The document envisages a scheme for annual expenditure by the mining company on socio-economic activities in and around the mine area to facilitate self-employment opportunities.

P. Chidambaram’s home ministry, too, has come up with a plan to assuage tribal sentiments. It has proposed free power for villages within a certain radius of power plants. “People should not feel that the power generated from their land is benefiting only the rich in cities,” said a home ministry official.

…  Home ministry officials said the focus was now on “micro-management” to understand the problems of tribals. On April 30, MPs from 34 districts most affected by Maoist violence will be briefed by home ministry officials. “We can put things right in the bureaucracy, but it is the duty of MPs to go and talk to affected people,” said a source.

On policing, the ministry wants to deploy police personnel “sympathetic” to tribals.  …

See the New York Times Review at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/25/nyregion/25dinewe.html. Their website is http://www.orissahome.com/. The cuisine is not Odia food though.

Following is an excerpt from a tathya.in report in Pioneer.

As a royal tribute to the illustrious astronomer of Odisha, Samanta Chandrasekhar, popularly known as Pathani Samanta, the State Government has decided to set up an observatory, a science park and an information centre at the place of his birth and work, Khandapada. The Pathani Samanta Planetarium Governing Body has decided to set up a huge complex as memorial to the renowned astronomer.

Pathani Samanta made his astronomical research during the period 1835 to 1904 without any knowledge of telescopes, binoculars and other modern instruments. His magnum opus Siddhanta Darpan in Sanskrit, which was published in 1899, was highly acclaimed by Western scientific journals Nature and Knowledge.

… The observatory proposed at Khandapada would entail Rs 10 crore, he said.

A science park would need 25 acres of land and its project cost would be Rs 6.50 crore, which would be borne by State Government. 

The article here has a long biography on the naked eye astronomer Samanta Chandra Sekhar, who is otherwise known as Pathani Samanta.

Update: The web page of the architects is http://www.skdas.org/.

The following is obtained from http://www.wasitrac.org/bm/bm~doc/tourism-investment-opportunities-in-orissa.pdf. That document has additional details with respect to infrastructure progress.

Following is an from the site http://www.wasitrac.org/bm/about-us/index.shtml.

Our Mission

To facilitate in building bridges for Washington State and its citizens, with their counterparts in India; beginning with establishing a sister state relationship between Washington State and the State of Orissa in India.  Primary focus being, but not limited to, infrastructure development, renewable and clean energy, education and social services. We will engage by respecting the diversity in both cultures with the ultimate goal of delivering true value of bilateral relationship.

WASITRAC is registered in the State of Washington as a Non-Profit organization.

Following is from the PIB http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=60812.

IFFCO proposes to set up a farmers training institute hear its phosphatic fertilizers complex at Paradeep, Orissa. 

In the proposed institute, the farmers would be given training on best crop practices of cereals, pulses, oilseeds, vegetable and horticultural crops etc. Fruit preservation, fish farming, dairy and poultry, maintenance of agricultural equipments, bee keeping etc. alongwith demonstration farms. IFFCO proposes to carry out extensive analysis of soil samples through this institute for improving the soil health and productivity of crops with balanced and integrated use of nutrients. IFFCO proposes to set up only one training institute near its plant at Paradeep to cater to the needs of farmers of Orissa. IFFCO has applied to Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Orissa (IPICOL) for allotment of suitable land near the plant for the purpose. The allotment of land is pending with IPICOI. 

This information was given by the Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Shri Srikant Kumar Jena in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

Following is an excerpt from an article in Bangalore Mirror:

… But few in Bangalore know of Orissa’s cuisine. The food at Dalma is very reflective of the state and its tradition of using local ingredients to cook with. The eatery brings to Bangalore a unique culinary experience with simple, tasty home food.

Genesis:
The restaurant is a famous chain in Bhubaneswar, and is co-owned by Debasish Patnaik and Sanjay Chowdary. Dalma actually is the name of a lentil dish (synonymous with dal). There’s a large enough Oriya population in Bangalore to cater to as well.
 
Signature dish: Pakhal.
Cost: Rs. 200 – 300 for two.
Dalma, #37, 100 Feet Road, 6th Block, Koramangala, Bangalore. Phone: 41660921

… Lead role: Jubin says the pakhal thali is a must to get a real feel of the cuisine. A huge bowl, nay, cauldron, of rice mixed with curd and water that was allowed to rest for a while, greeted me. In some cases, fermentation is allowed to take place. Served with a tomato khatta (like a chutney), potato bharata, bhendi bhaja (ladies finger or okra), and badi chura (fried and dried mixture of onions and garlic), this is the perfect summer dish to beat the heat and stay cool. A note of caution — one person, in my opinion, would not be able to finish all that rice in the bowl — a challenge for all you foodies out there.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard. (Thanks to Future Berhampur for the pointer.)

… Though Tata Steel’s SEZ project was cleared by the Board of Approvals (BoA) under the Union commerce ministry, it is yet to be notified due to problems in possession of land.

“The land possession problems in Chamakahandi and Basanaputi villages will be sorted out very soon. Company authorities have agreed to undertake a fresh survey on the lands being left out in these villages, for the payment of compensation and taking physical possession”, said an official of Tata Steel.

Tata Steel had initially planned for establishment of a shore-based mega steel plant near Gopalpur and applied for about 3,700 acres of land . …

Meanwhile, the company expects to take physical possession of land for the Gopalpur SEZ very soon. “We have already deposited the amount for the land acquisition and hope to get physical possession very soon for construction of the boundary walls”, said S S Routray, senior manager (administration), Gopalpur SEZ project ofTata Steel.

A tripartite meeting was held between the villagers, company officials and the district administration for physical acquisition of around 51.502 acres of land in Chamakhandi village and around 25 acres in Basanaputi village.

This meeting had a very positive response, said Routray.

… Tata Steel, on the other hand intends to withdraw from the 206.685 acres of land at Kalipalli village and 691 acres of land at Paikapada. According to official sources, though the land at Paikapada was acquired, it was not handed over to the company.

Once the implementation of the SEZ project starts, Tata Steel will have 2792.659 acres in nine villages including Chamakhandi and Basanaputi villages in its possession, sources said.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard by Bishnu Das.

To meet the infrastructure needs of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) on a priority basis, the Orissa government has reserved 20 per cent of the area in all industrial estates, industrial parks, industrial corridors and land banks for such units.

Further, the state-owned Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) will promote new exclusive zones for MSMEs in all major industrial hubs of the state.

The locations where exclusive industrial parks will be promoted include Kalinganagar, Barbil, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Dhenkanal, Rourkela, Baragarh, Balasore, Dhamara, Gopalpur, Chhatrapur, Raygada, Kalahandi and Choudwar.

Such exclusive zones will also come up near the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the state.

… The government has also decided that wherever land is provided to large and medium industries, 10 per cent of the land, subject to a maximum limit of 200 acres, will be earmarked for setting up MSMEs. This will facilitate the setting up of ancillary and downstream units, preferably in cluster mode, a source added.

… Sources said that Common Facility Centres (CFCs), to be set up by the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) constituted for the MSME clusters, would be entitled for allotment of land free of cost at various locations in the state.

… To provide assured sources of raw material for such units, the Orissa Small Industries Corporation (OSIC) and the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) will set up raw material banks.

The two organisations will act as nodal agencies for MSMEs and public sector resource companies will accord priority to OSIC and NSIC in supply of raw materials, which will be made available to MSMEs at the lowest possible rate.

Couple of months back there was a big hue and cry about how Odisha mismanaged its power situation. We reported on news items on that topic in http://www.orissalinks.com/orissagrowth/archives/3425.  The following news item from Samaja gives a different perspective of the issue. It conveys that what was happening earlier was that Odisha was planning ahead. If that is the case the Odisha government and its officers deserve kudos for their advance planning. Often we criticize them at the drop of a hat; but rarely do we commend them. This may be an occasion when they deserve kudos.

1. Economic Times on 3 more terminal markets in Odisha:

Orissa government will provide four terminal market yards to enable the farmers to sell their produce at market prices…. One of the terminal has already been constructed at Sambalpur with an investment

of Rs 86 crore and three others are coming up at Cuttack, Berhampur and Rourkela,…

2. Business Standrad on MOU with five IPPs for 4800 MW power:

The cumulative capacity of these projects would be 4800 Mw and the total investment is envisaged to be Rs 23203.52 crore.

With this, the total power generation projected in the state would increase to 31100 Mw from 26300 Mw earlier.The Orissa government has already inked MoUs with 21 IPPs with an aggregate generation capacity of 26,300 Mw earlier.

… Five companies who signed the MoU included BGR Energy System, JR Powergen Private Ltd, Adhunik Power and Natural Resources Ltd, Maa Durga Thermal Power Company Ltd and Vijaya Ferro and Power Private Ltd.

JR Powergen Private Ltd would set up a 1980 Mw thermal power plant at Kishorenagar near Angul at an investment of Rs 7988 crore. BGR Energy Systems Ltd also plans to set up a 1320 Mw power plant at Bhapur in Nayagarh district at an investment of Rs 6287 crore.

Similarly, Adhunik Power and Natural Resources Ltd would set up a 1320 Mw power plant at Birmaharajpur in Sonepur district entailing an investment of Rs 8079.74 crore. All these proposals were cleared by the High Level Clearance Authority (HLCA) chaired by the chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

On the other hand, Maa Durga Thermal Power would set up a 60 Mw ((2x30Mw) power plant at Tangi in Cuttack district, involving an investment of Rs 296.95 crore. Besides, Vijaya Ferro and Power Private Ltd, planning to set up a 120 Mw power plant (IPP) at an investment of Rs 550 crore at Kesinga (Turla Khamar) in Kalahandi district.

The total land requirement for these projects have been assessed at 4360 acres and about 22,325 direct and indirect employment opportunities are expected to be created when these projects would be fully commissioned. Three projects namely BGR Energy System, JR Powergen Private Ltd, Adhunik Power and Natural Resources Ltd would source water from the Mahanadi river system, Maa Durga Thermal Power would draw water from Birupa river.Vijaya Ferro and Power plans to source water from Tel river.

3. Hindu on preliminary bids for UMPP at Bedabahal:

the government was likely to invite preliminary bids for the 4,000-MW Ultra Mega Power Project (UMPP) at Bedabahal in Orissa by April 30.

The request for qualification (RSQ) for the project may be issued by April 30.

This Bedabahal project would be the sixth UMPP project. The government has already awarded four UMPPs, of which three — Sasan in Madhya Pradesh, Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Tilaiya in Jharkhand — have been bagged by Reliance Power.

4. Sify on 595 crores for waterbody upgrade:

As many as 1817 water bodies, mostly the minor irrigation projects (MIPs) in 20 districts of Orissa, would be revitalized under the Centrally sponsored scheme of Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies.

These water bodies would be revitalized within a period of three years at an estimated cost of Rs 595.14 crore.

The funding for these projects would be shared between the Government of India and the Orissa government in the ratio of 90:10 for the Maoist infested, drought prone and backward districts of Kalahandi, Bolangir and Koraput (KBK).

For the other districts, the share between the Centre and the state government will be 25 per cent and 75 per cent respectively.

While the design ayacut of all 1817 projects was 2, 48,545.86 hectares, the irrigation potential of an additional 89,110.02 hectares of land would be revived through these projects, sources said.

Most of these projects under the RRR scheme are being taken up in south Orissa’s Ganjam district. About 800 projects under the scheme are to be taken up in the district at a cost of Rs 250.87 crore.

… Apart from Ganjam and KBK, the other districts where the scheme will be implemented are Bargarh, Bolangir, Gajapati, Jajpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Koraput, Mayurbhanaj, Nabarangapur, Nayagarh, Nuapada, Rayagada, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Balasore, Malkanagiri, Subarnapur, Deogarh and Dhenkanal.

The pilot project for this scheme was implemented for 137 projects in Ganjam and Gajapati districts at a cost of Rs 18.84 crore during 2005-06 to 2008-09.

5. Hindu on Japan giving 150 crores for an irrigation project:

Japan will also give … over Rs 150 crore for Rengali irrigation project in Orissa.

6. Hospitalitbizindia on a mega food park at Malipada, Khurda:

Government of India is likely to set up a mega food park and a marine food park at Malipara near Khurda in Orissa with an area of 282 acres. This information was given by Subodh Kant Sahai, Union Minister for Food Processing while responding to a demand raised by Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister, Orissa at the Orissa Investors meet 2010.