Pucca houses

Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday directed the district collectors to provide pucca houses to the homeless in the rural areas. Emphasising on the mission mode, he asked the officials to build one lakh Biju pucca houses each in February and March. As many as 1.56 lakh houses have been built so far and a total of three lakh houses will be built by March.

Model school

Bhubaneswar: Steel and mines minister Prafulla Kumar Mallik on Thursday laid the foundation stone of the first model school at Jantaribol in Kamakshyanagar block in Dhenkanal district. At least 30 model schools will be built in 30 blocks across the state for around Rs 135 crore. The school is being built by the steel major Tata Steel and will be handed over to the state government after completion. To be built on 20.52 acres, the school will include a two-storey building with all the required furniture.

Akademi chief

Bhubaneswar: Veteran playback singer Trupti Das has been named the president of Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi, while Odissi classical singer Ramahari Das will be the vice-president. Also, writer Ashwinee Kumar Mishra will hold the post of the secretary at the Akademi.