IAS rejig 

Bhubaneswar: The state government Laxinarayan Gupta was appointed as secretary of employment, technical and training and was given additional charge of tourism secretary in a bureaucratic reshuffle on Wednesday. Women and child development secretary Saswat Mishra was posted as the secretary of the newly created social security and disabled welfare department with additional charge of sports and youth services department. 

Industries secretary Sanjeev Chopra has been given the additional responsibility of chairman-cum-managing director of Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation in place of Vishal Dev, who was posted as secretary of women and child development department. Labour commissioner Shalini Pandit was appointed as additional secretary, health & family welfare.

Protest

Komna: Nearly 500 villagers demonstrated at the Komna police station in the block headquarters town of Komna in Nuapada district over the death of a youth allegedly due to torture at a camp of security personnel engaged in anti-Maoist operations. 

Rape cuffs 

Baripada: Betnoti police arrested a 21-year-old man for attempting to rape a 25-year-old married woman. The accused, identified as Jamini Mahanta produced in court on Wednesday. 

Accused flees

Sambalpur: An accused, who was arrested by Hirakud police on Monday night, fled from the Hirakud police station on Tuesday. The accused,  person. 

Fire mishap

Bhubaneswar: Five persons were critically injured after a gas cylinder burst at Athgarh in Cuttack. The injured are being treated at SCB Medical College and Hospital.

Jailed

Bhubaneswar: The Balasore district judge on Monday awarded life  imprisonment to a 60-year-old for hacking a woman to death at a village in the district two years ago. The court also slapped a penalty of Rs 2,000 on the accused, Parikhita Dalei. Parikhita, a native of Gobindapur village, had killed Santana Dalei, 62, of the same village following an altercation over a minor issue on June 28, 2010.

Celebration

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Sahitya Academy is going to celebrate the birth centenary of Binode Kanungo, compiler of Jnan Mandal, a famous Odia encyclopedia. The celebration will commence from Wednesday at the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya. 

Sports boost

Cuttack: The Odisha Olympic Association has decided to add 17 new districts of the state along with affiliating 
two state sports associations.