Probe demand

Bhubaneswar: The state government on Tuesday ordered a crime branch probe into the alleged scam in farmers’ loan and crop insurance and directed to recover the money from the corrupt officials involved in the scam. The decision came against the backdrop of a scam where it was found that the officials of cooperative banks in four districts of the state under Koraput Central Cooperative Bank had looted money by carrying out fake transactions.  

Racket busted

Bhubaneswar: A special team of crime branch and city forest division busted a racket on Tuesday that allegedly sold animal body parts by claiming the items to be plant and astrology products online. One person has been detained and 210 dried sexual organs of monitor lizard parts have been seized during a raid at Bramheswarpatna in Bhubaneswar. Wildlife crime control bureau had  got information about the illicit trade online and had alerted the crime branch. The accused Chintan Joshi, procured animal body parts from Ahmedabad and sold it in the name of Hata-jodi, which is considered a powerful astrological item used for prosperity.

Youth meet

Bhubaneswar: Union minister of petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan stressed on adopting new strategies to reach out to the people of the state on Tuesday. He urged the BJP leaders to work towards turning the youth into ambassadors of the government’s public welfare schemes while addressing hundreds of youth ambassador monitors at the New Odisha Youth Ambassador Meet here. Organised under the chairmanship of Bharatiya Yuva Jana Morcha president Tankadhar Tripathy at the state headquarters, the meeting discussed issues related to youths and their aspirations.