Letter to CM on accord

Bhubaneswar: The three interlocutors, who had played a decisive role in release of the Malkangiri collector V. Krishna, have urged Naveen Patnaik to honour the accord made between them and representatives of the state government. In a letter, Prof G. Hargopal, R. Someswara Rao and Dandapani Mohanty said government should initiate steps on releasing more than 600 tribals who are languishing in jails on false grounds. They also demanded restrain on use of the coercive force against the Maoists party as long as they do not resort to any armed action. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday had lauded the works of the V. Krishna while addressing the young on Civil Service Day in New Delhi.

First prize

Bhubaneswar:The panchayat raj department will get the first prize for its excellent achievement in implementation of the Model Accounting System for panchayats (MAS) and PRIASoft. The first prize carries an amount of Rs 50 lakh and a citation for ePRI. Maharashtra and Tripura will get the second and Punjab and Assam will receive the third prize. Principal secretary of the panchayti raj department S.N. Tripathy will receive the award from the Prime Minister on April 24 in New Delhi on the occasion of National Panchayat Diwas. This award comes at a time when the CBI is set to inquire the corruption in implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS). r.

Leader shot

Berhampur: Saroj Panda (35), a local BJD leader of Hinjilicut in Ganjam, was seriously injured after he had been shot at and attacked with sharp weapons outside his house at Bada Sahi in Hinjilicut on Friday. He sustained bullet injury on both of his legs. The goons also attacked his hands and legs with sharp weapons. Hinjilicut police have seized one sword from the spot and detained two youths. Panda has been admitted to the M.K.C.G. Medical College and Hospital.

Railway week

Bhubaneswar: The Carriage Repair Workshop at Mancheswar of East Coast Railway celebrated the 56th Railway Week here. Ashok Kumar Agarwal, chief mechanical engineer of the East Coast Railway complemented the workshop employees for their dedicated efforts. This workshop has supplied 2,401 wheels to the divisions, which is two times more than the corresponding period of the previous year. The wheel shop has risen to the challenge and created a new milestone of 700 wheels per month and finally 804 wheels in March 2011, said the official.

Tribal rally

Bhubaneswar: At least 500 tribals on Friday took out a rally at Angul demanding wage hike and employment. Carrying traditional weapons and shouting slogans, the tribals presented a list of eight demands to the district magistrate. The rally was joined by the CPI activists.ay staged a rally in the city. They were protesting against micro-finance institutions extending credit at higher interest rates to people. he rally was organised by the state unit of All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA). The protesters criticised the state for not controlling micro-finance institutes that had been harassing poor women in rural areas. Puspa Das, president of the AIDWA, said that there were nearly 50 non-governmental micro-finance institutions in the state. “Most of these agencies do not follow SBI guidelines. They are supposed to charge 11 per cent interest as they get money at a rate of 7 per cent. They are supposed to keep 4 per cent margin for operational cost. At times, they charge 21 per cent interest rate,” she said.