Odisha: Kharif Paddy Procurement At Rs 3100 Per Quintal To Begin From November, Says Samir Dash

“The court said that the entire criminal proceedings against Pratap Jena was quashed. The order against which we have approached the high court has now been quashed,” said Jena’s lawyer Anshuman Ray.

Jena was the accused number 13 in the double murder case that took place at Mahanga in Cuttack district in 2021. The local police had excluded the name of Jena while filing the first charge sheet in the case.

Subsequently, the victim Kulamani Baral's son approached the Salipur JMFC court seeking the inclusion of Jena’s name.

The court on the basis of statements of the complainant, witnesses, and other available materials on record ordered that a prima facie case punishable for the offences under sections 302, 506, 120 B of the IPC is made against accused Jena on October 31, 2023.

The court directed the local police to reinvestigate the case against Jena.

Subsequently, the senior BJD leader moved the High Court against the lower court's order.

Hearing the petition filed by Jena, the Orissa High Court on Tuesday quashed the order of the Salipur JMFC court.

"The political conspiracy had been hatched to defame for the last two years has fallen flat and the high court gave a clean chit to me today," an elated Jena told on Tuesday.

Notably, BJP leader Kulamani Baral, who was the block chairman of Mahanga, and his associate Dibyasingha Baral were brutally murdered in Mahanga in 2021.

Later, the prime accused in the case, Prafulla Biswal, was found dead under mysterious circumstances near the Govindpur area in Tangi of Cuttack district. 

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In the first quarter-final of the day, Uttar Pradesh Hockey defeated Hockey Jharkhand, 4-3. Ujjwal Pal (7') gave Uttar Pradesh Hockey the lead, followed by goals from Ajay Kumar Gond (12'), Prahalad Rajbhar (32'), and Captain Ketan Kushwaha (60'). Meanwhile, Hassa Patras (35', 39') and Purti Ashish Tani (13') scored for Hockey Jharkhand.

In another quarter-final, the Hockey Association of Odisha defeated Dadra & Nagar Haveli And Daman & Diu Hockey, 5-0. Sujit Barla (30', 41') and Mandeep Kerketta (45', 59') scored braces, while Mithles Kerketta (46') also found the back of the net to secure the victory.

Hockey Punjab defeated Hockey Madhya Pradesh, 2-1. Sunny (20', 21') netted twice in quick succession for Hockey Punjab. Captain Aashir Adil Khan (40') scored the only goal for Hockey Madhya Pradesh.

In another quarter-final of the day, Hockey Haryana defeated Hockey Chandigarh, 1-0, in a closely fought contest. Rohit Singh (41') broke the deadlock to secure a semi-final berth for Hockey Haryana.

Uttar Pradesh Hockey will face Hockey Punjab, while Hockey Association of Odisha will face Hockey Haryana, in the Semi-Finals on Wednesday. (ANI)

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Speaking to the media persons, Minister Mahaling said, “The Ayushman Bharat Yojana will be implemented in Odisha very soon. More than 3 crore people from 1 crore family will be issued a new and distinct card under the scheme once the Ayushman Bharat and Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana are rolled out in the State. The beneficiaries can use their cards at any of the 27,000 empanelled hospitals from across the country and can avail cashless treatment.

“The migrant workers, who were earlier facing problems for treatment, will now be able to visit any of the empanelled hospitals and get medical treatment freely,” he added saying people aged 70 or above will also be eligible to apply for the scheme.

While 67 lakh eligible families of the State will be covered in Ayushman Bharat, 33 lakh families will be included in the Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana, the Minister said.

Under these health schemes, a medical coverage of Rs 10 lakh and Rs 5 lakh will be provided to each female and male beneficiary respectively, he added.

Notably, the previous Biju Janata Dal government in Odisha had refused to participate in Ayushman Bharat, asserting that its own health initiative, the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY), now renamed as Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana, was superior.

Launched in September 2018, AB PM-JAY is designed to offer comprehensive health coverage to individuals from economically vulnerable families, ensuring that they receive necessary medical care without incurring catastrophic financial burdens.

The AB PM-JAY scheme covers a wide range of medical procedures across various specialties, including surgery, oncology, and cardiology, and provides cashless treatment in empanelled hospitals.

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