Orissa Matters

MUFP Condemns Agriculture Minister’s Alarming Words Against Media Persons

Orissa Minister of Agriculture, Sri Pradip Maharathi has used alarming words against media persons as in recent press coverage his name has appeared in Pipili rape victim matter.

Press has no bias against Maharathi, but contextually, specifically as the victim’s family members in their allegation have taken his name, his name has found place in the news. This has irritated him to the extent of hurling words that are not becoming of the office he holds.

In reacting thereto, the Media Unity for Freedom of Press (MUFP) has issued a statement. It reads:

The MUFP strongly condemns some recent public statements by Sri Pradip Maharathi, Minister, Agriculture in which he has targeted the media and media persons and also cast aspersions on them.

We wish to warn the minister against making any sweeping, generalized and disparaging remarks against the media in future.

He has the right to defend himself against any false or defamatory news items that may have appeared in the media, but he surely does not have the right to denigrate the media and media persons as a whole.

Media persons are duty bound to report facts and reflect the public opinion and not to please the high and mighty.

We sincerely hope Sri Maharathi will restrain himself and desist from making sweeping and irresponsible statements designed to show the media and media persons in poor light in future.

Where is Shame We May Use in being Ashamed?

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

A ‘Citizen’s Alliance against Hunger and Malnutrition’ (HANGaMA) report released tuesday by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has made him say of “shame” as its documented survey puts on records that 43 per cent of the children below the age of five in the India of his regime are malnourished.

The data and analysis forming crux of the report are not here to be commented upon.

But, as the report has yet again exposed India’s failure to save children from malnutrition, we are sure, the suckers responsible for this wretchedness will try their tricks to give it a meretricious treat.

The acrobats of globalization may play their games on it as they like, because idiots are also available in plenty in this country to clap their hands in approval.

To us the report makes recall the way UNICEF has also seen the children below the age of three in India.

“Malnutrition is more common in India than in Sub-Saharan Africa”, the UNICEF has observed while saying, “One in every three malnourished children in the world lives in India”.

Maintaing that “malnutrition limits development and the capacity to learn” it said, “it also costs lives: about 50 per cent of all childhood deaths are attributed to malnutrition”.

“In India”, it said, “around 46 per cent of all children below the age of three are too small for their age, 47 per cent are underweight and at least 16 per cent are wasted. Many of these children are severely malnourished”.

But, for a Manmohan Singh whose government has told the Supreme Court that a rural family’s income of Rs.25 or an urban family’s Rs.32 per day is enough to ensure a living with necessary nutrition, does the HUNGaMA report carry any meaning?

Children suffer malnutrition, because their parents or guardians are not able to keep them nourished.

Juxtaposing the HUNGaMA report with this reality any genuine Indian may feel ashamed of his reflection on the mirror of time. But, where is shame that we may use for being ashamed of, when we have no qualms in tolerating the right viruses that have destroyed the dreams of our freedom fighters and dragged the country to this sorry state by sabotaging from behind the people and the Parliament our national resolve for a country of equals?

Thanks Dear Readers, Have the Best of Days Ahead

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

WordPress annual report for 2011 makes me aware of a mirror focused on me. I see in it also the reflection of my readers.

According to the report, in Asia, the majority of my readers belongs to my motherland. The report says, when 97.6 % of my Asian readers reside in India, 0.3 % belong each to United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Singapore. 0.2 % of my Asian readers reside in Pakistan.

Of my North American readers, 94.7 % belong to the United States whereas 4.3 % of them are in Canada, 0.7 % are in The Bahamas and 0.3 % belong to Mexico.

In South America, 75.0 % of my readers belong to Brazil, whereas 16.7 % belong to Argentina and 8.3 % to Peru.

When Poland has 31.1 % of my European readers, the United Kingdom has 17.2%, Germany has 7.7 %, France has 5.5 % and Netherlands too has 5.5 % of them.

Nigeria has the maximum number of my African readers comprising 38.5 % whereas 15.4 % of them belong to South Africa as against Egypt, Cote d’Ivoire and Sudan having 7.7 % each.

In Oceania, 87.0 % of my readers belong to Australia and 13.0 % to New Zealand.

My words would certainly be inadequate to express thanks to my esteemed readers belonging to all these places in the world, even as the report makes me devote my energy in its entirety to write, as always, in honoring my readers’ right to be informed.

Thanks, dear readers, thanks.

On this occasion, I also thank the critics, commentators, subscribers, writers, photo contributors, theme supporters and my dear team and the founder, The NEWS Syndicate. I thank the WordPress for the most watching and noble partnership.

Have the very best days ahead.

Orissa Information Commission Makes a Farce of RTI Act, Alleges Top Activist

Orissa’s top information activist Pradeep Pradhan has alleged that the State Information Commission is more active in violating the RTI Act than implementing.

In a statement he has relied upon information obtained through RTI on 28 December 2011 that show that the Commissioners have disposed off 1338 cases without having any enquiry into or hearing on them, within a period of four months from August to November, 2011. When the State Chief Information Commissioner has disposed off 374 complaint cases, one State Information Commissioner has disposed of 320 complaints as against disposal of 644 complaints by the other within this period. None of them has disposed of any second appeal Case during this time.

Under Sections 18, 19 and 20 of RTI Act, the Information Commission has been empowered to receive, hear, enquire and dispose the Complaints and Second Appeals and also to impose penalty on defaulting PIOs as and where required.

Therefore, the hearing of the cases is crucial in the entire process of disposal of a case, as it gives an opportunity of hearing to the concerned PIO, on whom lies the burden of proof as to whether he acted diligently to provide the requested information to the applicant, he has pointed out.
He has further alleged that, while disposing the cases in the above manner, the Commission generally directs the concerned 1st Appellate Authority to dispose the case at their level and ask the concerned complainant, if necessary to approach the Commission again in the form of a complaint or second appeal, in case he or she is dissatisfied with the decision of 1st Appellate Authority.

But this is a farce, he says, inasmuch as “no record of compliance of such directions” according to information obtained from the Commission’s office, “is maintained by the Commission”. It means, Pradhan asserts, the Commission is concerned about the rate of disposal of cases in its own arbitrary way, but not so concerned about the actual rate of compliance of its orders for providing the information to the deprived applicants.

Thus the Commission is encouraging the PIOs to disregard the RTI Act altogether. They are showing a careless attitude to the RTI applications, being overconfident that there is no fear of penalty from the Commission, the activist has pointed out.

Rejecting the claim of the Commission in public forums that there was compliance to the Commission’s orders to the extent of 90 % as false, he has observed that the Commission may be feeling a self-congratulatory satisfaction by dishing out the figures of reduced pendency, but in the process they have made RTI Act a casualty of their arbitrary action. If anything, the Information Commission has made a farce of the RTI Act by such arbitrary disposal of cases, he has stated.

SHIV MUSIC MAKES A MAGNIFICENT MILESTONE: PRESENTS ROMANTIC ALBUM ‘AAKHI TA KAHUCHHI’

The lips may not be uttering the feelings, but eyes certainly say if heart is full of longing. Thus says the title song ‘Aakhi ta kahuchhi’ of the new romantic album of Shiv Music released on 7 January in the packed-to-capacity Jayadev Bhawan, Bhubaneswar.

Shiv Pattanayak, inheritor of a noted real estate empire of Bhubaneswar, who is leading his business to higher heights of beautiful success, is, in the domain of his heart, a creative genius, whose Hindi album ‘Ajnabi’ has earned him tremendous fame as an excellent singer and composer.

The present album is in Oriya.

The title song is sung by Shiv at the start and repeated by Tapu Mishra at the end of the album with both of them partnering in a number at the middle.

Commencing Song: AAKHI TA KAHUCHHI
Playback Singer: Shiv Pattanayak
Lyrics: Phantu
Music: Bidyut Roy
Acting: Shiv, Rudra and Amrit
Technical Direction: Narayan Ghadei
Direction: Gouri Shankar

Closing Song: AAKHI TA KAHUCHHI
Playback Singer: Tapu Mishra
Lyrics: Phantu
Music: Bidyut Roy
Acting: Pinki and Samar
Direction: Narayan Ghade

The rest of the songs are sung by Shiv alone with with different actors and actresses enacting in every number.

When Bidyut Roy has given the album melodious music, Narayan Ghadei and Gouri Shankar have given direction with Santosh and Bapi on the camera. Actual Media and Digital Dreams have nurtured it with editing when Titu and Jitu, both of Digital Dreams are credited with Montaz and Mastering respectively and Dillip Kumar Swain with choreography.

After lighting of the lamp of launching, the VCD, containing the album was released.

Eminent Techno-educationist Biswajit Mohanty praised Shiv Music and its founder Shiv Pattanayk for enrichment of Orissa’s culture through his melodious endeavor.

Chief of orissamatters.com Subhas Chandra Pattanayak congratulated Shiv on production of the album in Oriya and blessed the venture as new milestone set on the ever progressive path of Orissa’a cultural exquisiteness.

Here below are samples of captures from the rest of the songs in the Album:

Song: MUN JE AMANIA PAKSHEE / Playback singer: Shiv Pattanayak / Lyrics: Sachi Mohanty / Music: Bidyut Roy / Acting: Santu and Mamata / Direction: Narayan Ghadei

Song: MAAR BAJI / Playback singer: Shiv Pattanayak /
Lyrics: Phantu / Music: Bidyut Roy Acting: Chinku, Amit, Sumi and team /
Choreography: Dillip Kumar Swain / Direction: Narayan Ghadei

Song: YOCHHANABHIJA SEI RATI / Playback singer: Shiv Pattanayak and Tapu Mishra / Lyrics: Phantu / Music: Bidyut Roy / Acting: Bishu and Pinki / Direction: Narayan Ghadei

Song: SEI BATA DEI GALABELE / Playback singer: Shiv Pattanayak / Lyrics: Tyagi Tirupati / Music: Bidyut Roy / Acting: Sarthak and Lina / Direction: Narayan Ghade

Song: YEEBANA PATHE / Playback singer: Shiv Pattanayak /
Lyrics: Phantu / Music: Bidyut Roy / Acting: Tusar and Rani / Direction: Narayan Ghadei

Song: HAJI YAICHHI / Playback singer: Shiv Pattanayak /
Lyrics: Phantu / Music: Bidyut Roy / Acting: Satya, Rani and Ritika / Direction: Narayan Ghadei

Song: TAME YADI BHALA PAUTHIBA / Playback singer: Shiv Pattanayak / Lyrics: Julu / Music: Bidyut Roy / Acting: Shiv and Sonali
Technical Direction: Narayan Ghadei / Direction: Gouri Shankar

Shiv and his team also presented on the stage some of the numbers of the album on request.

The evening had commenced with fusion music rendered by Bidyut Roy setting the ecstasy for the event.

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik seems to have developed a wrong notion that governance of Orissa in Oriya depends upon his mercy. His press-note of December 17 and full page display advertisement in major broadsheets of today force us to arrive at this apprehension.

In his December 17 press note it was declared that he had held a meeting with the five members of the ministerial committee on that day for the purpose of “strictly implementing the Orissa Official Language Act, 1954 in official and non-official level” to facilitate which a website has been floated by the government. In the full page multi-color advertisement in broadsheet dailies today, this is intriguingly missing.

The advertisement is designed to tell the people that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has taken historical steps to save and develop Oriya language, and has enumerated the steps he has taken. This is blatant lie. Neither he nor his government has executed any single item claimed to be “historical” in the official advertisement. The entire advertisement is nothing but false propaganda. What a shame it is, that, the people of Orissa are taken for granted by their Chief Minister! Read more →