More than 10,000 tribals in the area covering 15 villages along the Andhra-Orissa border held peace rallies on Friday seeking kidnapped collector Vineel Krishna's release. Though no bandh call was given, normal life was paralysed in tribal-dominated areas on both sides of Andhra-Orissa border as schools, colleges, offices and shops remained closed for the second day in a protest against the kidnapping. Hundreds of tribals in the Balimela reservoir area staged a...

The Naveen Patnaik Government has made a major course correction in its populist scheme.   The rice Rs. 2-a-kg scheme would no longer include a privilege section - the above poverty line (APL) families in the backward KBK region. The privilege section enjoying the largesse included income tax payers, members of royal families, ministers, MPs, MLAs, government officials and big businessmen. Though belated, the decision will save about Rs. 34 crore to the...

Tribals have their unique ways of treating various diseases in their conventional methods without using modern medicines. And when it comes to get rid of mosquitoes, tribals in Koraput district's Lamataput block are using a home-made potion since ages. They do not purchase any mosquito coil or liquidator from the market to keep mosquitoes at bay, but use a potion prepared from seeds of a fruit, kusum, saves them from...

Udayanath Kandhapan of Girligumma village under Dasmantpur block was engaged in a field canal work under the MGNREGA. But one year after the completion of the work, he is yet to get his wages; so are other labourers working on the project. They have approached concerned officials several times regarding the matter, but to no avail. Disturbed over the apathetic attitude of the officials, Kandhapan registered his grievance at the...

Expressing concern about the food security of poor people in poverty-stricken KBK (Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput) region, National Human Rights Commission today directed the Orissa government to present status of its recommendation on implementation of welfare schemes in the area. "The state government has been directed to depute an officer to be present before the commission on March 21, 2011 giving status on the implementation of recommendations of the commission," NHRC Chairperson Justice K...