Category Archives: News

Colgate India sets a World Record for the ‘Largest Multi-Location Oral Screening Programme’ reaching over 3 Lakh Students in 10 Days

Forging a landmark coalition this ‘World Smile Day’, Colgate joined forces with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Indian Dental Association (IDA) of Tamil Nadu to drive a comprehensive oral health mandate across the state’s CBSE schools

MUMBAI, India, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Colgate has successfully executed a new record Oral Health screening initiative, reaching 308,106 students across 547 CBSE-affiliated schools in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry within a 10-day sprint (17 – 28 August 2026), illustrating the scalability of multi-stakeholder partnerships in driving public health outcomes.

Serving as the principal sponsor for this initiative, Colgate aligned with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the Indian Dental Association (IDA) of Tamil Nadu, 2,100 dentists and 29 regional dental colleges. This coalition mobilized across 40 districts to deliver the ‘Largest Multi-Location Oral Screening‘ activity, a benchmark officially recognized by the World Records Union (WRU). By structurally integrating dental professionals, educators, and civic volunteers, the campaign effectively bridged preventive oral healthcare with critical interventions regarding nutrition and substance abuse prevention.

This rapid-scale mobilization accelerates the long-term objectives of Colgate’s flagship Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® (BSBF) program. Since 1991, BSBF has established a foundation of preventive care for over 200 million children and their families across India, scaling its reach to engage over 11 million children across 35,000 schools in 2025 alone. By pairing diagnostic screenings with comprehensive oral health education, Colgate is advancing its community outreach from basic awareness to measurable, behavioral intervention.

“For nearly nine decades, Colgate has operated not just as an oral care brand, but as a systemic partner in India’s foundational health journey,” stated Shilpashree Muniswamappa, Director – ESG & Communications, Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited. “This World Smile Day milestone validates our collaborative model. I’d like to thank NCB, IDA Tamil Nadu and CBSE for partnering on this vision. Screening over three lakh students in 10 days proves that public-private synergies can rapidly scale critical health interventions. While the World Record highlights the operational scale of this effort, our strategic focus remains on institutionalizing preventive habits that deliver lifelong developmental dividends for the next generation.“

This targeted mobilization operates within Colgate India’s overarching 2030 SMILE Strategy. Additionally, by systematically addressing intersectional barriers across education, financial inclusion, and water security—which has positively impacted over 640,000 beneficiaries to date through the ‘Keep India Smiling’ and Rural Development programs—Colgate continues to architect holistic solutions that drive measurable social impact and community resilience in India.

About Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited

Colgate is a caring, innovative growth company that is reimagining a healthier future for all people, and the planet. Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited is the market leader in Oral Care in the country, committed to delivering sustainable, profitable growth for its shareholders, while fostering an inclusive workplace for its people. With a primary focus on science-led innovations in Oral Care & Personal Care in the Indian market, the company is recognized for its leadership and innovative efforts in advancing sustainability and community well-being. Among its recent accomplishments, the company has made significant strides in reducing plastic waste and promoting recyclability, conserving water and energy at its manufacturing facilities, empowering women with financial and digital literacy and enhancing children’s oral health through its flagship, Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® program. For more information about Colgate’s global business and how it is building a future to smile about, visit:www.colgatepalmolive.co.in.

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NuSummit Appoints Kunal Purohit as Managing Director and CEO

MUMBAI, India, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — NuSummit, a leading global provider of AI-led cybersecurity, data, digital, and cloud transformation solutions across Capital Markets, Insurance, Banking, and Financial Services, today announced the appointment of Kunal Purohit as Managing Director and CEO.

Anantharaman Sreenivasan (Ganesh), who led NuSummit through five years of growth, integration, and transformation, will transition from his current role as MD and CEO immediately and continue as an Executive Director on NuSummit’s Board till 31st March 2027, supporting the leadership transition.

Kunal brings more than two decades of experience in starting and scaling businesses around modern technologies. He has held leadership positions at Tech Mahindra and HCL Technologies, where he helped clients redesign business processes and deliver business outcomes using technologies such as cybersecurity, AI, cloud, and data. Entrepreneur India recognized him among the Top 25 Tech Trailblazers in India, and IIM Indore awarded him the Distinguished Alumni Award for his impact in AI. He also sits on the boards of several start-ups.

Varun Laul, Partner, Investcorp and Board Member, NuSummit, said, “We are delighted to welcome Kunal to lead NuSummit into its next phase of growth. Kunal brings deep expertise in next-generation technologies, such as cybersecurity, cloud engineering, and AI, which are core offerings for NuSummit. His deep experience scaling global technology businesses will help the company accelerate and deliver greater value to clients. We also thank Ganesh for his contributions to NuSummit in its early years as an independent company.”

Kunal Purohit said, “I am excited to join NuSummit at an important juncture for the company. There is a crucial convergence of AI, cybersecurity, data, and cloud emerging across the enterprise technology landscape, and NuSummit is well positioned to support clients through this transformation journey. We bring deep industry expertise and strong engineering capabilities across these modern technologies and create meaningful business value.”

About NuSummit

NuSummit is a global technology leader in AI-led cybersecurity and digital transformation, spanning applications, data, analytics, and cloud. With over two decades of experience, we serve 300+ clients worldwide, including 22 Fortune 500 companies, with core expertise in banking, insurance, and capital markets.

Backed by Investcorp, a leading global alternative investment firm, NuSummit empowers organizations to orchestrate outcomes that help navigate the complex digital and cybersecurity landscape with confidence. 

For more information, visit www.nusummit.com.

About Investcorp

Investcorp is a global investment manager, specializing in alternative investments across private equity, real estate, credit, absolute return strategies, GP stakes, infrastructure, and insurance asset management. Since our inception in 1982, we have focused on generating attractive returns for our clients while creating long-term value in our investee companies and for our shareholders as a prudent and responsible investor.

Investcorp has 14 offices today across the US, Europe, the GCC, and Asia, including India, China, Japan, and Singapore. Currently, Investcorp Group has $64 billion of AUM in scale, including assets managed by third-party managers, and employs approximately 500 people from 40 countries globally across its offices. 

For further information, visit www.investcorp.com and follow us @Investcorp on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

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IBM Introduces Self-Hosted Deployment for IBM Bob to Help Enterprises Advance AI Sovereignty and Governance

Enterprises can now benefit from AI-powered software development and modernization without moving sensitive code, data, or workflows outside their controlled infrastructure

ARMONK, N.Y., Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Today IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced self-hosted deployment for IBM Bob, allowing organizations to bring AI software development to on-premises, private-cloud, sovereign-cloud, and air-gapped environments where they have control. Bob is IBM’s agentic software development platform that helps teams move beyond code generation to apply AI to the work of software delivery and modernization.

Enterprises are investing heavily in AI-powered software development, but organizations that manage sensitive source code, regulated data, or mission-critical infrastructure often face strict security and compliance requirements that can limit their ability to use public AI platforms. For many organizations, especially those in regulated industries, AI adoption requires control over where AI runs, what data AI can access, and how AI systems are governed.

According to a report from Futurum Research, hybrid and edge deployments are projected to capture 44% of the AI infrastructure market by 2030 as organizations seek sovereign control alongside ecosystem connectivity, while public cloud share is projected to decline to 46% in that same timeframe.

IBM Bob’s self-hosted deployment option brings AI to customer-managed infrastructure and is specifically designed for organizations that require greater control over data residency, security policies, AI governance, and software development workflows. Unlike many AI coding and software development tools that require organizations to move data to external services, the self-hosted version of IBM Bob allows enterprises to deploy AI software development and modernization capabilities in environments where their code, application context, and data already reside.

“The future of enterprise AI will depend on security, governance and sovereignty,” said Neel Sundaresan, GM of AI and Automation, IBM. “Organizations need AI that operates inside environments they have control over, especially when working with sensitive code and regulated data. Bob’s self-hosted deployment provides a way for enterprises to bring agentic AI directly to those environments so they can benefit from the technology while maintaining security, compliance, and operational control.”

Most enterprises operate software environments that contain sensitive data like intellectual property, proprietary source code, and regulated customer information. According to The Calculus of AI Sovereignty, a report published in June 2026 by IBM’s Institute for Business Value, 68% of surveyed executives say meeting data residency and sovereignty requirements across geographies is challenging.

Now, IBM Bob’s deployment flexibility can help enterprises address those requirements by allowing them to bring AI to the data instead of moving their data for the AI. Enterprises can run supported models on premises, including in air-gapped environments, using supported models they’ve licensed or connect Bob to supported external model services through hybrid configurations.

While many AI development tools have been designed primarily for cloud-native environments, enterprise modernization often involves applications and data distributed across on-premises systems, private clouds and other controlled environments. IBM Bob’s deployment flexibility allows organizations to use AI for software development and modernization across infrastructure environments and models, helping them achieve true AI adoption.

For additional information about self-hosted options for IBM Bob, visit: https://www.ibm.com/new/announcements/ibm-bob-expands-to-self-hosted-environments-for-sensitive-and-mission-critical-enterprise-software 

About IBM

IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Thousands of governments and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.



Visit www.ibm.com for more information.

Media contact:

Rebecca Neufeld

IBM

rebecca.neufeld@ibm.com

Sources:

• “Sovereign AI: What Nations Want (And What They’ll Actually Get)” Futurum Research, 2026
• “The Calculus of AI Sovereignty” IBM Institute for Business Value, 2026

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More than 300 Cancer Survivors to Run in Quambiant Global Grace Cancer Run 2026

The participation of such a large number of cancer survivors is a significant feature of the Hyderabad edition.

Hyderabad, Oct 01: More than 300 cancer survivors are expected to participate in the 9th Edition of the Quambiant Global Grace Cancer Run 2026, powered by Evernorth Health Services, making survivorship one of the defining messages of this year’s global cancer awareness movement.

The Global Grace Cancer Run will be held on Sunday, October 11, 2026, at Gachibowli Stadium, Hyderabad, with participants from across India and the world taking part in physical and virtual formats.

The participation of such a large number of cancer survivors is a particularly significant feature of the Hyderabad edition. Survivors who have undergone surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and other forms of treatment will come together not merely as participants, but as living symbols of hope, resilience and the importance of timely diagnosis and treatment.

Survivors from Across Telangana and Other States to Join the 9th Edition at Gachibowli Stadium on October 11

“They Are Not Running Against Cancer. They Are Running as Living Proof That Life Can Continue Beyond a Cancer Diagnosis”

For many of them, running or walking alongside thousands of other participants will carry a deeply personal meaning.

The organisers believe that the presence of hundreds of survivors sends a powerful message to newly diagnosed patients and their families: a cancer diagnosis does not necessarily mark the end of life or the end of one’s dreams.

Their participation also brings a human face to the central message of the Global Grace Cancer Run—early detection, timely treatment, rehabilitation and hope.

Unlike a conventional awareness campaign in which doctors and celebrities speak about cancer, the Global Grace Run will have hundreds of people who have personally experienced the disease standing alongside the community and sharing their message through their participation.

Dr. Chinnababu Sunkavalli, Senior Consultant Robotic Surgical Oncologist and Founder of GRACE (Global Research and Cancer Education) Cancer Foundation, said the participation of cancer survivors is one of the most meaningful aspects of this year’s run.

“Every cancer survivor who participates in this run sends a message of hope to someone who may be going through cancer today. They are not merely running a race. They are showing the world that life can continue after cancer. Their presence makes the message of early detection and timely treatment much more powerful,” he said.

He said cancer survivors can become some of the strongest ambassadors for cancer awareness because they understand the importance of early diagnosis, treatment, family support and rehabilitation from personal experience.

“When a survivor stands on the starting line, they carry a story. Some have overcome major surgeries, some have undergone months of treatment and some have battled enormous uncertainty. When they run alongside their families and fellow citizens, it becomes a celebration of life,” Dr. Chinnababu said.

Registration has now opened for the 9th edition of the Global Grace Cancer Run.

Participants can choose from three categories: 2K Run – ₹800; 5K Run – ₹900;

10K Run – ₹1,200

The Global Grace Cancer Run seeks to move the public conversation around cancer beyond fear.

Cancer awareness is often associated with statistics, treatment and mortality. The participation of hundreds of survivors brings another equally important message to the forefront:

The Foundation aims to use the wider movement to promote cancer awareness, early detection, screening, healthy lifestyles and access to care.

According to Grace Cancer Foundation, its initiatives have touched the lives of nearly 1.4 crore people across more than 130 countries since inception.

The Hyderabad edition is expected to attract around 35,000 participants, while the global event is expected to witness over one lakh participants from more than 130 countries across all seven continents.

Participants can register online at: https://gracecancerrun.com/registration-fee/
More information visit www.gracecancerrun.com

October 2026 New Rules: LPG, SBI ATM, UPI, NPS and Aadhaar Changes From October 1

New Delhi, Oct. 1: Several financial, banking and documentation-related rules are set to change from October 2026, affecting LPG consumers, SBI Salary Package Account holders, NPS subscribers and people dealing with birth, death and Aadhaar records.

 Representational Imge 

While most of the changes take effect from October 1, the revised framework for certain UPI merchant payments will come into force from October 15.

Here are the key changes consumers should know:

LPG Subsidy: Aadhaar Biometric Authentication Required

Domestic LPG consumers seeking subsidised refills at the regulated retail selling price will need to complete Biometric Aadhaar Authentication (BAA) from October 1.

Consumers who have already completed the authentication will not need to repeat the process.

Those yet to complete it can reportedly do so during LPG delivery, at their distributor’s showroom or through the mobile applications of their respective oil marketing companies.

Consumers who do not complete the authentication can continue to receive LPG, but subsidised refills may not be available to them and cylinders will be supplied at the applicable market price, subject to local availability.

SBI ATM: Free Other-Bank Transactions Reduced

State Bank of India (SBI) is revising the free ATM transaction limit for Salary Package Account holders.

From October 1, the number of free monthly transactions at other banks’ ATMs and Automated Deposit-cum-Withdrawal Machines will be reduced from 10 to five.

The limit covers both financial and non-financial transactions. Once the free limit is exhausted, applicable charges will be levied.

The reported charges are Rs 23 plus GST for cash withdrawals and Rs 11 plus GST for non-financial transactions.

The revised limit applies specifically to SBI Salary Package Account holders using other banks’ ATMs and should not be interpreted as a change applicable to all SBI customers.

Bulk Fixed Deposits: New RBI Disclosure Norms

The Reserve Bank of India has introduced revised rules concerning bulk deposits from October 1.

For scheduled commercial banks, a bulk deposit generally refers to a single rupee term deposit of Rs 3 crore or more.

The new framework does not automatically change interest rates on ordinary retail fixed deposits. Instead, it strengthens disclosure requirements for large deposits.

Banks will have to publish applicable bulk-deposit interest rates on their websites at 10 am on every business day, with a 10-minute grace period for updating the information.

The RBI has also specified rules concerning uniformity of interest rates for similar bulk deposits accepted on the same day, subject to permitted differential-rate provisions.

UPI: MDR on Select Merchant Payments From October 15

A revised Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) framework for certain UPI merchant transactions will take effect from October 15.

Under the framework described in the source material, eligible merchant payments above Rs 2,000 can attract an MDR of up to 0.4%, subject to applicable categories and limits.

The charge is applicable on the merchant side and does not amount to a general fee for consumers making UPI payments.

Person-to-person UPI transfers are also outside this merchant MDR framework.

NPS: Revised Point-of-Presence Charges

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has revised the charge structure applicable to Point of Presence (PoP) channels for the National Pension System (NPS), NPS Vatsalya and NPS Lite.

The revised framework includes an onboarding charge of Rs 200 for accounts opened through the PoP channel, along with prescribed charges for specified onboarding and servicing activities.

Subscribers should check the applicable charges based on the channel through which they access NPS services.

Delayed Birth and Death Registrations to Face Stricter Process

The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2026 is set to introduce tighter requirements for delayed registrations from October 1.

For applications submitted more than one year after the event but within two years, an order from the District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrate or authorised Executive Magistrate will be required, along with prescribed verification and fees.

Where registration is delayed by more than two years, an order from a Judicial Magistrate of the First Class will be required following verification and payment of the prescribed fee.

Aadhaar: Check Child Biometric Update Rules

Parents of children who are due for mandatory biometric Aadhaar updates should also take note of the applicable fee rules from October 1.

The fee waiver for certain mandatory biometric updates for children aged 5 to 17 years is scheduled to end on September 30, 2026, according to the information provided.

Outside specified free-update categories, UIDAI’s fee schedule provides for charges for biometric updates. Parents should check the child’s age, eligibility and applicable category before visiting an Aadhaar centre.

What Changes First?

The changes beginning October 1 cover LPG subsidies, SBI ATM transactions, bulk-deposit disclosures, NPS services, delayed civil registrations and Aadhaar-related updates.

The UPI MDR change comes into effect later, from October 15, and concerns specified merchant transactions rather than ordinary person-to-person UPI transfers.

Consumers should check the specific terms applicable to their bank account, LPG connection, NPS channel or Aadhaar service before making a transaction or seeking a service.

Bhubaneswar Nicco Park Set for Major Revamp With Food Court, Market and Boating Facilities

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 1 (UDN): The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) has drawn up an ambitious redevelopment plan for the ageing BDA City Centre, popularly known as Nicco Park, with a focus on creating a modern destination for recreation, entertainment and commercial activities.

 Representational Image 

Housing and Urban Development Minister and BDA Chairman Dr. Krushna Chandra Mahapatra reviewed the progress of the proposed redevelopment during a meeting on Wednesday and directed officials to accelerate the ongoing process and ensure timely execution.

New Recreation and Commercial Facilities

The revamped City Centre is proposed to feature a range of facilities aimed at visitors across different age groups. The redevelopment plan includes a dedicated food court, market complex, entertainment zones and boating facilities.

The project will also incorporate new commercial spaces, core infrastructure and activity-based recreational amenities as part of the broader transformation of the existing facility.

Officials said the redevelopment is intended to give the long-standing city landmark a modern identity while expanding its utility as an urban recreation hub.

Lake, Stormwater Channel to Get Makeover

As part of the wider development plan, the BDA is also working on the modernisation of the adjoining stormwater channel and lake zone.

The proposed works include landscaping, construction of walkways and restoration of the lake area, with the aim of improving the overall surroundings and creating additional outdoor spaces for visitors.

The state government has already approved the proposed redevelopment works, according to the BDA.

BDA Vice-Chairman Chanchal Rana and senior officials attended the review meeting.

Emerald Clinical Trials Appoints Michael Stibilj as Chief Executive Officer to Lead Next Phase of Global Growth

SINGAPORE, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Emerald Clinical Trials, a leading global clinical research organization anchored in Asia-Pacific, today announced the appointment of Michael Stibilj as Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 October 2026. The appointment marks the beginning of the company’s next phase of growth.

Michael brings over 30 years of global CRO industry experience. He joins Emerald Clinical after six years with Novotech where he was Chief Operating Officer; prior to that he was CEO at PPC Group for three years and spent 22 years with IQVIA in several regional and global leadership positions. He has helped these organizations through complex transformations, driving significant revenue growth and market leadership, with deep operational experience across Asia-Pacific, including China, Singapore and Australia.

His appointment follows a transformative year for Emerald Clinical, including the acquisition of Hongyi Clinical Development Services. The combination created a uniquely positioned clinical development platform of more than 1,000 professionals across 40+ countries and 70+ locations, supporting sponsors from first-in-human trials through post-marketing across China, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Americas.

“Michael is the right leader for Emerald Clinical’s next chapter of growth,” said Sean Carney, Chairman of the Board. “He combines proven operational strength, a global perspective, and deep Asia-Pacific experience with a track record of taking businesses to the next level. On behalf of the Board, I thank Glenn Kerkhof, whose leadership as Interim CEO delivered growth and continued excellence for our customers. Glenn remains on the Board and continues to advise the company.”

“The outlook for our industry has never been more exciting: global clinical development is on a sustained growth path as innovation pipelines expand — and Asia-Pacific is where that growth is fastest. The future of clinical research will be shaped by the application of technological advances at the intersection of global reach and Asia-Pacific depth — and no company sits more squarely at that intersection than Emerald Clinical,” said Michael Stibilj, Chief Executive Officer. “Our commitment to our people and customers is clear: high-quality delivery, speed, and transparency in everything we do. I am excited to join a team with this much momentum, and I am confident in what we will build together — a globally competitive CRO anchored in Asia-Pacific.”

About Emerald Clinical Trials

Emerald Clinical Trials is a global, full-service CRO with over 25 years of experience, partnering with 160+ biotechnology companies and 15 of the world’s top 20 pharmaceutical firms. Headquartered in Singapore, with 1,000+ professionals across 40+ countries and a collaborative network spanning 70+ locations, Emerald delivers end-to-end Phase I–IV and real-world solutions, with recognized scientific leadership across Renal, Oncology, Cardiometabolic, Autoimmune, Ophthalmology, and Early Phase development. In China, the company operates as Emerald Clinical 弘翼临床. For more information, visit www.emeraldclinical.com.

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Odisha Works Minister Orders Swift Repairs of Rain-Damaged Roads

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 1 (UDN): Odisha Works Minister Prithviraj Harichandan has directed officials to undertake immediate repairs of roads damaged by heavy rain, flooding and landslides across the state, stressing that road connectivity and quality must not be compromised.

 Pic Credit: x.com/PWD_Odisha

Harichandan issued the directions while chairing a high-level review meeting at Lok Seva Bhawan on Wednesday, where he assessed the condition of several damaged road stretches and the progress of restoration work.

Among the roads reviewed were the Nakhara-Niali and Adaspur-Jagatsinghpur stretches, Kalinga Ghati road, along with damaged roads in Koraput, Bhadrak, Balasore, Cuttack, Ganjam, Sambalpur, Keonjhar and Paradip.

Engineers Told to Monitor Roads Regularly

The Minister directed engineers at all levels, from the Engineer-in-Chief to Chief Engineers, Superintending Engineers and Junior Engineers, to conduct regular inspections of roads under their respective jurisdictions.

They have also been asked to submit road-condition reports every 15 days and remain present during construction and repair works to ensure adherence to quality standards.

Taking note of photographs and reports of damaged roads being circulated on social media, Harichandan instructed officials to act promptly and complete restoration work without unnecessary delay.

He further directed the department to initiate legal action against contractor agencies found responsible for substandard work.

Focus on Faster Tendering, File Processing

Works Department Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh called for greater transparency in the tendering process and measures to speed up the award of works.

The meeting also reviewed the functioning of the Works Information Management and Information System (WIMIS), with officials directed to improve its effectiveness and prevent avoidable delays in file processing.

Senior officials, including EIC and Special Secretary Sameer Hota, Engineer-in-Chief (Civil) Satyabrata Behera, Financial Advisor and Special Secretary Ratikanta Mohapatra, Additional Secretaries Deepak Ranjan Das and Pradeep Kumar Sahu, along with Chief Engineers and Superintending Engineers from different zones, participated in the meeting both physically and virtually.

Dy CM Pravati Parida Reviews Visitor Facilities at Nandankanan

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 1 (UDN): Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida on Wednesday visited Nandankanan Zoological Park and reviewed the facilities and infrastructure available for tourists at the popular wildlife destination.

During her visit, Parida assessed existing visitor amenities and discussed measures to further improve facilities for tourists travelling to Nandankanan from Odisha and other parts of the country.

Focus on visitor amenities

The review covered several basic facilities, including drinking water, restrooms, transportation and other visitor services.

The Deputy Chief Minister directed officials to identify gaps in existing infrastructure and undertake necessary improvements at the earliest to make visits more convenient and comfortable.

Development with focus on conservation

Parida also stressed the need to ensure that tourism-related infrastructure is developed without compromising the natural environment and wildlife of Nandankanan.

Officials were asked to maintain a balance between improving visitor facilities and protecting the ecological character of the zoological park.

The Deputy Chief Minister said timely implementation of the proposed measures would help provide visitors with a safer and more pleasant experience.

Senior officials attend review

Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia, Tourism Department Commissioner-cum-Secretary Balwant Singh, and senior officials from the Forest and Tourism departments were present during the review.

The visit comes as the state government continues to focus on improving tourism infrastructure and visitor facilities at major attractions across Odisha.

Special Gram Sabhas Across Odisha on Gandhi Jayanti; Focus on Grassroots Planning

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 1 (UDN): Special Gram Sabhas will be held across all Gram Panchayats in Odisha on October 2, marking Gandhi Jayanti, with the state government calling for greater community participation in local development planning.

Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Minister Rabi Narayan Naik has urged Sarpanchs to ensure that the meetings are inclusive, participatory and focused on issues affecting local communities.

Gram Swaraj at the centre

Invoking Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of Gram Swaraj, Naik called for villagers to actively identify problems, assess community needs, explore local opportunities and determine development priorities.

He stressed that the views and participation of villagers should form the basis of the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) under the People’s Plan Campaign 2026-27.

‘Reform Utsav’ to be a key theme

This year’s special Gram Sabha will also focus on ‘Reform Utsav’, with Sarpanchs asked to encourage wider participation in discussions on government schemes, reform measures and issues related to rural development.

The meetings are expected to provide villagers with a platform to raise local concerns and contribute directly to decisions concerning development activities in their respective Gram Panchayats.

Government pushes participatory planning

The state government has emphasised that stronger community participation can help align village-level development plans with the actual needs and priorities of local residents.

The October 2 Gram Sabhas are therefore expected to serve as an important forum for consolidating public opinion and incorporating grassroots priorities into the planning process for the coming year.