The Latest Breaking News from Odisha

‘River will suffer’: Inside Keonjhar’s farm resistance against ESSAR’s iron ore project

Residents of Tikarpada, Kadagada and nearby villages in Odisha’s Keonjhar district are protesting ESSAR’s proposed iron ore beneficiation project, saying it endangers their farms, water sources and way of life. 

Newslaundry · Dec 5, 2025

631 deaths, 4 years: Inside Odisha’s elephant conflict zone

Odisha has around 912 elephants, fewer than states like Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. But it has recorded more deaths attributed to the human-elephant conflict in comparison. By October this year alone, 75 people had died in elephant attacks. That’s beside the extensive damage caused to crops and farmland. 

Newslaundry · Nov 13, 2025

From Cyclone Titli to Montha: Odisha’s farmers suffer year after year

For thousands of Odisha’s farmers, Cyclone Montha brought devastation just as paddy and other crops were due for harvest. Large-scale crop losses have occurred and farmers’ incomes have taken a direct hit.

Newslaundry · Nov 6, 2025

‘Worked day and night’: Odisha’s exam ‘irregularities’ are breaking the spirit of a generation

A massive paper leak has rocked the recent Odisha Police sub-inspector recruitment exam. After what is being described as the state’s biggest such incident, the police have arrested 123 people so far, including 114 candidates.

Newslaundry · Oct 24, 2025

In coastal Odisha, climate change is disrupting a generation’s education

On a cloudy afternoon, CH Padmini, in her mid 20s, strolls along the Rushikulya beach, lost in memories. A group of fishermen mending nets exchange greetings in Telugu as she walks by. She stops close to the water, where a fishing boat is tied up.

Newslaundry · Oct 21, 2025

Margins shrunk, farmers forced to switch: Trump tariffs sinking Odisha’s shrimp industry

The US has slapped a 50 percent tariff on Indian goods – from textiles and jewellery to shrimp and carpets – leaving exporters scrambling. This week, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu pegged the losses for his state’s shrimp farmers at around Rs 25,000 crore.

Newslaundry · Sep 17, 2025

India’s health systems need to prepare better for rising climate risks

Diarrhoea in October, heat stress in April, and malaria and dengue year-round are part of a new pattern that Suvarna Kamble (46), an accredited social health activist (ASHA) in Palghar district in Maharashtra, has identified in recent years.

Newslaundry · Sep 8, 2025

In Odisha’s poorest homes, migrant incomes build a new future

Lachchman Majhi remembers watching traditional folk theatre in Gopalpur village from a vantage point atop his father’s shoulders when he was a small boy.

Newslaundry · Sep 2, 2025

Many tongues, one people: the debate over linguistic diversity in India

India is a home to numerous ancient and linguistically rich languages across its many regions. In a single home, a young person may speak, for example, Odia (the language spoken in the eastern state of Odisha) with their grandparents, switch to English for homework, and enjoy listening to Hindi songs…

The Conversation · Jul 30, 2025

Death of Indian student who set herself on fire after sexual harassment complaint sparks national outrage

Woman, 20, dies days after accusing a professor of abuse and college staff of inaction

The Independent UK · Jul 16, 2025