Odisha issues advisory for impending locust attack, instructions given to over 8L farmers

Issuing an advisory for an impending locust attack, the Odisha government on Tuesday appointed nodal officers to each district who will be sensitized on how to deal with the locust swarm. As it has been predicted that a locust invasion is possible around June 15, the Centre and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has issued the advisory, including instructions to more than 8 lakh farmers. The government has also said that concerned officials at the district level will take measures as per the situation and that drones will be used to spray insecticides.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Pawan Kumar Agarwal, the Vice-Chancellor of the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT)  said the government will use drones to spray insecticides in remote or difficult areas to kill locusts.

"Control rooms in Bhubaneswar and all districts have been set up to coordinate efforts for combating locusts menace. The Government will use drones to spray insecticides in remote or difficult area. If locusts swarms enter Odisha, they may damage crops in western Odisha because after that monsoon will reach the state and affect locusts' movement," he added.

In a bid to control the locust attack in the country, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on May 28 had said that 15 sprayers will arrive from Britain in the next 15 days.

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Odisha's SOP for reopening lockdown

On Monday, June 1, the Odisha government issued new guidelines for the fifth phase of the lockdown in the state till June 30. Despite the Ministry of Home Affairs mandating a reduction in the night curfew time, the movement of people shall continue to be restricted between 7 pm and 7 am except for essential services. The penalties for spitting in public and not wearing a mask have been beefed up whereby people shall be fined Rs.500 for the first and second violations and Rs.1000 for subsequent violations. There will be a total shutdown in 11 districts- Ganjam, Puri, Nayagarh, Khurda, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, and Bolangi on Saturdays and Sundays. 

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While hotels can function with 30% occupancy, shopping malls, cinema halls, gyms, swimming pools will not open in the state. People shall not be allowed to enter places of worship until June 30. Moreover, outdoor activities would not be permitted for persons with co-morbidities, persons above 65 years old, pregnant women, and children below 10 years old. All the educational institutions in the state shall remain shut. 

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Covid cases in Odisha

Odisha registered its highest single-day spike of COVID-19 cases on Monday with 156 new infections, taking the state's tally to 2,104, a Health Department official said. As many as 119 patients also recovered from the disease during the day, the highest in a single day in the state. Of the total 2,104 cases, 1,245 patients have recovered so far. With fresh cases and recoveries, the number of active cases dipped to 850 from 969, the official said. The new cases were reported from 19 of the state's 30 districts. Most of the new cases were reported from Kendrapara (50), followed by Cuttack (20), Ganjam (17), Jagatsinghpur (14), Jajpur (11), Kandhamal (9), Bhadrak (7).

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