22 October 2026
In a judgment of 16 October 2026 the Orissa High Court held that religious pandals put up on public roads do not by themselves violate the right to move freely under Article 19(1)(d) of the Constitution, provided access to the road is kept open in a restricted manner.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Mruganka Sekhar Sahoo decided Sarat Kumar Gajendra v Collector and District Magistrate, Khordha, W.P.(C) No. 26356 of 2025, with the neutral citation 2026:OHC:220-DB.
The petitioner lived about 50 metres from temporary puja pandals on a public road and had filed a public interest litigation.
The Court noted that the pandals had left a 22-feet passage open rather than blocking the road entirely.
It directed the State to ensure that vehicle movement is not completely disrupted, that enough space is left for ambulances and fire engines, and that permissible sound limits and a fixed closing time are observed.
The Court declined to order a blanket stoppage of the rituals and disposed of the petition.
Bench:
Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Mruganka Sekhar Sahoo
Passage left open:
22 feet
Why it matters for exams: Article 19(1)(d) and the balance between individual and collective rights are core polity material.
UPSCSSC
22 October 2026
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi co-chaired the Global CEOs Forum at INDIA CHEM 2026 in Mumbai on 22 October 2026.
He co-chaired it with Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda, Union Minister of State Anupriya Patel and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
The forum brought industry leaders and policymakers together on investment, innovation, supply chain resilience and sustainable growth in the chemicals and petrochemicals sector.
Participants called for stronger industry partnerships, a resilient manufacturing ecosystem and new investment avenues to improve India's global competitiveness.
The Chief Minister was on a two-day visit to Mumbai that began on 21 October 2026.
Event:
Global CEOs Forum, INDIA CHEM 2026
Venue:
Mumbai
Why it matters for exams: Chief Ministers, Union Ministers and national industry events are standard state-focus questions.
UPSCBank
22 October 2026
At the inaugural session of INDIA CHEM 2026 in Mumbai on 22 October 2026, Odisha set out its aim of becoming a major destination for chemical and petrochemical manufacturing.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi attended along with the Chief Ministers of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, in the presence of Union Minister J P Nadda and Union Minister of State Anupriya Patel.
The State said it will build up downstream manufacturing, add value and attract fresh investment to create jobs.
It cited its natural resources, industrial base, investment-ready infrastructure and progressive policies as its strengths.
The Chief Minister's Office linked the push to the Samruddha Odisha vision.
Vision named:
Samruddha Odisha
Why it matters for exams: State industrial visions and their named slogans are asked directly in state-focus sections.
UPSCBank
23 October 2026
The 19th Urban Mobility India Conference cum Exhibition is being held at Hotel Mayfair Sanctuary in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on 23 and 24 October 2026.
It is an annual event organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India.
The theme of this edition is Urban Accessibility and Liveability in Digital Age.
Details of the conference are published by the Ministry through the conference website urbanmobilityindia.in.
The event brings interested participants from across the country to Odisha's capital.
Edition:
19th
Theme:
Urban Accessibility and Liveability in Digital Age
Why it matters for exams: Conference editions, themes and host cities are asked verbatim in current affairs papers.
UPSCSSC
22 October 2026
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a data centre built at a cost of 170 crore rupees near Jatni in Khordha district of Odisha on 25 October 2026.
UNI reported the plan on 22 October 2026, describing the facility as an artificial intelligence data centre in Khordha district.
Odisha Bharatiya Janata Party vice-president Jatin Mohanty welcomed the visit.
The Week reported the same day that it is a greenfield Reserve Bank of India data centre that will serve as a secondary backup to the RBI's primary facility at Navi Mumbai, and that the campus lies at Info Valley-II in Jatni on the Kolkata-Chennai National Highway and covers 18.55 acres.
It also reported that the Prime Minister will inaugurate an Enterprise Computing and Cybersecurity Training Institute on the same campus, which will train technical experts to address cyber threats, and that he is expected to reach Bhubaneswar at 4 pm for a programme of about one hour.
Cost:
Rs 170 crore
Site area:
18.55 acres
Inauguration:
25 October 2026
Why it matters for exams: Data centre locations, costs and the institutions attached to them are asked in both economy and science sections.
UPSCSSCBank
Background
The Similipal Biosphere Reserve in Odisha lies within two biogeographical regions, the Mahanadian east coastal region of the Oriental realm and the Chhotanagpur biotic province of the Deccan peninsular zone. Volcanic-sedimentary rocks occur there in three concentric rings, which accentuates the geology of the area. The highest peak in the Similipal hill range is Khairiburu at 1,168 m. Numerous waterfalls and perennial streams flow into major rivers, including the Budhabalang, Baitarani and Subarnarekha. UNESCO records 2009 as the year of nomination of Similipal under its Man and the Biosphere Programme. The biosphere reserve contains the largest tract of sal tree (Shorea robusta) in India, and its tropical monsoon climate supports 1,076 species of vascular plants, including 93 orchids and around 300 medicinal plants. The reserve is home to 42 mammal species, 264 bird species, 39 reptiles and 12 amphibians, and the Bengal tiger and the Asiatic elephant are both present. There are 1,265 villages within the biosphere reserve; the Erenga Kharias and the Mankirdias inhabit the forests and practise traditional livelihoods, and other dominant tribes include the Ho, Gonda and Munda. The National Tiger Conservation Authority lists Similipal and Satkosia as the two tiger reserves of Odisha.
Year of nomination (UNESCO MAB):
2009
Highest peak:
Khairiburu at 1,168 m
Rivers fed:
Budhabalang, Baitarani and Subarnarekha
Vascular plants:
1,076 species, including 93 orchids
Villages inside the reserve:
1,265
Why it matters for exams: Similipal appears in questions on biosphere reserves, on tiger reserves and on the rivers of Odisha, so one item covers three seams.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Sal Shorea robusta — A hardwood tree of moist deciduous forest; Similipal holds the largest tract of it in India.
Biosphere reserve Biosphere reserve — An area recognised under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme for combining conservation with sustainable use.
Background
Paradip is one of the Major Ports of India, and the port records Biju Patnaik, the then Chief Minister of Odisha, as its founder father. Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India, laid the foundation stone of the port on 3rd January 1962 near the confluence of the river Mahanadi and the Bay of Bengal. The Government of India took over the management of the port from the Government of Odisha on 1st June 1965. The port was declared open by Peter Stambolic, the then Prime Minister of Yugoslavia. The Government of India declared Paradip Port the Eighth Major Port of India on 18th April 1966, making it the first major port on the East Coast to be commissioned after independence. Paradip Port Authority functions under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and is administered by a Board of Trustees set up by the Government of India and headed by its Chairman. The trustees are nominated by the Government of India from various users of the port, such as shippers, ship owners, the Government departments concerned and port labour. Day to day administration is carried out under the general supervision and control of the Chairman, assisted by the Deputy Chairman and other departmental heads.
Foundation stone:
Laid by Jawaharlal Nehru on 3rd January 1962
Taken over by the Centre:
1st June 1965
Declared a Major Port:
Eighth Major Port of India, 18th April 1966
Founder father:
Biju Patnaik
Ministry:
Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways
Why it matters for exams: The founder, the river at its mouth and its rank among the Major Ports are the three Paradip facts examiners use.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Major Port Major Port — A port administered by the Union Government rather than by a State government.
Background
Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, is a city of many Hindu temples, among them the Lingaraj Temple. The temple architecture of the State is built in the Kalinga style, whose intricacies have drawn pilgrims and art enthusiasts for centuries. The Konark Sun Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is dedicated to the sun god Surya and is designed in the shape of a colossal chariot, complete with intricately carved wheels and sculptures. The Jagannath Temple in Puri draws millions of devotees and tourists each year, with towering spires and intricate carvings. At the Rath Yatra in Puri the deities Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra are carried in grand chariots. The Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves near Bhubaneswar are rock-cut caves that date back to the 2nd century BCE and offer a glimpse into the ascetic life of Jain monks, with carvings, meditation cells and ancient inscriptions. The Konark Dance Festival is held against the backdrop of the Konark Sun Temple and showcases classical dance forms from across India. Raghurajpur is a quaint village known for its Pattachitra art. The coastline of Odisha stretches for over 480 kilometres, with Puri Beach and Gopalpur-on-Sea among its best known stretches.
Capital:
Bhubaneswar
World Heritage Site:
Konark Sun Temple
Temple architecture:
Kalinga style
Jain rock-cut caves:
Udayagiri and Khandagiri
Pattachitra village:
Raghurajpur
Why it matters for exams: Konark, the Jagannath Temple, the Jain caves at Udayagiri and Khandagiri and Pattachitra at Raghurajpur are standard art and culture questions on Odisha.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Pattachitra Pattachitra — A cloth-based scroll painting tradition of Odisha, with Raghurajpur as a well known centre.
Kalinga architecture Kalinga architecture — The temple building style of Odisha, seen at Bhubaneswar, Puri and Konark.
Background
Chilika Lake is a Ramsar site, and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has provided funds for its conservation and management under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems and Development of Wildlife Habitats. The Chilika Development Authority has taken up excavation of the feeder channel, de-weeding of the water hyacinth, dredging of the lead channel, and bird monitoring and conservation at the Nalaban and Mangalajodi important bird congregation areas. Water quality is monitored monthly at 33 predefined stations spread over four sectors of the lake. A standard operating procedure for dolphin watching has been developed to reduce the impact of tourism on the Irrawaddy Dolphins population in the narrow outer channel, and regular patrolling is done by Chilika Wildlife Division staff. More than 152 square kilometers of gherries have been removed from Chilika during joint enforcement drives, which restored the sea grass ecosystem. In the outer channel of the lake near the villages Sipakuda and Gabakunda, plantation of mangroves has been carried out. Chilika Lake and Bhitarkanika National Park were two of the five priority Ramsar sites identified in the first phase of the Amrit Dharohar initiative, the others being Sultanpur National Park, Sirpur wetland and Yashwant Sagar. Under the Amrit Dharohar Capacity Building Scheme at Chilika, two training programmes of 15 days each, the Alternative Livelihood program and the Paryatan Navik Certificate, were to be conducted, and a total of 60 participants were identified from the local communities in and around Chilika Lake with the help of the Chilika Development Authority. The Ministry of Tourism describes Chilika Lake as Asia's largest coastal lagoon and a habitat of the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins.
Ramsar sites in Odisha named:
Chilika Lake and Bhitarkanika National Park
Managing authority for Chilika:
Chilika Development Authority
Water quality stations:
33 stations over four sectors
Bird congregation areas:
Nalaban and Mangalajodi
Flagship species:
Irrawaddy dolphin
Why it matters for exams: Odisha's Ramsar sites, the Chilika Development Authority and the Irrawaddy dolphin are asked in environment and geography papers alike.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Ramsar site Ramsar site — A wetland listed as internationally important under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
Gherry Gherry — An enclosure put up in the lake for aquaculture; removing them restored sea grass in Chilika.
Background
The Orissa High Court's ruling that a Muslim mother may be appointed guardian of her minor child's property rests on the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890.
The Act is a secular, procedural law that lets a competent court appoint a guardian for a minor's person or property whatever the minor's religion.
Section 7 of the Act is the power to make an order of guardianship, and Section 17 sets out the matters a court must consider in choosing a guardian.
Section 29 restricts a guardian appointed by the court from dealing with the ward's immovable property without the court's permission.
Section 31 governs how that permission is sought and granted, including the conditions a court may attach.
Under the Act, a court-appointed guardian derives authority from the order of the court and not from personal law.
Year of the Act:
1890
Sections applied:
7, 17, 29 and 31
Why it matters for exams: Section numbers of the Guardians and Wards Act are directly examinable in law and polity sections.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
Tata Power's new centre in Odisha is the first global capability centre set up under the state's dedicated policy, so the policy itself is worth knowing.
The Odisha GCC Policy was unveiled a year before that announcement.
It targets more than 1,000 crore rupees of investment in global capability centres in the state.
The policy names seven places as hubs: Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Paradip, Bargarh, Jharsuguda and Sambalpur.
A global capability centre is an in-house offshore unit that runs technology and support work for a company rather than selling services to outside clients, although a centre may also build products for outside customers.
Investment target:
Over ₹1,000 crore
Hubs named:
Seven
Why it matters for exams: State policies with named hub towns and investment targets are easy marks in state-focus sections.
UPSCSSCBank
State Focus
Odisha
Background
Sports
Background
Bhubaneswar, which hosted the 19th Urban Mobility India Conference this week, is also the home ground of Indian hockey.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi felicitated the Indian men's and women's hockey teams at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar for winning gold at the Asian Games and qualifying for the Los Angeles Olympics.
The state announced 11 lakh rupees for each player and 5.50 lakh rupees for each member of the support staff.
The Chief Minister said Odisha would always remain a steadfast partner in the teams' success.
He reaffirmed the government's goal of making the state one of the country's leading sporting capitals.
Award per player:
₹11 lakh
Award per support staff member:
₹5.50 lakh
Why it matters for exams: Kalinga Stadium and Odisha's patronage of Indian hockey are standard sports general knowledge.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC