Lightning Strike In Odisha
Lightning strikes claimed 1,472 lives in state in 5 years: Odisha minister
Lightning strikes have claimed 1,472 lives and left 145 people injured in Odisha in the last five years, state Revenue & Disaster Management Minister Sudam Marndi told the Odisha assembly on Wednesday. Replying to a query by Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati, the minister said the state government had declared lightning as a disaster in June 2015. An ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each has been paid to the next of kin of those killed in lightning strikes in accordance with state disaster response fund guidelines, he said. Similarly, a compensation of Rs 2.50 lakh is being provided to any person in case he or she loses an eye (s) or any other organ leading to a disability of more than 60 per cent due to a lightning strike, he added. If the disability is between 40 per cent and 60 per cent, the compensation amount is Rs 74,000, he said. The government has also made a provision for a compensation of Rs 16,000 if a person requires hospitalisation for more than a week due to a lightning ...
 "Lightning strikes claimed 1,472 lives in state in 5 years: Odisha minister")
Odisha asks forest, agri depts to plant palm trees to mitigate lightning
The Odisha government has asked the Forest and Agriculture departments to take up massive palm tree plantation as an effective mitigation measure to avoid death of people due to lightning strike in rural areas. The decision in this regard was taken at an inter-departmental meeting convened by Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Satyabrata Sahu. "Inter-departmental meeting held by SRC for undertaking disaster resilient projects under Disaster Mitigation Fund. @ForestDeptt & @krushibibhag asked to take up massive Palm tree plantation in reserve forest area and other vulnerable districts as a #Lightning mitigation measures," the SRC said in a post in X. The SRC's decision came in the wake of many people, mostly farmers losing their lives due to lightning strikes while working in agricultural fields. As many as 281 lightning deaths were reported in 2021-22, most of them from rural areas. Stating that environmentalists and weather experts have opined that rampant felling of palm trees ...
 "Odisha asks forest, agri depts to plant palm trees to mitigate lightning")
Lightning strikes kill 33 in 2 days in Odisha
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik announced ex- gratia of Rs 4 lakh each for the families of the 18 people
 "Lightning strikes kill 33 in 2 days in Odisha")
