The Odisha government on Thursday (May 1, 2025) rolled out SAHAJOG, a pioneering initiative designed to facilitate access to government welfare schemes for the urban poor. The scheme aims to identify eligible beneficiaries in urban areas and ensure they benefit from a range of social welfare measures.

Inaugurated by Krushna Chandra Mahapatra, the State Minister for Housing and Urban Development, SAHAJOG seeks to bridge the gap between urban poverty and available state assistance through a multi-pronged approach. These include mass awareness campaigns, doorstep delivery of services, and enhanced implementation mechanisms at both the Urban Local Body (ULB) and district levels.

The initiative has been scaled up following the success of a pilot project that was conducted in six ULBs, covering 5,000 households. The pilot phase was instrumental in identifying crucial gaps and refining strategies to reach the most vulnerable sections of the population effectively.

In its initial rollout, SAHAJOG will focus on 14 key welfare schemes, including the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), the provision of ration cards under the National Food Security Act, pipe water supply, issuance of Ayushman Cards, identification of persons with disabilities, and the Subhadra Yojana, among others.

The first phase of the project will be implemented in 44 ULBs across eight districts, benefiting an estimated 15 lakh residents. These districts—Khordha, Cuttack, Ganjam, Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, and Bhadrak—have been selected due to their relatively higher urban poor populations. Over time, the initiative is expected to be expanded to all ULBs across the State.

The initiative will follow a fast-track, campaign-mode approach during its first two months. Community volunteers and frontline workers will receive performance-based incentives, ensuring their active involvement in the execution. At the operational level, interdepartmental committees have been established at both State and district levels to ensure smooth coordination and efficient execution. The district committees will be chaired by the respective District Collectors.

The State government has positioned SAHAJOG as part of its broader developmental goals, aligning it with the “Viksit Odisha” and “Viksit Bharat” missions to accelerate inclusive growth and social welfare across urban sectors.

Police arrested eight persons on Thursday for their alleged involvement in the murder of a person that took place at Pulakurthi village in Kurnool district on April 28 (Monday). The deceased, Boya Nadipi Rangadu, was attacked with sticks by the accused at Gudur bus stand in Pulakurthi, leading to his death.

According to the police, Rangadu’s nephew Suresh had some disputes with the main accused, Boya Munuswami, over minor issues, since last year. The two used to be at loggerheads with each other and challenged to kill one other whenever they met. They had a clash during a village fair recently.

Following the clash, the village elders held a meeting to settle the differences between the two, during which Suresh abused and humiliated Munuswami. On April 26, Munuswami enquired with some villagers about the whereabouts of Suresh and threatened to kill him, if he was found.

After hearing about this, the deceased called Munuswami and asked the latter to come for a meeting and settle the issue. Munuswami did not attend the meeting, but attacked Suresh and Nadipi Rangadu along with his friends, leading to the death of Nadipi Rangadu. Munuswami and his seven other associates were arrested on Thursday.

Washington, DC: The United States and Ukraine have signed an “economic partnership agreement”, giving Washington access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in return for creating an investment fund in the country, CNN reported. Since President Donald Trump assumed office in January, the US and Ukraine have been trying to sign an agreement on natural resources.

The deal between the two nations comes after weeks of intense negotiations that at times became bitter and temporarily derailed US aid to Ukraine. On Wednesday, the US Treasury Department said that both nations signed the agreement. In a statement, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “As the President has said, the United States is committed to helping facilitate the end of this cruel and senseless war.”

He stated, “This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump Administration is committed to a peace process centred on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term,” CNN reported. He noted, “And to be clear, no state or person who financed or supplied the Russian war machine will be allowed to benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine.” Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko was in the US to sign the agreement on behalf of the Ukrainian government.

In a post on X, Svyrydenko stated, “On behalf of the Government of Ukraine, I signed the Agreement on the Establishment of a United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund. Together with the United States, we are creating the Fund that will attract global investment into our country.”

In the post, she stated, “It is the Ukrainian state that determines what and where to extract. Subsoil remains under Ukrainian ownership — this is clearly established in the Agreement.” The two nations signed the deal just hours after a last-minute disagreement over which documents to sign Wednesday threatened to derail the agreement.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was expected to sign the agreement during his visit to the US in February. However, the agreement was not signed after his visit was cut short following the contentious Oval Office meeting. The key sticking point of the negotiations included the question of security guarantees and whether the US would provide them as part of the agreement. Initially, Trump refused, saying he wanted Ukraine to sign the deal first and talk about security guarantees later, CNN reported.

At that time, Zelenskyy called the draft agreement as asking him to “sell” his nation. Since then, Ukrainian officials indicated they believed that US investment and the presence of US firms in Ukraine will make the US more interested in security of Ukraine.

Shortly after his visit, Trump ordered the suspension of US aid to Ukraine. The assistance has now been restored. However, his decision became a major wake-up call for Ukraine’s European allies, who have vowed to step up their help to Ukraine.

Trump has largely termed the agreement as Ukraine “paying back” for the aid which has been provided by the US to Ukraine since Russia started its military action in Ukraine in 2022.

The details of the agreement have not been disclosed publicly. However, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Sunday that the agreement “will not include assistance provided before its signing”, CNN reported.

Speaking on Wednesday, he called the deal a “strategic agreement on the establishment of an investment partnership fund”. He further said, “It is truly an equal and beneficial international agreement on joint investments in the development and recovery of Ukraine between the US and Ukrainian governments.”

Shmyhal said that under the deal, the US and Ukraine will create a joint investment fund in Ukraine with equal contributions from both and equal distribution of management shares between them. He said, “The American side may also count new, I emphasise new, military aid to Ukraine as a contribution to this fund.”