Authorities in Patna are ensuring safe Ram Navami celebrations with the 40-foot statue of Lord Ram. Electricity supply will be cut on procession routes, and low hanging wires are being addressed. Officials inspected the route, focusing on crowd management, medical facilities and road repairs.

Patna: As the Ram Navami puja committee is all set to take out the 40 feet tall idol of Lord Ram, the district administration has directed the South Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited (SBPDCL) to take all precautionary measures to prevent electric shock or accident.The idol of Lord Ram will be placed on a crane which will further increase its height.When contacted, SBPDCL executive engineer (Gaya urban) Azad Kumar Singh said work was being done to fix the low hanging distribution cables. The discom is also planning to switch off power supply along the Ram Navami procession route to ensure the safety of the participants.According to Mani Lal Barik, general secretary of Ram Navami Puja Committee, a total of 105 processions will be taken out from different parts of the city and the highest number (30) will be taken out from Vishnupad area.Barik clarified that there is no tradition of distributing swords among the participants in the procession and the weapons are given only to the three best performing Akharas.On Monday, District Magistrate Shashank Subhankar and SSP Sushil Kumar inspected the procession route from Azad Park to Vishnupad. As per traditions, all the processions gather near Azad Park and then move towards Vishnupad.Officials have been briefed about crowd management protocols. DM said that adequate medical facilities and proper lighting will be ensured near Azad Park. During the inspection, the DM saw open drains and rough roads on the procession route. Expressing his displeasure, the DM directed the officials to cover the drains and level the road surface.Strong barricading is being arranged near the Kali temple in Murarpur. This is considered a very sensitive point, hence there will be CCTV coverage, adequate lighting and deputation of magistrates. A mini control room will also be set up near the Kali temple.As per the instructions of DM, high level vigilance will be maintained in areas with mixed population and sensitive identified places. The DM also directed the Executive Engineer of SBPDCL to inform the electricity consumers in advance about the power cut during the procession. Electricity consumers will have to send SMS messages indicating the duration of power cuts in different areas.

Bhubaneswar: In Odisha University of Technology and Research (OUTR), Bhubaneswar, 103 teaching posts are lying vacant against the sanctioned strength of 184, affecting research and teaching work. Similarly, out of 99 non-academic posts in the university, 58 posts are lying vacant.Last Friday, Skill Development and Technical Education Minister Sampad Chandra Swain had told the state Assembly that an advertisement had been issued in 2024 to fill 92 teaching posts, which were vacant at that time. “But due to legal constraints, these posts have not been filled. Therefore, temporary guest lecturers have been appointed to meet the teaching requirements,” Swain said in his reply in the state assembly on Friday.OUTR vice-chancellor Vibhuti Bhushan Biswal said they have completed the teachers’ recruitment process that started in 2024, but are waiting for the Supreme Court order to publish the results. “Some candidates had approached the court over issues in the recruitment process. After getting the court order, we will issue appointment letters to the successful candidates. Then the vacancy issue will be resolved,” he said.Similarly, for non-teaching posts, only 41 out of the total sanctioned 99 posts have been filled, and retired government employees have been appointed temporarily as per the requirement.The Minister said that necessary steps are being taken to fill the teaching and non-teaching posts as per the prevailing rules.A university teacher said that teaching and research work is being affected due to shortage of faculty members. “Regular faculty members are overburdened with teaching, research, collaboration and administrative work. Due to work pressure, they are unable to focus on innovation and the quality of teaching and research gets compromised. To guide research scholars, we need regular teachers, as guest faculty members cannot guide PhD scholars,” he said.A BTech student from the Computer Science Engineering department said 81 regular teachers are not enough to teach or guide around 7,000 students. “Guest faculty cannot handle all the work related to research, innovation and collaboration. We need regular teachers to run the Center of Excellence. If more qualified teachers are appointed, we will get benefits in various fields including placements and research projects. We request the government to fill the teaching posts,” he said.The College of Engineering and Technology, established in 1981, was granted unitary university status on October 8, 2021 and became OUTR. Earlier, it was functioning under Biju Patnaik University of Technology since 2002.

Carlos Alcaraz (Image via Getty)

Carlos Alcaraz had a tough night at the 2026 Miami Open and it ended earlier than many expected. On 22 March, the world No. 1 lost to Sebastian Korda in the third round. The match went 6–3, 5–7, 6–4 in favor of Korda. It was a strong performance from the American, but for Alcaraz, it was another early exit in Miami that fans didn’t see coming.After the match, Alcaraz did not hide how he was feeling. Instead of rushing into training, he opened up about needing a short break. The Spaniard said he wanted to go home, spend time with family and friends and clear his mind before the busy clay season begins. His focus now is not just on tennis but also on rejuvenating himself mentally.

Carlos Alcaraz talks about his Miami Open loss to Sebastian Korda and his plan to reset ahead of clay season

Speaking after the match, Carlos Alcaraz kept things honest and simple. He said, “Well, I don’t know. I don’t know. Maybe I’m going to go back home, which I’m looking forward to, relax with my family, with my friends. A few days. I don’t know how much they, my team, are going to give me how much rest and a few days off. And all of a sudden you go back on track, back on the court.”He made it clear that this short break is important for him. The clay season is very close, and includes big tournaments like Monte Carlo, Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros. Alcaraz wants to be prepared in both body and mind. He added, “Clay season is around the corner and I have really good tournaments lined up and I’m excited to play there. I just feel like taking a few days off, resetting my mind, resetting my batteries and being ready and in good shape for the clay season.“This is now the second year in a row that Alcaraz has struggled in Miami. Last year, he lost to David Goffin in the second round despite winning the first set. In such a situation, this year’s result will seem even more disappointing for them.At the same time, Alcaraz gave full credit for the victory to Sebastian Korda. “Sebi was unbelievable today. He played a great match. There were a lot of tense moments that I couldn’t take advantage of and I think he was better in those points. I would say that was the key to the match. Congratulations to him. He deserves it,” he said.With this result, Korda has now improved its record against Alcaraz to two wins and four losses. The American will face Martin Landalues ​​in the fourth round as his form continues at the Miami Open.

As part of broader efforts to reduce India’s dependence on imported LPG and expand the biofuel ecosystem, the petroleum sector has urged industry stakeholders to explore ethanol as a clean cooking fuel for homes.RS Ravi, director (downstream), Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI), raised the proposal while addressing the All India Distillers Association conference, pointing to the ongoing research on ethanol-based cooking stoves, PTI reported.