LED lights set to replace conventional bulbs

Managing Director of Energy Efficiency Services Limited Saurabh Kumar speaks at a meeting in Guntur on Tuesday

Guntur chosen for energy saving project by EECL. The issues, however, could crop up during the distribution of LED bulbs. Consumers might come up with multiple bills, leakages, local pressure etc.

Guntur district will see energy revolution as the Centre has chosen the district for implementing an energy saving project in association with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL).

During the first phase of the district, over 20 lakh LED bulbs would be given away to consumers at a price of Rs.10 each. While each LED bulb costs Rs. 240, the APSPDCL would pay the cost to EECL in five years during the time, it continues to save huge amounts on power bills.

“We have implemented the project in Puducherry and it costs Rs. 499 per bulb. Now each bulb costs Rs.240 and going by the pace at which LED lighting is being used, we expect that the cost will come down. Anyhow, we will transfer the cost benefit back to distribution companies,” said Managing Director of EECL Saurabh Kumar.

Superintendent Engineer, APSPDCL, K. Santhosh Rao said that efforts were on to start to project during Janmabhoomi programme. Power consumption is going to drastically come down by using 7-10 watts LED bulbs. Each LED bulb has a shelf life of 50,000 hours, he said.

The issues, however, could crop up during the distribution of LED bulbs. Consumers might come up with multiple bills, leakages, local pressure etc.

“Power saving by LED bulbs would be huge. For instance, LED bulb consumes just 52 watts per unit and 7-10 watt LED bulb would emit sufficient luminosity equal to 100 watt conventional bulb. LED bulbs are easier to be disposed off than conventional CFL lamps,” said Mr. Saurabh Kumar.

The EECL is a public sector unit under Ministry of Power, New Delhi formed under Energy Conservation Act four years ago. It was set up to give a fillip to mission to save power and increase energy efficiency.

Protests mar MBBS counselling in Vijayawada

Candidates appearing in the MBBS counselling staging a protest at the NTR University of Health Sciences premises along with their parents in Vijayawada on Tuesday

Candidates demand filling of all 550 seats in six colleges. However, only three colleges (FIMS, MRIMS and MIMS) paid the money and undertook to upgrade the infrastructure while the other reneged on their commitment to improve facilities in the respective institutions.

Counselling for admission to MBBS seats being held at NTR University of Health Sciences (NTRUHS) here on Tuesday was marred by protests. Some candidates and their parents squatted at the venue demanding that counselling be conducted for all 550 cancelled seats which were restored to six medical colleges subject to the condition that each one of them has to deposit Rs. 10 crore with the Medical Council of India (MCI), file affidavits with the Supreme Court and submit copies of the same to NTRUHS.

While doing so, they were asked to take steps for upgrading their facilities before the year-end. Failure to do so would result in forfeiture of the deposits paid by them. The MCI had cancelled 550 seats in Fatima Institute of Medical Sciences (FIMS), Kadapa (100 seats), Great Eastern Medical School and Hospital, Srikakulam (100), Katuri Medical College and Hospital, Guntur (50), Malla Reddy Institute of Medical Sciences (MRIMS), Ranga Reddy district (150), Mediciti Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS), Hyderabad (50) and VRK Medical College, Hyderabad (100) but subsequently restored them by imposing the conditions when those colleges challenged the MCI’s decision to cancel seats.

However, only three colleges (FIMS, MRIMS and MIMS) paid the money and undertook to upgrade the infrastructure while the other reneged on their commitment to improve facilities in the respective institutions. Candidates who reached NTRUHS on Tuesday to participate in the counselling insisted that all the 550 seats should be filled but the varsity officials could not oblige them for obvious reasons.

NTRUHS Vice-Chancellor T. Ravi Raju told The Hindu that the government was informed of the controversy and hoped that a decision would be taken soon. Counselling could not be held for 250 seats in the three colleges as any step in that direction would be contempt of court, he said.

Global meet on marine and agricultural biotechnology

JNTUK Vice-Chancellor G. Tulasi Ram Das (centre) addressing the media in Vijayawada on Tuesday. Also seen are (left) Kakarla Srinivas, working president of Godavari Knowledge Society, and M.S.Shankara Prasad, secetary of the society

Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Kakinada (JNTUK), in association with Godavari Knowledge Park (GKP), is organising BioAndhra-2014 an international conference on marine and agricultural biotechnology on the university’s Kakinada campus from October 16 to 18.

The new State has plenty of natural resources that help in taking up different biotechnology projects. There is lot of potential in this sector, besides providing an opportunity for entrepreneurs to set up new industries and this would in turn generate employment.

The objective behind organising the conference was to provide a platform for new initiatives and partnerships with clear measures common to researchers, technologists, venture capitalists and policy makers to set sensible and practical road maps to make Andhra Pradesh a new biotech destination, said JNTUK Vice-chancellor G. Tulasi Ram Das.

The State government is extending all support for the conference, and there is a possibility of unveiling a life sciences and biotech policy for the new State. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Union Ministers Jitendra Singh and Nirmala Seetharaman and other State Ministers are likely to participate in the conference, he said at a press conference here on Tuesday.

The conference is aimed at inspiring individuals with deep research interests and promoting disciplined applied research in academic institutions with an objective to share socio-technically relevant ideas that would facilitate new initiatives in the State.

Eminent scientists, dignitaries, industrialists and a special delegation from the United Nations would also be participating in the conference. GKP is a technology business incubator formed in the university campus as a public private partnership with JNTUK. In the last four months, GKP has attracted a few start-up companies and will be shortly filing around five patents based on the ideas generated by students, claimed M.S.Shankara Prasad, secretary of GKP.

Google partners with AP to develop Telugu internet

IT Secretary Sanjay Jaju signing MoU with Google India Vice President & MD Rajan Anandan to promote digital literacy and develop Telugu internet as Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu watches at the CEOs' conclave in Visakhapatnam on Monday

The Andhra Pradesh Government signed a historic MoU with Google here at CEOs’ conclave on Monday to develop Telugu internet and launch a series of initiatives to transform the State into digital AP in a record time.

Complimenting Google for its association, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said digitalisation and internet literacy should be achieved in tune with the speed with which Google functions.

Google India Vice-President and Managing Director Rajan Anandan and Principal Secretary, IT Sanjay Jaju signed the agreement in the presence of Mr. Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister China Rajappa, Ministers Palle Raghunatha Reddy, Ganta Srinivasa Rao, Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu and P. Sujatha.

“We want to become first State to embrace Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Digital India and set an example to other States to follow. I will personally monitor the progress,” Mr. Naidu said.

Google, a top web property specialising innovative search technologies, which was launched by Stanford PhD students Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998, will also connect all women self-help groups through the internet in three years.

The initiatives will include developing Telugu font, keyboards, content and increasing access to government websites and scaling the local language web to throw window of opportunities for entrepreneurship.

As per the MoU, Google will help government make their websites mobile-ready and accessible in Telugu, promote internet safety among children and government officials, improve and get more local language content online and promote digital literacy among women and help small and medium business to gain from the internet economy.

Teppotsavam: Processional idols kept in police station

Unique practice since British era - Processional idol of deity - Kanaka Durga kept in police station after Teppotsavam. The tradition took such deep roots that the local people used to stop for a while and do ‘namaskaram’ to the police station, says police officers like Hanumantha Rao, who worked in One Town police station.

Believe it or not! The Utsava Vigraham, processional idol, of the presiding deity of Indrakeeladri is not moved back into the temple after conductingTeppotsavam on Vijaya Dasami.

Instead, it is shifted to One Town police station and kept there for the whole night. Probably no other temple in the State has such a fascinating feature.

The policemen, during Dasara, gear up not just for maintaining Law and Order or traffic management. Festivities begin at One Town police station on par with Sri Durga Malleswara Swamyvarla Devasthanam. The police station is spruced up for the festival like any other household for the festival. Temple authorities and police officials merely say that “it has been a practice since the British rule.”

Police officials compete to get posted in One Town police station for the privilege of safeguarding the Utsava Vigraham as well as commencing the ritual, which is vested with a sub-inspector under whose jurisdiction the temple is located. During the British regime, a police official used to break a coconut and commence the festival. The tradition was clearly mentioned in the Endowments Gazette published in 1930 that the SI of One Town police station would break the coconut, say police officials.

The tradition took such deep roots that the local people used to stop for a while and do ‘namaskaram’ to the police station, says police officers like Hanumantha Rao, who worked in One Town police station.

The tradition continued smoothly till 1997, when the temple officials and the police came to loggerheads, with each insisting that it was their right to break the first coconut. The temple officials maintained that it was a temple ritual and, hence, the executive officer should get the first chance. The police negated this saying it was against the tradition.

It's a win-win situation, urges finance minister

Finance minister and chairman of group of ministers on land pooling, Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, said the AP government would incorporate the views of the farmers while preparing the guidelines for land pooling for the new capital.

A crucial meeting is slated on October 6 to finalize the guidelines for land-pooling.

The AP government is planning to attract farmers for land pooling to acquire about one lakh acres around Vijayawada. As enough government land is not available around Vijayawada, the TDP regime had to shift its focus towards the land owned by farmers. Therefore the land pooling system was thought of. This method was previously followed by Gujarat and Chhattisgarh for building their capitals at Gandhinagar and Raipur respectively.

The government last week appointed a group of ministers (GOM) headed by Ramakrishnudu to evolve the guidelines for land pooling to rope in more farmers to part with their land.

Interacting with the media on Monday, the minister said nothing would be done unilaterally. "The government wants a win-win situation for the capital and the farmers. First, we want to formulate some guidelines. Later, we will incorporate suggestions from farmers as well," he said.

Dismissing reports that farmers were not coming forth to part with their land, the minister said he had concrete information that farmers were really enthused about the proposal. "The methodology we are going to adapt would benefit the farmers greatly as they will get fully developed land in lieu of their agricultural land," he said.

‘Expert panel will submit report on Krishna delta modernisation works’

Ministers D. Umamaheswara Rao (Irrigation), P. Pulla Rao (Agriculture) and R. Kishore Babu (Social Welfare) at a review meeting in Guntur on Monday

Irrigation Minister warns of stringent action against erring contractors, engineers. The Minister was speaking at the end of a review meeting held with elected representatives and peasant leaders of four districts of Guntur, Praksam, Krishna and West Godavari.

Minister for Irrigation Devineni Umamaheswara Rao on Monday said an expert committee consisting of retired irrigation engineers will visit areas under Krishna Delta System and submit proposals to complete pending works relating to modernisation of Krishna Delta system. The committee members are Ch. Veeraiah, Rosaiah and Subba Rao.

The Minister said a detailed report on the alleged laxity of contractors would be submitted for further action. Mr. Rao said works to the tune of Rs.1,300 crore were awarded on EPC basis to contractors who flouted all norms in preparing the designs, estimates and in execution of works.

The Minister was speaking at the end of a review meeting held with elected representatives and peasant leaders of four districts of Guntur, Praksam, Krishna and West Godavari here.

Earlier, the leaders came down heavily on Irrigation Department for delay and corruption in the works related modernisation of Krishna Delta System (KDS) at the meeting.

The Krishna Delta system was an age old irrigation system in A.P and has an ayacut of 13.08 lakh acres in which Krishna district has 6,79 lakh acres, Guntur (4.99 lakh acres), Prakasam (0.72 lakh acres) and West Godavari (0.58 lakh acres).

The project relating to modernisation of a vast network of irrigation canals and drains in Krishna Delta was conceived in 2007 after a severe cyclonic storm wreaked havoc in Krishna, Guntur and Prakasam districts.

“Even after seven years, not even 20 per cent of works were completed relating to modernization of drainage canals and in some cases, works were not completed even after the contractors were paid mobilisation advances. Tail end areas have not got water due to delay in modernisation. In the coming days, we may not get assured water supply and we should ensure that the modernisation works should be completed to ensure ayacut does not go dry,’’ said Yerneni Nagendranath, a peasant leader.

Santhanutulapadu MLA A. Suresh said the delay in executing modernisation of Romperu basin was causing havoc in coastal mandals of Prakasam district.

Former MP Y. Sivaji said laxity of revenue officials should also be probed in delay of execution of relief and rehabilitation packages of project displaced families of Dr K.L. Rao Multi Purpose project (Pulichintala).

Ministers P. Pulla Rao, R. Kishore Babu, Collector Kantilal Dande and Joint Collector Vievk Yadav and CE, Irrigation Circle, Guntur Ramesh Babu were present at the meeting.

Fire HQ at Vijayawada to open in Nov.

Director-General of Fire Services N. Sambasiva Rao (left) inspecting the construction of the department's head office building in Vijayawada on Monday. - Photo: BY arrangement

The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Response and Fire Services Department will start functioning from its new head office building that is coming up near the Police Control Room here by early November.

Foundation for the building, which is estimated to cost Rs. 2 crore, was laid four months ago, and the construction is expected to be completed by the end of October.

Director-General of Fiore Services N. Sambasiva Rao told The Hindu that public services such as issue of no-objection certificates would be offered for three to four days in a week, but works like budgeting will be done in Hyderabad.

The Director-General or Director of Fire Services will supervise departmental operations in the city.

The Disaster Response and Fire Services will be the first department to shift to Vijayawada from Hyderabad post-bifurcation.

Moreover, the government is contemplating taking the help of private industries in dealing with contingencies, particularly fire accidents, as some of them possess modern equipment, which can quickly contain the damage. Efforts are also on to improve skills of officers and staff with the help of National Disaster Response Force, Mr. Rao said, adding that the emphasis was on mapping the areas prone to disasters, both man-made and natural.

New address

Fire HQ to open in Nov.

The State Disaster Response and Fire Services Department will start functioning from its new head office building, which is coming up near the Police Control Room here, by early November. The foundation for the building, which is estimated to cost Rs. 2 crore, was laid four months ago, and the construction is expected to be completed by the end of October. This will be the first department to shift to Vijayawada from Hyderabad post-bifurcation.

Devotees throng Indrakeeladri on 5th day

A priest performing kum kum archana as part of Dasara celebrations at Bhavani Mandapam atop of Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada on Monday, September 29, 2014. Photo: Ch.Vijaya Bhaskar

Thousands of devotees continued to arrive at Indrakeeladri for the darshan of Goddess Kanakadurga on the fifth day of Dasara on Monday. Though devotee-turnout took a nosedive after noon, the number swelled in the evening.

Till noon, around 60,000 devotees visited the temple but the temple witnessed a good turnout of devotees from all over the State by evening. “We expect around 80,000 before the close of the temple,” said officials.

Vijayawada (West) MLA Jaleel Khan presented silk robes to the presiding deity in the morning. Priests offered him traditional welcome and presented him ‘prasadam’ and photos of the deity. “The State Government should declare Dasara festival as State festival keeping in mind its popularity among the devotees all over the country”. Former minister Kolusu Parthasarathy also visited the temple along with his wife.

APCC sets up complaints cell for pensions, ration cards

The cell would function from October 1 to 20 wherein people could send their representations by post or email - congresscommittee.ap@gmail.com

The Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has decided to set up a complaints cell for receiving representations relating to deletion of names of eligible beneficiaries from pensions and ration cards at Andhra Ratna Bhavan in Vijayawada.

The development comes ahead of Janmabhoomi – Maa Vuru, mass contact programme, slated to start from October 2. The APCC is suspecting that the TDP Government is trying to deny benefits to eligible people in the name of preparing list of beneficiaries.

APCC president N. Raghuveera Reddy said the cell would function from October 1 to 20 wherein people could send their representations by post or email (congresscommittee.ap@gmail.com). He said the government had already prepared a list of beneficiaries of welfare schemes and was in the process of removing names of a majority of eligible people. The list of all beneficiaries should be made public if the Government was committed to help the poor and marginal families.

He faulted the government’s move to link welfare schemes with Aadhar enrolment claiming that the issue had been settled by the Supreme Court, which said the linkage was not mandatory. “We will counter the government’s moves in a democratic manner and will ensure that eligible people are not denied the benefits,” he said. The APCC was prepared to take legal recourse, if need be, in this regard.

He demanded that the government ensure that pensions, farm loan waiver and its other promises were put on the top of its agenda during the Janmabhoomi programme. He criticised the government for contemplating issuance of bonds to farmers claiming that it would not serve the immediate needs of ryots, who were already struggling for want of financial assistance to raise the crops.

There was no clarity as to whether the farm loan waiver would be implemented for the ongoing kharif or whether it would be deferred to the next rabi season. The government should announce a clear time frame for the implementation of its promise as farmers were anxiously waiting for it.

Choice of capital reflects potential of VGTM region

No other region in the State has two Municipal Corporations (Vijayawada and Guntur) and two municipalities (Tenali and Mangalagiri) situated so close to each other

Repeated assertions by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu that Vijayawada, Guntur, Tenali and Mangalagiri (VGTM) region was best suited for capital of Andhra Pradesh reflect the tremendous potential that Vijayawada and Guntur have for development into a mega city. By virtue of their proximity to those cities Tenali and Mangalagiri are equally poised for growth.

Their location in a radius of just 40 km and availability of physical and social infrastructure are major factors that tilted the scales in their favour in selection of the capital city. No other region in the State has two Municipal Corporations (Vijayawada and Guntur) and two municipalities (Tenali and Mangalagiri) situated so close to each other.

The region is well connected by road and rail. Gannavaram airport is set for a major expansion with the Central government giving it due priority after the announcement on the capital was made. The seaport at Machilipatnam is expected to take off sooner than later with the government firmly resolving to facilitate development of 10 ports by establishing the Maritime Board.

The Krishna delta spread across Krishna and Guntur districts produce an impressive range of crops. Guntur district has a large number of spinning mills and more number of cold storages than any other district in the State. Vijayawada and Guntur have been major centres of learning for several decades. The two districts have six major institutions – NTR University of Health Sciences, Acharya Nagarjuna University, Krishna University, Koneru Lakshmaiah University, Vignan University and IIIT at Nuzvid – there by eliminating any scope for dearth in the human resource required to propel the future growth plans.

The Government General Hospital at Guntur, which was recently equipped with a super-speciality wing Dr. Podila Prasad GMCANA (Guntur Medical Alumni of North America) Super-Specialty and Trauma Centre, is the second best government hospital in the coastal districts after King George Hospital at Visakhapatnam. The two districts have no dearth of tourist spots.

Barring cement factories at Dachepalli (Guntur district) and Jaggaiahpet (Krishna), the two districts have no big manufacturing industries. This is a bane but there are some positive signs of improvement on that front emerging with government laying greater emphasis on industrialisation.

“The choice of VGTM as capital region is undoubtedly the best choice as it has readily available infrastructure and plentiful natural and human resources. The productivity levels in these districts are highest in the State”, Confederation of Indian Industry Vijayawada Zone Chairman V.V.M. Krishna toldThe Hindu.

He exuded confidence that the calculations of the government will not go wrong, but then, enough care must be taken to ensure that physical infrastructure development is given immediate priority.

‘Exercise must to ward off heart diseases’

Cardiologist A. Purnanand speaking at an awareness programme on World Heart Day organised by The Hindu in association with Purna Heart Institute in Vijayawada on Monday. - PHOTO: V. RAJU

Cardiologists have underlined the need for preventive measures rather than curative processes to avert lifestyle diseases. They were speaking at a programme organised by The Hindu in association with Purna Heart Institute on World Heart Day in the city on Monday.

“Among the factors that trigger cardiac problems, lifestyle, hypertension and diet were the prime ones. As a result, there is a steep rise in the number of people aged below 40 suffering heart attacks,” said Dr. A. Purnanand, consultant cardiologist at Purna Heart Institute.

Speaking on the topic, ‘Heart Disease – Lifestyle Management’, he said people should maintain a healthy lifestyle, comprising regular exercise and proper diet. “They should also avoid smoking and alcohol, besides controlling stress. This is especially necessary in the context of rapid urbanisation that threatens the next generation, with 10 per cent of India’s population suffering with cardiac problems,” he added. “Reducing the intake of salt to five grams (about one tablespoon) a day will help save many lives. This is one of the biggest changes that need to be practised in our country,” Dr. Purnanand said.

Speaking on ‘Brain stroke and its prevention’, neurologist V. Rama Tarak Nath said of late, many people, especially those aged between 30 and 40, suffered brain strokes. “Brain stroke or cerebro vascular disease can damage brain tissue owing to blood flow interruption to the brain. In some cases, the blood vessel gets blocked, and in others, the vessel bursts open,” he added.

There are two types of brain strokes: ischaemic stroke happens when something blocks an artery that carries blood to the brain and haemorrhagic stroke happens when a blood vessel bursts and bleeds into the brain, he said.

“Though there are advanced treatments to address these problems, prevention is always better. Annual assessment of blood pressure, sugar levels and cholesterol is necessary,” Dr. Rama Tarak Nath said. Dr. K. Lakshmi Prasanna gave a presentation and spoke of diseases affecting blood vessels.

Keywords: Exercise, blood pressure, prevention, heart diseases, cholestrol, women, men more prone

Safe behind the wheel - women drivers for cabs

Government to rope in women drivers for taxis, auto-rickshaws and buses for exclusive travel by women. Further, the department will coordinate and facilitate loans for purchase of vehicles for women, who successfully complete the training. All vehicles earmarked for the purpose will be driven by women, and only women will be permitted to travel in them.

With the Vijayawada region having been declared the capital, the government’s focus is more on security of women. Accordingly, it is planning to rope in women drivers for taxis, auto-rickshaws and city buses for exclusive travel by women.

The government has already directed the District Collector to identify women to give training at professional driving schools. Though it is open to all, women beneficiaries from the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) and Women and Child Welfare Department will be chosen initially for free driving sessions.

The Transport Department will select driving schools for training women. Accordingly, it will approach Lorry Owners’ Association Driving School, Ambapuram, and Bose Driving School, Nandigama, both not-for-profit organisations, for taking up the project.

To begin with, women will be trained to drive cars and non-transport vehicles. For obtaining cab driving licence, women should have completed Standard VIII, and one-year driving experience. For those interested in obtaining heavy driving licence should undergo a one-month special training at driving schools, a senior Transport Department official said.

Further, the department will coordinate and facilitate loans for purchase of vehicles for women, who successfully complete the training. All vehicles earmarked for the purpose will be driven by women, and only women will be permitted to travel in them.

“Since a number of corporate companies are likely to come up in the new capital, and there is a need to have safe and secure transport facilities for women, especially for those working on night shifts. Besides, this initiative will also provide self-employment for women,” the official added.

A NEW PATH OPENS

1.District Collector told to identify women to give training at professional driving schools

2.Women beneficiaries from DRDA and Transport Dept. to be chosen for driving sessions

3.Transport Department to approach not-for-profit organisations to take up the novel project

4.Government to facilitate loans for women for purchase of vehicles on completion of training

THE PROCESS

*Women will be trained to drive cars and non-transport vehicles

*For cab driving licence, women should have completed Standard VIII

*For heavy licence, one should undergo one-month special training

“Since a number of corporate companies are likely to come up in the new capital, and there is a need to have safe and secure transport facilities for women, especially for those working on night shifts. Besides, this initiative will also provide self-employment for women.”

A Transport Dept. official

Keywords: Taxi services, women drivers, safety of women, police coordination, Vijayawada

Keralites celebrate Onam in city with gusto

Keralites from Vijayawada and Guntur took part in Onam celebrations organised by Kerala Club, Vijayawada, with gusto here on Sunday The club also celebrated its 20 anniversary on the occasion. Cultural programmes, which were organised to mark the event, left everyone spellbound.

Dignitaries attend celebrations

All India Congress Committee Secretary Tom Vadakkan, Bharatiya Janata Party national executive member C.K. Padmanabhan and other dignitaries from the community attended the event.

The participants said Onam was a unique festival, which loudly spoke about peace, coexistence, brotherhood and unity.

Club secretary P.V. Sathyanandan said Keralites settled in Vijayawada worked in different fields. Some were working in private and government offices, while a few others were into business. More than 100 families reside in Vijayawada, Guntur and Mangalagiri.

“It was like a get-together today, as the community people actively took part in the celebrations,” he said.

AP Govt to Relocate 5 HoDs to Vijayawada

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who has decided to work three days in a week from Vijayawada from November, has begun identifying the heads of departments (HoDs) that are to be shifted to the new capital from Hyderabad immediately.

Naidu is understood to have identified the heads of irrigation, health, agriculture, revenue and education departments to be relocated to Vijayawada in the first phase.According to sources, the chief minister directed three-member committee of officers, recently set up to identify departments to be shifted on priority basis, to find out office accommodation for the HoDs that are being planned to be relocated to Vijayawada.

“The chief minister directed the three-member panel and collectors of Guntur and Krishna districts to find suitable places in and around Vijayawada to shift the identified HoDs at the earliest,” said the source.

Naidu also asked the officials to find suitable place for accommodation of employees who will be relocated to the new capital in due course. In fact, the three-member panel of officers has been on the job of finding office space for the HoDs.

Indrakeeladri witnesses record rush

Heavy rush was witnessed on Indrakeeladri, abode of goddess Kanaka Durga, on the fourth day of Dasara festival on Sunday. The presiding deity was decorated as Sri Annapoorna Devi with a feeding bowl and spatula (ladle) in her hands to serve food, with Lord Shiva standing on her doorstep begging for food.

The temple management cancelled ‘antaralaya darshan’ owing to the heavy rush, and devotees had to be content with ‘laghu darshan’.

Serpentine queues were formed as crowds swelled in the afternoon. More than 1 lakh devotees thronged the temple by noon. Devotees thronged the ghats from the early hours of the day for the holy dip in river Krishna.

Meanwhile, police posted additional forces at all important points in the city to manage the rush of devotees. Additional forces were deployed to regulate the movement of devotees in the queues.

Keywords: Dasara festivities, Indrake

Land for Andhra Pradesh capital to be procured on pooling system: Raghunadha Reddy

VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh Information, Public Relations and IT Minister P Raghunadha Reddy said here today that land for new capital of Andhra Pradesh will be procured from farmers through land pooling system where they would be shared a portion of their land after development. 

The new capital region will be developed around Vijayawada in Vijayawada-Guntur-Tenali-Mangalagiri limits. 

Reddy, who is also a member of the Capital Advisory Committee, constituted by the state government to finalise land acquisition policy for construction of capital said, land will be procured from farmers through pooling method under which land will be developed and afterwards farmers who have given away their land will be given a share in it. 

The minister, who was in city on an official tour told reporters that the 'share' (of land) for farmers would be finalised in next two to three months. 

Land pooling is the best policy where farmers would come forward to hand over their land and will be favourable to them, he said. 

Venkaiah appeals to private broadcasters to maintain standards

Union Minister for Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs M. Venkaiah Naidu exhorted All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan (DD) to adapt to the changing trends and try to report news as speedily as private media organisations do while maintaining standards.

He appealed to private television channels to desist from making news sensational as they could withstand competition only by winning credibility but not by scrambling for TRPs.

Addressing the inaugural function of DD Saptagiri channel here on Saturday, Mr. Naidu said the good old days when people used to converge at public places to listen to AIR news and watch DD at homes were gone but they were not completely out of reckoning as they were still known for values and standards. However, the public sector broadcasters have to make necessary changes in their content and ensure that they kept pace with the private channels.

He appealed to the private channels to be realistic in disseminating information and news which should productively engage people. “Some programmes on television, which become an inseparable part of our lives, spoil our minds. Their impact is so profound that they drive people to commit suicide”, he observed and suggested due priority should be given to development news. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu thanked Mr. Venkaiah Naidu for his efforts in getting DD station to be set up in the capital of Andhra Pradesh, which he said was a good beginning for the establishment of many such government institutions and organisations in the capital city.

Full support

Saying that AIR and DD were ‘original brands’ of Indian media, he reminded that these were not the days of their monopoly as more than 800 television channels have come up across the country and making the competition hotter were Facebook and Twitter. It was imperative that they (AIR and DD) should change with trends to not lag behind their competitors, he said and promised to extend full support for establishment of DD’s facilities in the city.

Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar, DD Director General Vijaya Laxmi Chabbra and DD Vijayawada Station Director Sailaja Suman were among those present.

Day 4 - SRI ANNAPURNA DEVI

Annapoorna devi is the one who provides the ANNAM (the food ) and maintains the lifecycle of not just the creatures on this earth but of the whole universe. And this devi resides forever in the SMASANA BHOOMI called the KASHI and she is the divine concern of VISHVESHWARA who is the father of this universe.

The inner meaning of this Alankaram is that DEVI protects the universe in the form of Annapoorna and she grants the PRADHAMA BHIKSHA to the AADI BIKSHU SIVA and she strives hard to protect the universe by providing food so she shows that the best DAANAM is ANNA DAANAM and who ever donates food is a form of that DEVI and let us follow the footsteps of DEVI and do NITHYA ANNA DAANA.

Capital location based on farmers' response

Stating that the new capital of Andhra Pradesh will be a people's capital, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday urged farmers of the Vijayawada-Guntur-Tenali-Mangalagiri (VGTM) region to join hands with the government in building the new capital. Saying the exact location of the capital will be finalized depending on the response from farmers, he promised wonderful returns to those parting with their land as the region would become a metropolitan city.

Addressing a meeting here after launching a dedicated Doordarshan channel for AP, Naidu warned realtors of serious consequences if they keep on increasing land prices. "Don't think the government will only keep a watch on speculative prices in the VGTM area. We will definitely act in case realtors do not stop such practices," he said.

Naidu added that the reason they are opting for land pooling is to extend economic benefits to the farming community.

The chief minister further said that the government will come out with the exact blueprint of the capital region within three months and blamed 'mishandling' of the bifurcation process by the Congress-led UPA government for building not only the capital, but the entire state from scratch

. "The Prime Minister is paving the red carpet to multinational companies (MNCs) to make India a manufacturing hub in the world. I wanted to make AP a hub for all those MNCs coming to India," Naidu said, adding that his government will pursue the project as 'Make in India-Made in AP'. The chief minister said that AP has lost every developed facility to the other state (Telangana) and sensing the situation, people are cooperating with the government.

Naidu alleged that the media has been creating sensations out of nothing. He cautioned the media to respect public mood and give priority to developmental activities. He also said that he had several plans for taking AP into the big league of developed states and even make it compete with some of the smart nations.

He added that 'swachh AP' (clean AP) programme will be taken up for a fortnight from October 2.

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Dear All, Please complete all bank transactions by 29th September.

As 30th & 1st will be half year closing.... banks are working but may not be able to do all transactions.

Oct 2nd is Gandhi Jayanti Holiday.
3rd is Dasara Holiday.
4th is Saturday half day and backlog of last two days.
5th is Sunday.
6th is Bakari Idd holiday...

Actually it's on 5th but Banks have declared on 6th & may not change.
After that it will take a couple of days to settle the pending work.....
So complete your Bank work by 29th or wait till 7-8 October.

Naidu wants collective effort for faster development of AP

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has called for collective effort from all stakeholders in ensuring accelerated development of the State.

Mr. Naidu said the new State was faced with several problems in infrastructure and other fronts post bifurcation. But these problems could be overcome if the people cooperate with the Government and join hands in “building the new State from scratch”. “There are several problems. There are no major educational institutions or big industry,” he said.

The Chief Minister was speaking at a meeting organised in connection with the launch of Doordarshan Saptagiri channel and re-dedicating the All India Radio station in the name of Pingali Venkayya (who gave the national flag its basic design). He wanted the people, especially farmers, to cooperate in building the new Capital for which the State Government would adopt land pooling system. “It will be a win-win situation for farmers and the people,” he said.

He defended the Government’s decision to locate the Capital of the new State in the Vijayawada, Guntur, Tenali and Mangalagiri region claiming that the region had the potential to be developed as a mega city. The Government would accordingly intensify its efforts to attract major investments in the region as it would give boost to employment generation.

Mr. Naidu welcomed the schemes like Jan Dhan Yojana and Make In India launched by the Narendra Modi led Central Government claiming that they were aimed at fostering inclusive growth. “Our Government will launch made in AP brand along with Make In India to attract investments for setting up of major industries,” he said. The new State had no dearth of expertise or talent and it was matter of time before the development of the new State gathered momentum.

Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu who was also present wanted media to keep off from sensationalisation of news. “News channels cannot afford to lag behind in the current competitive environment. But the competition should be healthy,” he said.

He expressed concern that television channels were telecast negativism rather than positive developments which was not good trend in democracy. “Obscenity, violence and vulgarism has become the order of the day in the television channels. Television has become an integral part of life and the channel managements should keep in mind the impact these programmes would have on the mindset of the people,” he said.

Wal-Mart's 'Best Price' online store in Guntur, Vijayawada

Wal-Mart India, the fully-owned subsidiary of Wal-Mart Stores Inc, will open its B2B e-commerce platform ((www.bestprice.in)in Guntur and Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh from October 1, taking the tally of e-commerce platforms to four stores in India. As a virtual store, the platform will provide a similar assortment of products as the brick and mortar Best Price Modern Wholesale stores, including a select variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. It would also offer doorstep delivery and convenient payment solutions, a company release stated. Prior to the launch, the company will hold workshops with members to generate awareness on the initiative and also to create better understanding about website navigation, benefits and registration processes.