Andhra Pradesh Eng Mag Aug 2016 by Andhra Pradesh Magazine

reverence on the banks

River Krishna is part of collective consciousness of Andhras. It is believed that during the sacred times of Pushkara, occurs for once in 12 years, Krishna’s constant ﬂowing presence anchors peoples’ lives to a place and a rhythm. After a dip in the holy river, people visit the temples in the banks of river. Here’s a glimpse on temples in & aound Vijayawada:

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1. Ancient temple of Kanaka Durga , a top the Indrakeeladri hill. 2. Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple in Vedadri 3. sri durga nageswara swamy temple, pedakallepalli 4. Sri Panakala Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, Mangalagiri 5. Srikakulandhra Vishnu temple, Ghantasala Mandal, Krishna District 6. Sri Bhavanarayana Swamy temple at Bhavadevarapalli 7. Sri durga ganapeswara swamy, Ganapeswaram 8. Lord Siva temple, Sangameswaram

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CONTENTS Stage is set for Krishna Pushkarams

New Discovery in KG Basin

Pushkarams is a mega event, drawing devout pilgrims who believe that a holy dip in the river during the Pushkarams period will wash oﬀ all sins.

From Astana To Amaravati Through A Trail of Time

20 30

Letter from the Chief Minister

Ethereal Kistna

Undo the Damage done by Division

Snapshot

Rainfall Status

New Ring Road for Vijayawada

Happening Andhra

AP’s request to Centre Release pending central sales tax dues

AP opposes fixed 5-year-tenure to Governors

Dancing to Tune Of Times

Chief Minister’s Social Network

From Russia With Love

Hawking brand AP in China

Various developments across the state of Andhra Pradesh.

Dubbed Films Make Merry At The Box-Oﬃce

ANDHRA PRADESH

EDITORIAL

Published Monthly In English & Telugu August 2016 Volume:11 Issue:2 Salivahana Era 1938

Commissioner S Venkateswar IIS Editor Ramesh Babu Kandula Executive Editor Naresh Nunna Cover Page Krishna Pushakaram (Artist: Moshe Dayan) Second Cover Temples on Krishna banks Third Cover CM in various programmes

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t is heartening to witness all political parties coming together in Rajya Sabha to strongly advise the Centre to honour its commitment made to Andhra Pradesh during the bifurcation.

While the Centre has been proactive in implementing some of the assurances in the AP Reorganisation Act, it however has failed to respond enthusiastically on more substantive promises made to the divided state. The Special Category Status as well as the revenue deficit besides funds for Polavaram which was declared as national project are areas in which the state has been left high and dry.

Fourth Cover APIIC Advt on Sunrise State

Finding the going tough with trickling support from the Centre, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had to seek relaxation in the limit set by the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act to go in for borrowings.

Published by: Information & Public Relations Department Government of Andhra Pradesh Hyderabad - 500 028 Ph: 040-23300258

It is not as though the Chief Minister has not tried to persuade the Centre enough to get what is due to the state. No other Chief Minister probably made as many trips to Delhi as Chandrababu Naidu to impress upon the Centre on the urgent need to come to the rescue of the state.

Views expressed by various authors in this issue reflect their personal opinions.

The Chief Minister made it clear a number of times that the state administration is seriously burdened with several challenges, all of them resulting from omissions, commissions, contradictions and inadequacies in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014.

Design Karthik Beesu Photos: T.Srinivas Reddy, Vijayawada Printed at Caxton Offset Pvt. Ltd. Hyderabad Each Issue : Rs 5/Annual Subscription : Rs 50/-

The debate in Parliament once again highlighted the fact that the development of the state is dependent on the Central Government fulfiling the commitments made on the floor of the House. It is high time that Delhi recognised the growing disenchantment among the people of Andhra Pradesh in this regard and immediately stepped in to make amends for the sake of AP's future

Ramesh Babu Kandula Editor

www.andhrapradeshmagazine.org Email: apchiefeditor@gmail.com www.ipr.ap.nic.in

Printed and Published by Ramesh babu kandula on behalf of Director/Commissioner, Information and Public Relations Dept.; Printed at M/s Caxton Offset Pvt. Ltd., 11.5.416/3, Red Hills, Hyderabad - 500 004; Published at Office of Director/Commissioner , I&PR Dept, Govt of Andhra Pradesh, Samachar Bhavan, AC Guards, Hyderabad - 500028. Editor: Ramesh Babu Kandula. Ph: 040-23300258.

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AUGUST 2016

Letter from the chief minister

ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS THE WAY FORWARD

he Government of Andhra Pradesh has always encouraged and promoted entrepreneurs who are job creators. I believe that wealth and a high majority of jobs are created by small businesses started by entrepreneurially-minded individuals, many of whom go on to create big businesses. In this direction, we have recently decided to set up the AP Innova-

AUGUST 2016

tion Society, the first of its kind in the country, with district chapters, to develop innovative skills in students. As part of our efforts in boosting the start-up ecosystem in the state, we had partnered with the Startup Village, which is ranked as the best incubator in India, and set up a physical incubation centre in Vizag where we have seen our home-grown student start-ups succeed.

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Given that entrepreneurial education exposes students to more challenging educational activities and experiences that will enable them to develop the insight needed to discover and create entrepreneurial opportunities, we encourage our engineering students from the state to apply for India's first digital incubator and #StartInCollege. Check this link: https://sv.co/apply

ghats, providing drinking water facility, expansion of roads in the region, beautification and other aspects. About 15 Government departments have drawn extensive plans for the works to be taken up under their purview and are executing them briskly. The Revenue department is playing a pivotal role, coordinating the programmes being implemented by the various departments.

stage is set for

krishna Pushkarams

here is no life without water and history tells us that the greatest of civilisations began on the bank of rivers. Hindus worship rivers and do not miss the opportunity to take a holy dip during Kumbh Melas or Pushkarams which take place once in 12 years with respect to a dozen major rivers in the country. Pushkarams is a mega event, drawing devout pilgrims who believe that a holy dip in the river during the Pushkarams period will wash off all sins. This year Krishna Pushkarams will be conducted in Andhra Pradesh on a grand scale from August 12 to 23 and the State Government, headed by Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu

Naidu has taken up the responsibility of making all arrangements to pilgrims participating in the event. Efforts are on to make the Krishna Pushkarams a grand success, on the same lines as the Godavari Mahapushkarams last year. The State Government has already launched several programmes for the grand event. It is focusing on pilgrimsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; accommodation, security, medical assistance and transportation aspects , development of temples, including renovation of some shrines in the three districts of Krishna, Guntur and Kurnool where Pushkarams are taking place as the river Krishna flows through them, construction of bathing ghats and also laying approach roads to these

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The Endowment Department is developing as many as 326 temples on the banks of river Krishna. They include the famous Sri Durga Malleswaraswami Devasthanam in Vijayawadam , Sri Amaralingeswaraswami Devasthanam in Amaravati, Sri Bhramaramba Malleswaraswami Devasthanam in Srisailam, Sri Lakshminarasimhaswami Devasthanam in Vedadri, and Sri Venugopalaswami Devasthanam in Hamsaladeevi . Apart from these, the Endowment Department is setting up replicas of eight major temples on a sprawling 18-acre site near the Dhyana Buddha Project in the historic city of Amaravathi, appointment of priests or purohits for performing rituals like Pindapradaanam, normally done during Pushkaram times by pilgrims, providing ID cards for priests, and fee structure for various rituals during the event, is also taken up. Already about 2,000 purohits have enrolled themselves in the Endowment department for the purpose. The department has also focused on the requirements of pilgrims who are generally said to take up six types of rituals during Pushkarams which need about 40 varieties of puja material. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) has also constructed a replica of the Sri Venkateswara temple in Vijayawada for the occasion. The Municipal Administration has effected repairs to roads, expanded them and took up beautification AUGUST 2016

Endowment Department is setting up replicas of eight major temples on a sprawling 18-acre site near the Dhyana Buddha Project in the historic city of Amaravathi, Appointment of priests or purohits for performing rituals like Pindapradaanam, normally done during Pushkaram times by pilgrims, providing ID cards for priests, and fee structure for various rituals during the event, was also taken up. work with enthusiasm while the Panchayat Raj department has laid roads to the bathing ghats on the river banks besides providing drinking water facilities. The Roads and Buildings department has developed roads under its limits as well as effect repairs, development of government hostels and beautification programmes. The Fisheries department is entrusted with cleaning up

operations at bathing ghats. The Police department has drawn up special plans for deploying police personnel and officers for security purposes. As many as 17,000 police personnel from outside will be put on Pushkaram duty. The APSRTC will ply special buses and open new bus stands to cater to the needs of pilgrims. It has geared up to transport three lakh pilgrims

on an average every day during the Pushkarams. In Vijayawada alone, it has decided to operate 300 special city services to transport pilgrims from one place to another. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu have already reviewed the Railways’ role during the Pushkarams. The Railways will run 600 special trains and provide all amenities at the railway stations. Booking counters would be opened at the Puskarnagars for the convenience of pilgrims. The Tourism department also has its own plans—listing important tourist spots in the three districts and has chalked out programmes to tap the potential. The State Cultural department is preparing programmes that would explain the significance of Pushkarams besides organising informative and entertaining cultural shows. Most importantly, the Information and Public Relations Department is disseminating information on the Krishna Pushkarams far and wide, through the media—both print and electronic. In addition to the pilgrims from Rayalaseema districts of Kadapa and

AUGUST 2016

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Kurnool, people from some parts of Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra also prefer visiting Srisailam during Pushkarams. Similarly, those coming from Orissa, Tamil Nadu, some other parts of Karnataka and from North India find it convenient to visit Krishna and Guntur districts for taking the holy dip. Consequently, the largest number—an estimated 3.5 crore pilgrims—are likely to visit Vijayawada and the official machinery has made adequate arrangements to meet the rush.

LED lights ahead of

‘PUSHKARALU’

The street lights in Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada, Guntur and Kurnool cities, which are gearing up for the upcoming 'Krishna Pushkaralu' festival, will be replaced soon with LED bulbs.

As many as 73 ghats are constructed between Muktyala near Jaggayyapeta and Hamsaladeevi in Koduru mandal in Krishna district. Of these, four ghats are in Vijayawada city while the remaining 69 are in rural areas. There are 15 Pushkarnagars in Vijayawada and 24 in rural region. In Guntur district, 160 ghats are being constructed between Nagarjunasagar and Repalle. The biggest ghat, extending up to 1.35 km., is constructed at Amaravathi. Ten Pushkarnagars, each accommodating 10,000 pilgirms and having 10,000 toilets, are coming up. In Kurnool district, Pushkaram ghats are constructed at Srisailam and Sangameswaram. The State Government is planning to organise daily seminars at Thummalapalli Kshetraiah Kalakshetram on the progress being made by it in various sectors, implementation of welfare schemes, Government policies and success achieved for transforming Andhra Pradesh into Navyandhra Pradesh. Several spiritual organisations, nongovernmental organisations besides National Cadet Corps (NCC), and National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers have already come forward and submitted to the Government the list of services they will render during Pushkarams. All these, are bound to make the Krishna Pushkarams a stupendous success.

- b.Prabhakara Sarma

he street lights in Vijayawada, Guntur and Kurnool cities, which are gearing up for the upcoming ‘Krishna Pushkaralu’ festival, will be replaced soon with LED bulbs. Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a unit of the Energy Department of Government of India, has invested Rs 360 crore to replace all street lights with LED bulbs in the three cities. EESL intends to install 80,591 LED bulbs. Out of this, 69,797 bulbs have so far been installed. The programme has been taken up to provide better

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lighting in the cities which are visited by a large number of pilgrims during the festival. According to a press release by ‘Energy Conservation Mission’ of Andhra Pradesh, the AP government has set a target to complete the replacement programme by August 5, a week before the commencement of the festival on August 12. The LED bulbs will have Centralised Control Management System (CCMS) with the installation of 7,000 control boxes. The Pushkaralu is a festival held in river Krishna where devotees take a sacred bath in the water to wipe off all their sins.

AUGUST 2016

Ethereal Kistna

t is known by its shelf mark reference: No.1198, January 1853, OIOC. For a hundred and fifty years, it has been there in a shelf at subzero temperatures, warmed only by stacks of similar sepia paper turned brittle with age. The memo is just one of a million in the Oriental and India Office Collection of the British Library. Professor Gautam, at his desk in the ramshackle third floor office in Mogalrajpuram, looked unbelievingly at the bunchof papers in his hands, sent to him by a student. The report was elaborate and detailed, considering the times, highlighted by one Dr. Taylor of the European Hospital at Bezwada, who had treated Bradford, and endorsed the contents of the journal â&#x20AC;Ś and more to the point, sanity of his patient. Gautam switched on the reading light and started turning the pagesâ&#x20AC;Ś Bezwada November 30, 1851 I, Charles Archibald Bradford, am an anthropologist in the Survey of India of the Province of Madras. At the instance of my doctor, I am setting here down my experience on the banks of Kistna near Bezwada, in the Province of Madras of Her Majestyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s East India Company. It began with my meeting with the Chief Engineer of Gannon Dunkerley, the company engaged in the construction of a barrage across the river in the northern districts. The barrage site is located at the end of a series of hills that forced the river to take a sharp southward turn, creating narrow alluvial terraces in the valleys. The burgeoning town of Bezwada, with a population of over fivethousand and a flourishing modern settlement of over a fifty European families, is on one such terrace. The company had engaged the services of a geologist,to search for deposits of the famed Colloor diamonds, in the mudflats that may come under the waters of the reservoir, once the barrage is completed. This geologist, a Dutchman in the service of the construction company, had observed the presence of carvings on stone, and metal implements,

bradford Journal (bezwada)

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and large brick structures that belonged to some deep antiquity. At the behest of the company,I had reached Bezwada to survey them. I was accommodated fairly comfortably at the engineers’ mess on the right bank of the river. It was 19th day of October in the year 1851 of our Lord. On that fateful day, it was our intention to leave early at the daybreak in a canoe and return before the sun reached its zenith. The geologist, Mijnheer Von Trope accompanied me. The barrage construction was in full swing even at that early hour. Barges carrying stone were everywhere tied to the cofferdams with hundreds of coolies carrying stones on makeshift ramps. Our canoe had to swing around the bustle of humanity under the foot of a sizeable hill, on the top of which stood a popular Hindoo shrine. At the bank of the river was, a throng of half-naked pagans trying to wash away their sins in its waters, a ubiquitous sight at almost every holy placeinthis country. Our canoe followed the bank and reached a wide green valley upriver. Layers of gravel greeted us in face as we climbed up to the high water mark. Above the flood-line the land flattened out, an undulating expanse of thick shrub and occasional tree. There was no sign of human presence, not even goat paths that crisscrossed such landscape, in spite of being so close to the town. ‘The townsmen believe that the valley is inhabited by demons, and the Goddess on top of the hill protects the town from them,’ the all knowing geologist said, and guided me through a rough track made by the company gangs to roll down the ancient stones, used as readymade rubble to protect the foundations of the barrage from strong undertow. An Enfield loaded with buckshot

slung over the Dutchman’s shoulder and an oar presently used by the boatman as a walking stick,were our protection against any predators that might be lurking in shadows. I walked between them as we climbed unerringly to a mound topped with large stones. Flags marked the hill-face showed that we werestill well below the submergence level, once the barrage is complete and the lake filled. From that vantage point I looked around. I could trace the outlines of a city, obscured by a layer of alluvium. Remains of houses, streets, palaces and shrines protruded above the surface to announce their presence, as far as my eye could see. I was feverish with excitement, couldn’t wait to get back to my lodgings and write to the director Cunningham in Calcutta. Determined as I was to come back with a crew to explore my discovery, I ran down the way we came, hurriedly followed by my bewildered companions. The boat, still tied loosely to the stump, was bouncing in a swirling mass of waters rising with every second. Our boatman hesitated for a moment, ‘but once we reach the barrage site the crossing shouldn’t be difficult,’ he said and began rowing.Occasional wild swings of the oar,when it missed the waves, had not diminished the euphoria of my discovery. ‘How many more secrets do you hide in those dark depths?’ I asked aloud looking at the river. As though the river had heard me, at that very moment the boat lurched wildly and turned over. I found myself sucked into a vortex of darkness. I had stopped struggling after an eternity,as warm waters engulfed me….

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Professor Gautam stopped reading… removed his reading glasses to rub his fatigued eyes. He lit a cigarette and looked out of the window. The road below was almost deserted. Two cars with red beacons zipped by, ‘Hmm,’ he sighed hopefully, pleased with the government that’s working round the clock, at the same time wondering about the capsized boat and, ‘What had happened to Bradford?’ The last words of a drowning man kept echoing in the ears of Professor Gautam as he picked up the journal. His eyes zeroed in on the loose top sheet. It was a short memo scribbled by one William Smith Nesbitt Esq., Assistant to the Collector of Kistna. There was a faint noting by the Marquis of Dalhousie, the Governor General. He was rather apologetic about agreeing with something that he found ludicrous at the same time. And, the final closure was made by none other than the Secretary of State with a comment, ‘Nesbitt is an idiot,’ before it was confined to its resting place. Gautam wondered, what could be so ‘ludicrous’? And, began reading Bradford’s letter from where he had left off… As though the river had heard me, at that very moment the boat lurched wildly and turned over. I found myself sucked into a vortex of darkness. I had stopped struggling after an eternity, as warm waters engulfed me…. And, slowly I began to rise and when I broke through the surface, the landscape had changed… and she beckoned me. She stood alone, a damsel, dark of skin, her beauty divine. My inner voice told me that she wasn’t an ordinary mortal. She was naked except a diaphanous wrap of muslin tied loosely around her AUGUST 2016

waist. Her hair fell in a myriad of braids, interwoven with pearls and lotus buds. She held out her hand, her arm covered in bracelets of pure gold alternating with mother of pearl rings. I grabbed it. She pulled me out of waters with effortless ease in a single liquid motion. I stood there still feeling weightless, staring at her. Her hand held my wrist in a comforting grip. And, she spoke in most noble English, somehow I wasn’t surprised. She said that her name was Kistna, and led me into the valley. It wasn’t a wild jungle anymore. Broad streets stretched endlessly and timelessly around us. We were in the heart of a city, a market place, and hundreds of men and women thronged the street. There were Romans in their white togas, Arabs and Persians in weird headgears and the Orientals in their most colourful attire. She guided me through that human swamp from one shop to another, bedecked in flowers and drapes, and their wares as exotic. She opened the bails to feel the textures of muslins and silks, ran her hand through piles of spices explaining their worth, wore the ornaments of gold and piles of precious stones, swirling to flaunt their splendor, the welcoming pots and vessels of every make whose contents she offered me to sample, and of course the amphorae filled with exotic wines. No one took any notice of us. ‘This is Bijavatika, Emporium of Andhras, and today is the first market day of the season,’ Kistna said as she passed through the crowd, her movement so fluid, I found it subtly erotic. As we sailed through the streets, there were raised stands with singers and dancers, magicians and AUGUST 2016

puppeteers, acrobats and soothsayers, entertaining the crowds. The atmosphere was festive. Nothing hindered us, we were like a wave of flood smoothly moving into the houses and palaces, shrines of gods and cells of monks, and finally we stood in a grand pavilion on top of the mound. Kistna was looking resplendent in the sun beating perpendicularly down, her skin shone in ripples of silver. Resting between her ample breasts suspended by a thread of silk, was the beauty – a black uncut diamond shining as brightly as the sun overhead. I stared at it mesmerized. Her grip on my wrist tightened as she said, ‘Look’. The landscape changed again. We were surrounded by wide macadam roads if I may call them so, and bridges as though they were suspended from sky stretching across the river. There were colourful carriages that looked like beetles, one behind the other moving at great speed. Structures, manmade, stood hundreds of feet high scraping the sky, reflecting the sunlight in different hues. Huge metallic birds flitted to and fro like swallows in a park. Hundreds of thousands of men and women were hurrying purposefully, everywhere. ‘These are my children,’ She said. ‘They will build what you see and their enterprise will give rise to the greatest financial emporium. Some day in future… gold shall rain here,’ her words had a prophetic ring to them. ‘Now, go and tell those who matter,’ she said and thrust the diamond into my pocket. ‘Here is the proof of the day that will come to pass,’ and she let go of my hand…. I gasped, my lungs bursting as I

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drew in a draft of air. I was in the hospital bed. It was Doctor Taylor staring into my eyes with a broad grin. I looked around, desperate to find the Damsel of the River, in vain. I felt a heavy lump in the pocket of my bush-coat. Taylor’s eyes widened with wonder, when I pulled out the stone, about the size of a hen’s egg, dark, uncut and probably weighed a couple of hundred English carats. It was the diamond she gave... The Black Beauty… The journal was signed by C. A. Bradford, stamped and attested by Dr. Taylor. Dr. Gautam dropped the file on the desk as he rose and walked across to the window. The streets are lighting up with the sun rising behind the hill. He tried to imagine the last vision of Bradford, and…Her prophesy, wondering whether it would ever come to pass. His mind said, ‘Yes’. He rushed back to the desk to see what had happened to Bradford and the diamond. It wasn’t mentioned anywhere, not in the report of the doctor, nor in the memo of Nesbitt. Disappointed, he folded the stack to be shoved back into the Manila envelope. At the last moment his eyes fell on a short noting in the corner, it was Dr. Taylor’s, a faint scribble in Indian ink… ‘Mr. Bradford was in my care for forty days. Never did his telling of the happenings of that fateful day vary. On the night he disappeared, I had enquired with the chowkie man at the hospital who swore that he had seen the white man walking away towards the river at dusk.’ That was the last anyone had seen Bradford or his diamond. - Sai Papineni

undo the Damage done by Division 0

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The Chief Minister made a fervent plea to come to the rescue of Andhra Pradesh, saying , “This august forum is aware that all the political parties were party to the bifurcation and to the provisions made in the AP Reorganisation Act and assurances made on the ﬂoor of Rajya Sabha. I request the members to cooperate in the implementation of these”.

on’ble Prime Minister, Hon’ble Union Home Minister, other Union Ministers, Hon’ble Chief Ministers of States and other dignitaries.

meeting after lapse of nearly Ten (10) years. Cooperative federalism can be strengthened further by this meeting to promote better coordination and cooperation between the Union and States.

It is an honour for me to associate with the XI meeting of the InterState Council being held today. I am sure this forum which has been reconstituted on 07.12.2015 with the initiative of Hon’ble Prime Minister would serve as a platform for both the Centre and the States to work as Team India. The spirit of cooperative federalism would enable both the Centre and the States to evolve synergic development strategies for fulfilling the aspirations of people of this great nation. I congratulate the Hon’ble Prime Minister for reviving Inter-State Council and holding this

Federalism envisaged in our Constitution is a basic feature in which the Union of India is permanent within its territorial limits and the States are the creatures of the Constitution with no territorial integrity but are permanent entities with boundaries alterable by law made by Parliament. Both the Centre and the States are coordinating institutions and ought to exercise their respective powers with adjustment, understanding and accommodation to render socio-economic justice to the people to preserve and elongate the Constitutional Goals including secu-

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larism. The concept of cooperative federalism envisages that both the Centre and the States are to mutually cooperate and neither is subordinate. The process adopted by the then UPA Government while bifurcating the State of Andhra Pradesh needs to be mentioned here. The said bifurcation process was not only un-scientific but has also caused severe hardships to the successor State of Andhra Pradesh. The principles and valuable recommendations made by various commissions such as Sarkaria Commission and the present Punchhi Commission were given a go by and the entire bifurcation process has been carried out without consulting all stake holders. Different standards and criteria have been adopted unilaterally without AUGUST 2016

Andhra Pradesh is making significant strides in the emerging technologies including the ‘Internet of Things’ in transforming governance through enhanced efficiency, effectiveness and transparency in delivery of public services and in the implementation of development and welfare programmes. following uniform policies in the A.P. Reorganisation Act, 2014 so as to ensure smooth division of all assets, liabilities and funds between the two States and to make sure that the interests of the citizens living in these two States are protected adequately. The Hon’ble Supreme Court in a recent judgement has also observed that “care must be taken to ensure that no discrimination is done against either of the successor state” while formulating the enactments like AP Reorganization Act. For example in the bifurcation of the State of Andhra Pradesh, for the 58% of population (successor state of Andhra Pradesh) 46% of the estimated combined state revenues have been apportioned. Assets have been allocated on location basis where as debt liabilities have been distributed on the basis of population. In power sector a different criteria like power consumption has been adopted to the detriment of the successor state of Andhra Pradesh. The successor state of Andhra Pradesh was left with no capital. The present NDA Government under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister has taken some measures to mitigate the distress of the state. State of Andhra Pradesh still needs a lot of financial and infrastructural support to bring it on a level playing field with its neighbouring States. I request the Hon’ble Prime Minister through this august body to implement expediously all the provisions of the State Reorganization Act and assurances made by the then Prime Minister on the floor of the Rajya Sabha, the most important among them being the grant of Special Category Status, execution of Polavaram as a National project, special financial support for construction of new Capital, sanction of Railway zone at Visakhapatnam, special package for development of backward regions, AUGUST 2016

providing tax incentives for rapid industrialization, release of balance grant to bridge the resource gap etc. Being a tail end state, Andhra Pradesh is put to severe stress on irrigation front. The bifurcation of the State has led to more misery and avoidable problems. Constitution of Godavari and Krishna River Management Boards has not been done till date. This august forum is aware that all the political parties were party to the bifurcation and to the provisions made in the AP Reorganization Act and assurances made on the floor of Rajya Sabha. I request the members to cooperate in the implementation of these. ***** I am happy to state that Andhra Pradesh has achieved 100% Aadhar generation as per 2011 census. Aadhar is being used in service delivery such as PDS, MNREGS and Social Security Pensions. We have successfully seeded all beneficiary data base sets which include PDS, LPG, Pensions, Scholarships, welfare programmes duly weeding out the bogus and duplicates. More than 2.00 crore bank accounts have been seeded with Aadhar data. Implementation of DBT resulted in considerable savings. The state government is bringing all departments/schemes under DBT set up. Transfer of money to beneficiaries in villages where bank branches or bank correspondents or bank mitras are available, has already begun. While saturating Aadhar enrolment above 18 years of age, we have completed 85% enrolment of children under 5 years of age under the framework of Anganwadi set up. Smart Pulse Survey, a dynamic integrated family database has been started in the state which will be a trendsetter for all our future endeav-

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ours. Andhra Pradesh is making significant strides in the emerging technologies including the ‘Internet of Things’ in transforming governance through enhanced efficiency, effectiveness and transparency in delivery of public services and in the implementation of development and welfare programmes. We have been using the biometric authentication features of Aadhar in the programme like public distribution system, social security pensions, scholarships, MGNREGA, mother & child care and management of welfare hostels. Automated Real Time Information systems have been established for monitoring the status of rainfall, ground water table, agriculture activities and the power consumption. We have been implementing e-office at the state and district levels enhancing internal efficiencies. The Cabinet meetings are being held in paper less manner, through use of eCabinet. I want to bring to the notice of this august gathering two innovative programmes being implemented- the AP Fibre Net and e-Pragati. While AP Fibre Net provides 'Broadband for All', e-Pragathi complements it with content and service. The AP Fibre Net has been designed and implemented in record time of 10 months to establish fibre optic infrastructure, which will provide triple play services through 10-15 MBPS band width across the length and breadth of the state. e-Pragati is a comprehensive programme of e-governance that seeks to provide over 700 services in an integrated manner to the citizens of the state adopting the Enterprise Architecture. It is a portfolio of 72 projects being implemented in a coordinated manner to realise the vision of 'ONE Government'

A.P. is also utilizing the latest IC&T tools for leveraging the eﬀorts to improve quality of teaching and learning. As part of the eﬀort, biometric attendance is being planned, Digital Content in being created for all the schools, Digital Classrooms are being created in 2000 schools and a 3 Dimensional Accreditation Tool developed for school accreditation. Education being the key to growth and development, is receiving top priority by the state. Most importantly, the state aims to make A.P. as the top most state in terms of education indicators. A.P. has recently recruited 10,000 teachers which has made the pupil teachers ratio as 18:1, for primary and secondary levels. Efforts are also on to ensure that no out of school children are there in the state. For this purpose, intensive campaigns are being conducted for 100% enrolment and retention. Teachers are an asset to the system; it is being ensured that teachers get best training under SSA and RMSA. A.P. is also the first state in the country to implement a performance based, online transfer counselling system for teachers. Quality of education remains a key concern in school education. Various surveys including ASER and NAS surveys have shown gaps in terms of learning levels. As part of transforming the quality of education, PEMANDU (Performance Management and Delivery Unit) of Malaysia conducted Lab for Education. The Lab Experiment deep dived into the existing issues relating to Pre-primary, Primary and Secondary education. Based on the issues, the lab has identified sixteen new initiatives to strengthen school education. They include state-wide 3R Assessment for Class II & III and Remediation, smart Multi Grade Teaching (MGT), ‘Class in a box’ activity-based toolkit for teachers, school grading and mentoring to elevate school quality, Schools’ Collaborative Remediation & Enrichment Programme (SCORE), Andhra Pradesh e-Knowledge Exchange Portal (APEX) and Enhanced Monitoring Framework for school education. In addition to the above, as part of continuous improvement in learning

levels, several initiatives have been taken which include improving Language Teaching, Early Literacy Skills, Early Mathematical Skills and Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) Over the past 15 years, Pratham has pioneered, cost-effective interventions deploying the “Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL)” approach to improve learning outcomes and state government is implementing the same. Under the TaRL approach, classrooms are first re-organised where children of classes III, IV and V are grouped according to their learning level, and not by their age or grade; then teaching and learning activities are used to move children up to the next level. Isha Vidhya has been engaged in building and running high quality schools in rural areas. The main objective of the organisation is for enhanced learning outcomes and enjoyment of the learning process by enriching the curriculum with activity based learning tools and digital content instead of textbook and exam-centric methods. A.P. has partnered with them for Teacher Motivation and English Teaching skills enhancement project in the state. A.P. is also utilizing the latest IC&T tools for leveraging the efforts to improve quality of teaching and learning. As part of the effort, biometric attendance is being planned, Digital Content in being created for all the schools, Digital Classrooms are being created in 2000 schools and a 3 Dimensional Accreditation Tool developed for school accreditation. The state will utilize its state wide fiber network to deliver content to schools and households, in addition to other services. Post bifurcation, all central institutions of higher education have gone to Telangana. I request the Central

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Government to provide all support to the state for creating new institutions of higher education in the state of AP. Various terror modules unearthed in the Country indicate that accused are indulging in offences in States other than their domiciles or from foreign soil. This necessitates sharing of operational and strategic intelligence among various agencies besides working in tandem to deal with terrorism. ÿ Terrorism and use of cyber space for anti-national activities cannot be tackled effectively till the law enforcement agencies are equipped with adequate cyber security capabilities. There is need to develop indigenous mechanism to tackle offensive online activity on social media and identify terror suspects who are using social networking sites for their clandestine communication. Punchhi Commission recommendation that the Centre should provide greater support to improve State Police Forces and provide internal security infrastructure is very welcome. The reduction in Modernization of Police Funds (MoPF funds) and removal of plan component will adversely affect the States. AP is a newly formed State and there is urgent need to replicate the institutions like Greyhounds Training Centre, AP Police Academy etc., for which there is requirement of funds. Our State is separately communicating its detailed views and comments on the agenda items and I request the Council to take note of them. I thank Hon’ble Prime Minister for giving me this opportunity. JAI HIND AUGUST 2016

aP opposes fixed 5-year-tenure to Governors The Andhra Pradesh government has opposed a fixed five-year tenure to the office of the Governor saying the person was not elected either by people or their representatives. It also termed as "not advisable" the recommendation for impeachment of the Governor. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu spelt out the states stand at the 11th meeting of the Inter-State Council (ISC) in New Delhi. He was reacting to the recommendations made by the Justice M M Punchhi Commission on Centre-State relations.

AUGUST 2016

0 ( /! /.K, () ! ).)34 2 N Chandrababu Naidu 4 .4 2 4 4 /8. ), 5 .'? : ,() /. MR 8,< NLMRA It is heartening to note that today’s Council meeting has taken up important items in its agenda, such as Punchhi Commission’s recommendations, use of Aadhar as an identifier for providing subsidies, benefits and public services, improving quality of education, internal security with focus on intelligence sharing and coordination for combating terrorism. The Punchhi Commission has made practicable and constructive suggestions for the Centre-State relations. However, I feel some of the recommendations of the said Commission are not practicable and appropriate. Regarding recommendation that the Governor should be given a fixed tenure of five years, the same is not appropriate since the Governor is an appointee of the President and is not elected by the people or their representatives. Likewise the recommendation for a provision for impeachment of the Governor as per the procedures envisaged in Article-61 of the Constitution is not advisable. As regards assent of the bills by the Governor the suggestions are agreeable with modification that one month period to take decision on assenting or withholding the assent may be sufficient instead of six months. Invoking local emergency under Articles 355 and 356 of the Constitution would be a diANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG

rect infringement on the State’s autonomy. The recommendation regarding provision of dispute settlement function to the Inter-State Council is a welcome measure and entrustment of disputes to the Council shall be done with the specific consent of the States concerned and shall be binding on the States. The formation of the empowered committees in other sectors like empowered committee of Finance Ministers of the States is not a welcome measure given the experience on the functioning of empowered committee of the Finance Ministers of States. Regarding equal representation of States in Rajya Sabha the recommendation is not appropriate and will be detrimental to the interests and the rights of the larger States. The deployment of Central forces suo-moto by the Centre is not appropriate as it is against the principle of federalism. Another recommendation of Justice M.M. Punchhi Commission that appels to the Supreme Court of India to be prescribed on the decisions of Water Dispute Tribunals may not serve the purpose as Supreme Court itself is burdened with massive number of cases and may not have time to dispose the appeals. Instead appellate tribunals can be constituted under a statute to meet the contingency.

from russia With Love

he Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Nara Chandrababu Naidu's recent sojourn to Russia and Kazakhstan is not just one of his investment-scouting missions. It is also part of his larger dream to have local roots with global pursuits and make 'Sun Rise State' brand resonate beyond the borders of the state. The Chief Minister’s six-day tour of Kazakhstan and Russia helped build a "positiveness" about AP, The CM made use of the opportunity to impress upon Russia to set up an industrial cluster in the state, particularly in aerospace and defence manufacturing under the 'Make in India' programme. He told them it is the right time for them to enter Indian market. Otherwise they will miss out on a great opportunity.

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The Chief Minister met Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister of Russia at the VII International Industrial Exhibition Innoprom 2016 in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg. During the interaction, the CM explained how Russia’s resources and AP’s IT could be an excellent combination. Naidu recalled Indo-Russian conventional and cultural amity for decades. Observing that Russia has strong roots in manufacturing, technology and natural resources, he said AP is leading in innovation, IT and in adapting best practices from across the globe. "Both our countries have strong leadership now which is making a

lot of difference to both the countries, “said the CM. Mentioning that AP has an important naval base in Vishakhapatnam, Naidu listed out the possible areas of strong Russia presence in aerospace, Defence, Oil, Inland waterways and Nuclear energy etc. Giving a call to Russian firms to make AP their investment destination the Chief Minister said that AP offers a lot of opportunities in the

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green field capital Amaravati. While seeking Russian participation in Amaravati construction, the CM invited Dmitry Medvedev to visit Amaravati. Medvedev agreed in principle and asked Trade Minister Denis Valentinovich Manturov to work out the details. Chief Minister also asked the Russian Prime Minister to initiate some projects and initiatives before the President Mr. Vladimir Putin visit to India. To this, the Prime Minister asked the Trade AUGUST 2016

lation with Mumbai and that they want to develop relationships with other provinces and cities also. Expressing his happiness about the Tagore School in St. Petersburg, the CM mentioned his keen interest to introduce courses in the Russian language in the state. He sought possible cooperation with St Petersburg for building the new capital city Amaravati. The CM mentioned that AP has many good tourist spots and expressed his willingness to work with the Russian port city on tourism. In this context, Naidu referred to six ports that AP possess and also to the upcoming 8 more ports. Minister Mr. Manturov to follow up. Russian Prime Minister remarked the meeting was historic. “It signals that Russia is not Moscow and India is not Delhi. We will initiate cooperation between our provinces and your states,” the Russian PM said.

+)) $ $ +)*( " "+)* ( Determined to set up a Russian Industrial Cluster, the Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu held a bilateral meeting with ELCOM group which is a part of globally present SUN group, which is a leading principal investor and private equity fund manager in Russia, India, and other emerging markets. Naidu met Pradnyil Usgaonkar, Director, Operations and member of the Board, ELCOM group. Stating that ELCOM operates in aerospace communication and electronics, Pradnyil showed interest to bring technology which will generate more finance. When Pradnyil informed that their company was keen on exploring the possibilities of investments in AP, Naidu told him the idea in creating a Russiantype industrial cluster . Later, the Chief Minister also elaborated on the opportunities available in AP AUGUST 2016

and said that the state is number two in the ease of doing business and has good resources and skilled labour.

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During his meeting with Chairman of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg, Evgeny Gregoryev, the CM said AP and St. Petersburg have a strong presence in the fields of IT and Pharma. Agreeing with the CM, Gregoryev said, 20 percent of Russia pharma industry of St Petersburg brings them close to India. Before that he welcomed the AP delegation to the centre of St. Petersburg administration and acknowledged that India and St. Petersburg share a historical and deep relationship. Remarking that India’s presence in St. Petersburg is strong the Chairman mentioned about a school which is named after Rabindranath Tagore where Hindi is taught. He indicated that St. Petersburg encourages teaching and learning of Indian studies. He brought to the notice of the CM that St. Petersburg shares a good re-

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In his response to Naidu's proposal, the Chairman agreed to collaborate with AP in tourism and in particular beach tourism. Mentioning that St Petersburg has an excellent mining institution, the Chairman said that both teams need to identify the exact initiatives. He also showed interest in sending a team to AP and said that he would personally coordinate the visit.

% -* * * ($ $ " $ , () */ The Andhra Pradesh Government inked a MoU with State Marine Technical University (SMTU) of St. Petersburg to promote marine education and technology.. ndhra Pradesh has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Russia's State Marine Technical University to promote marine education and technology. The agreement was signed at the port city of St. Petersburg on the first day of Chief Minister Naidu's visit to Russia. The university works in close connection with United Shipbuilding Corporation and Rosoboronexport.

Companies involved in the marine segment in India and Andhra Pradesh will benefit from this collaboration. Rakhmanov Alexey, President of United Shipbuilding Corporation said that the university is considering to make Andhra Pradesh the headquarters of the company in India as the state has unique marine activity. Highlighting the opportunities available, Naidu said that Andhra is set to become a logistics hub in India. Naidu said the state would soon set up maritime university. The Maritime University is a home for 5000 students at present and scholars from the United States of America, China, France, Finland, Sweden, Germany, South Korea, Singapore, Brazil and Netherlands participate in the conferences. Dikiy Alexev , Strugov Leonid, Appolonov Evgeny represented the Maritime University.

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set up steel industry, The Chief Minister even directed the State Economic Development Board officials to coordinate with the officials of NLMK to materialise the proposal.

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• Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has favoured strong partnership with the Chelyabinsk province in Russia reputed for housing heavy industries. The Chief Minister, who called on the Governor of the Chelyabinsk province, Boris Dubrovski, stressed the need for the two sides to work together in key areas of industrial development. The meeting resolved to set up a working group with five members from each side to explore the areas where the two sides could enter into a mutually beneficial cooperation. The Governor also agreed to send an official delegation before March next to study the opportunities in the State.

With the same zeal that helped the Chief Minister to convince China’s steel major, Ansteel to invest in AP, during his tour to China in June, the Chief Minister made a similar appeal to Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK), one of the four largest steel companies in Russia. He met director of electrical steel division of NLMK Valery Shevelev, who informed him that the company is looking for possibilities of expansion in India and is keen to invest $1 billion. NLMK, primarily produces flat steel products, semi-finished steel products and electrical steels.

• Naidu met Bocharo Oleg, head of the Department of Science, Industrial Policy and Entrepreneurship of Moscow city. Oleg told the Chief Minister about their technological innovation that could be helpful in building the new capital, Amaravati. The department had a clear mandate from the government to venture into building of smart cities and an amount close to 25 billion Euros had been set aside for the purpose.

With Naidu getting a positive response from the company, he urged the company director to visit AP and have a firsthand information about the facilities and natural resources available in the state to

• Soon after the meeting with Chairman of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg, Evgeny Gregoryev, the Chief Minister visited Sovcomflot’s Maritime Safety Training Institute.

• Possibilities of setting up multimodal transport systems with SCF group were explored by the CM.

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Sovcomflot is Russia’s largest shipping company, and one of the global leaders in the maritime transportation of hydrocarbons, as well as the servicing and support of offshore exploration and oil & gas production. The group was represented by its CEO Alexey Prokofyev. The CM supposed Alexey to send a delegation of experts to assess opportunities and potential in AP. • The Chief Minister later called on Sverdlovsk Governor Evgency Kuivashev and evinced his keenness in establishing a Russian-Indian cluster. Evgency Kuivashev said that there was a need for evolving a proper mechanism for interaction between the two sides and assured that he would send a team to Andhra Pradesh for studying the opportunities available there. He was keen on the scope of setting up joint ventures either with the governmentowned companies or with private enterprises. • Naidu also called on the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Bashkortostan Dmitry Sharonov, who stressed the need for pooling the energies of the two sides in creating a mutually-beneficial relationship. • Naidu met Yan V. Tsenter, member of the management board and first vice-president of Gazprombank, specialising in finance, petrochemicals, and heavy industry, which was keen on venturing into the Indian market. • The Gazprom bank team was explained about the salient features of the ‘Make in India’ programme, and the Chief Minister said this was the right time to invest in the State.

AUGUST 2016

"our aP is an investor- frienDLy state" . (&*) (%# $* (, -

Mr. Naidu, has Andhra Pradesh signed any cooperation agreements with Russia yet?

This is our first visit in Russia. Most recently, the Government of our Republic and the Russian Federation has agreed on cooperation in nuclear energy, on the implementation of projects with a total capacity of 7200 megawatts.

In my state, there are many people involved in this sector, as well as in the agricultural sector. In addition, we are currently negotiating with the Russian "United Shipbuilding Corporation", with a large number of Russian companies from the aerospace industry. As part of our work with rolled steel, we are working with Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK). In general, today there is cooperation in a variety of industries.

This is an exclusive interview of the Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu with Natalia Shvabauer of Russia & India Report (RIR), part of Russia Beyond the Headlines (RBTH), sponsored by the Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the Russian government’s oﬃcial newspaper. our investment projects. At the moment for example, we are engaged in the construction of the "Green City" ‘Amaravati’. It is very important that it becomes one of the top five cities in the world in its final form. The Amaravati Master Plan was established in Singa-

You met with the Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev. What agreements did you manage to reach?

The meeting with the Prime Minister went well. We agreed to form sectoral committees to improve our communication process. Dmitry Medvedev clearly stated his position that India is not only New Delhi, and Russia is not only Moscow. We must have inter- regional cooperation. We should work together, complementing each other. Now, in my opinion, only 30 per cent of mutual potential is fulfilled. How many foreign investors are now working in your state, and are there any Russian companies among them?

I do not know the exact number, but many countries are involved in

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It all depends on the industry and the company. For example, investors want to invest a billion dollars in the steel industry. If we are talking about nuclear power, it is already 15 billion. That is, the projects vary greatly among each other.

What conditions does your state offer investors?

‘Make in India’ is a federal programme, under which the regional administrations conduct their investment policies and procedures. We will closely monitor this process, because in our state we can provide land (up to one million acres for industrial construction), water (there are 1000 kilometres of coastline and 12 seaports in the state), other infrastructure to ensure the normal operations of the investor. Currently we are the first among the Indian states in terms of the quality of the work with businesses, because we have a large number of advantages.

This is your first visit to Russia. How did you like the welcome you received?

pore, and many states expressed their interest in it.

Which companies are you more interested in as investors: large, medium, or small ones? How much should an investor invest for a project to be considered a priority at the state level?

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Russia is a very beautiful country. Russia and India, in principle, are quite friendly, I know it from childhood. It is not at the state level but at the level of the people. You and I have a very interesting experience of cooperation in the past and want to continue to move in this direction. India is strong with its economy; it seeks only to improve its performance. GDP growth was 7.5 percent last year. I am very pleased that my state has grown by 11 percent, and in the future, we plan to increase this level to 15 percent.

from astana to amaravati through a trail of time

Strategically we had to float a global tender and pool investments from government, foreign companies, and private companies as well for formulating a city design. There’s a lot of money is available in the world. But the investors need confidence that their money will be safe. Laws and regulations should be clear,” he said.

stana could be tomorrow’s Amaravati. Yes, the upcoming capital city of Andhra Pradesh Amaravati is seen today in the banks of River Ishim; or the present capital of Kazhakstan, Astana, could be seen tomorrow in the shores of River Krishna. Taking a stroll along bustling banks of Ishim, through stunning riverside vistas, towering skyscrapers and a chic, cosmopolitan vibes of Astana, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N Chandrababu Naidu, could visualise his dream capital in flesh and blood. The initiative for visiting Astana came primarily from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who advised the Chief Minister to look at the infrastructure, design and the progress Astana has made over the years. The evident similarities that the both cities share, majorly in waterfront, might be the reason behind the PM's hint. But, Naidu's discerning eye perceived broader picture. "I realised that the story of Astana is similar to that of Amaravati and

the challenges we are facing in Andhra Pradesh," he said in 'Kazakhstan Diary' in his official blog, while referring to his 'enlightening' conversations with Kazakh Defence Minister Imangali N. Tasmagambetov, under whose tenure as Mayor Astana was built. During the meeting, Tasmagambetov spoke at length and elaborated on the difficulties they faced while building the new capital. “When we became independent we didn't have money to pay salaries. Our doctors and employees worked free for one year. Then our president decided to build a new capital,” he said. He mentioned that many people wondered why they needed a new capital with so many problems on hand. But since Almaty, the then capital of the country, 9th largest country in the world with an area of 2.72 million sq kilometers, was in the corner, it was decided to shift to the new capital Astana. But, 99 per cent of people were sceptical on building a new capital. "Our president was confident and had faith that 'we could do it'.

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'If planning is done properly, it is easy to build a new city'- this was what Tasmagambetov said in a nutshell and that is exactly what the Chief Minister, Chandrababu Naidu is implementing, while ensuring confidence to investors to build Amaravati. Taking note of the similarities Astana and Amaravati share and bringing parallels between Kazakhstan came out of Soviet Russia and bifurcation of AP, the CM said that AP had been bifurcated in an unscientific way and it caused extreme distress to AP. Following the results of the meeting, the Chief Minister invited the Defence Minister to make a visit to Andhra Pradesh to advise in realising the dream to build a futuristic state. “We don't want to commit any mistakes. We want to learn from you and avoid any mistakes that you made,” said Naidu to Tasmagambetov. Astana keen to increase cooperation Andhra Pradesh received a major boost following the meeting of Chief Minister with Asset Issekeshev, the Mayor of Astana. In the offshoots of the meeting Astana and AP will soon sign MoUs to work together on Amaravati. After receiving CM and his delegation AUGUST 2016

APâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s request to Centre

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cordially, the Mayor said that they were keen to increase cooperation in tourism and industrial sectors and to increase investments in IT and renewable energy. When the CM was keen to know about the architects, designers, and builders involved in the construction of Astana, the Mayor to shared the details and explained how 150 architects worked zealously for ten years on Astana project. Stressing the need for extending mutual relations between the two sides, the Mayor said the relations should not be confined to the construction of the new capital but extended to other areas, including information technology, renewable energy and other sectors. He would speak to the Transport Minister of his country to introduce a direct flight between Astana and Amaravati to increase the tourist traffic between the two places. It was decided to set up a joint working group with members from both the sides. Accordingly, Issekeshev will forward the names of the members from their side in a few days and the Indian Ambassador in Astana will follow up this proposal. Andhra Pradeshâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 5-member working group will be headed by P Narayana, Minister Municipal Administration, and Urban Development. Both the groups will work closely and share their experiences to build a world-class capital. The mayor invited the Chief Minister to attend Expo 2017 an International Exposition scheduled to take place in 2017 in Astana.

AUGUST 2016

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Andhra Pradesh government has requested the Centre to release the long pending Rs 7,269.46 crore central sales tax compensation to the state.

ndhra Pradesh government has requested the Centre to release the long pending Rs 7,269.46 crore central sales tax compensation to the state. State Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu made this plea to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley at the Empowered Committee meeting of Finance Ministers in New Delhi. Andhra Pradesh is scheduled to get Rs 935.74 crore for 2012-13 fiscal year, Rs 2,247.98 crore for 2013-14 and Rs 618.19 crore till June in 2014-15 fiscal before the bifurcation of the state. "Andhra Pradesh's share of CST compensation before the bifurcation (in June 2014) is Rs 3,801.92 crore. "Postbifurcation, we have to get Rs 1,467.54 crore (July 2014 to March 2015) and approximately Rs 2,000 crore in 201516," Yanamala said. "The Union Finance Minister promised to release the first of the two instalments for 2012-13 shortly. We have reANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG

quested him to release the balance amount also at the earliest," Yanamala added. At the Empowered Committee meeting, Andhra Pradesh pointed out that Clause 19 of the 122nd Constitution Amendment Bill (for GST), passed by the Lok Sabha, raised doubts that the states might not be compensated for the revenue losses for five years. "Hence it should be modified such that Parliament passes a law providing compensation for minimum five years. "States have a bad experience in getting CST compensation promptly from the Centre. We insist that the compensation for revenue loss due to introduction of GST shall be granted in a time-bound manner every month or at least once in a quarter. "Otherwise, it will have a huge impact on the ways and means position of the state government," said Yanamala.

HAWKING BRAND AP IN CHINA

CM’S VISIT TO REAP INVESTMENTS WORTH RS 56K Cr

hief Minister Chandrababu Naidu vigorously hawked Brand Amaravati in China with the aid of brochures and a documentary in Chinese during his recent tour of the nation. The CM’s visit has resulted in signing of several trade pacts, besides supplementing the promotion of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship campaigns like Digital India, Make in India. Naidu’s pragmatic visits are already yielding results in terms of increase in Foreign Direct Investment inflows and overall trade in goods. With the major MoUs on setting up an International Industrial Park at Donakonda, Prakasam district- Andhra Pradesh, with a proposed investment of US $6.4 billion (approximately Rs 43,000 crore) and setting up a Rs.10,183-crore gas-based fertilizer plant near Krishnapatnam, the 5-day China tour of Naidu wooed a whopping Rs. 57,000 crore of foreign capital. The CM’s approach received a pat with Chinese Communist Party deputy secretary Zong Wen lauding the initiatives of the Naidu government, and saying it was high time that businesses explored opportunities on both the sides.

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Donakonda, a drowsy village in Prakasam district, is all set to witness a spell of industrial activity soon with China Association of Small and Medium Enterprises and China Small and Medium Investment Group Limited, Beijing, getting on for the development of International Industrial Park. During his recent 5-day visit to China, the CM of AP inked an MoU for the development of International Industrial Park, a major boost to “Make-

in-Andhra Pradesh” campaign, in Donakonda. According to the MoU, it was proposed to complete the project in in three phases, with the investments to a tune of US $ 6.4 Billion (Rs. 43,000 crore). The park will comprise a Building Materials Industrial Park and Modern Building Materials Logistics Park. The Building Material Industrial park will come up in an area of 20 Square Kilometers with an investment of Rs ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG

6037 crore (US $ 0.9 Billion). This park will provide direct employment to 10,000 people. The Modern Building Materials Logistics Park will also be set up in 20 Sq.Km with an investment of Rs. 37, 000 crore (US $5.5 Billion) and will take care of the distribution and be a logistics centre of all categories of building materials. 35,000 people will be directly employed. The project is envisaged to be comAUGUST 2016

pleted in phased manner. In the 1st Phase, Rs. 10106.2 crores will be invested providing direct employment to 10,000 people and indirect employment to 22,000 people. In the 2nd Phase, the investments will be to the tune of Rs.12127.6 crores providing direct employment to 21,000 people and indirect employment to 60,000 people. Whereas in Phase 3, investments will be worth Rs. 14148.8 crores, thus providing direct employment to 24,000 and indirect employment to 38,000 people. The collaboration is mainly aimed at setting up an International Industrial Park in the state, as the first of its kind in India, within a vision of “Make-InAndhra Pradesh”. The park will attract manufacturing industries and logistics companies from China and other countries to invest and set up units and will also create large-scale employment in the backward region of Donakonda, which has large-tracts of unexploited land.

) 982888 (%( &" $* ) $ The vicinity of the Krishnapatnam port area in the coastal region of Andhra Pradesh will soon get a swanky look, as the pot area is all set to have another major industry. Rs.10,183-crore project near Krishnapatnam will be executed by Chinese major, Huanqiu Contracting and Engineering Corporation (HQCEC). The Chief Minister of AP, during his China visit, held discussions with the senior management of the HQCEC, which has affiliated to the China National Petroleum Corporation. He succeeded in convincing them for setting up a gasbased fertilizer plant near the Krishnapatnam port. The proposed plant would be executed by the HQCEC in association with Malaysia-based IsoAUGUST 2016

meric Holdings and LEPL Ventures of the State. A memorandum of understanding to this effect was signed between the AP Economic Development Board, Industries and Commerce department and the three companies. According to the MoU, construction works on the plant would commence in the next fiscal and the project would provide employment to over 5,000 people.

) 0 ) ) 9888 ( (*+$ */ After meeting Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, heading a high-level delegation to China, the leading Chinese mobile maker OPPO evinced keen interest to come up in AP. A delegation of senior executives of OPPO called on Naidu in Guizhou province and expressed interest in investing Rs. 1,000 crore. It would provide employment to over 25,000. OPPO had already established its manufacturing unit in Noida. In Andhra Pradesh, the company is to invest in a new facility. The Chief Minister asked the company to come up with a detailed proposal. Naidu explained the executives of OPPO about the application of the Chief Minister’s dash board and how real time updates were being uploaded on the site for transparent monitoring of the projects. “Andhra Pradesh provided incentives for new business proposals, single desk policy for faster clearances and was ranked among the best in the ease of doing business,” he told the OPPO delegation. He further added how his government is adapting innovative ways in using technology to get information on a real time basis while going for big data and Internet of ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG

Things (IOT). Chilli Connection and ‘Sister- state agreement’ The Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s Chinese connection is nothing new, as it has been marked with his long lasting admiration on former Chinese Premier Deng Xiao Ping and on his economic reforms. Recently, Amaravati- Lord Buddha connection invoked to strike a chord with the Chinese investors. During his tour to China, the CM banked on ‘Guntur mirchi’ to woo Chinese entrepreneurs and leaders of Guiyang City, the capital of the Guizhou Province, located in Southwest China. When he was apprised of production of Chilli in Guizhou Province in China, Naidu successfully won over Qin Ru Pei, the vice governor of the Guizhou Province, by drawing parallels between Guntur mirchi and Guizhou chillies. “There is a huge demand for Guntur chillies throughout the world. Guizhou province and Andhra Pradesh can collaborate to increase chilli production,” Naidu told the vice governor. The obvious offshoot was the MoU between Andhra Pradesh and Guizhou Province, for ‘Sister- state agreement’ to boost investments opportunities in both places.

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Naidu’s visit to China did not confine to the participation in World Economic Forum summit. Besides the amicable political get-togethers with leaders like Malik Samarawickrama, the Minister for Development Strategies and International trade, Sri Lanka, there were plethora of business ties on the sidelines of WEF. The Chief Minister met Vijay

Poonoosamy, vice-president, Etihad Airways, during WEF summit in Tianjin, to ask him to explore the possibility of operating international flights from Andhra Pradesh. Poonoosamy responded positively while agreeing in principle, to operate flights to overseas destinations from the three major airports in Andhra Pradesh â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Tirupati, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada. He further said Etihad airways would apply for necessary permissions from the Civil Aviation Ministry soon. On the sidelines of WEF, Chief Minister met Joaquin Ancin, head of technological innovations at Acciona, a leading Spanish group, which works in fields of infrastructure, management, renewable energy, water, and services. The promoters of Acciona Energy have agreed to set up 200 MW renewable energy plant in AP. The project would be set up in two phases; the first phase of the project involving generation of 100 MW energy would be ready in the first half of the next financial year and the company would take up works on the second phase in 2018-19. There were a few more meetings that made Naiduâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s China visit create a positive momentum and boost the business relations. The Chief Minister met executives from Hanzhou Dingsheng Industry Group, which engages in the manufacturing and sale of air conditioning aluminum foil. The echelons of the group expressed their interest in making investments in mining and minerals sectors in Andhra Pradesh. The CM explained them how the state is endowed with rich mineral wealth. It may be recalled that the delegation from Hanzhou Dingsheng Industry

Group already visited Andhra Pradesh in last April. Chief Minister met the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Kuwaiti Danish Dairy Company, Mohammed Jaffer. The Dairy Company has shown interest in investing in Andhra Pradesh. Inviting them to visit Andhra Pradesh, Naidu said Jaffer that the state is very strong in agriculture and allied sectors. Horticulture too is developed as a strong subsidiary to agriculture of innovative irrigation practices. As part of the one to one bilateral meetings, the CM met Dave Glazer from Palantir technologies Inc, which deployed its products to address crises like cybercrime, natural disaster. Naidu invited Glazer to visit Andhra Pradesh and demonstrate their technologies and explore possibilities of collaboration. The Chief Minister met Maurice Ownes, the head of Libra Group, Washington DC office. He invited the Libra Group to open their Asia office in Amaravati and asked them to come up with specific proposals in sectors such as shipping, Renewable energy, and aviation. The company owns a ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG

fleet of 85 ships and 45 hotels across the globe with assets worth $9 billion. Guizhou International Investment Corporation (GICC) headquarters in Guiyang hosted the Conference of Andhra Pradesh Government and Chinese Enterprises. The delegation later visited GICC international park and the medical data centre. The government invited the medical manufacturing cluster to come and participate in the medical devices manufacturing hub coming up near Visakhapatnam. The Chief Minister and the official delegation visited the Foxconn facility which manufactures around five crore mobile handsets a year. Naidu visited the university area in Guizhou. The area had six universities and many vocational training centres. The Vice President, Dr. Valerie Feldmann from Ogin Inc., Rogerio Rizzide Oliveira from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, the President of Japan External Trade Organisation, Mr. Yasushi Akahoshi, Jorgen Mads Clausen, the chairman of the board of Danfoss, Tony Pan, CEO, Co-founder, Modern Electron were a few bigwigs met the Chief Minister. AUGUST 2016

neW Discovery in kG basin India are estimated at 1,894 trillion cubic meters and these deposits occur in Western, Eastern and Andaman offshore areas. "Advances like the Bay of Bengal discovery will help unlock the global energy resource potential of gas hydrates as well as help define the technology needed to safely produce them," said Walter Guidroz, USGS Energy Resources Program coordinator. This discovery is the result of the most comprehensive gas hydrate field venture in the world to date, made up of scientists from India, Japan and the United States. The discovery follows an exploration of the region from March to July of last year.

large natural gas discovery has been made in the Krishna-Godavari Basin in Bay of Bengal following a joint expedition by India and the US, opening up a new resource to meet energy needs. India's Oil Ministry and the US Geological Survey made the discovery of large, highly enriched accumulations of natural gas hydrate - an icy form of the fuel - in the Krishna-Godavari Basin (KG Basin) in the Bay of Bengal. "This is the first discovery of its kind in the Indian Ocean that has the potential to be producible," the US agency said in a statement. The gas hydrates discovered are located in coarse-grained sandrich depositional systems in the KG Basin and is made up of a sandAUGUST 2016

rich, gas-hydrate-bearing fan and channel-levee gas hydrate prospects. Natural gas hydrates are a naturally occurring, ice-like combination of natural gas and water found in oceans and polar regions. The amount of gas within the world's gas hydrate accumulations is estimated to greatly exceed the volume of all known conventional gas resources. India had in September 2014 agreed to collaborate to explore gas hydrates potential in the country and identify sites for pilot production testing. Gas hydrates are considered as vast resources of natural gas and are known to occur in marine sediments on continental shelf margins. Gas hydrate resources in

ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG

"The scientists conducted ocean drilling, conventional sediment coring, pressure coring, downhole logging and analytical activities to assess the geologic occurrence, regional context and characteristics of gas hydrate deposits in the offshore of India," the statement said.

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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will insist on a share of royalty from the off shore exploration of oil and gas reserves from the Krishna Godavari basin. Naidu said that he had already made a request to the Government of India for a share of royalty. “I have written to the Centre in 2015 about it. I am going to take it up again with the Prime Minister. The Centre’s positive response would mean a huge relief to the financially constrained State of Andhra Pradesh,” he said.

DancinG to the

tune of times

KONDAPALLY BOMMA

panning five centuries, this Andhra fun house is not just for children; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a thorough undertaking that charts the surprising endurance of wooden handicraft and the role that toys played in the formation of Andhra's cultural character. Alongside bullock cart, palanquinbearers carrying the bride and bridegroom, toddy tapper, set of village craftsmen and pet animals that reflect the Coastal Andhra countryside, toys of mythological depiction including Dasavatarams (ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu), Geethopadesam (Lord Krishna's teachings to Arjuna), elephant with Ambari eternally mark Kondapally toys. The papier mache swinging doll is typical of Kondapally craft that adorns the households long since. Even after the advent of industrialisation, the horses and elephant Ambari were not superseded by cars, sailboats, and the popular train sets.

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One could google the geographical address of Kondapally, which is on the National Highway No.9, 25 km away from Vijayawada. But, it's more a historical place with reminiscences of centuries, besides being a cultural reference point. It is believed locally that the craftsmen originally migrated from Rajasthan around the 16th century and settled down in Kondapally under the patronage of the Reddy dynasty and they socially mingled with locals for centuries, which resulted in swelling of the craft community. Typically vivid in their reds, greens and yellows, the ubiquitous toys of Kondapalli are not just another playthings. It is an art of amazement that preserves cultural identity of Andhras across the globe. It is also unique in

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AUGUST 2016

carving. The toys are fashioned from light flexible wood called `tella poniki' or `white sanders' sourced from local woods and seasoned for years. It is partly monolithic as the legs and the torsos are done from a single piece of wood, then the arms carved separately and joined to the main body. To make it more impeccable with seamless effect, makh, a glue made of sawdust mixed with cooked tamarind seed powder, is applied over defects, and to build up features like hair knots and turbans. This is smoothened on with the horn burnisher, followed by a coat of limejuice. The gold paper is stuck on with resin gum from the babool (tumma) tree and the figure is painted with powder paint mixed with the same gum. The carving is generally men's forte, while women mix and apply the paint. The brushes for the painting are made of goat hair. These toys conventionally depict mythological characters, occupational figures like the toddy tapper, village potter, fisherman, besides rural folk and their animals and birds. The utter simplicity and expressive features of these toys are charming. Some minor alterations are gradually creeping in, like using Fevicol instead of gum. Originally, natural dyes were being used, making the Kondapalli toys ecofriendly: indigo used for blue, turmeric powder for yellow, and both mixed to create green. In recent years, some artisans are using enamel paints to make them look shiny with less effort. Gold and silver foil for beautifications are being replaced by strips of silver and gold paper. Of late, the tools, a set of knives of different sizes and shapes, are also made by the artisans. On the other hand, some kind of depletion in the craftsmanship is accused of. The wood being used as raw material is not properly seasoned, so it becomes vulnerable to get worm infested. The craftspersons are using kerosene to ward off the rot, but in vain. AUGUST 2016

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Ever since Kondapally toy became merely a collectible entity, there has been a decline in the graph of purchases. `Bommala Koluvu', where dolls are displayed ceremoniously during Navaratri of the Dasara festival in South Indian households, became a waning tradition. If it had been in practice, the marketing of the toys would have been intact. Obviously, Kondapally artefacts have taken a backseat to reigning idols of the age like Barbie, Spidey, the mechanical G.I. Joe and Pokemons. Thespian- turned politician and considered to be the torchbearer of Telugu pride, N.T. Rama Rao (fondly known as NTR) came in rescue of Kondapally artisans. In NTRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tenure as the Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh in the early 1980s, sites were allotted sites to artisans and 42 houses were also built for them. Most of the products from the craftsmen is bought back by Andhra Pradesh Handicrafts Development Corporation (APHDC) itself and marketed through Lepakshi. With the AP Government promoting Lepakshi Emporia as ready markets for handicrafts, Lepakshi became Kondapally's essential market. Kondapally- Lepakshi bond has been apparent with the famous Kondapally `elephant ambari' became Lepakshi's mascot. The individual craftsmen have the liberty to procure orders on their own. An NGO, Dastkar - AP was one of the organisations to persuade the artisans primarily to work with an improved colour palette. Crafts Council â&#x20AC;&#x201C; AP, in later ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG

stage, ushered the artisans back to their conventional vegetable dyes. Initiation of National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) made the artisans carve corporate gift items like pen knives, boxes, pen and pin holders that interest the contemporary milieu. Nevertheless, the artisans generally face hardship to source the wood from the forest. They also seek government support in subsidising the raw material, including paints. The APHDC) intends to move on from being a ready market to an active facilitator to export market, which is still at a nascent stage. Some banks like Andhra Bank are coming forward to give much- aspired impetus to marketing of the world famous Kondapalli toys by not only extending financial assistance to artisans of Kondapalli village, but also placing order for toys in bulk to use them as corporate gifts for the occasions like New Year and Sankranti.

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Kondapalli toy could be bought in all the Lepakshi Emporia situated in all major towns in Andhra Pradesh and also in Telangana. Some private handicrafts shops also sell the toys and thus one need not visit the toy village to purchase. But, one would value oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trip to Kondapally for long, as the village has a historical fort. The fort is being developed with nice ambiance into a major tourist attraction by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation. So, the visit to Kondapally serves dual purpose, for sure.

DUBBED FILMS make merry at the box-office

ver the past few years, a lot of people in the industry, along with the audience, have built an appetite for dubbed films, especially Tamil and English, and today, they've become a crucial part of the film industry itself. In any given year, there are at least 60-70 dubbed films hitting the marquee and the number keeps fluctuating depending on how well a certain set of big budget Telugu films do at the box-office. Although the success rate of dubbed films isn't mind-boggling, the low cost of investment and high rate of returns, if the content works at box-office, have turned them into a gold mine for several producers and distributors. For the uninitiated, the cost of dubbing a film from any language to Telugu doesn't exceed Rs 50 lakhs in most cases and if the producer is willing to spend an additional amount of Rs 50 lakhs - Rs 1 crore, it's almost as good as any other low budget Telugu film. While that's the story of the low cost of investment, after paying the market price to buy the dubbing rights, the rate of returns is what keeps

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AUGUST 2016

them in the limelight most of the times. For instance, this year's biggest success story isn't that of Soggade Chinni Nayana or even Aâ&#x20AC;ŚAa. Both those films were backed by big production houses and had big names attached to them to pull the crowds to the theatres. The biggest surprise at the box-office was Vijay Antony starrer Bichagadu, the Telugu version of 'Pichaikaran'. The film's dubbing rights cost Rs 50 lakhs and the producer spend an additional amount of Rs 80 lakhs to promote the film. Despite releasing just a week before Mahesh Babu starrer Brahmotsavam released in theatres all over Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the film shocked trade analysts and producers by grossing close to Rs 25 crores at the box-office within 75 days. It's not only higher than what most Telugu films manage to make, the shocking part was how it sustained in theatres for so long. It goes without saying that not all lowbudget Tamil films, featuring newcomers or a non-familiar face, will hit the bulls eye like Bichagadu did. A lot of films like Kalavathi (Telugu version of Aranmanai 2) and even Vijay, Samantha starrer Theri didn't quite set the box-office on fire. But the success of films like Bichagadu, Arambham, Raja Rani, Rangam (KV Anand's Ko), Ganga, Kanchana and Jilla in the past has given hope to Telugu film producers that even the dubbed films can rake in a lot of moolah, if the content is good. Then, there are actors like Rajinikanth, Suriya, Kamal Haasan and Karthi, along with Shankar and Mani Ratnam, whose films get dubbed in Telugu by default. In fact, Suriya is said to be quite surprised with the box-office performance of his recent film '24' in the two Telugu speaking states, which were on par with those in Tamil Nadu. He has often been quoted as saying, "I have no idea what I've done to the Telugu people that they have given me so much love and respect. I have a lot of gratitude to the Telugu speaking population all over the world." Thanks to the success of some of his recent films, Suriya is treated almost AUGUST 2016

on par with any other big star from Telugu film industry and things are looking better for him in near future with Singham 3 slated for release soon. To know the true prowess of a dubbed film, all you've to do is look at the numbers of Rajinikanth's latest film Kabali. The film was bought for a whopping amount of Rs 32 crores, the highest anyone has ever paid for a dubbed film, and it took the box-office by storm when it released on July 22. On the first day of its release, the film collected close to Rs 9.4 crores (share), which is the fifth highest opening day collection of 2016 so far. By the first weekend, Kabali collected Rs 25 crores (gross) and it's expected to rake in more than Rs 30 crores by the end of the week. With Shankar's 2.0, starring Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson, slated for release in 2017, sky is the limit for the next Rajinikanth film! It's not just films dubbed from Tamil that are making merry at the box-office. Of late, quite a few Malayalam films are being dubbed in Telugu and soon, Dulquer Salmaan and Nithya Menen starrer 100 Days Of Love and Ustad Hotel are slated for release. The surprising twist to this story is the slow emergence of English films that are dubbed in Telugu. While 2012 and Avatar stunned the audiences and trade pundits alike few years ago, the dubbed versions of Jungle ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG

Book, Fast & Furious 7 and other films too did well at the box-office. In fact, some of the Hollywood studios have become so ambitious about making inroads into regional markets that they've begun roping in local stars to dub for few characters in the film. Recently, Jagapathi Babu had lent his voice for one of the lead characters in the Telugu version of Steven Spielberg's BFG. "It's an honour to be associated with a studio like Disney," Jagapathi Babu said. Amen! Beyond all these numbers and eternal search for good content, it's also worth noting that for the past few years, there have been numerous voices in the Telugu film industry which have called for a ban on dubbed films since they're eating into the revenues of straight Telugu films. It's a catch 22 situation because the producers and distributors who bet big on dubbed films are also part of the Telugu film industry. Even the theatres are willing to screen dubbed films when there are no big Telugu films releasing. The only way ahead to not let the dubbed films take control over the prevailing situation is to make better films. Till then, dubbed films will continue to make merry at the box-office. Their success ratio might be low compared to a straight Telugu film, but they will continue to co-exist in the market.

- Hemanth kumar CR

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CM Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated the Inner Ring Road ﬂyover at the Ramavarappadu ring road junction. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Naidu said the road would be connected to Amaravati seed capital in future to ease traﬃc congestion in the city.

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espite demand from several parties, including ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh, the NDA government remained noncommittal on the issue. After facing tough questions from the Opposition in Parliament over the implementation of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, the Centre said it would ‘handhold’ the state till it becomes financially stable. At a short-duration discussion in the Rajya Sabha on whether the government was interested in implementing the Act, as promised by the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that instead of allotting it a special constitutional entitlement, the government would “handhold” Andhra Pradesh until it became economically stable. While Jaitley acknowledged that Andhra Pradesh lost revenue after Telangana was carved out of it in 2014, he said the Centre had limited resources and it would do its “best” to improve the economic condition of the State.

he government took up several developmental works such as the Kanaka Durga flyover near the Prakasam Barrage. The possibility of connecting the Mustabad road-Gannavaram-IRR would also be explored for a hassle free journey to airport. Several developmental works were taken up including the construction of the flyover at the Durga ghat. Stressing on the need for improving the brand image of Vijayawada city by beautifying it, he urged the people to extend hospitality to pilgrims during the pushkarams. The 9.84-km IRR was built at a cost of Rs. 122.35 crores to connect the national highway (NH)-9

and NH-5. The IRR will help to divert traffic coming from Hyderabad to the Howrah national highway at the Ramavarappadu junction. The VGTMUDA, now AP CRDA, conceived the project idea in 2006. However, the works progressed at a snail’s pace at some stretches for various reasons. Due to the procedural wrangles and the delay in execution, the project cost escalated phenomenally. The Chandrababu Naidu Government took up the project on priority basis and completed it expeditiously. The project was originally estimated to cost Rs.74.24 crore. In 2013, the project estimate was revised to Rs.119 crore.

“As far as our commitment to honour each one of these commitments is concerned, it is absolute; there are no ifs and buts. Forty-two per cent of the Central revenue goes to States. The rest 58% has to take care of defence, salaries, loans... We also have to support Central schemes. After that, the Central government has a deficit. This year, it is 3.9%,” Jaitley said.

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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed disappointment over the denial of Special Category Status (SCS) by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Addressing the media in Hyderabad Naidu regretted that injustice had been done to A.P. , Naidu asked what the BJP had done for the State apart from holding the Congress responsible for bifurcation. Eleven parties have supported A.P’s claim to SCS but the BJP remained indifferent to it for reasons best known to it, he said.

ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.COM

AUGUST 2016

chief ministerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

social network

CM Chandrababu Naidu is an active social media user. Many of you have been actively following his activities with admiration. Here are a few snapshots from his Twitter account and those on him.

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AUGUST 2016

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ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG

ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.COM

AUGUST 2016

114.2

102.7

68.9

38.5

State

kurnool

39.6

36.7

61.7

53.7

51.9

59.8

58.0

71.2

93.5

Anantapur

kadapa

Chittoor

Nellore

Prakasham

Guntur

krishna

West Godavari

East Godavari

93.9

62.7

82.7

33.5

82.7

91.0

66.4

90.2

96.9

85.0

136.5

143.0

130.9

152.8

134.9

93.7

77.2

63.9

69.2

78.7

56.8

58.0

86.3

97.8

114.7

123.7

128.8

128.4

158.8

131.8

94.5

119.8

132.2

63.8

83.6

172.7

270.7

276.8

241.7

168.7

182.7

139.5

June

This Month Upto 29/07/2016 11:30 HRS

131.3

100.1

58.8

84.2

90.7

78.9

79.3

130.0

186.9

221.1

208.4

164.4

150.0

153.8

79.4

66.2

45.3

50.0

71.2

29.0

30.0

49.8

65.6

94.6

124.2

173.3

169.1

123.2

Normal Actual Normal Actual Normal Actual

Vishakapatnam 114.5

Vizianagaram

Srikakulam

District

S.NO.

May

RAINFALL STATUS

288.7

225.0

177.3

122.7

153.4

169.4

135.7

137.3

216.3

284.7

335.8

332.1

293.2

278.4

Normal

238.2

198.0

139.8

169.8

203.4

92.8

113.6

222.5

336.3

371.4

365.9

342.0

351.8

262.7

Actual

5.9

11.7

13.9

10.7

20.1

-31.6

-17.3

2.9

18.1

10.6

10.2

16.6

26.4

-9.0

Deviation in %

Normal

Excess

Deficient

Normal

Excess

Normal

Status

01/06/2016 to 29/07/2016 11:30 HRS

VANAM.. MANAM

oon after his return from his investment-scouting visit to Russia, the CM took up ‘Vanam-Manam’ in a big way to increase green cover in the state. Besides, he was also focussing on making the upcoming Krishna Pushkaralu a grand success by minutely overseeing the arrangements.

93 CM launching our ﬂagship programme "Vanam Manam" in West Godavari district. The Government’s goal is to increase green cover in AP from the current 26 to 50 percent.

: Chief Minister oﬀering puja at Pavitra Sangamam, where Godavari meets Krishna through Pattiseema river linking project. ;: Malaysia's RDA Harris Group's designs of the government complexes of AP.

<3 Chief Minister at the launch of Mee Seva Centres in Visakhapatnam. As many as 100 Mee Seva Centres were opened in the district.

Regd. No. H-HD-1082/2016-18 Published on: 01/08/2016

APENG/2007/20679 Posting Dt: 6th