Art by Nature
Borra Caves
Consolation Prize Winner under Tourism category in photography competitions held by DIPR for 2016. Photo by K R Deepak, Visakhapatnam
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CONTENTS Foreign Tour Fetches Returns
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AP to emerge as blockchain tech capital
The three-nation trip of the high-level delegation led by CM Chandrababu Naidu exhaustively explored all options for technologies and investments that can benefit AP.
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CM’s Deepavali Gift to Vizag
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Major Govt service payments in AP Digitised Happening Andhra
CM receives Golden Peacock Financial aid to newlymarried BC couples
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StadiArena to create sports facility
Mastercard signs MoU with AP
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AP to become 'aquaculture hub' in the world
Five investment proposals approved
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Literary reminiscences of Gurazada Apparao Pantulu
Thomson Reuters launches two digital initiatives
Highway and Waterway Projects launched
28 NRT journo on wiki foundation
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Various developments across the state of Andhra Pradesh.
What’s Brewing In Telugu Film Industry?
ANDHRA PRADESH
Published Monthly In English & Telugu Volume:13 November 2017 Issue:6 Salivahana Era 1939
Commissioner S Venkateswar IIS Editor Ramesh Babu Kandula Executive Editor Naresh Nunna
Cover Page CM & Delegation in the USA Second Cover Borra Caves
Third Cover Month in pics
Fourth Cover APIIC Advt on Sunrise State
Published by: Information & Public Relations Department Government of Andhra Pradesh Hyderabad - 500 028 Ph: 040-23300258
Views expressed by various authors in this issue reflect their personal opinions. Design Karthik Beesu
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EDITORIAL
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The City of the Future
isakhapatnam is all set to live up to its tag, the City of Destiny. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has been assiduously nurturing the port city not only to become a gateway to South-East Asia but also a hub for state-of-the-art technology.
Andhra Pradesh Government has been promoting Visakhapatnam as Fintech hub focusing on converging finance and technology and to create large avenues of growth. As a result, the vibrant city, also known as Vizag, has become a truly happening place. A slew of cutting-edge technology conferences are taking place even as the city is being transformed in to a smart and people-friendly metropolis.
The two-day conference on Blockchain technology held recently in the city is expected to provide a further boost to the Fintech Valley in Vizag. With a target of generating one lakh jobs in the IT sector and two lakh jobs in electronics in the State by 2019, the dynamic IT Minister N Lokesh has been sparing no effort in bringing the cream of technology companies to Vizag. Even as the New Jersey-based company, Conduent, is setting up a 5,000-seater facility here, several Fintech companies such as Lycos, Kissht, Rubique and Bodhtree have committed themselves to starting operations, while several more are in the pipeline.
The city of the future is also witnessing a transformation in infrastructure. The city’s resilience and the CM’s resoluteness were evident in the face of a devastating cyclone of Hud Hud magnitude. Now efforts are on to make the city calamity-proof. The latest in this effort is the work for the underground electric cabling project that will ensure uninterrupted power supply at all times. The expanded airport with more seating capacity and ceremonial lounge, the LED street lights, the street art adding colour to the city, the increasing greenery all around are only some of the additions that are shaping the new look of the city. The Aircraft Museum, the anti-submarine warfare corvette, INS Kiltan, both unveiled in October, are a further boost to the image of Vizag.
Few visitors to Vizag can miss the turnaround the city has been witnessing for some time. As the CM continues to focus on making the city a leading destination for business, technology and leisure, the day is not far off when Vizag will shine as the jewel in Andhra crown.
Ramesh Kandula Editor
www.andhrapradeshmagazine.org Email: apchiefeditor@gmail.com www.ipr.ap.nic.in
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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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NOVEMBER 2017
CM receives Golden Peacock
for Public Service & Economic Transformation cellence worldwide. Earlier in an investors’ meet, the Chief Minister made a strong plea to British industries to invest in his state and participate in building the new capital Amaravati into "one of the best capitals in the world". He said that he was confident that Andhra Pradesh would be among India's top three states by 2020 and be ranked top-most on the happiness index by 2029.
CM Chandrababu receiving Golden Peacock Award from UK Secretary of State for International Development Priti Patel.
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ndhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu received the ‘Golden Peacock Award’ under the category – Global Leadership in Public Service and Economic Transformation – from the Institite of Directors at a convention in London. Naidu received the award for his excellence in public service. Much like corporate companies are accountable to its shareholders, I am also accountable to the common man, he said on the occasoin, adding that the award was a reminder of his responsibilities. The Golden Giving a presentation at the 17th Peacock Award, London Global Convention to atinstituted by the tract investments during his Institute Of Direc- acceptance speech, Naidu said, “In Q1, 2017-18, AP registered a tors (IOD) India in growth rate of 11.72 per cent, 1991, is claimed to which is double the country’s be regarded as a average.”
benchmark of corporate excellence worldwide.
Earlier eminent recipients of the award under other categories are – anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare, agricultural scientist M S Swaminathan, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit. Naidu’s wife and managing director of the Heritage Foods Nara Bhuvaneswari also received the award under the category – Corporate Governance and Sustainability, the release said. The Golden Peacock Award, instituted by the Institute Of Directors (IOD), India in 1991, are claimed to be regarded as a benchmark of corporate ex-
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"There are a lot of reforms going on in our state, across automobiles, agro-processing, defence and aerospace and so many other areas," Naidu said. "I request all industry friends here [UK] to come to Andhra Pradesh for investment, it is a win-win situation. We do business in a sincere way," he said. Naidu also highlighted India as the only investment destination in the world that had the potential of double digit growth. "India is a great country with inherent strengths of demographic dividend, maximum English speakers and we are very strong in technology. Google, Microsoft, all these companies have one top executive from India and of all the Indians in such companies, one out of four will be from my state," he added. Naidu received the award from UK Secretary of State for International Development Priti Patel, who herself was awarded by the IoD India for Leadership in Public Service & UK-India Economic Relations. Patel, the first Indian-origin member of the UK Cabinet, also highlighted how her Department for International Development (DfID) was working closely with the government of Andhra Pradesh. "We are paving the way for sustained and inclusive growth in the state by looking at investment through our private sector investors. Our own partnership in Amaravati is on intelligent transport on the future of the smart city," she said. The other key Golden Peacock Award winners at the 17th IoD India convention in London included Distinguished Fellowships for UK minister of state for housing and planning Alok Sharma and Ahmed Bin Sulayem, executive chairman of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC). A string of Indian and global companies, such as Volvo, Capgemini, State Bank of India and Larsen & Toubro, received the annual Golden Peacock Awards for Corporate Governance and Sustainability.
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FOREIGN TOUR FETCHES RETURNS The three-nation trip of the high-level delegation led by CM Chandrababu Naidu exhaustively explored all options for technologies and investments that can benefit Andhra Pradesh.
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CM and Ministers at Iowa DuPont Pioneer farm.
he nine–day tour of the high-level delegation led by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu to the US, UK and UAE has been successful in exploring the immense possibilities for investments and technology transfer, besides providing exposure for the sun-rise State of Andhra Pradesh. The whirlwind tour saw a plethora of interactions and agreements with top companies with expertise in various fields. The occasion was also used by the CM in calling upon the strong Non-Resident Community in both the US and the UAE to invest in Andhra Pradesh. Another highlight of this visit is the focus of the delegation on obtaining best technologies for boosting the agriculture sector in the State. The high-level delegation included Finance Minister Y Ramakrishnudu, Agriculture Minister S Chandramohana Reddy, Municipal Minister Narayana, Advisor (Communications) Parakala Prabhakar, Economic Development Board chairman J Krishna Kishore and several senior officials.
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The CM on his return summed up the trip sayhing that his threenation tour was aimed at bringing 10 billion dollars investment into the state. "My three-nation tour is aimed at 10 billion dollars investment and 50,000 jobs. I have this time focused on agricultural technology as continuation to our focus on Information and Technology (IT)" he said.
Non-Resident Telugus to invest in AP
IT Taskforce chairman Garapati Prasad made a presentation on IT City on the occasion. Around 450 Non-Resident Telugus in the USA have shown their interest to invest in Andhra Pradesh, while 100 companies have shown interest to have an MoU with Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board. The Andhra Pradesh government has set itself a target to ensure at least 500 IT companies set up their units in the State in next 12 months. Meanwhile, Chicago State University chairman and department of mathematics and computer sciences head Prof Rohan Athela held discussions with the Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister’s trip in the US began with assurance of cooperation to the IT companies coming forward to set up their shops in Andhra Pradesh. During his interaction with representatives of various IT companies in the United States of America on the first day of his nineday tour, he attended a meeting in Chicago.
He invited Chandrababu Naidu to the 150th anniversary celebrations of the university and its graduation ceremony (convocation) to be held in May next year.
Most of the representatives of 80 IT companies who attended the meeting were Telugu people settled or working in the USA. All of them showed keen interest to be part of IT sector development in the State.
On the occasion, Rohan promised to share his knowledge and expertise in Dynamic Cyber Security programme with the universities in Andhra Pradesh. TANA (Telugu Association of North America) repre-
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NOVEMBER 2017
The State Government was keen on realising the potential of the agriculture sector, the CM told senior executives of agri business and seed companies at a round-table organised by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum at Iowa. sentatives who met the Chief Minister expressed their interest to construct TANA Bhavan in Amaravati with an investment of two million USD and requested for necessary land.
factors like the quality of seeds, climate and soil management on productivity and sought to know ways to improve it further. The DuPont scientists promised to extend their cooperation having extensively worked in Warangal, Guntur, East and West Godavari districts in the stated areas of R&D.
The Chief Minister visited the global headquarters of DuPont Pioneer, a leading producer of hybrid seeds and genetically-modified crops, at Iowa on the second day of his US tour.
Later, the CM and his team visited mechanised farms, where they obtained inputs on utilising the latest technologies.
CM visits DuPont Pioneer’s global HQ
The expertise of reputed agencies such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was being availed, he said. The Gates foundation offered to develop soil-nutrient profiles to help the farmers achieve higher yield on a sustainable basis, Naidu said and announced that Mr. Bill Gates would participate in an international agriculture conference scheduled to be organised in Visakhapatnam in November. Naidu later participated in TDP Forum meeting in the Des Moines, the capital of Iowa State. The CM also held interactions with William Howard Northey, Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation in the United States Department of Agriculture. Naidu later held deliberations with Wageningen University Executive Board President Louise Fresco on research in the field of nutrition and healthy foods.
DuPont Pioneer Vice-President (integrated solutions) Brad Lance explained how the company was able to repose the customer confidence for eight decades and it is still going strong in plant genetics. He focused on research projects and business operations in more than 90 countries spanning the development and distribution of high-quality corn, soyabeans, sorghum, sunflower, alfalfa, canola, wheat, rice, cotton, pearl millet and mustard seed as well as forage additives and a variety of services and expertise. Naidu asked about the influence of NOVEMBER 2017
He also met with the Governor of Iowa Kim Reynolds during the Round Table Conference at Iowa State University Seed Park where he spoke regarding the agricultural transformations taking place in AP.
Consortium for adopting best agri practices
The State Government was keen on realising the potential of the agriculture sector, the Chief Minister told senior executives of agri business and seed companies at a round-table organised by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) at Iowa.
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An official release said the CM suggested that the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the Iowa State, and Wageningen University could form a global consortium for taking the best agricultural practices forward for mutual benefit. Naidu discussed the latest developments in agricultural research with Wendy Wintersteen, Dean of College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, at Iowa State University. Naidu also took part in the World Food Prize2017 programme, where he met a host of scientists and businessmen.
Integrating technology and agriculture
The AP government and the Iowa State University have a partnership to develop a Mega Seed Park in
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CM with Iowa Governor Kimberly Reynolds
crore has already been created. Addressing a gathering of NRTs organised by APNRTS in Dubai on Saturday, the CM said he had prepared a vision document and needed the cooperation of all Telugu people settled abroad. He said priority is being given to establishing air connectivity with global cities and wished that a direct flight is introduced from Dubai to Amaravati. Kurnool, the foundation stone for which was laid by the CM on October 9. He said the climate and other conditions will help the city become a hub of seed research and development for India and the State government would be partnering with several global foundations, research institutions and universities for the project. The Park will have world class laboratories and seed processing facilities, Naidu said. The Chief Minister said the plans were also to develop a globally reputed organic agriculture sector for Andhra Pradesh. The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) hosted a round table in Des Moines for Naidu and U.S. agricultural companies attending the World Food Prize events at the Iowa State University , where the Chief Minister was a guest. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu left for Dubai from New York, where he held discussions with the honchos of the MNCs on the final day of his U.S. visit.
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Purna R. Saggurti, Head of the Global Investment Banking at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Jeffrey Hamilton, Senior Director at Pfizer Inc., S&P Global Infrastructure Head Swamy Kocherlakota, Magna International Chief Technology Officer
Swamy Kotagiri, and Tasty Bite Eatables Limited and US-India Strategic Partnership Forum president Mukesh Aghi were among the dignitaries whom Naidu called on. Later, Naidu met former NITI Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya, who is now professor at the Columbia University.
Nalanda 2 campus
According to an official release, Nalanda 2, a U.S.-based higher educational institution, agreed to set up a world-class university in Amaravati. This was conveyed to Naidu by Nalanda 2 founder-president Shailendra Kumar. Naidu invited Magna International, a Canada-based automotive component manufacturer, and Tasty Bite Eatables Limited to set up their units in A.P.
join hands with APNRT
The Chief Minister called upon the 25 lakh–plus Non-Resident Telugus (NRTs) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to join hands with the AP NonResident Telugu Society (APNRTS) formed by the State Government for mutual benefit. He requested the NRTs to explore investment opportunities in the State and promised to take care of their welfare for which a fund of Rs 40
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‘Abu Dhabi Investment Authority keen on AP’
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) expressed keenness on making substantial investments in Andhra Pradesh particularly in the infrastructure sector. ADIA Director Khalil Mohammed Sarif Foulathi gave an assurance to that effect to Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu in an interaction in Abu Dhabi.. Naidu said the phenomenal success of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s growth into an economic powerhouse was an inspiration for all and he would like the ADIA to explore the opportunities in AP which, he asserted, was providing the best of conditions for doing business. The country which was perceived to be just a desert had undergone a dramatic transformation as the rulers and the businessmen took the adversities in their stride and had come up with such a model of development that proved to be the envy of others, the CM observed. Naidu said the State had targeted 15% growth rate over the next 15 years, for which efforts were being made with the help of the Central government and other interested parties. Focus had been laid on the construction of the capital city AmarNOVEMBER 2017
The CM suggested to Emirates Airline Senior Vice-President Adnan Kazim and Fly Dubai CEO Ghaith al Ghaith to choose AP as an integrated logistics hub by availing themselves of the infra being created to promote the civil aviation. avati and it was a matter of pride that the Singapore government was extending a helping hand in that endeavour.
Natural resources
Naidu said the State was at the forefront of utilising its natural resources optimally and agencies like the ADIA could look at agriculture, mining and other sectors as potential destinations for their investments. Indian High Commissioner in UAE Navdeep Singh Suri and First Secretary Dinesh Kumar were present. Naidu interacted with B Raghuram Shetty, Chair-
signed two major deals with Dubaibased firms, which could net a total investment of $7.5 billion for the state. The AP Economic Development Board signed a memorandum of understanding with Aviation City LLP for developing an aero city hub in Andhra Pradesh with an investment of $5.5 billion. The Board signed another MoU with bin Zayed Group which promised to invest $2 billion in various infrastructure projects in the state. The AP government will have to secure 10,000 acres of land for the proposed aero city hub - the location is
CM interacting with investors from UAE
man of BRS Ventures, and other business tycoons, over breakfast. He had lunch with UAE Minister of Culture, Youth and Social Development Sheik Nahyan bin Mubarak al Nahyan and held discussions with Mubadala Group CEO Homaid Al Shimmari, who promised to explore the opportunities in aerospace, renewable energy, healthcare and real estate among other sectors.
MoUs with UAE ďŹ rms
The Andhra Pradesh Government NOVEMBER 2017
yet to be decided - which is expected to create 15,000 direct jobs and 5,000 indirect ones. The Aviation City LLP team will visit the state in November to study the project and will submit a preliminary report in January in Davos.
State, DP World set up joint working group
The Chief Minister requested Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of the DP World, a global leader in maritime logistics business, to make investANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
ments in Andhra Pradesh. In a meeting with Sulayem in Dubai, Naidu said the DP World Group could foray into the seaports and logistics sector as AP offered excellent opportunities for mutual growth. The two sides set up a working group jointly led by A.P. Principal Secretary (infrastructure and investment) Ajay Jain and DP World Chief Financial Officer Yuvraj Narayan. Prior to that, Naidu addressed a gathering of the Indian Business and Professional Council. Naidu then called on Emirates Airline Senior Vice-President Adnan Kazim and Fly Dubai CEO Ghaith al Ghaith to whom he suggested to choose AP as an integrated logistics hub by availing themselves of the infrastructure being created to promote the civil aviation and aerospace sectors. On Day-2 of his visit to Dubai, the CM said AP took steps for the establishment of aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) and the two Dubai-based global airlines could explore the opportunities thereof. He said AP was strategically positioned in South Asia and Amaravati, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam could be connected to Dubai. These linkages would strengthen the ties between the State and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Kazim said that the CM had played an instrumental role in getting Emirates Airline to operate from Hyderabad in the unified State and promised to work on the proposals put forth by the CM. Later, Naidu met UAE Minister of Economy and Federal Civil Aviation Authority Chairman Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, who came forward to collaborate in IT and financial technologies. Mansoori said
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UK based Santander Bank India Desk Director Edward Dixon told the Chief Minister that Santander Bank would extend financial assistance to exporters from Andhra Pradesh and importers from UK AP’s long coastline offered tremendous opportunities for players in the maritime and transport sectors, in which the UAE would like to become a partner. Indian High Commissioner Navdeep Singh Suri and others were present in the deliberations.
UK assures assistance to AP
Immediately after landing in London,
cial assistance to exporters from Andhra Pradesh and importers from UK. The bank would act as liaison between the exporters and importers. The bank representatives responded positively to Naidu’s request to extend their cooperation in developing Fintech Valley. At another meeting, Ajay Rajan Gupta of Indo-UK Institute of Health told
Pure Circle, to take up plantation in Andhra Pradesh. The company has orchards in South America, East Africa and China and is into manufacturing of natural sweetener as alternative to sugar. He said that a pilot project can be taken up in A.P. after studying the soil conditions etc. Pure Circle CEO Magomet Malsagov told him a team would visit AP in the first week of November to study the prospects.
Looking for the best designs, Naidu tells F+P
The Chief Minister expressed satisfaction with the Amaravati designs submitted by Foster+Partners (F+P) during his second day’s discussions with Lord Norman Foster in London.
The AP delegation with Foster of Norman Foster Consultants
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu met Secretary of State for International Development (UK Minister) Priti Patel. The Chief Minister urged her to help Andhra Pradesh by extending best technologies available in Europe and UK. He also recalled that UK helped in the past too in setting up of Centre for Good Governance and Human Resources Development (HRD) Institute when served as Chief Minister of combined Andhra Pradesh. Responding to it, Ms Patel assured him of extending all possible help.
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UK based Santander Bank India Desk Director Edward Dixon, at another meeting, told the Chief Minister that Santander Bank would extend finan-
the Chief Minister that Health City works would commence at Amaravati from December this year. Larsen and Toubro (L&T) was awarded the works and construction of buildings would be completed by October 2018, he said. In response to a proposal from Naidu to set up a manufacturing unit in Andhra Pradesh, Telematic Biomedical Services (TBS) Group General Manager (Foreign Affairs) Nicola Pangher assured him that the TBS representatives would hold discussions with AP Economic Development Board (EDB). The Chief Minister has invited natural sweetener manufacturing company,
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Naidu suggested some changes to the Legislative Complex designs and gave the nod for those of the High Court while asking for three options as far as the designs of the Secretariat were concerned, which he wanted to be built in five towers. He insisted that the public feedback should be at the centre-stage of the entire exercise. He was looking for the best designs as he carried the burden of the expectations of five crore people and their wish to build a city that had very few parallels. The CM requested Foster to ensure that the designs stood out as unique ones saying it was because of his firm’s global reputation that the task was entrusted to him and his talented team of architects and designers. The whirlwind tour of the CM was fruitful in broadening the horizons for Andhra Pradesh in both investments and technolgies.
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FINANCIAL AID to newly-married BC couples
The Cabinet also approved allocation of lands to the Gopichand Badminton Academy, Brahma Kumari Society, Nandamuri Basava Taraka Ramarao Memorial Cancer Foundation, the Xavier School of Management, and L.V. Prasad Eye Institute.
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he Andhra Pradesh Cabinet approved a new scheme providing financial aid for the newly-married couples belonging to the Backward Classes. The scheme, named after the Chief Minister as Chandranna Pelli Kanuka, will be launched in the New Year.
Only those that have a white ration card or which are below poverty line are eligible. The bride must be above 18 years of age and the groom above 21. The couple will be gifted Rs. 30,000. It is estimated that 40,000 marriages will take place in 2017-18. The government will spend Rs. 120 crore.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has suggested that to avail this scheme, a minimum educational qualification of Class X should be compulsory. The Chief Minister also ordered to make it mandatory to register marriages. The Cabinet also approved a proposal relating to virtual classrooms in the schools. In addition to this, in the cabinet meeting held on October 10, 2017, issues like plantation, sand, heavy rains, water preservation, seasonal diseases were are also discussed. The approved proposals are as follows:
Virtual Classrooms
The Cabinet approved for the selection of Trigin Technology Limited for setting up and managing cloud-based virNOVEMBER 2017
tual classrooms in selected schools.The project will be implemented in selected municipal schools. This project costs Rs. 160 crore. The Chief Minister directed all municipal high schools be equipped with virtual classrooms by the end of this year. Education department is assigned the task of preparing the content for virtual classrooms.
AP migrants welfare and development policy The Cabinet approved the proposal of "AP migrants welfare and development policy" with Rs. 40 crore. This policy aims at the welfare, safety and rehabilitation of the Non-Resident Telugu (NRT) people. As many as 25 lakh NRTs will be benefitted through this.
Under this policy, the NRTs will be provided skill development training, so they can earn enough income. The entrepreneurs among the Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu ( APNRT ) will be encouraged to invest in the state. A round-the-clock helpline will be set up for those, who are going abroad. An APNRT Insulin scheme will be set up. If anybody dies or gets injured, he or the kin will be paid Rs. 10 lakh. Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) land allocations:
The State Government is allocating lands to various companies with the view to get investments worth USD 6 billion to Amaravati in next ten years. With such allocations, the capital region will become a "vibrant economic hub". With these allocations, famous universities and academic and medical institutes will be setup in Amaravati. The cabinet also approved allocation of lands to the Gopichand Badminton Academy, Brahma Kumari Society, Nandamuri Basava Taraka Ramarao Memorial Cancer Foundation, the Xavier School of Management, and L.V. Prasad Eye Institute. v
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StadiArena to create sports facility • Zone 12 of 7,838 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 2,102 crore and • Zone 12A of 3,860 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 1,498 crore
StadiArena
UK-based StadiArena Amaravati Limited, which had entered into an agreement to develop sports stadia in the capial, presented their proposal to create a state-of-the-art sports facility, to promote an international standard of sporting and leisure facilities.
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he Chief Minister reviewed the projects in the capital region at a meeting with CRDA in the Secretariat. Projects with an approximate cost of Rs 13,000 crore are being grounded in the next few weeks. Some projects are a part of Land Pooling Scheme (LPS) infrastructure, some are government complexes and some are trunk infrastructure.
The tenders for the LPS infrastructure will be released under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM), a popular model for most NHAI contracts. StadiArena The concession period will be 13 Amaravati Limited years instead of 17, with 3 years of construction and 10 years of operpresented their ation and maintenance (O&M). proposal to create Secondly, the share of the project a state-of-the-art cost will be 49% by the state govand 51% by developers sports facility to ernment, (as opposed 40% and 60%). The promote an inter- government will have an increased national standard share, because the projects will not be making as much as revof sporting and enue as NHAI projects. Lastly, the leisure facilities. State Government will give guarantees to provide for any shortfall in repayment of annuity. Five major projects have been finalised, and their tenders are ready to reach the market on October 11. The total estimated cost of the 5 projects is Rs 10,000 crore: • Zone 4 of 1,360 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 817 crore, • Zone 5 of 5,174 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 2,383 crore,
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• Zone 9 of 6,902 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 3,714 crore,
“Andhra Pradesh will be able to host national and international sporting events, and the youth of our state will be encouraged to undergo training of high standard”, said the Chief Minister. Officials said that 20 acres of land close to the river have been identified near the government complexes. The facilities include a multi-use sports pitch, and spaces and amenities for tennis, basketball, volleyball, yoga, table tennis, swimming, badminton and dance. There will also be facilities for medical science and rehabilitation. The project will be executed in two phases. Phase one (at a cost of 19.89 million pounds) will be the establishment of conference and exhibition centres, with StadiArena sports area, events park, members club and disaster recovery centre. Phase 2 (at a cost of 16 million pounds) will include the construction of hotels, self-catered accommodation, retail and leisure facilities. The sports area will have a capacity of 10,000 people, and a 4,000 capacity multi-use arena.
Water Festival – Amaravati 2018
Officials of UIM Powerboat Racing will be organizing the F1H20 Water Festival in Amaravati in 2018. The event will span across 15 days with a wide variety of events, making it an entire dedicated month including celebrations and preparations. An MoU initiating the partnership between UIM Powerboat Racing and the Government of Andhra Pradesh was signed.
Lord Venkateshwara Abode
Noted film director Boyapati Srinu presented his ideas to create a structure dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara. The Chief Minister appreciated his efforts. He asked the film director to follow up the project with officials from the irrigation and infrastructure departments.
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MASTERCARD SIGNS MOU WITH AP ing lives easy for the citizen of a city,” Banga said. They should be able to commute through multiple ways seamlessly without having the need to pay at each instance separately, he added. Besides, Mastercard will work on cybersecurity to make digital payments secure and hold a global conference in Andhra Pradesh annually from mid-2018 for exchange of ideas.
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CM Chandrababu and Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga signed the pact.
lobal payments technology major Mastercard and the Andhra Pradesh government in October signed a pact to create a “digital ecosystem” in the State. It focuses on implementing a 4-pronged agenda for the State. Signed by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Mastercard President & CEO Ajay Banga, the pact will see implementation of innovative payment technologies that will help the State move towards a cashless society as also to elevate its foothold as a smart city. Mastercard, through a mobile app, will help create a marketplace solution for farmers to buy and sell crops in a safer and simpler way besides being able to get access to credit and transparent pricing. “The first one is to really work hard in enabling farmers to find access to the new ways to be able to get their produce to markets and connect to NOVEMBER 2017
buyers and get paid for it in the form that does not allow middlemen to get between them and take away what is theirs,” Banga told reporters at the MoU signing. The two-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) ‘Fintech Valley’ was inked between Mastercard and Andhra Pradesh Electronics IT Agency (APEITA) to enable a safe and secure digital solution at the State level. Naidu said he strongly believes in technology and fintech (financial technologies). “I think we can do wonders.Technology is going to bring revolution now. I strongly believe that compared to physical currency, digital currency will be cost effective.” The pact will also include collaboration on smart city and develop a smart transit solutions to help speed daily commutes and bring efficiency across public transportation system. “To me it (smart city) is about makANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
And lastly, the partnership will work towards enhancing financial, digital literacy and expertise through a knowledge sharing and skill development programme to support a Centre of Excellence at a leading university in Andhra Pradesh. “This initiative will provide access to Mastercard Labs and Global Technology Hubs to support the dynamic vision of building capacity to make Andhra Pradesh a model for digital payments excellence,” the company said in a statement. Mastercard Senior Vice President and Group Head, Global Community Relations Ravi Aurora said the company is deeply committed to India and it will invest USD 750-800 million over the next four to five years. “Mastercard has a very deep commitment to India we have since 2014 invested over USD 500 million in India. We have a commitment in the next four years for another between USD 750 -800 million investment in India,” Aurora said. He said India is a key market and Mastercard is committed both for ‘Make in India’ and ‘Skill India’. Of its total global workforce of 15,000 employees, about 14 per cent are employed in India, he added.
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Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, Governor Narasimhan and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at the inauguration of highway projects.
the purpose. The Union Minister said this at the Indira Gandhi municipal stadium. Seven NH projects were dedicated to the nation and foundation stones were laid for six NH projects in the State, the total cost of all the projects being Rs. 4,153 crore. Foundation stone for the development of National Waterway Four (Kakinada-Puducherry) was also laid by the minister. In the first phase of the project, the stretch between Muktyala to Vijayawada will be developed. The total project cost is Rs. 7,015 crore and the length of the waterway 315 km.
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nion Minister for Roads, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated highway projects worth Rs 1,928.46 crore in Andhra Pradesh on October 3, and also laid stone for highway projects worth Rs 2,540 crore.
to Vijayawada (Krishna River) (82 Km), Vijayawada to Kakinada (Eluru canal & Kakinada canal) and Rajahmundry to Polavaram stretch of Godavari (233 Km) and Commamur Canal, Buckingham Canal and balance stretches of Krishna & Godavari Rivers (573km).
The Minister laid the foundation stones for several national highway projects in the State and inaugurated several others, along with Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Work on the development of the 82 km from Muktyala to Vijayawada stretch has already started. The dredging began in the shallow areas in May this year, and the work is expected to be completed by June, 2019.
The projects include rehabilitation and upgradation of existing National Highways, besides construction of a
HIGHWAY and WATERWAY National Waterway No 4 was declared in November, 2008 for a
Projects launched 4-lane bypass to Vizianagaram Town on NH 43 (New NH 26). About 415 km of National Highways were inaugurated by the minister and he laid the foundation for another 250 km NH.
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Gadkari also laid stone for the development of Muktyala to Vijayawada stretch of Krishna River (National Waterways - 4). It is proposed to be developed in three phases - Muktyala
total length of 1078 km. This length was extended to 2890 km by NW Act-2016.
Polavaram before elections
The mega Polavaram irrigation project on the Godavari will be completed before the next General Election in 2019 and the Union Government will render all necessary assistance to the State Government for ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
Nitin Gadkari said it would be difficult to complete the Polavaram project before the next General Election, but no effort would be spared and the target would be achieved. "I will do my level best to complete the Polavaram project on time. That is my assurance to you," he said. He said the Union Goverment would spend more than Rs. 1 lakh crore on improving the national highways in Andhra Pradesh and it would give a tremendous boost to the development of the State. He said under Sagaramala several port-related projects would be taken up in the State. The capacity of the Visakhapatnam port would be expanded. He said the Visakhapatnam-Chennai industrial corridor was another major project which would benefit the State enormously and it would be taken up expeditiously. The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister thanked the Union Minister profusely and said he was confident that Polavaram project would be completed on time, with the Centre's assistance. Venkaiah Naidu expressed his happiness over the launch of so many projects on a single day in the State. He said linking of rivers was of utmost importance. State Governor E.S.L Narasimhan also spoke.
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CM’S DEEPAVALI GIFT To VIzAG As part of the efforts to transform Vizag into a pulsating and highly modern city, the Chief Minister launched a slew of initiatives including a flyover, airport lounge and aircraft museum.
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ndhra Pradesh Government is keeping its promise of developing the Visakhapatnam Smart City on the fast track. This was evident when the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu made a whirlwind tour of the port-cum-steel city in mid-October to launch a series of programmes which go a long way in the development of the mega city. The Chief Minister laid foundation stone for the construction of a flyover at NAD Kotha Road and asserted that it would be completed in 18 to 24 months. There were problems even when flyovers were constructed but it was a new experiment in engineering and traffic from no side would be affected. The double rotary flyover will be constructed at a cost of Rs 113 crore and the contract has been awarded to citybased construction company, Vijay Nirman. The flyover will resolve the traffic woes of the public for the past several years. According to the Chief Minister,
NOVEMBER 2017
though several flyovers were built in the country, they could not fully address the traffic problems due to some reason or the other. The NAD flyover had a wonderful engineering design with a two-tier rotary mode separator model which facilitates traffic of small vehicles below and the heavy vehicles above with pedestrians able to cross the roads from all four sides with ease. It was also designed to meet the future requirement of metro rail. When completed, about 8,000 to 10,000 vehicles could pass on the flyover per hour and one lakh per day, according to experts. Naidu said that he has lot of love for Visakhapatnam. Though Amaravati would be new capital, efforts were on to make Visakhapatnam as the financial capital of the State. Houses for all were being sanctioned to make the city slum-free and setting up of largescale units, he pointed out. The Chief Minister also inaugurated the VVIP lounge at the Visakhapatnam International Airport, constructed at a cost of Rs.50 lakh. ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
The lounge, constructed in a 4200 square feet plinth area has central air-conditioned facility a provision to hold meetings with 300 delegates, CM’s chamber, an ante room, pantry and toilets. Another programme on the day was opening of the TU-142 War aircraft museum on the beach road which will be a major tourist attraction in addition to the submarine museum, INS Kurusura closeby. The Chief Minister unveiled a plaque at the museum. The TU-142 fighter aircraft of the Navy, which was decommissioned after 29 years of service, has been placed on a specially erected platform and it is being converted into a museum. The greater part of the work has been completed, and the museum will be ready by December. The Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA) and the State Government are spending Rs 10 crore on the project. The CM described it as a Deepavali gift to the people of the city. - B. Prabhakara Sarma
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'Aquaculture Hub'
AP to become IN THE WORLD: CM NAIDU
State encouraging startups in agri sector The Chief Minister also said that his government is engaging with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, World Bank, World Food Prize to draft a strategy to produce results for the common man. Naidu further said, "We are organising a seminar in the state on technologies in agriculture along with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in November." He stated that the Andhra Government is encouraging startups and technology companies for benefiting the farmers and it wants to implement all the technologies available in the world for forward and backward linkages in the agriculture market.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu speaking at a panel session on ‘Nourishing the Food System’, at the India Economic Summit in New Delhi. Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal is seen.
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ndhra Pradesh is set to become the aquaculture (farming of fish) hub of the world, said Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. Speaking at an interactive panel session on 'Nourishing the Food System' at World Economic Forum's India Economic Summit 2017 in New Delhi, he informed that aquaculture in Andhra Pradesh is growing at the rate of 42 percent and it also has the advantage of a long coastline of 974 kms. "Andhra Pradesh has achieved 27.7% growth rate in agriculture for first quarter of 201718," said Naidu. "We have achieved saturation in soil testing. Through drone based cloud technology, we are giving soil test reports in real time for farmers in the state," he added.
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The CM stressed the need for concerted efforts to accelerate growth in the agriculture and food processing sectors in the country. Encouraging Public Private Partnerships (PPP) is the need of the hour to make the sectors commercially viable, he has said. Naidu said both the State and Central governments would have to join hands to encourage PPPs in agriculture and food processing. The governments would have to formulate and implement suitable policies that stimulate growth in these sectors. Also, the governments would have to invest huge money. All the stakeholders would have to join hands to give the much-needed impetus to the food processing sector, he said. Stating that standalone units cannot survive, he said there was a need for medium and mega food parks to make it more economical and commercially viable. Naidu said both the State and Central governments would have to join hands to encourage PPPs in agriculture and food processing. The governments would have to formulate and implement suitable policies
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that stimulate growth in these sectors. Also, the governments would have to invest huge money. All the stakeholders would have to join hands to give the much-needed impetus to the food processing sector, he said. Stating that standalone units cannot survive, he said there was a need for medium and mega food parks to make it more economical and commercially viable. Over 600 international and regional leaders participated in the summit hosted under the aegis of World Economic Forum in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The summit that started on October 4 will conclude on October 6. The Chief Minister’s meetings at the summit were coordinated by the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (APEDB), a single stop window for investments, trade, and partnerships in AP. On the occasion, the Chief Minister and Ajay Banga, president and CEO of MasterCard, signed a landmark agreement, “Fintech Valley MoU.” Naidu also attended the launch of “Mission Creative Million,” a movement designed to impact one million creative producers over the course of 10 years through strategic interventions in the creative and manufacturing sectors organised by the not-for-profit organization, Industries Foundation.
Over 600 international and regional leaders participated in the summit hosted under the aegis of World Economic Forum in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
In addition, the APEDB, under the leadership of its CEO J Krishna Kishore, facilitated the Chief Minister's interactions with business leaders and investors in the state's key focus sectors like finance, IT, infrastructure, manufacturing, education and agriculture.
Bilateral meetings of Naidu included meaningful interactions with Kulin Lalbhai, Executive Director, Arvind Mills, Amit Narayana, Founder AutoGrid, Ajey Mehta, MD India - HMD Global, Kanwar Bir Singh Anand, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Asian Paints, Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, Shobana Kamineni, President, CII and Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII, Kanika Choudhary, the Honorary Ambassador of Philadelphia to India and Adi Godrej, Chairman, Godrej Group. Some highlights of these meetings included Adi Godrej stressing on Godrej Agrovet's intent to continue to expand in palm oil plus investment and development in Andhra Pradesh. Kanika Choudhary, Honorary Ambassador of Philadelphia to India, spoke about bringing a knowledge cluster in Amaravati with best practices from universities in Pennsylvania, United States. Jasti Krishna Kishore, Chief Executive Officer, APEDB, said that the India Economic Summit presents an opportunity for Andhra Pradesh to showcase its growth engines and development models while understanding the best practices around the world. Over 600 international and regional leaders participated in the summit hosted under the aegis of World Economic Forum in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
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Five investment proposals approved
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he State Government, at a meeting of the State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB), approved of five new proposals relating to setting up of industries and investments in the State.
Toray Industries India Private Limited, a technical textile manufacturing company, will be setting up a unit on 109.35 acres at Sri City in Chittoor district. The firm will invest Rs 970 crore and will provide direct employment to 130 people and indirect employment to 520 people. The company is expected to start commercial production in April 2020. Page Industries Limited, an exclusive licensee for Jockey and Speedo, will establish a project for garment manufacturing and warehousing at Rapthadu in Anantapur district. An investment of Rs 129 crore will be made in the project, which will generate direct employment for 6,420 people. The company will start commercial production in October 2018, and the expected turnover in the financial year 2020-21 is Rs 1,080 crore. Rockman Industries Limited will invest ₹652 crore to set up a unit in Chittoor district. The firm specialises in aluminium alloy wheels and die-casting components for two and four- wheelers. The project will generate direct employment for 1,000 people and indirect employment for 500. An IT firm, Conduent Inc., will be investing ₹649 crore for their project in Visakhapatnam. The project includes diversified business process services and generates direct employment for 5,000 people. Gouttephone Technologies (P) Limited, an electronic manufacturing company, will set up a unit on 5 acres, for touch panel manufacturing, at Atchutapuram in Visakhapatnam district. Their investment amounts to Rs 504.07 crore, and they commit to employ (direct) 300 people.
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AP inks deal with ohio University
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he Andhra Pradesh Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ohio State, envisaging fee concession to the students of the State studying in that university. Minister for Human Resource Development Ganta Srinivasa Rao and his team met Ohio State Education Minister John Carey at his office in Columbus and entered into the pact that would benefit thousands of AP students who join the university every year to pursue higher education. Under the agreement, students who get admission in the university can save from Rs 8.5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh in the undergraduate and graduate programmes. The Minister said about 4,000 students migrated to the US every year seeking admission in the university. The Minister said the agreement would come into force immediately and students would be eligible for the benefit from the next quarter in January (2018). The Minister said efforts were on to reach similar understandings with universities in other countries such as China, the UK and Australia. He also added that three educational cities will come up at Vizag, Amaravati and Tirupati where educational institutions that offer KG to PG will come up.The Minister further said that state cabinet approved to sanction Rs 4,500 cr to provide necessary infrastructure in all the schools in the state.
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THoMSoN REUTERS LAUNCHES TWo DIGITAL INITIATIVES
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n a boost to the digitisation efforts of Andhra Pradesh, Thomson Reuters and the State Government launched two strategic initiatives. Thomson Reuters, the Government, and Gitam University collaborated to launch a Fintech lab called Innovation AppStudio, which was inaugurated by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and IT Minister Nara Lokesh. Thomson Reuters is the world’s leading source of news and information to the professional markets in over 100 countries. Innovation AppStudio will be hosted on the Gitam University campus in Visakhapatnam. It will be open to students, academia, researchers, start-ups, aimed at strengthening the ecosystem. The second initiative was the launch of Digital Content Exchange as part of the government’s e-Pragati project. Digital Content Exchange will offer trusted content powered by Thomson Reuters e-book software, ProView and legal research solution, WestLaw and will be used by educational institutions and the government departments. “These strategic initiatives were only the beginning after we signed an MoU with the government sometime ago,” Thomson Reuters Managing Director (South Asia) Pradeep Lankapalli told The Hindu. While ProView will facilitate quick access to a host of e-books from Thomson Reuters as well as third-parties, WestLaw will give stakeholders access to global and local content including expert materials. Lankapalli said: “Thomson Reuters is proud to collaborate with the AP government in realising Mr. Naidu’s vision of building a world-class Fintech ecosystem in Vishakhapatnam.” He said Innovation AppStudio would enable the students, start-ups, and researchers to access Thomson Reuters Open Platform capabilities, including its flagship financial platform, Eikon Digital Content Exchange, bring together Thomson Reuters world renowned tools and capabilities that allow stakeholders to deploy third-party content, e-books and legal research.
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NRT JOURNO on Wiki Foundation
A rare honour to Raju Narisetti, veteran media executive and journalist, who is currently CEO of Gizmodo Media Group.
Raju’s extensive international and journalistic experience will add valuable perspective to the Board as we look to bring new voices from around the world into our movement. - Nataliia Tymkiv, Governance Chair for Wiki Board
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ikimedia Foundation announced the appointment of Raju Narisetti, a veteran media executive and journalist, to the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees.
Raju brings more than 29 years of media experience across three continents. He is currently CEO of Univision Communications Inc’s Gizmodo Media Group, the publisher of Gizmodo, Jezebel, Lifehacker, The Root, and others. “Raju has dedicated his life’s work to information as a public service. His commitment to editorial integrity, independence, and inclusion is deeply aligned with Wikimedia values. His passion and expertise in digital strategy and international growth will be invaluable to our movement’s future as we advance our global free knowledge mission,” said Wikimedia Foundation Executive Director Katherine Maher. Prior to joining the Gizmodo Media Group, Raju served as Senior Vice President, Strategy, at News Corp, one of the largest media companies in the world and the publisher of The Wall Street Journal and The Times of London. In that role, Raju was responsible for identifying new digital growth opportunities globally for News Corp. “There has never been more urgency in Wikipedia’s 16-year history than now, for upholding the values of free exchange of information and knowledge,” said Raju. “Despite mounting challenges around the world, rapid innovation is creating tremendous opportunities for the Wikimedia Foundation. I have much to learn, but am also looking forward to lending my nearly three decades of global media experiences to the movement, to help engage more digital and mobile audiences, particularly diverse young people, and harness their energy to benefit from—and support—the vital values that underpin all Wikimedia initiatives.” NOVEMBER 2017
Before joining News Corp, Raju spent nearly 25 years as a journalist and editor. He started at The Economic Times in India before moving to The Dayton Daily News (Ohio), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), and The Washington Post. Starting out as a summer intern at WSJ, he eventually became Editor of The Wall Street Journal Europe and later Managing Editor of WSJ’s digital newsrooms. At The Washington Post, he was the Managing Editor who led the Post’s rethinking of its separate digital and print newsrooms and operations. A native of Hyderabad, India, Raju is also the founder of Mint, currently India’s second-largest daily business newspaper by circulation. “Raju’s extensive international and journalistic experience will add valuable perspective to the Board as we look to bring new voices from around the world into our movement. I am impressed by his willingness to learn about and embrace the values behind the Wikimedia movement, and look forward to working with him to support our free knowledge mission,” said Nataliia Tymkiv, Governance Chair for the Board. Raju is currently the Vice-chair for the Board of Directors of the International Center for Journalists, as well as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Institute of International Education, which administers the Fulbright Scholarship programmes. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. Raju joins eight other Foundation Trustees who collectively bring expertise in the Wikimedia community, financial oversight, governance, and organizational development; and a commitment to advancing Wikimedia’s mission of free knowledge for all. He was approved unanimously by the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees. His term is effective October 2017 and will continue for three years.
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AP to emerge as
BLOCKCHAIN TECH CAPITAL
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ndhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu hoped that Visakhapatnam would soon become blockchain capital of not just India but of the world. Addressing Blockchain Business Conference in the city, he said that Andhra Pradesh has become the first state in the country to pilot blockchain technology in two departments and plans to deploy it across the administration. He disclosed the state had also created the largest repository of used cases for global start-ups to test their solutions. As the state was leading in Recognising the e-governance, it was using importance of blockchain technology to address blockchain tech- cyber security issues.
nology in near future, AP Govt held two-day International Blockchain Conference in Vizag.
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The two-day conference organised by Fintech Valley Vizag was attended by regional and international experts, startups, corporates, leading FSI executives, regulators, entrepreneurs, policy makers and academics to explore blockchain technologies, its applications and how it will impact the financial services industry.
The Chief Minister said the state was positioning itself to take advantage of the niche technologies to create busi-
ness and investment opportunities. The inaugural session saw launch of two accelerators by ICICI and Mahindra Finance in Fintech Valley Vizag, which was established last year. The two companies will bring 30 startup companies each here, mentor and finance them to solve the problems.
Protecting IT assets
State IT Minister Nara Lokesh, who attended the programme, said that blockchain is a new era of “disruptive technology”. Lokesh said Andhra Pradesh will go beyond pilot projects that have been taken up by the Government pertaining to the IT sector. “We are the first state to use blockchain pilots,” he added. Explaining that the technology was required to prevent tampering of land records, which had already been digitised and placed online, he said similarly, the technology is used in Transport Department to streamline titles of the vehicles. Stating that Andhra accounts for 60 percent of Aadhaarbased transactions and extensively uses technology for delivery of services, Lokesh said the state required blockchain to protect the IT assets. The state government's Advisor, Information Technology, J A Chowdary said that the Monetary Authority of Singa-
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pore, Tata Capital, State Bank of India, HDFC, Bajaj Fin Service and others plan to set up accelerators.
At the two-day conference, around 50 speakers presented their ideas pertaining to the Blockchain technology to over 300 delegates from 10 countries.
Partnering with 40 banks and financial institutions, Fintech Valley has already created biggest repository of used cases. The start-ups will work on problems to come out with solutions and this will become intellectual property of Fintech Valley, he added. The inaugural session of the conference also saw launch of India Fintech Forum, India Blockchain Forum, Blockchain Report Aby Wipro and Blockchain Hiring Portal.
NASSCOM President R Chandrasekhar announced that as part of its 10,000 startup programme, it will set up a 70-seat facility in Vizag to help incubate startups, mentorship and provide world class
products. The Chief Minister said nine companies were already set up in Fintech Valley while 16 companies would start their commercial operations soon. Naidu said the Government encouraged global fintech companies such as BroadRidge Financials, HSBC and Thomson Reuters to set up Fintech academies, announced $1 Million global Fintech Challenge Award. "We are also in the process of establishing Rs 500 crore Fintech Fund for startup companies operating in the domain and housed at FinTech Valley," he added.
$2 billion in IT investments targeted
The Andhra Pradesh Government aims to attract $2 billion of investments and create about 100,000 jobs in the NOVEMBER 2017
information technology (IT) sector, the chief minister said. Underlining the need to utilise technology to improve the agriculture sector in the state, he said,“Soil testing is a big problem. But recently, Microsoft came forward to do it on a real-time basis,” and announced that Microsoft Corp. cofounder Bill Gates will visit the state in November to attend an event on agriculture in the state. Naidu also said nine companies have already set shop in Fintech Valley in Visakhapatnam and that another 16 are set to come. Terming the arrival of blockchain as the “fourth industrial revolution”, he asserted that Visakhapatnam will become a knowledge hub.
Thomson Reuters, AP launch 2 IT projects
The Government of Andhra Pradesh and Thomson Reuters together launched two major IT projects in Visakhapatnam. The announcement was made at the inauguration of the two-day conference on Blockchain. The first project is the setting up of an innovation app studio in Gitam University. It will be open to students, academics,
researchers, and start-ups. The second project, Digital Content Exchange, under e-pragati scheme offers content powered by Thomson Reuters e-book software, Proview, and legal research solution, WestLaw. Expressing happiness at partnering with the AP government, Pradeep Lankapalli, Managing Director of Thomson Reuters (South Asia), said it would greatly help in realising the dream of building up a world-class ecosystem for Fintech in Visakhapatnam and for improving governance in the State. It will stimulate research and be of great help to start-ups and students, he added. He commended the efforts of the State government in promoting Blockchain technology which no doubt would make a great impact in future, though it was still in a nascent stage.
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Major Govt service payments in AP Digitised Digitization of transactions will lead to a reduction of costs and improved convenience for all stakeholders involved. derway between Visa and the State Government of Andhra Pradesh that aims to offer efficient services through better adoption of digitization across the masses. Also for the first time, citizens in the state would be able to use their contactless cards to make payments digitally for services such as transportation and tourism.
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lobal digital payments processing company Visa and the Government of Andhra Pradesh, enabled digital payments for various state owned service providers starting from bus rides to water tax payments under the Vizag Digital Dhan Sankalp (VDDS) project. The digital payment service has been enabled for property and water tax payments at Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), bus Nara Lokesh, services run by Andhra Pradesh State Minister of IT and Road Transport Corporation (APtourist locations at VisakhapPanchayat Raj, SRTC), atnam Urban Development Authority said: “We want (VUDA), and utility services of to make Vizag Eastern Power Distribution Company of AP Ltd (EPDCL), a report in the first city to Economic Times said.
use less cash transactions.”
Visa also said that the digitisation of various other payments like educational institutions, small and micro merchants, and street market vendors is underway as the state government is considering mandating digital acceptance through amendments to the AP Shops and Establishments Act.
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The big push towards digital payment of citizen-services is part of the vision of ‘Vizag less–cash city’ initiative un-
“Having set the benchmark as the first state in India to embark on digitization of government services on such a large scale, we have further raised the bar by extending the project to cover electricity, municipal taxes, transport and tourism payments. Digitization of transactions will lead to a reduction of costs and improved convenience for all stakeholders involved, as we continue to realise our vision of making Vizag, India’s first less–cash city and the FinTech Valley of India,” said Lokesh . “Digital transformation of payments will improve public service delivery by infusing more efficiency and transparency into the system. Today, what citizens want is a new type of experience: one that is frictionless, seamless and we are excited at the role that contactless technology such as Visa payWave cards can play in enabling citizens across the state. Digitization of payments will help re-imagining a smarter nation driven by the synergy between citizens and the state and roll out superior citizen experience rooted in transparency,” said TR Ramachandran, Group Country Manager, Visa, India & South Asia. The New Indian Express reported that the Andhra Pradesh Government will soon be amending the Shops and Establishment Act to facilitate digital payments.The amendment will help enable digital payments for government and business segments using the latest technologies in Quick Response (QR) code and Near-Field Communication (NFC) and make payments more efficient for businesses.
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Snapshot
NTR
Vaidya Seva, a flagship scheme of all health initiatives to provide quality health care to the poor, Arogya Raksha, a scheme to assist above poverty line famlies from catastrophic health expenditure are major initiatives of the State Government. Besides, Employee Health Scheme and Working Journalists Health Scheme are also operational. In further efforts to boost public health services in Andhra Pradesh, the State Government had entered into an MoU with US-based Cerner Centre which will help the government establish a knowledge command centre for monitoring and regulating public health. The Cerner Centre will not only make a public health analysis but will also provide forecasts and alerts. Ac-
NOVEMBER 2017
cording to Health Minister K Srinivas, the Tata Trusts will offer technical assistance by acting as knowledge partner for providing better services at Nellore, Kurnool and Visakhapatnam cancer units. “This is the first initiative in the world to check the spread of diseases and their prevalence," he said. The `Mahaprasthanam' scheme, which will provide free transportation to shift bodies of the deceased from government hospitals is being extended to all the 13 districts. Besides, the establishment of AIIMA in Mangalagiri and several world class research medical centres and hospitals in the capital city of Amaravati are expected to bring about a qualitative change in the health profile of the State.
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Stop Blame Game
Was Zamindar of Amaravati a Destroyer of Sculptural Treasure? It is a widely circulated misconception that the Zaminder of Amaravati was responsible for the destruction of the Buddhist sculptures. It was completely inaccurate, writes Sai Papineni.
visited Amaravati many times. We have record of only one visit in 1816. Mackenzie had not recorded his activities at the site except for the drawings. Out of as many as 89 drawings of stones, only around 8 actual stones are available today.
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Mackenzie’s records show the plans of a market building built by Robertson (then Collector of Kistna). Today the junction of four roads at Machilipatnam named after Pattabhi was where the market was built. According to the plans in Mackenzie documents, the three storied market required 88 large sculpted stones and 38-40 smaller stones. According to Jennifer Howes (2002: 58) an expert on Mackenzie, existence of these drawings and the note in MacKenzie papers proves that Mackenzie knew of Robertson’s Market and had helped its construction by supplying stones. The existing stones from Mackenzie’s drawings were
Sai Papineni
amindar of Amaravati, Raja Vasireddy Venkatadri Nayudu (1783–1816), was blamed for the transfer of all the important sculpted stones to the museums in London and Madras. Those misconceptions are based on the widely accepted theory which described the Zamindar as a demon who destroyed the invaluable heritage of Andhra.
john Guy, Curator South and South East Asia, The Metropolitan Museum of New York calls on Parakala Prabhakar. Sai Papineni and Emani Sivanagireddy are also seen.
How did this come to pass? Let’s get some facts right… The story was a concoction by James Burgess, Director, Archaeological Survey of South India and Principal of Bombay (JJ) School of Art. He had a fight with an officer called Henry Cole Jr (Conservator of Ancient Monuments) whose father was the Sr. Cole who had exhibited the Amaravati Marbles in Paris. Jr. Cole had insisted that Amaravati stones be left at Amaravati. Burgess wanted to move them to Madras. He thought Cole was meddlesome. He had argued that the sculptures would be destroyed by the ignorant Telugu boys. To prove his point he had stated that Mackenzie had left around 75 stones at the site and they were ground up by the Rajah’s men for lime. This allegation stuck. Let us look at what had happened to the stones unearthed by Mackenzie.
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Ferguson says that between 1797 and 1816 Mackenzie had ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
NOVEMBER 2017
also recovered from Masulipatam by Elliott. This proves beyond doubt that there were no sculptures left at Amaravati by Mackenzie for the Rajah to destroy. But our historians blamed him and still do... ***
The King of Fast Court Kidambi Srikanth won his fourth tour title of the year by defeating Kenta Nishimoto at the French Open Super Series.
Let us look at what Elliot had said in 1845 when he visited the site: He said that the site was as Mackenzie had left. It was undisturbed by natives. Now that was thirty years after Mackenzie’s last visit. We don’t need any other evidence to exonerate Nayudu. Finally, in the words of Henry Cole… His memo in 1882… ‘It was true that many years ago the grandfather of the present Zamindar had removed bricks and stones, but he would have been concerned with simple removal of material, not with smashing and destroying sculpture.’ Further, he said, ‘the place is now easily accessible to any idle boy who wishes to pass away his time in hammering off carved surfaces, but it is really surprising to me how little evidence there is of damage of this kind.’ Now that the blame game is settled, let's look at what had happened to the stones. Around 120 stones called Elliot's Marbles plus a few acquired from other sources are at the British Museum. A large portion of 450 plus reached Madras which the Madras Museum needs to account for, but other than around 200 stones displayed in the building no. 1, we know little. A few in Delhi, Calcutta, Berlin and Paris which are well taken care of, we know about. And whatever is left or unearthed later at the site now lying-in at Amaravati. In the year 2020, a trip to the USA during the fall will provide an opportunity to see all the important stones of Amaravati together at one place. The MET of NY loan event in Autumn'20 will showcase them. NOVEMBER 2017
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t is Indian sport’s biggest coming-of-age story. Kidambi Srikanth, that shuttle juggernaut, has proved his mettle with his 4th tour title of the year. Kidambi Srikanth, the 24-year-old from Guntur, broke new ground with his feat in the French capital. Kidambi Srikanth continued his rampaging form as he completely outclassed Japanese Kenta Nishimoto 21-14, 21-13 to clinch the French Open Super Series Premier title. This was on top of the Denmark Open Title which he won earlier in the same month. This is Srikanth's fourth Super Series title of the year (sixth overall) and by doing so, Srikanth joins the likes of Lee Chong Wei, Lin Dan and Chen long to become only the fourth player in the history of the game to win four super series titles in one year. He is the fourth male player to win four or more Super Series events in a year — joining legends Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei and Chen Long. He broke the tie with Saina Nehwal, who was the only Indian shuttler to have won three Super Series titles, in 2010. Kidambi has beaten World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen (Denmark Open QF), reigning Olympic champion Chen Long (Aus Open final) and World No. 2 Son Wan Ho (Aus Open Rd 2, Indonesia Open SF) in 2017. ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
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Literary reminiscences Of
GURAZADA APPARAO PANTULU k k k
- Ongole Munisubrahmanyam with Sir John Falstaff. Not edifying persons "any of them" but Falstaff, the reprobate, represents the high watermark of Shakespearean humour— Falstaff who lives in the reeking atmosphere of a bawdy house. Madhuravani is far purer than the Hostess of Doll. Otway, if I remember rightly , has a really disgusting scene in "Venice Preserved" - a high dignitary of state demeaning himself before a courtesan. Realistic writing must certainly bring up some elements which on one's moral sense, in spite of artistic idealisation. Partly moral censure is a matter of temperament. Growing up in the company of your cousin, you abhor immorality. A nautch girl shocks you. I congratulate you on your fine moral sense. That is why I do not want to discuss this question with you in full. But I believe you are wise beyond your years and I may (spoil you…).
Elk Hill House, Ooty, 21.5.1909. My dear Munisubrahmanyam, I am glad to learn that your Rev. (revered) father and mother are doing well. Please tell my pranamams to your father. I am glad you like my play. I value your opinion. I went through the forms (pages) you sent. While reading them I am amused. That is the sure test of a book being readable. The element of surprise will be wanting for an author and if still a book interests him, it must be interesting indeed. True, the scenes in which MTH ¿ìŒ (Meenakshi) appears are not very edifying. For one thing, I can quote precedents. To begin with, Shakespeare's Doll Tearsheet and Mine Hostess, Dame Quickly in Henry IV & Henry V and Merry Wives make a most interesting group
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Poetic justice is not what it was at one time. I paint life artistically idealizing, of course. Though art is my master, I have a duty to the society. Therefore, the reader can ask one question. Have I made vice attractive'? I hope not. In the first edition Madhuravani was colourless inequity. Now she is fully drawn. What I must confess, my conception of the character altered as the book advanced. Whether it has created any inconsistency, I do not know. But what does inconsistency matter, if it is accounted for? There is so much of inconsistency in human nature. I am myself fascinated with Madhuravani. So I reformed her in the last Act. You cannot quarrel now. The book has gained an unobtrusive, but strong moral purpose. You will find that I do not at all trifle with life. I take a very difficult matter in a book that bubbles with laughter, quite seriously. Do not forget the humanity of a nautch girl. Her joys and sorrows are as serious a matter as yours or mine. How is an unchaste wife or a
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rakish husband, (and society teams with both) better than a nautch girl, who is not a fraud in the sense that her label is correct? She breaks no marriage bond.
AP ahead in Aqua Exports
What have you to say to the Gieshas of Japan whom noblemen marry and certainly you know Aspasia of Greece. Read Laedm (?) Both countries have their marked history. The fact is the study of anthropology has necessitated readjustment of social ideas. There is no use of blinking facts. What is the meaning of making so much of the sexual ties? Do not think that I am belittling the Importance of the institution of marriage in the history of social evolution. Humanity progressed much in knowledge during the past two centuries and thinking men have begun to examine old ideas and ideals. If the institution of marriage has conduced to progress, it must not be forgotten that the idea of the inviolability of the marriage tie was the cause of untold miseries. Wishing you all happiness, Yours affectionately, Elk Hill House, Ootacamund, 24th May, 1909 My dear Munisubrahmanyam, Thanks for your card. I received your list of words. Some of them you will find in dictionaries. I shall give a pretty long list at the end of the book. Mr. Y. Narayana Murti calls my book a wonderful work of art. But at page 120 you are only at the threshold of the main interest. I consider the succeeding scenes the best in the book. Mr. Venkateswarlu sent me a copy of Venkataraya Sastri's Usha. Poor Venkataraya Sastri has no idea of art. He resorts to Viskambhakams to tell the story like Greek choruses and English prologues. The gods are all made cowards, and Bana is made arrogant, insolent and petty, not certainly a father of whom Usha could be proud. He addresses dikpalas ÿšs (Oreh).
I am laying down the scheme of another play. A third is already in manuscript, as you know. But the printing? There is the rub.
Wishing you all happiness, Yours affectionately,
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ndia has exported 5777.61 million dollars worth marine products during the year 2016-17, T Dola Sekhar, Director of Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), Kochi, disclosed. Dhola Sekhar has said during his visit to Bhimavaram that comparing to the European Union (EU), the Southeast Asia Countries have recorded the marine products exports at 43 per cent. The EU recorded 17 percent, USA 16 percent, Japan 16 percent, Middle East 5 percent while China recorded 4 percent. He stated, `Andhra Pradesh has its prominence in the exports of marine products. In the Year 2016-17, the rest of India quantity of exports is 80 percent and Andhra Pradesh contributed 20 per cent. As far as export value is concerned, Andhra Pradesh stood in first place with 34 per cent and rest of India value is 66 per cent, he said. Andhra Pradesh produced shrimp at 63 % while rest of India was only 37 percent during 2016-17, he added. Out of that, it is observed that the L-Vanammei shrimp culture produced 70 percent, he added. The director has said that the MPEDA is promoting farm enrolment/hatchery/processing plant registration and conducting various extension programmes and awareness programmes against the use of banned antibiotic in aquaculture. It promotes diversified aquaculture. In both West and East Godavari districts, about 10,467 hectares with 4,370 number of farms, have been surveyed by GPS in Bhimavaram division of MPEDA. He said that the MPEDA is giving top priority for registrations of shrimp farmers.
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Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar
What’s Brewing In Telugu Film Industry?
A series of new OTT Content providers are changing the way new content is produced and consumed across the country, and Telugu film industry is making the most of this new wave. 28
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new digital wave is taking Telugu film industry by storm and it’s showing no shows of stopping anytime soon. In fact, this new wave has given a big platform to lot more filmmakers and actors to explore a medium beyond the 70 mm screens. Gone are the days when Telugu filmmakers and producers were content with making big money through revenue from theatrical rights and TV satellite rights. Today, the work flow of almost every big film has changed considerably and the entry of new internetbased services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar among several others has opened up a new revenue stream for content creators. And it’s making a whole lot of difference to how the film industry churns out content. Not so long ago, the revenue from sale of satellite rights used to be a ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
crucial part of the filmmaking business. For low-budget film, this revenue guaranteed a substantial recovery of the budget even if the theatrical release didn’t fetch them good results. However, the TV industry went through a lot of upheavals in the past few years due to fluctuating revenues from advertising, which had a major domino effect on the industry. Even today, most of the leading TV channels prefer waiting for a medium or a low-budget film’s release to see how well it does at the box-office before snapping their satellite rights. Amidst these circumstances, global OTT content (Over-The-Top) providers like Netflix and Amazon Prime are slowly changing the game for everyone. Along with these two global giants, regional OTT players like Hotstar, Viu, Voot, Alt Balaji, Sun NOVEMBER 2017
Dhanya Balakrishna (Pilla), Abhijeeth (Pelligola), Sumanth Ashwin (Endhukila) and Navdeep and Tejaswi Madivada (Mana Mugguri Love Story) etc., have been part of this trend. Moreover, several filmmakers like Pavan Sadineni, Nandini Reddy, Balaji Mohan, Deva Katta have been associated with such web-series. Nxt among several others are pouring big money to either produce content on their own or bag the streaming rights of popular films. For instance, Netflix pipped all other streaming giants to snap the online streaming rights of Baahubali : The Beginning and Baahubali : The Conclusion (except the Telugu version) for a whopping $4 million, according to several reports. On the other hand, Amazon Prime has struck lucrative deals with quite a few production houses in Telugu film industry which has become a blessing in disguise for several producers. Some of recent Telugu films like Ninnu Kori, Nene Raju Nene Mantri, Arjun Reddy to name a few have already landed on Amazon Prime much before they were aired on TV. That’s not all. Nearly all the OTT content providers are betting big on web-series, mini-series, and made-for-internet content to increase their subscriber base. While this model has already become a smash hit in Hindi with Netflix striking mega deals to adapt Vikram Chandra’s Sacred Games and Aravind Adiga’s Selection Day, apart from a female-led detective series Again as original series, Amazon Prime too has had its success story with Farhan Akhtar-backed Inside Edge. Down south, Viu is making giant strides to make original series like Rana Daggubati’s Social, Pelli Gola, and Pilla. On the other hand, Yupp TV has announced a huge fund to produce original series in Telugu and other languages across India. In the past couple of years, several actors and filmmakers have jumped on to this bandwagon, particularly to create web-series, to reach out to a different segment of the audience. Actors like Rana Daggubati (Social), NOVEMBER 2017
Rumours are also rife that Arya Mediaworks, the production house behind Baahubali, is planning to foray into this space with its live-action adaptation of ‘Rise of Sivagami’ novel, and it’ll be interesting to see how it changes the game for everyone. The fundamental change which has fuelled this demand for new content has been the change in consumer behaviour. With the number of smartphone users skyrocketing in recent years, along with telecom companies promising better internet speeds and more data for their customers, it has turned into a boon for OTT players and also the audience. The arrival of Jio into the telecom space has been a major differentiating factor and it led to a tectonic shift in terms of data consumption on mobile phones. Consequently, all other telecom firms like BSNL, Vodafone, Airtel have been offering lucrative data plans at cheaper rates to retain their customer base. So, what does this mean for Telugu film industry? While 2017 has been a remarkably good year for Telugu cinema at the box-office with several films doing exceedingly well at the box-office, the rise of digital medium as a platform for mass consumption means that filmmakers and actors no longer have to pin their hopes only on films to make their mark. Today, all you need is a solid script and a proper plan to execute it to convince one of the several OTT players to fund your dreams. In the end, there’s no denying that the big screens will continue to be the number one choice for moviegoers, but with content getting better and better on other platforms, the OTT platforms are here to stay for the long haul.
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Amazing Andhra Pradesh
Gudimallam Sivalinga
A Primeval Majesty!
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ndhra Pradesh has been a State of consistent astonishment that allows one to travel through times. It is not for altering the course of history, but to revisit the past and to understand our roots deeply. Gudimallam, a tiny village about 31 Km from Tirupati, is such a place that takes the visitors to 3rd century BC. Sri Parasurameswara Swamy Temple of Gudimallam, an unostentatious village temple situated amidst the rice fields on the banks of Swarnamukhi river, accommodates world’s oldest Sivalinga of a primeval majesty.
World's oldest Temple
According to Archaeological Survey Of India (ASI), that maintains the temple, this is probably the oldest continuously worshipped temple in the world. Amazingly lifelike Linga in the temple is shaped like a phallus and it also has an image carved on it. The engraved image shows a dwarf sitting on his hunches, with a hunter perched on his shoulders. The monolithic lingam is exceptional and seen nowhere else. The texture of the stone varies too, and is clearly seen when the lingam is unadorned. The lingam has a peetham (base), part of which is still buried under the ground. ASI officials aver that the Black and Redware grates of the 2nd or 3rd century AD were found during the course of excavations conducted in 1973. Potsherds of the Andhra Satavahana period (Circa 1st century AD to 2nd century AD) and large sized bricks measuring 42x21x6 cm of the same period have also been found. Hence some historians assign the temple to the Satavahana period.
Legend Depicts Trinity
The Parasurameshwara lingam is believed to portray the divine trinity. The legend of the temple links it up to Parasurama, a warrior sage, who is an inNOVEMBER 2017
carnation of Lord Vishnu. Bowing down to his father’s command, Parasurama cut off his motherRenuka’s head. Though his mother had got back her life, Parasurama felt guilty, since he had sinned by raising his axe (parasu) against his mother. He came to the banks of the river Swarnamukhi where he meditated on Lord Shiva to expiate his sins. Each day, a lone flower would bloom in the river, which the sage would offer to the Lord. Once, Lord Brahma decided to test him, and arrived in the form of a dwarf to assist him with his prayers. He starts plucking and
throwing off the single flower into the currents of river. One day Parasura catches Brahma in the act of plucking the flower. Enraged by his mischief, Parasurama chases the dwarf, brandishing the axe. Then Brahma seeks Lord Shiva, who pacifies Parasurama. Shiva cleanses Parasurama from all his sins. Further, he blesses Parasurama and Brahma by merging them with the lingam, Brahma crouching down as the dwarf and Vishnu as Parasurama on his shoulders, holding his axe and a ram’s head. Such is the story of this unique temple!
how to reach Located on a diversion from the Tiruchanur Road, Gudimallam is hardly 20 minutes drive from Renigunta. The tight and twisted road, as it made its way along hamlets and then green fields ironically near the dry river bed of the Swarnamukhi, leads to Gudimallam.
By Air By air accessing of this fort is also possible as Tirupati is the nearest airport.
By Rail Tirupati is also well connected with all major trains across the country. Tirupati is also the nearest railway station.
By Road A sound and dense road network is available in Tirupati. National Highway and state highways both cross the Tirupati.
accommodation
Haritha Hotel, Tirupathi (Srinivasam): With air-conditioned suites and rooms and standard rooms, the Haritha Hotel is the perfect base to stay. Being a world-class pilgrim city, Tirupati has 3-star accommodation. Dr Lenin Dhanisetty
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HAPPENING AP AP State cancer centre in Kurnool
Rajya Sabha member TG Venkatesh said Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will lay foundation stone for the State Cancer Centre in three months at a cost of Rs 125 crore. He said the Central government has sanctioned its share of Rs 55 crore for construction of the centre. He was reviewing on policy guidelines on the State Cancer Centre with Tata Trust members at Hotel Mourya Inn. He said the Centre will be set up with sophisticated technology on a five-acre site on the premises of the Government Sarvajana Hospital.
DGP adopts 11 schools in Mangalagiri
Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) N Sambasiva Rao has adopted 11 government schools present in the Mangalgiri Mandal. He inspected one of the adopted Schools - Pedavadlapudi ZP School on Monday and suggested certain measures to upgrade the School in academics.Speaking to the media, Sambasiva Rao said that the schools in the state need to be protected by the police hailing from the region
Rs 100 crore sanctioned for beach facelift
The state government has sanctioned Rs 100 crore for the beach face lifting from the Coastal Battery to Rushikonda coast in Vizag city. The district administration has been preparing a detailed project report for the beach facelift. District Collector Pravin Kumar visited the Beach Road recently and recollected his experiences after HudHud cyclone. Though the devastation was very big, the entire government stayed in the city and re-developed the city within no time. The state and Central governments sanctioned Rs 3,300 crore for the revival of all the systems. Erecting of one lakh LED streetlights and underground power cable project and other works were taken up after the HudHud cyclone, he added.
Premier Kabaddi League in january
AME Sports Private Limited is staging Andhra Premier Kabaddi League both in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam in January next year, according to company president Himabindu Reddy. Taking part in the logo release of the event, she said that the tournament will help win the hearts of the sporting public of the State, especially the rural areas. “Players who perform well in the league will stand a chance to represent Andhra Pradesh in the other premier national events. Ms Reddy said that the company has signed a pact with the Andhra Kabaddi Association for five years to stage the event. Andhra Pradesh Kabaddi Association secretary Veeralankaiah said that eight teams would be selected after a selection process in the 13 districts. This tournament will be held for 16 days and 32 matches will be featured. It will be held from January 27 to February 13, 2018.
NRCB signs agreement with AP Govt
The National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB), Tiruchi, has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Andhra Pradesh government and would serve as a knowledge partner in developing technologies relating to banana production. S Uma, Director, NRCB, and M Girija Shankar, Secretary to Government, Industries and Commerce Department, Andhra Pradesh, signed the agreement recently in the presence of N Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh is the leading producer of several crops including banana.
Merger of 45 outlying villages in VMC
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed the Municipal Administration Department authorities to make way for the merger of 45 suburb villages into the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC). Mayor Koneru Sridhar had earlier proposed the merger of the nearby
CM Chandrababu Naidu with Ministers on the occasion.
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TU-142 Aircraft Museum in Vizag
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hief Minister Chandrababu Naidu unveiled a plaque to mark the foundation for the Aircraft Museum coming up on Beach Road in the presence of Vice Admiral H.C.S. Bisht, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Naval Command. Deputy Chief Minister N. Chinarajappa, Tourism Minister Bhuma Akhila Priya, HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao, Anakapalli MP Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao, and MLAs and MLCs were present. the TU-142 Aircraft has been placed on the specially erected platform. The Chief Minister, accompanied by the ENC Chief and others, went inside the aircraft and spent quite sometime.The naval maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft has a chequered history.
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CM Chandrababu Naidu gifting a plant to Sindhu
P V Sindhu, ambassador for Swachh Andhra
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ndhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu launched Swachh Andhra Mission on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. Ace shuttler PV Sindhu, who has been chosen as the brand ambassador of Swachh Andhra along with state minister for Information Technology and Rural Development Nara Lokesh and public representatives, were the dignitaries who joined Naidu on this occasion. About the future plans in order to achieve the goal of Open Defecationfree state, the CM indicated that State Government is all set to construct 22 lakh more toilets by March 2018. On the occasion, the CM flagged off several vehicles
villages which have been the most chosen destinations for realtors to build apartments and lay vast residential property ventures that are worth crores of rupees. The merger of the villages like Kanuru, Gollapudi, Enikepadu that already has numerous apartments is expected to make the civic body richer as the income through property taxes and vacant land tax goes up.
120 Amaravati farmers to Singapore
More than 120 farmers, who gave their land in the Amaravati capital region under the land pooling, are being sent to Singapore by the state government to learn about best business practices. Farmers, who got plots depending on the size of land they gave, can be helped through entrepreneurship and business development skills and they may become role models for others, officials said. About 32,000 farmers gave their land for construction of Amaravati. Officials said a majority of these farmers have never set foot outside Andhra Pradesh. “Farmers are the original citizens of the capital and they should be happy. Their transition into the entrepreneurship sector must be smooth, so we must ensure that skill building is a continuous process,” Naidu said.
Tirupati to get new RTC complex
Chittoor District Collector PS Pradyumna has agreed to allot 25 acres to APSRTC on the outskirts of the pilgrim city. This will help to decongest the traffic in the city and existing bus stand. At present, RTC Central Bus Station in Tirupati has 64 platforms in 12 acres. The RTC officials are finding it difficult to provide amenities for 1.75 lakh passengers, who travel daily through Tirupati Bus Station. More number of buses are being introduced to clear passenger rush but there is no possibility to construct additional platforms in the existing bus stand. Apart from meeting the present requirements, keeping in view of the future needs for the next 50 years, the RTC felt that there is a need to construct a big RTC complex.
NOVEMBER 2017
Addl 150 cr released for railway line
The Centre has released an additional Rs 150 crore for the proposed Pithapuram-Kakinada railway line. The land acquisition has been going on for the railway line project. Earlier, it released Rs 50 crore for the project. Kakinada MP Thota Narasimham and MLA of Pithapuram NVSN Varma, who disclosed this information, said that the land acquisition at some places was not yet through. They also said that the dream of TDP founder NT Rama Rao – installing statue of Alluri Sitaramaraju in Parliament Hall – would soon be realized. Assurances made to people by Chief Minister at Pithapuram – modernisation of Yeleru Canal, checking floods to the Suddagadda and implementing Purushottapatnam LI Scheme – are being fulfilled one after the other, they added.
Boating facility launched in Krishna canal
The Krishna Eastern Main Canal traversing through the city will soon attract throngs of fun-lovers thanks to the boating facility introduced by the tourism wing. In collaboration with the city-based Amaravati Boating Club (ABC), the authorities introduced boats in the canal located opposite the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) office in PPP mode. “The Tourism Department has identified 11 spots including the Alankar Centre for such facilities as part of the city beautification drive,” said Himanshu Shukla, Director, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC).
TTD plans to introduce e-software
The TTD is contemplating to introduce e-software in all its departments to usher in more transparency. The initiative will also provide the impetus for a paperless administration in the religious institution. TTD JEO K S Srinivasa Raju said that the concept will be introduced in a phased manner in all the departments at Tirumala by March 31.
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House-Warming Ceremony for
3rd phase of farmers’ debt redemption launched
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CM handing over a house allotment lettre to a beneficiary on Gandhi jayanthi.
t was a dream come true for these people. The Andhra Pradesh Government conducted house-warming ceremony for one lakh houses across the state, with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu formally launching the programme in Vijayawada on October 2. On the occasion, the Chief Minister also declared three districts — West Godavari, Krishna and SPS Nellore — as open defecation-free (ODF) and said the target was to make the entire state ODF by March 2018.
“We created history in the country by inaugurating one lakh houses in a day. One lakh houses each will be inaugurated on December 25 (2017), January 14 and June 8 next year,” Naidu said on the occasion. The State Government targeted to build 17.40 lakh houses for weaker sections, including 12 lakh in rural areas, at a total cost of Rs. 50,000 crore, he said. Under the NTR Housing Scheme, the Andhra Pradesh Government undertook the construction of 12 lakh houses in the rural areas at a cost of Rs 16,000 crore and 5.40 lakh houses in towns costing Rs 33,000 crore with the Central and the State governments contributing Rs 1.50 lakh each towards subsidy. The Chief Minister said it was a unique programme not conducted anywhere else in the country and was in sync with the government’s endeavour to provide basic amenities to all the needy, thereby improve their living conditions. So far 4,471 villages across the state have been declared ODF while another 8,383 villages have to achieve this. All urban local bodies have already been declared ODF, the Chief Minister said. Another 21.61 lakh toilets were still required to be built out of the total target of 48.20 lakh, he said. The Chief Minister gave away awards and certificates to collectors of West Godavari, Krishna and SPS Nellore districts and the officials concerned for making the districts ODF. He also felicitated badminton star P V Sindhu and noted writer Jonnavittula Ramalingeswara Rao for being brand ambassadors of Swachh AP. The Chief Minister also launched a revamped personal insurance scheme Pradhan Mantri Chandranna Beema on the occasion. As many as 2.13 crore workers in the unorganised sector are covered under the scheme, which also provides for insurance payment of Rs. 2 lakh even in case of natural death of persons below the age of 50.
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he Andhra Pradesh Government released Rs 3,600 crores for the third tranche amount of the third instalment, under Crop Loan Waiver Scheme in the state. Keeping his promise, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu launched the third phase of debt relief to farmers by giving a cheque for Rs 3,600 crore to farmers at Jupadu Bungalow in Kurnool district. On the occasion, the Chief Minister distributed debt waiver certificates to beneficiaries in the district, kicking off the implementation of the scheme across the State, benefiting 36.72 lakh farmers. He assured to usher in a blue revolution to promote pisciculture and to develop horticulture on one crore acres in the State. He assured fodder on 50% subsidy for dairy units. This is the third instalment of the debt redemption, along with 10 per cent interest. The amount would be deposited in the bank accounts of eligible beneficiaries. “The Government, as per the promise made by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, has already credited Rs 4,493 crore in the accounts of 23.76 lakh farmers as part of the one-time settlement for those beneficiaries who had availed crop loan up to Rs 50,000,” Agriculture Minister S Chandramohana Reddy said. A whopping sum of Rs 3,071.69 crore was distributed among 31.22 lakh farmers in Andhra Pradesh in the first instalment of the debt redemption scheme. In the second phase of the scheme, a fund of Rs 3,300 crore more was spent by the government to waive the loans of 36.99 lakh farmers. Stating that the Government is implementing the debt redemption scheme for farmers to a tune of Rs 24,000 crore despite non-cooperation from the Reserve Bank of India, he said it had already spent Rs 14,000 crore on three phases of debt redemption scheme, which will be completed in two more phases.
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IN PICS
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Pic 1: CM Chandrababu Naidu in conversation with Goa CM Monohar Parikkar during the latter’s visit to Vijayawada.
Pic 2: CM presenting Ramineni Foundation Award to Central Vigilance Commissioner K V Chowdary.
Pic 3: Chandrababu felicitating Grammy Award winner P A Deepak and assured cooperation in setting up Animation Studio in AP. Pic 4: CM releasing cheque for the latest installment of Rs 3,600 cr towards Debt Redemption of farmers. Pic 5: CM along with Ministers while releasing book ‘Action Plan of Andhra Pradesh ODF State’ for Swachch Mission.
Pic 6: CM, along with other high-level delegation members, at a meeting organised for Non-Resident Telugus in UAE.
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