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JALASIRIKI HARATHI
he State Government celebrated Jalasiriki Harathi programme as a thanks-giving to water bodies across Andhra Pradesh. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu envisaged the “Jalasiriki Harathi” programme to create awareness on water conservation, increase awareness on environmental protection among people and worshipping nature. The CM launched the three-day “Jalasiriki Harathi” programme by inaugurating an anicut across the Sarada river on September 6. The CM accorded administrative sanction to the Rs 2,022-crore Pedapudi reservoir under Phase I of Babu Jagjivanram Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanti (USS). Addressing a public meeting at Gobburu, he vowed to complete the project soon and bring water linking the Godavari and the Sarada rivers. The first phase covers 1.3 lakh acres in eight mandals. Earlier, he inaugurated the anicut constructed with a cost of Rs16 crore that would
bring 3,240 acres under irrigation on the Sarada river at Narasapuram and offered “harathi” with flowers, vermillion, turmeric, silk sari, bangles and fruits amid vedic chants. During the programme at different places in the state, the CM administered a pledge to the people for protecting waters. The idea of making people venerate water came after his offering “harathi” to the Godavari and the Krishna during pushkarams, he said. Addressing the gathering after after performing puja to the Godavari river at Pushkara Ghat in Rajahmundry, Naidu said it is the duty of the people to celebrate “Jalasiri Ki Harathi” on the lines of other festivals irrespective of caste, religion and region. He also laid the foundation for second phase of Chintalapudi Lift Irrigation Scheme at Guddigudem village, Gopalapuram mandal, West Godavari district during the event.
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CONTENTS ‘Learning continuously is important’
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Hurdles removed for Neradi barriage
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Addressing 130 in-service IAS officers from across the country, CM Chandrababu Naidu shared his immense experience in administration and real time governance.
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AP, home to visionary leadership: President Kovind
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Awards Presented to Journalists, Photographers Happening Andhra
Vijayawada getting transformed Muchumarri scheme commissioned
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Gopichand Academy to get land
Final touches to Amaravati Designs
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Agreement inked for making AP districts drought-proof
Plans to connect Amaravati and VJA with Hyperloop
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AP Tourism kicks off new campaign
Rs 100 cr fund to encourage innovations
A Malleswari in the making
28 40 lakh LED street lamps to light up AP’s villages
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Various developments across the state of Andhra Pradesh.
New Sports Policy unveiled
ANDHRA PRADESH
Published Monthly In English & Telugu October 2017 Volume:13 Issue:5 Salivahana Era 1939
Commissioner S Venkateswar IIS Editor Ramesh Babu Kandula Executive Editor Naresh Nunna
Cover Page CM at National Academy, Mussoorie Second Cover Jalasiriki Harathi 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
Photos: T.Srinivasa Reddy, Vijayawada Printed at Caxton Offset Pvt. Ltd. Hyderabad Each Issue : Rs 20/Annual Subscription : Rs 220/-
EDITORIAL
Out of the Bifurcation Blues
Three years of ceaseless efforts have brought about a marked change in the fortunes of Andhra Pradesh. The relentless pursuit of the Chandrababu Naidu Government to bring the State out of the financial morass in which it was stuck following the lop-sided bifurcation has paid rich dividends. While the country's economic growth rate remained stagnant at about five percent over the last two years, Andhra was able to achieve a double digit growth in the Gross State Domestic Product, touching 10.99 percent in 2015-16 and 11.6 percent in 2016-17.
The consistent performance in the face of several odds is a testament to the visionary and dynamic leadership of the State. The latest figures too are flattering. We have clocked 11.72 growth rate against 5.6 per cent at all-India level in the first quarter of 2017-18. Indeed, it has now become a habit for AP to outstrip the national growth rate year after year.
Take the per capita income figure, which is a better barometer of the standard of living of the people. While it was an unimpressive Rs 81,397 in 2013-14, AP crossed Rs 1 lakh mark for the first time during 2015-16. The per capita income grew by Rs. 14,214 to Rs 1,22,376 during 2016–17 fiscal, a 13.1 per cent increase over the previous year. As a result, today AP stands sixth overall in the country in per capita income with the national average being Rs 1,03,219.
Justifiably, the Chief Minister declared at the inaugural session of the two-day conference of district collectors, "We are now in a position to tide over the crisis caused by the bifurcation. Now, my aim is to make Andhra the number one state in all fields, not only in the country but also in the world,". "We are now at the number two position in the country. This year (201718), our target is to achieve a 15-percent growth rate. I am confident that we can achieve it," the Chief Minister asserted.
Another welcome move on the part of the CM is to not only take care of the growth rates but also be mindful of the need for a happy and satisfied people. An 80 percent satisfaction rate that the CM wants to see would indeed be the actualisation of real democracy.
Ramesh Babu 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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City Development Works Being Expedited
VIJAYAWADA GETTING TRANSFORMED under pass (VUP) would come as part of the project. The VUPs would be constructed at Kankipadu, Gandigunta, Vuyyur, Mantada and Pamarru, she said, adding the four-laning works would be completed by November 2018. A 1.4-km length flyover was under construction at Benz Circle. The first phase — from Jyothi Mahal to Nirmala Convent — comprises two bridges of threelane width, while the length of each bridge is 618 metres. Though as per contract, the work has to be completed by NovemKanaka Durge Flyover construction plan ber 2018, the government has set August, 2018 as deadline. ijayawada city connectivity and beautification Remaining portion will be completed in phase-II for which projects are on a swing. The works have acquired deadline is August 2019, she said. more pace with Chief Minister Chandrababu
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Naidu determined to complete them by 2019.
Three major projects — Benz Circle flyover, Kanaka Durga flyover and four-laning of Vijayawada-Machilipatnam highway — are expected to be completed in the next one-and-ahalf years. While the four-laning project is scheduled to be completed by November 2018, the Kanaka Durga flyover will be operational by March, While the 2018. The Benz Circle flyover will be ready to use by August four-laning project 2019.
is scheduled to be completed by November 2018, the Kanaka Durga flyover will be operational by March, 2018.
According to Principal Secretary (Transport, Roads and Buildings) Sumita Dawra, the road near Kanaka Durga flyover would be closed till December for speedy completion of the flyover. It was also for the safety of public as spans and wings would be erected during next four months. The Home Department has been requested to take steps for closure of the road and diversion of traffic. In view of technical challenges, the flyover work schedule was changed. The flyover would be completed before March 2018, she said. The Vijayawada-Machilipatnam four-laning project costs Rs740 crore. It includes the cost of Benz Circle flyover also. Four major bridges, five minor bridges and five vehicle
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The flyover starts at the Ramesh Hospitals/Gurunanak Colony junction and ends near the Skew Bridge. The designs specify that two separate bridges comprising four lanes will be constructed, in addition to the existing fourlane national highway. Regular city traffic will use the existing road and heavy vehicles will be diverted through the flyover, which will join the NH at the Skew Bridge junction.
Beautification Works
Municipal and CRDA officials recently inspected the national highway and canal bunds from Ramavarappadu junction to Gannavaram to take up the beautification works. Under the plan, attractive plants will be grown and water foundations, lighting will be arranged along the highway and canal bund. The Chief Minister had ordered the officials to take up canal bunds beautification from Ramavarappadu. The district collector asked the village panchayats to begin the sanitation drive and instructed the VMC to start the sanitation works to maintain hygiene along the canal bunds.
Water Fountains
Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) is set revive defunct water fountains on traffic islands at major junctions of the city for a pleasant ambience. A team of engineers and officials of horticulture department have already conducted a survey in the city and identified locations to facelift the defunct water fountains.
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Lift Irrigation to transform Rayalaseema into the granary of the state
Muchumarri Scheme Commissioned supply water to the Gandikota reservoir and Chitravati balancing reservoir. Stating that his Government was completing all the irrigation projects, Naidu disclosed that the Handri Neeva canal was being widened up to Madakasira.
Irrigation water was being supplied to Gorakallu, Owk and Veligallu reservoir, he said, and assured water supply to Alur, Dhone, and Pathikonda constituencies. Compensation of Rs 450 crore was paid to the displaced under the Gandikota reservoir. The owk tunnel would be completed in 10 days, he said.
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he days of drought might soon be over for Rayalaseema. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu commissioned Muchumarri II, a lift irrigation scheme which forms a crucial link in the Handri-Neeva Sujala Sravan“My aim is to thi Project provide water to Phase I. After switching on every acre in the the motors state with the and inspectconstruction of ing the pump new irrigation house of the project, Naidu projects, percola- said, “A fooltion tanks, check proof strategy dams and mini will be evolved to irrigation tanks ” avoid water wars that may crop up with upper riparian states in the future. Securing the interest of AP farmers is my prime concern.”
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Lauding irrigation engineers for their relentless efforts to complete
the lift irrigation scheme, he said facilities were created to draw water from the Srisailam reservoir at three different levels to irrigate lands and cater to the drinking water needs of the people and cattle. Naidu inspected the pumphouse and of fered ‘Jalasiriki Harathi’ to the Krishna. Stating that 16 pumps were arranged for the Muchumarri LI scheme for releasing water to the HNSS through 12 pumps and to the KC Canal through four pumps, he said water could be lifted from Muchumarri at a level of 798 feet in the Srisailam reservoir and supplied to any canal as per the requirement. An action plan was being drawn to establish a link at Malyala to give water to the KC Canal and to the Gorakallu and Owk reservoirs and another link at Banakacherla cross regulator to supply water to Velugodu and Brahmamsagar. The Galeru Nagari project would ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
Assuring to consider the Gundrevula project, Naidu said it was an interState project that would benefit Kurnool Parliamentary constituency. SCs were being given 90% subsidy on drip irrigation and 70% to others, as water needed for one acre normally could be utilised to irrigate 2.50 acres, he said. Administering a pledge on water conservation, he said Srisailam reservoir had 18.7 tmcft water last year. This season, it stood at 16.6 tmcft. There were no inflows in Narayanapur, Jurala, and Tungabhadra dams. The CM announced sanction of funds for building a church at Muchumarri, Rs 5 crore for a road from Nandikotkur to Brahmanakotkur, and 100 houses at Muchumarri and Nehrunagar. The CM also promised disbursal of the third instalment of loan waiver this month. He felicitated Chief Engineer Jalandhar, SE Narayanaswamy, and EE Reddy Sankar for completing the LI scheme.
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OCTOBER 2017
GOM MAKES LAND ALLOTMENTS IN AMARAVATI
GOPICHAND ACADEMY to get land
A host of institutions, both public and private, have been allotted land in the capital city in order to make Amaravati a vibrant hub for economic, social and cultural activities.
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ith a view to encourage sporting talent in the state, the Andhra Pradesh Government has decided to allot 12 acres of land to Pullela Gopichand academy in Amaravati. It may be recalled that the Indian badminton coach was allotted land in Hyderabad when N Chandrababu Naidu was the Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh. As a result, many Telugu players are now dominating the world of badminton and won a host of medals for the country. The GoM on land allotment has fixed the price of land rate at Rs 50 lakh to Rs 4 crore in Amravati. It was also proposed that land will be allotted only after payment of money. The meeting took note that 29 institutes have to be allotted 1,000 acres of land. The rates will be decided based on the category of institute. GoM made the allotment based on availability of land, rather than as requested by the institutes. Apart from 11 acres for Reserve Bank of India, and 15 acres for Indian Navy, they will also get separate land for OCTOBER 2017
CM with P Gopichand and P V Sindhu
housing their employees. Land allotment for LV Prasad Eye Institute (12.5 acres), AP NRT ( 4.5 acres), State Forensic Lab (3 acres), KIMS hospital (40 acres), Xavier School of Management (30 acres), BR Ambedkar memorial park (20 acres) has been approved.
The land allotments are proposed as below
w Indo UK Hospital: 150 acres w B R Shetty Medical College: 100 acres
w Nandamuri Basavatarakam memorial cancer foundation, central university, reserve bank of india: 11 acres each w National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development (NABARD): 4.3 acres
w Andhra Pradesh State Cooperative Bank (APCOB), State Bank of India (SBI), Andhra Bank, Syndicate Bank, some other banks, Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), Food Corporation of India (FCI), Indian Navy: 15 acres each w Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India: 17 acres
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w Rail India Technical Economic Services: one acre
w IOC, HPCL, AP Civil Supplies Corporation, APNRT: 4.5 acres
w B R Ambedkar Smriti Vanam: 20 acres
w State Forensic Laboratory: Three acres
w LV Prasad Eye Hospital: 12.5 acres w KIMS hospital and college: 40 acres w Xavier School of Management: 30 acres
w Pullela Gopichand Academy: 12 acres
The decisions taken in this Group of Ministers' meeting are to be approved by the state cabinet. Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister G Srinivas Rao, Finance department special chief secretary Ravichandra, AP Government principal secretary Ajay Jain, CRDA (Capital Region Development Authority) Commissioner Dr Ch Sridhar, Special Commissioner V Rammohan Rao and others took part in the meeting.
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Brides of Poor Families to get Pelli Kanuka
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he State Government has announced the launch of ‘Pelli Kanuka’ (marriage gift), a scheme aimed at helping families of brides belonging to poorer and disadvantaged sections of society.
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giving finishing touches to the plans suggested by F+P. Asked by media persons about the reason for the delay in finalising the designs, the Chief Minister said a decision on such major project could not be taken in haste as what was at stake was the functionality and the desired aesthetic appeal of the buildings.
he designs for Amaravati government complex are being given final touches. After several rounds of deliberations with Foster+Partners (F+P), the designs of the Amaravati start-up area comprising the proposed iconic government buildings are almost complete. However, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu wanted a more world class look and aesthetic appeal and advised a few more changes before freezing the plans. The CM decided to travel to London to have discussions at the highest level on October 25.
The CM is by and large satisfied with the diamond and Buddhist Stupa models submitted by the Londonbased firm but he suggested certain
Rajamouli’s visit
Final touches to
Rajamouli called on the Chief Minister subsequently and discussed the designs of iconic buildings to come up in the capital city of Amaravati. He had a meeting with the officials of the CRDA, led by the Municipal Administration Minister P Narayana. The Baahubali director visited Amaravati area where the
AMARAVATI DESIGNS
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changes. According to a statement from the Chief Minister's Office, he was happy with the waterfront, the layout and the interior designing of the legislative assembly. He, however, felt the facade can look much better to reflect world-class architecture. As part of this exercise, he favoured a direct interaction of the architects with film director S S Rajamouli to seek his inputs for
Legislature Secretariat and High Court buildings will be constructed. Rajamouli is expected to fly to London to provide his inputs on the designs to Foster Partners. Clarifying his role in the project, Rajamouli said that he was not a consultant for the designs, and that he was basically helping the design team understand what the Chief Minister wants in this regard.
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Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said the government would pay Rs 20, 000 each to below poverty line (BPL), Rs 50,000 each to those belonging to the Scheduled Castes, tribes and minorities. The amount would be credited into the respective accounts on the day of marriage but only after thorough verification, he said. The announcement was made during the ‘Intintiki Telugu Desam’ programme at Tettangi village of Veeraghattam mandal. Addressing a public meeting in the village, Naidu said the marriage gift scheme would be a boon for the families which do not have the means to perform marriage of their daughters. BC Welfare Secretary B Udayalaxmi, while addressing a press conference, said 40,000 couples would be benefited under the scheme in the in first spell. They can apply online with a copy of marriage ‘muhurtham’. Soon after the receipt of the application, an official would visit the homes of the bride and groom and hand over the money. It is expected that marriage registrations will also become easy under this scheme. The secretary said the government is planning to strengthen BC Study Circles across the state. “We have issued orders to the BC Welfare officials to spend a night in the hostels at least once in a week for getting first-hand knowledge about the problems the students,’’ she said.
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OCTOBER 2017
CoRPus FunD for Telugu Diaspora
Rs 20 cr for Telugu NRIs in distress
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he Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu Society (APNRTS) at its maiden governing council meeting, chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, resolved to create a corpus (welfare fund) of Rs 40 crore for taking care of the Telugu people settled abroad. The CM ordered that Rs 20 crore should be immediately provided to the APNRTS to help the Non-Resident Telugus (NRT) in distress under the policy for their welfare and development. It would benefit about 43,000 members of the APNRTS. He cleared the decks for extending financial assistance to the NRTs in need, particularly those who lost their jobs and to provide an insurance of Rs 10 lakh to members of the APNRTS under a scheme named ‘Pravasaandhra Bharosa’, for accidental death and permanent disabilities. The Chief Minister ordered the government officials to come up with an industrial policy that would
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exclusively facilitate investments in Andhra Pradesh by the Telugu diaspora. This is aimed at offering certain incentives and other facilities to entrepreneurs keen on investing in the State. APNRTS CEO Ravi Kumar Vemuru told the CM that the Society could get 32 Information Technology companies set up by the NRTs in the State in the last couple of years and 21 more were on the anvil next month. By then, the total employment generated by these IT firms would have reached about 7,000. The Chief Minister suggested to the members of APNRTS to come forward to build Sri Venkateswara Swamy temples in various countries, for which the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams would give contributions. Minister of NRI Empowerment and Relations Kollu Ravindra, IT Secretary K Vijayanand and Panchayat Raj Commissioner B Ramanjaneyulu were among those present.
TRansgEnDERs to get pension, benefits
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he Andhra Pradesh government announced a slew of welfare measures for transgenders, including a monthly pension of Rs 1,000. Apart from pension, transgenders would be given ration cards and houses, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said at a two-day conference of district collectors. "We
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giant Wheel Project Proposed in amaravati
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uro Destination India pvt Ltd has come forward with a giant wheel project in Amaravati with a cost of Rs 439.37 crore. Representatives of the company met Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at Secretariat and proposed that they could complete the wheel project in three phases. Euro Destination company managing director M Krishna Rao and Fabi group (Italy based) president Geon Lukas made a presentation to Chief Minister and the Fabi group offered technical cooperation for the giant wheel project. They said the shape of giant wheel would be Buddha Chakra. Chief Minister suggested them that the proposed giant wheel in Amaravati must be greater than the world’s largest giant wheels in Las Vegas (America) and some other famous giant wheels in New York and Singapore. The Chief Minister wanted to call the giant wheel as ‘Amaravati Buddha Chakra’.
sunkara Pavani is Mayor of Kakinada
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need to create employment opportunities for transgenders so that they can be a self-sustainable community," he said. He asked the district collectors to take required steps in this regard. Andhra Pradesh has joined a select group of states which have announced welfare measures for the members of the third gender.
unkara Pavani and Kalla Sattibabu were unanimously elected Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Kakinada Municipal Corporation (KMC). Pavani’s election was unanimous as no other candidate came forward to contest the election. Karthikeya Mishra administered the oath of secrecy to both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
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AP, HOME TO VISIONARY LEADERSHIP:
President Kovind
Showers Praise on AP’s achievements during 2-day visit M Venkaiah Naidu,” he said amidst loud cheers from the audience, comprising mostly students. He also called the social and economic achievements of Andhra Pradesh, in tune with B R Ambedkar’s emphasis on value of education, inclusive growth and human dignity, as mirroring the transformation of India. Governor E S L. Narasimhan hailed the President as a ‘simple man’, who spent his life in wiping the tears of the poor and marginal sections of society. “In spite of the elevation in position, he remains a simple man,” Narasimhan said.
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resident Ram Nath Kovind complimented Andhra Pradesh as a home to visionary leadership and pioneering entrepreneurship, and as an abode of intellect. Skill, knowledge, and leadership were the traits of the Telugu land, Kovind said while recalling the glory of the Telugus from the Satavahanas to Tanguturi Prakasam, and to leaders of the recent past such as NT Rama Rao and PV Narasimha Rao. The President was speaking at the civic reception hosted by the State Government at SV University in Tirupati, where he was on a two-day visit. It was his second public address outside New Delhi after assuming office, the first being at Leh, where he addressed the Ladakh scouts.
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The President hailed the State for giving three Presidents — S Radhakrishnan, V V Giri and Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy. “Your State has also given me my new colleague
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu expressed his delight at holding a civic reception to the President at his alma mater S V Arts College. He recalled the President’s rise from an ordinary citizen to the nation’s first citizen and advised the students to take the dignitary as a role model. On the occasion, the President laid the foundation stone for B R Ambedkar Skill and Training Academy, to be set up at a cost of Rs 25 crore to nurture talent among the youth to make them employable. Under the Central Government’s ‘Stand Up India,’ he distributed financial assistance worth Rs 100 crore among 431 beneficiaries. Similarly, he distributed assets among SC/ST women under the State Government’s flagship programme of providing land to the landless. Earlier, after a visit to the Tiruchanur temple, the President inaugurated newly built 700-bed hospital attached to the Sri Padmavathi Medical college for Women at a cost of Rs 140 crore which is situated on the TTD run Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences..
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Your Excellency
Sri Ram Nath Kovindji, it is our honour to present these few words of appreciation of your outstanding leadership in the service of our nation. The 25th of July 2017 remains a red-lettered day in our country’s history. Your elevation to the highest constitutional office is a culmination of your lifelong struggle for the betterment of our society. We are proud that you are the President of our Republic.
Your long and eventful journey started in a modest dwelling in Paraukh village in Kanpur, Dehati, Uttar Pradesh to the palatial and imposing Rashtrapati Bhavan as the 14th President of India is not only a celebration of the greatness of Indian democracy but also a tribute to your own triumph in overcoming deep-seated prejudices embodied in our social structure. “Choosing me is a symbol of greatness of Indian democracy,” you said in all modesty at the emotional moment of your election. Indeed, it was your unflinching spirit to serve our society and country with empathy and understanding that has brought you all the way up here.
Circumstances determined by accident of birth, and the concomitant trials and tribulations have not deterred you from your mission of uplifting the deprived sections. You had such faith in yourself and others that you never let your own bitter experiences cast a shadow on your personality. Your contribution to the cause of Dalit empowerment has been immense. "My journey has been a long one, and yet this journey is hardly mine alone,” you said in your acceptance speech as President. This reveals the measure of your maturity and wisdom.
Many positions of power have come to you without asking. You have excelled in each and every one of them with care and commitment. Whether as a lawyer in the
Supreme Court, providing free legal services to the needy and the vulnerable, or as a Parliamentarian serving Rajya Sabha for two terms, your priority had always been social justice, empowerment of the downtrodden and equal opportunities. Your term as the Governor of Bihar has been exemplary for the way you had conducted the office with dignity and decorum that befits the constitutional position. Your role in strengthening cooperative federalism has been widely applauded.
Manya Rashtrapatiji, in felicitating you, we are felicitating a dedicated person who propagated the value of education. During your Parliamentary career of 12 years, you emphasised the need for the development of basic infrastructure for education in rural areas.
In your years of public service, you have been unassuming, but always committed to causes dear to you. Humility is your hallmark. As a person, you chose to be away from limelight and let your work speak for itself. As President of India, in a few weeks, you have already brought the august office closer to the people. The common people of India look up to your guidance and judgement, in enriching our democracy.
In honouring a great son of India, who represents the hopes and dreams of the millions in the country, we the people of Andhra Pradesh, are only acknowledging the outstanding service rendered through your life-long commitment to the poorest of the poor in our country. It is our belief that as President of India, you will bring peace, prosperity and glory to our motherland with your sagacious leadership.
Please accept these few lines as a humble token of our respect, admiration and affection for Your Excellency.
The Citation presented by the CM to the President.
Ministers K Atchannaidu, N Amarnatha Reddy, and N Lokesh, Members of Parliament V Varaprasad (Tirupati) and N Sivaprasad (Chittoor), Legislative Council Deputy Chairman Reddy Subramanyam, MLA M Suguna were present. The next day, the Presidenet offered prayers at the hill temple of Lord Venkateswara. Accompanied by Governor Narasimhan and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, he reached the main temple complex around 7.20 a.m. to a traditional reception. Flanked by his wife Savitha Kovind, son Prashanth Kumar and daughter Swati, he stood in front of the presiding deity for about 10 minutes and paid his obeisances. A battery of Sri Vaishnavite pundits showered
OCTOBER 2017
‘Vedaseervachanams’ on the first citizen and his entourage at the Ranganayakula Mandapam inside the main temple complex, where the TTD Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal presented the President with the memento and laddu prasadam. The President was impressed by the clean environment in the temple Showering praises on the cleanliness and arrangements for devotees at Tirumala Tirupati Devastanam, the President said that Tirupati should be made as a role model for all major temples in the country. The President was earler presented a citation by the State Government at the civic reception hosted by the Chief Minister. v
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Devotee oers Rs 8 cr worth golden garland to Tirumala Lord
The Kasula Haram being presented
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hilanthropist Manthena Ramalinga Raju presented "Sahasra Nama Kasula Haram" (golden garland) worth Rs 8 crore and weighing around 28 kg to Lord Venkateswara. The garland contained as many as 1008 golden coins with Lord Venkateswara's name inscribed on them. The devotee handed over the golden garland to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at Ranganayakula Mandapam. The CM lauded the donor for his largesse. Earlier, the Chief Minister offered silk vastrams to Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala temple on behalf of the State Government. It is a usual practice to offer the presentation to the Lord by head of the state on the first day of annual Brahmotsavams of Tirumala. State Endowment Minister Manikyala Rao and others were also present during the occasion.
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agREEMEnT inKED FoR MaKing aP DisTRiCTs DRoughT-PRooF
Andhra Pradesh Government has signed tripartite agreement with Centre and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for the AP Drought Mitigation Project. The agreement was signed between the Centre, the Andhra Pradesh Government and theUN body to help five of the driest districts of the state to become drought resilient. The Rs 1,000 crore project is expected to improve the income of nearly 1.65 lakh households in Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool and Prakasam. It was signed in the North Block in New Delhi between the Centre, UN body International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the Andhra Pradesh government's Drought Mitigation Project. According to the agreement, IFAD will provide 50 per cent of the required sum (USD 75 million) over five years, and rest will be raised by the state, NABARD (National Agricultural Bank for Rural Development) and government schemes like NREGA, said B Rajasekhar, principal secretary in the Agriculture and Civil supplies department in the Andhra Pradesh government. "Funding will start from today. It is a comprehensive project that focuses on usage of micro-irrigation and other technology. The emphaisis will not just be on agriculture productivity but also on related livelihoods like sheep rearing. We are looking to help farmers build a better network for production and marketing of their produce," the official said. IFAD will monitor the project and, at the state level, a steering committee will oversee it. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialised agency of the United Nations dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries. After the period of five years, the state government will be taking efforts to sustain the project, Rajasekhar said.
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OCTOBER 2017
Plans to connect Amaravati and VJA with Hyperloop
Hyperloop, which was introduced by Tesla founder Elon Musk, will cover the distance of over 35 km between the two AP cities in just five minutes.
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s the proposed metro project from Vijayawada to Amaravati may not be feasible, the Andhra Pradesh Government is planning to introduce Hyperloop - the mode of transportation invented Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk - that will connect the two cities. This will cover the distance of over 35 km between the two cities only in five minutes. Hyperloop project has not been implemented for practical use anywhere in the world yet. The AP Economic Development Board (AP-EDB) and the US- based Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) signed the mem-
State Committed to farmers’ welfare OCTOBER 2017
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orandum of understanding (MoU) in Amaravati. The project will be taken up in the public-private- partnership mode with the funding coming primarily from private investors, the release said. Hyperloop envisages a ‘tube modular transport system’ that runs free of friction. It is still in trial stages in different countries. Following his first interaction with HTT executives during the World Economic Forum in Switzerland in January, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu held another round of talks with them at the Secretariat here recently. HTT chairman and co-founder
ndhra Pradesh waived agricultural loans to the tune of Rs 24,500 crore which is a lot when compared to the amount waived by much bigger States in the country, Agriculture Minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy said. Inaugurating the day-long special session for buyers and sellers organised by the Spices Board of India, the
Bibop Gresta and EDB CEO J Krishna Kishore signed the MoU. Under the MoU, the HTT will conduct a feasibility study from the next month to “analyse the surrounding cityscapes to create the best route between the two cities”. “After the six-month feasibility study, we will construct and build the first Hyperloop in India,” the HTT said. “The AP-EDB, along with the state government, will assist HTT with all regulatory requirements and develop and implement Hyperloop in Amaravati,” CEO Kishore was quoted as saying in the release.
Minister said that Uttar Pradesh which was four times as big as Andhra Pradesh waived crop loans for the comparatively lesser amount of Rs 33,000 crore. Though the State was in the midst of a resource crunch, the State Government came forward to waive farm loans to the tune of Rs 1.5 lakh for each farmer, he said. This showed the commitment of the
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State Government for the welfare of the farmers, the Minister said. CM Chandrababu Naidu launched the schemes of giving 100% subsidy to SC/ST farmers, 90% subsidy to small and marginal farmers and 70% for drip and sprinkler irrigation units. Aid was being extended at the rate of Rs 15,000 a farmers cultivating groundnut, he added.
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Rs 100 cr fund to encourage
INNOVATIONS
CM announces the bonanza at International Innovation Fair
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nderlining the State Government’s commitment to encourage innovative ideas by youngsters, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu announced the State would allot Rs. 100 crore to create a separate fund to support out-of-the box ideas by aspiring entrepreneurs.
The CM was speaking at the awards presentation to mark the conclusion of three-day Indian Innovators’ Association (IIA) International Innovation Fair at Visakhapatnam. The Chief Minister said that more than 30 countries had participated in the fair and 300 innovative products were on display. The disruptive technologies were changing the face of the world and nothing could be achieved without leveraging technology, he noted. Andhra Pradesh had set itself the ambitious, but achievable, target of achieving 15 per cent growth rate and "AP will become one of three leading states in the country by 2022," he stated. The next annual convention of the International Federation of Inventors' Associations should be held in the State on a much bigger scale, he opined.
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As a follow-up to this, was the Internet of Things-Artificial Intelligence Summit, jointly organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Andhra Pradesh Technology Development and Promotion Centre (APTDC) with the theme “Disruptive technologies for transforming business in a digitally integrated world”. According to J S R K Prasad, Chairman – CII Andhra Pradesh & CEO of Better Castings, intelligence has become commodity and not just devices, even human beings will also become the part of Internet of Things. He opined that these technologies will create more jobs by creating new opportunities rather than displacing them. That apart from enabling businesses and enterprises, these disruptive technologies are
even predictive and prescriptive. D Ashok Kannan, Deputy General Manager of State Bank of India who also attended observed that IoT is creating new avenues and helping in creating value to the customers. They are changing the way banking and finance is working. Artificial intelligence tools enable real time products and bring down costs significantly. He also mentioned that data security is key focus for the technologists and also for the banks. G S Shiv Kumar, Summit Chairman & Convenor, CII Andhra Pradesh – Industry 4.0/ IT & ITes Panel & CEO - Maple Software Pvt Ltd has noted that there are more devices than the human beings. By 2020, it is expected to have 4 billion people connected which will by driven by IoT, creating a 4 Trillion dollar economy and 15 Trillion GB data. He stated that these are going to create lot of opportunities, impacting every single sector Healthcare, Automobile, Construction and Agriculture etc. D Rama Krishna, Lead Convenor, CII Andhra Pradesh – Industry 4.0/ IT & ITes Panel & Managing Director, Efftronics Systems Pvt. Ltd has opined that though India has missed the opportunity of 1st and 2nd industrial revolutions, it has utilized the 3rd revolution to some extent. Hence there is a need to utilize the opportunities provided by 4th industrial revolution which is IoT & Artificial Intelligence. Another expert, C V D Ramprasad, Director, Software Technology Parks of India, said that in India services took lead in comparison to the products. But now with Make in India and Digital India initiatives, focus has been shifted to products and which is bringing the inclusive growth. International Federation of Inventors Associations (IFIA) president Alireza Rastegar inaugurated the International v Innovation Fair-2017.
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OCTOBER 2017
new app for grievance Redressal
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urther improving citizen-government interface, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu released 'People First' mobile application for grievance redressal at the Collectors' conference in Vijayawada. The CM said that under this application, people of Andhra Pradesh can dial 1100 to register complaints about government services and schemes. Naidu said that the citizens of Andhra Pradesh can now ride the wave of technology and use the medium of mobile to register their complaints. "The app will keep the citizens updated with the latest schemes and services of the government and the users will also be able to use the app for registering their complaints. The registered complaints will be addressed as soon as possible and selected complaints will be directly monitored by the Chief Minister himself," he added. The Government's people-centric approach and development model reflects good governance. "Balancing good governance and good politics is our need to get public satisfaction increased to 80 percent. A 60 percent public satisfaction yielded ruling party good results in recent elections.. Good Politics is Good Governance and Good Governance is Good Politics," he added.
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a Malleswari in the making
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enali-based weightlifter Sai Revathi Ghattamaneni is being touted as the next Karanam Malleswari. Sai Revathi Ghattamaneni, a student of M.Sc (Computer Science) at ASN Degree College, has beenn winning major national championships in weightlifting. The Tenalibased student won two successful gold medals at Senior Nationals at Mangalore and Khozikode in 63-kg category 2013. The CM felicitated her recently when she met him. OCTOBER 2017
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40 lakh LED street lamps to light up AP’s villages has been considered as the best in the world by the BRICS nations. Chandrababu Naidu said that during his recent visit to USA, the Governor of California had informed him that they were able to utilise 40 per cent of energy demand with renewable energy sources. But discoms in Andhra Pradesh met 46 per cent, that is 63 million units of of the total 135 million units, of the grid demand from renewable energy sources - solar and wind and enhancing energy efficiency besides strengthening of supercritical boiler units of GENCO thermal power stations. He said it only shows that Andhra Pradesh had surpassed California and was happy to note that 11 per cent growth rate in energy demand recorded during the first quarter of the current fiscal. It is a positive indication for economic development of the state, he added.
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he AP government has finalised the action plan to install and retrofit around 40 lakh LED streetlights in village panchayats in the state. The project will be launched in October and completed in one year time. The Government has estimated to net a financial benefit of n Rs 669 crore, with savings on 444 million units of power. The programme is intended to enhance the living standards of rural people. Reviewing the impact of LED technology in rural and urban areas in a teleconference with officials. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu asked both Panchayat Raj and Energy Departments to make LED streetlight programme in villages as one of the best in the world. He further suggested the officials to carry out a comprehensive study on scientific basis to know the actual energy saving in municipal streetlighting, which at present is expected to be around 133 million units. The CM said he wants to provide world class energy efficient services to the rural people on par with the urban areas like Visakhapatnam LED streetlighting programme which
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Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar informed the Chief Minister that AFD Bank (The French Development Agency) has agreed to provide the financial assistance of around Rs 1,000 crore for the implementation of the programme. Principal Secretary (Panchayat Raj and Rural Development department) K Jawahar Reddy explained that in the initial phase of the project, 10 lakh LED Street Lights will be installed in five districts - Anantapur, Kadapa, Chittoor, East Godavari and Vizianagaram. s Total LED bulbs to be installed: 40 lakh
s Expected net financial benefit in 10 years: Rs 669 crore s Energy saving targetted: 444 million units
Energy EďŹƒcient amaravati
Andhra Pradesh Government has plans to build Amaravati, the new capital, as the most energy-efficient city in India and all the necessary measures are being taken in this direction. AP Principal Secretary for Energy Ajay Jain revealed this at the two-day conference on energy efficiency, jointly organised by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and the AP State Energy Conservation Mission in Visakhapatnam recently. He said the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) and BEE had signed an agreement to design and construct the buildings in Amaravati in a manner as to achieve maximum energy efficiency.
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OCTOBER 2017
Snapshot
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he AP tourism is on a roll. The State Government has been taking a series of initiatives to make tourism a part of the AP’s social, economic and cultural life. Some of the proposed and ongoing initiatives include conservation of the Kondapalli Fort, construction of a Kalakshetra auditorium on the premises of the Ghantasala Government Music and Dance College at Durgapuram, a grand theatre/cultural complex at Pavithra Sangamam, development of the Havelock Bridge that connects the East and West Godavari districts, water sports policy, and implementation of the proposed laser show with musical fountain at Bhavani Island in Vijayawada city. A luxury resort with a 3.2-km racing track and an automotive theme park will also come up at Kondapalli village of Kanaganapalle mandal in Anantapur district.
OCTOBER 2017
The project will be spread across 245 acres and is estimated to cost Rs 149 crore and provide employment to 360 people. The tourism authorities mainly want to target tourists from Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad. The proposed new facility will include a three star resort, a golf course, a driving range, a sports complex and a helipad. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh bagged the prestigious Comprehensive Development of Tourism award. The Centre presented the award to the State during a programme held at New Delhi on September 27, to mark the occasion of World Tourism Day. In another novel initiative, a food festival was recently organised by AP Tourism Development Corporation. A wide variety of Andhra dishes were introduced to the visitors at the food festival.
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Hurdles removed for Neradi barriage The State won a favourable verdict in the Tribunal ing that period on a turn system. The award is expected to help stablise 1.7 lakh acres in AP by harnessing the Vamsadhara waters in addition to creating an additional ayacut with 40,000 acres. The State Government is all set to take steps for early construction of the Neradi barrage across the Vamsadhara, thanks to the clearance accorded to the project by the Vamsadhara Water Disputes Tribunal.
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he construction of Neradi barrage on the Vamsadhara river in Srikakulam district has received green signal. The Vamsadhara Water Dispute Tribunal gave a verdict resolving an inter-state water dispute between AP and Odisha over the barrage. The constuction remained pending for more than a decade-and-a-half due to the claim of Odisha that the structure would submerge lands and villages within its jurisdiction. The tribunal ruled that the AP Government pay compensation for the lands subjected to submergence to its Odisha counterpart within a span of one year. Odisha, in turn, has been directed to complete the acquisition of a little over 100 acres and hand them over to AP government within the same period to make way for the barrage construction. The Central Water Commission has been instructed to constitute an inter-state regulatory body to implement the award under the supervision of a committee comprising four members- two officials The Neradi barrage from the CWC and each from was designed for the two states. Odisha and AP Governments signed an agreediversion of the ment in 1962 to share water on Vamsadhara waters 50:50 basis.
impounded by the dam built on the river. The dam could not be put to use because of the dispute all these years.
The Neradi barrage was designed for diversion of the Vamsadhara waters impounded by the dam built on the river. The dam could not be put to use because of the dispute all these years. The tribunal in its verdict asked both the states to share the river water in the ratio as agreed upon by them earlier. Accordingly, AP will utilise the waters during a period from June 1 to November 30 from a side weir. The weir will remain closed from December 1 to May 31, enabling Odisha to do the same dur-
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According to sources, the Government has to spend Rs 100 crore for construction of the barrage that ensures assured irrigation to more than one lakh acres. Farmers can grow two crops in a year with the availability of abundant water. “The barrage can be constructed in three years as work can be taken up only during summer and winter. With curtains down on the six-decade-old dispute with Odisha over sharing of the river waters, the Government is likely to finalise an action plan. The tribunal’s verdict will ensure speedy development of 20 mandals in the district,” says a senior official of the Irrigation Department. The Vamsadhara, which originates in Odisha, flows for 154 km in that State, 29 km along the border between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, and 82 km in Andhra Pradesh. On September 30, 1962, an agreement had been reached between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to share waters in the ratio of 50:50. Following the agreement, the State government had proposed to take up the project in two stages. Stage I of the project, comprising the Gotta barrage and left main canal, had been completed in 1978 itself. The barrage assured irrigation facility for an ayacut of 1.48 lakh acres with utilisation of 17.841 tmcft of water. Under Stage II, comprising the Neradi barrage, it was proposed to irrigate 1.07 lakh acres with utilisation of 16.048 tmcft of water. However, Odisha objected to the construction of the Neradi barrage citing land acquisition and inundation problems in its jurisdiction. Following this, the AP Government had stopped construction of the barrage near Neradi village. However, it continued construction of the reservoir, side weir, and flood flow canal to utilise 8 tmcft of water allocated to it by the tribunal in its interim order in December 2013. Simultaneously, the State Government pursued the matter in the tribunal and finally won a favourable verdict that allowed the construction of Neradi barrage.
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OCTOBER 2017
Awards Presented to
JOURNALISTS, PHOTOGRAPHERS
Minister K srinivasulu, Press academy Chairman Deekshitulu, i&PR Commissioner s Venkateswar, Journalist T Kutumba Rao at the function to present the awards.
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he State Government presented the best journalist and photo journalist awards for 2008, 2009, and 2010 in Vijayawada. Thirteen journalists, including videographers and photographers, received the awards. The Government also gave away photo competition awards in categories such as Neeru-Pragati, Krishna Pushkaralu, Vanam-Manam, Pavitra Sangamam, Chandranna Bima, women empowerment, tourism in AP, Polavaram/Pattiseema project, Polam Pilustondi, traditional festivals, Swachh Andhra Pradesh, NTR Gruha Nirmanam, Chandranna Cheyutha and the best news picture of A.P. Information and Public Relations (I&PR) Minister Kalava Srinivasulu, Andhra Pradesh Press Academy Chairman Vasudeva Deekshitulu and I&PR Commissioner S Venkateswar honoured the recipients with a shawl, memento and cash prizes. Senior journalists Turlapati Kutumba Rao and Nandiraju Radhakrishna OCTOBER 2017
were presented the V R Narla Lifetime Achievement award and the B. Nageswara Rao best journalist award respectively. A prize of Rs 3 lakh and Rs 2 lakh were presented respectively to them. Photo journalists from The Hindu, including Chief News Photographer KR Deepak, Senior Special News Photographer Ch V S Vijaya Bhaskara Rao, Principal News Photographer V Raju, photographers S Rambabu, Sk Basheer and U Subramanyam were presented awards. PV Satyanarayana received the Khasa Subba Rao best rural journalist award, while Naga Durga Bhavani was given the best woman journalist award. Andhra Jyothi cartoonist M Venkateswara Rao received the best cartoonist award. A cash prize of Rs 1 lakh each was given. For 2009: K. Bhaskara Rao (M A Raheem best photo journalist); Ganjivarapu Srinivas (M. Narsing Rao best rural journalist); Emineni Ravichandra (Shoebulla Khan best rural journalist); VV Seshagiri Rao (best videographer).
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T Srinivas Reddy, who also contributes to Andhra Pradesh Magazine, received the M A Raheem best photographer journalist award for the year 2010. Chinta Muni Sekhar received Khasa Subba Rao best rural journalist award, while D Chandra Bhaskara Rao received M Narsing Rao best rural journalist award for 2010. Addressing the gathering, the Minister said having worked as journalist for about 14 years he knew the hardships faced by them. The Government’s top priority was to provide housing for the journalists. The Government was working in that direction and preparing modalities, he said. The problems associated with the journalist health cards would be addressed at the earliest. The welfare schemes being implemented for the journalists in other States was examined. There was a proposal to provide Rs 3,000 as monthly pension to the journalists. A decision would be taken after discussing with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, he said.
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Government approves Rs 1,423 cr road project in Andhra Pradesh
$ 500-m BioCity project soon in aP
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ioCity with an estimated investment of $500 million in Srikakulam district of north coastal AP is a major initiative of the State Government. Spread over 5,000 acres, it will have centralised facilities to boost life sciences and biotech ventures.
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Rs 1,423-crore highway project in Andhra Pradesh, part of the high density Kolkata-Chennai traffic corridor, received Cabinet greenlight. "The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its approval for development of six-laning of Narasannapeta-Ranastalam section of National Highway (NH)-16 (old NH-5) in Andhra Pradesh," an official statement said. The cost of the 54-km project, to be executed under the National Highways Development Project (NHDP) phase V, has been estimated at Rs 1,423 crore, including cost of land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation, besides other pre-construction activities. The job will be done in hybrid annuity mode. "The major industrial development centres that will be benefited with better connectivity from the project corridor are APIIC SEZ, Pydibhimavaram, Bhogapuram Airport, Vizag Steel Plant, Visakhapatnam Port, Gangavaram Port, Divi's Laboratories Limited and INS Varsha," the statement read. It further said the projected traffic in 2016-17 on this stretch was about 33,000 PCUs (passenger car units) per day. The project is part of the high-density Kolkata-Cuttack- BhubaneswarVisakhapatnam-Vijayawada-Chennai traffic corridor and is expected to cut down travel time. The statement said the provision for two bypasses in the project will ensure decongestion of urban areas of Etcherla and Ranastalam. Similarly, the 29 flyovers and vehicular underpasses would facilitate fast movement of traffic while decongesting the areas. It added that on both sides, provision of service roads on the 37 km of the project stretch, slip roads in about 43 km and bus bays at 42 locations will lead to safe, comfortable and smooth movement of long-distance commercial as well as local traffic in inhabited areas. The project is expected to increase employment potential for local labourers. The Government has estimated that a total 4,076 mandays are required for construction of one kilometre of highway. "As such, employment potential of 2,21,000 (approximately) mandays will be generated locally during the construction period of this stretch. Consequent self- employment due to improved traffic conditions would be in addition," the statement said.
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Plans are to create 6 to 8 clusters with space to promote 400-500 units in a public-private partnership model. Frost & Sullivan, the global consultants has been roped in as strategic partner, according to M Shankar Prasad, member of the State's Biotech Task Force. According to a BusinessLine report, the project will attract investments of $ 6-8 billion and generate overall employment to the tune of 50,000. The proposed International Airport at Bhogapuram, which is 60 km away will give a fillip to the project. The WHO/UNICEF have evinced interest in housing vaccine storage facilities. Similarly, Ministry of Ayush and biotech industry are keen to participate in the venture.
Centralised facilities
The centralised facilities include organic desalination plant, warehouses, temperature controlled systems, zero discharge units, manufacturing and consultancy in marketing and patenting, regulatory procedures etc.
Feasibility report
With the preliminary feasibility report done and 1,500-2,000 acres land acquired, the project to be named Dolphin BioCity is expected to begin in November-December. The biotech task force is engaged in studying and promoting the strengths of AP in the sector and allied fields. It is focussing on Marine Biotech for which the State has immense potential given its long coastline and rivers. It has already kick-started the sea weed cultivation involving fisherfolks.
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OCTOBER 2017
AP AIRPORTS
SHOW IMPRESSIVE GROWTH
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ir travel has shown impressive growth in Andhra Pradesh. This was revealed in a review meeting.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the progress on the infrastructure of the State at the Secretariat. The officials informed the Chief Minister that 12 waste-toenergy plants with a total capacity of 70 MW have been commissioned. Tenders for the natural gas pipeline from Kakinada to Visakhapatnam for 180 km were received from 4 qualified bidders. Orders for supply of other major items, land permissions and permissions from R&B are in progress. The laying of the pipeline will commence next month and will be completed by December 2018.
highlights
w AP Fiber Grid project to be made fully operational by next month
w Ports in the State witness a growth of 8 per cent In case of airports, the State has shown an growth Orvakal Airport overall of 16%, when Project is expected compared to to be completed by last year. It 15.05 lakh June 2018. The had passengers in Chief Minister said April – August the airport near 2016 and has Anantapur will already recorded improve connectiv- 17.42 lakh ity to Amaravati passengers and Bangalore. this year. From October, nonstop Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) flights will commence from Visakhapatnam to Jagdalpur and from Kadapa to OCTOBER 2017
Vijayawada. As Zoom Air has proposed operations on Delhi – Pune – Vijayawada – Mumbai – Vijayawada – Pune – Surat – Delhi from this October, the Government is currently pursuing the slot at Mumbai airport for Zoom Air and SpiceJet. The Chief Minister told the officials that high air connectivity also results in significant economic growth. Under RCS, Kadapa is connected to Hyderabad and will be connected to Vijayawada (by TruJet) and Chennai (by TruJet and Air Odisha) from this October. Also, Visakhapatnam will be connected to Jagdalpur by Air Odisha. International operations are now in pending at Tirupati and Vijayawada though the Customs and Immigrations have been approved. The airlines companies need to take their decisions on commencing operations. Orvakal Airport Project is expected to be completed by June 2018. The Chief Minister said the airport near AnanANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
tapur will improve connectivity to Amaravati and Bangalore. Besides, ports in the State have witnessed an overall growth of 8%. Officials told the Chief Minister that AP Fiber would be fully operational in October. Around 51,810 IPTV boxes have been received so far. In all, 1 lakh boxes would be received by the end of this month and 9.4 lakh boxes by March 2018. The Chief Minister also reviewed the progress on the Logistics and Energy Universities in Kakinada and Anantapur respectively. Meanwhile, SpaceAce Architects, planners and designers presented their proposal for Science City in Tirupati. There will be seven museums in the designs representing the seven hills. The seven museums are Museum of Arts & Science, Museum of Air, Space & Defence, Children’s Museum, Media Museum, Museum of Transport, Museum of Human Evolution & Anthropology and Indoor Rainforest and Museum of Biodiversity.
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CM RULES OUT HIKE IN POWER TARIFF
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hief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu assured that the Government would not take up upward revision of power tariff for both industrial and domestic consumers.
At a review meeting on the energy sector, the Chief Minister asked the officials to focus on supplying cheap power rather than increasing tariff. It would also help in tiding over the losses. The expenditure on power supply could be brought down drastically by installing power storage system and encouraging solar and wind power in a big way. At the same time, it was necessary to bring down thermal power generation and purchases, he said, adding, “people come first. Find out ways to overcome the difficulties. I don’t want hike in power tariff under any circumstances.” Asking the officials to outsource the services in the Energy Department, he said that creation of infrastructure and erection of sub stations, etc, should be based on demand-supply. Categorisation of the consumers for better services and immediate collection of dues from government departments and agencies should top the agenda, he said. Setting a target of generating 400 MW solar power under 33/11 KV sub stations, the Chief Minister asked the officials to take steps to connect solar pump sets for agriculture. By connecting to the grid, it was possible to utilise the excess power, if any, which was unused by the farmers, he said.
On the Growth Path Earlier, officials told him that the energy sector had witnessed an overall growth of 7.3% compared to last year. Wind and solar energy contributed 17% and 5% of the total energy produced. Their growth compared to previous years was 154% and 183% respectively. Wind energy has a capacity of 3,765 MW and solar energy has a capacity of 1,994 MW, they said. The revenue of the discoms was Rs 25,290 crore, while the expenditure was Rs 27,621 crore. The discoms were facing a loss of Rs 2,331 crore, they said, adding, the State would get a revenue of Rs 173 crore through sale of 1,089 million units to the States of Goa, Punjab, Bihar and Uttarakhand.
saTyaRThi in aP
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obel laureate Kailash Satyarthi received a rousing welcome in AP during his all-India yatra. Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu participated in a meeting in Kurnool along with Sayarthi and warned against those employing child labour. Naidu praised Satyarthi for championing the cause of children for the last 40 years. Satyarthi complimented Chandrababu Naidu as an action-oriented politician and said he was the first CM to have participated in a rally saying no to child abuse.
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OCTOBER 2017
AP TOURISM kicks off new campaign
CM, Minister for Tourism akhila Priya releasing happy streets poster
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ollwoing successful campaigns like Let’s Vizag and Go Konaseema to promote the respective places, Andhra Pradesh Tourism has now embarked on yet another campaign, which centres around festivals celebrated in the State. September and October are festival seasons when people celebrate Durga Puja, Dasara and Deepavali. This is the period when schools remain closed encouraging families to make travel plans, tour places and explore new locations. Cashing in on the people’s holidaying mood, AP Tourism is leaving no stone unturned to attract them to the State by projecting the cities of Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Rajamahendravanam in the best possible light. The department is targeting sizeable tourists from neighbouring States such as Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and West Bengal. Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Surat are also on the priority list of the Tourism authorities since a large number of people in these places are known to travel to other states for holidaying. To make this event bigger and better, the department has planned a series of events for seven days at a stretch at the three places (Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Rajamahendravaram) to augment the element of experiential tourism. Chandanpur lighting, tubri show, projection mapping, drums of India and cultural performances will be some of the highlights. Tour packages categorised under three star, four star and five star, have been designed for various sections of people and authorities are bringing into play digital media to reach out to wider range of tourists. OCTOBER 2017
The idea is to project Andhra Pradesh as a leading destination for travellers across the country, say department officials. Further details can be obtained on Festiveap.com. Propaganda India is now the brand strategy and creative partner for Andhra Pradesh Tourism. It has started its journey with the Let's Vizag campaign for Andhra Pradesh that is currently on. According to the press release shared by the agency, Propaganda India will be responsible for 360 degree communication related activities for Andhra Pradesh. Priya Jayaraman, co-founder, Propaganda India, said, "Andhra Pradesh is a challenger brand and we had to break out of passive branding. We decided to get travellers to act on what they saw. The launch campaign saw the coming together of a jaw dropping offer, offline-online integration, a time-bound activity, and has made a new start to destination marketing in India." Commenting on the association, Himanshu Shukla, CEO, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority, said, "We are delighted to have Propaganda India on board in taking our vision of Andhra Pradesh becoming one of the Top 3 destinations for tourism in India and internationally. Their passion for building this brand, a disruptive creative and solution-driven approach made the decision very easy for us. We are painting a picture for travellers about Andhra Pradesh and I believe they can capture the true essence of who we are to the world."
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AP Records 11.72% Growth
This phenomenal growth was made possible due to the impressive growth of the primary sector in the state. In monetary terms, the overall GVA achieved was Rs 1,19,652 crore against the target of Rs 1,24,480 crore.
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n the first quarter of the financial year 2017-18, Andhra Pradesh recorded a growth of 11.72%. At the national level, the growth rate was 5.6%. Andhra Pradesh is ranked second in the country, following Madhya Pradesh with the highest growth rate. They are followed by Bihar, Telangana and Maharashtra. This phenomenal growth was made possible due to the impressive performance of the primary sector in the state. The primary sector grew by 27.60%, the industrial sector by 8.05% and the service sector by 8.67%. The Fisheries sector grew by 42.09% and the Animal Husbandry sector by 14.69%. The target for the current fiscal year in the industries sector is 14.65%, and so far, the sector witnessed 8.05%. Mining & Quarrying saw a growth of 8.2% and Manufacturing grew by 8.83%. Electricity, gas and water supply saw a growth of 11.94% The per capita in- and Construction saw 5.67%.
come of Andhra Pradesh is Rs 1,22,376 in 2016-17. Compared to last year, the state’s per capita income grew by 13.1%. The country's per capita income is Rs 1,03,219 in 2016-17.
The Service sector had a target of 13.9%, and achieved 8.67% in the first quarter. The Trade, Repair, Hotel & Restaurants sector grew by 11.08%, the Transport & Storage sector by 9.04%, Financial sector by 9.54%, Real estate & Housing by 5.3% and Public Administration by 8.16%.
The 9 Growth Engines of the State Economy have a 74% share in the GVA, and the targets were set. Livestock, Manufacturing, Horticulture, Construction, Trade, Hotel & Restaurants, Fishing & Aquaculture, Transport & Storage, Agriculture and Real Estate, Dwellings & Professional
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Services are the growth engines and have a total GVA of Rs 5.71 lakh crore.
Per Capita income
The per capita income of Andhra Pradesh is Rs 1,22,376 in 2016-17. Compared to last year, the state’s per capita income grew by 13.1%. The country's per capita income is Rs 1,03,219 in 201617. Andhra Pradesh is ranked 6th in the country. Haryana is the state with the highest per capita income in India (Rs 1,80,174). The per capita income in Telangana is Rs.55.612. The Chief Minister also addressed the Agrigold issue, and instructed officials to take initiatives and help deliver justice to the 30 lakh people, who have fallen victim to the problem.
Perception survey
Under real-time governance, People First is an initiative that started functioning since the last Collectors’ Conference, and their reports were reviewed by the Chief Minister. Through different grievance redressal systems, the reports stated that overall, 58% (8,18,190) of people’s feedback is positive, and 42% (5,91,396) of the people are dissatisfied. People in Krishna and Guntur districts have the most number of positive feedback, and Kadapa and Kurnool districts have the lowest satisfaction levels. Officials submitted reports for different issues, like ration, pension, corruption cases etc. They proposed an in tegrated grievance redressal platform, which will be finalised and online soon. The Chief Minister said, “88% satisfaction level is my goal. All corruption cases must be dealt with immediacy and strict action. If not, the departments will face pressure
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CM and Minister |narayana releasing ‘100 smiles’ booklet at MEPMa meet.
from anti-corruption agencies.”
aP to host special un session
According to news reports, the Government of India is likely to recommend Andhra Pradesh to host the proposed special session of the United Nations Organisation.
The CM said that 88% satisfaction level is his goal. All corruption cases must be dealt with immediacy and strict action, he directed.
Taking into account A.P’s 11.72 % growth rate, which is more than double the national growth rate in the first quarter of 2017-18, the NITI Aayog has suggested its name to the Centre. This is in recognition of AP’s sustainable developmental activities and programmes, which can achieve the goals stipulated by the UNO, according to an official release here.
It states that the UNO has set 17 sustainable development goals for next year and is planning to conduct a special session to showcase the activities in 100 countries. In this context, the developmental and welfare activities in A.P. have won the NITI Aayog’s recognition.
CM for 1.2 lakh income by March 2019
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu wants that every household in the state should be able to earn Rs 1.2 lakh annunal income by March 2019. Towards this end, he asked officials to come up with the strategies, processes and models needed to ensure that this target is acheived. According to the Socio Economic Survey 2016-17 released by the AP government, the per capita income of the state was Rs1.22 lakh and had gone up from Rs1.08 lakh in 2015-16, an increase of 13.14%. The target was set by the CM during the first governing council meeting of the National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) and Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA) in AP. OCTOBER 2017
P Chinnathataiah, director, MEPMA, informed Naidu that around two million people are members of almost 200,000 self-help groups (SHGs) in urban areas of AP. He said MEPMA has a high social capital of SHGs, slum level federations, town level federations and community resource persons. The director also said 150 community auditors will be identified from eligible SHG members and trained. According to Government information, in the last three years, Rs 6,045.01 crore was mobilized through the Bank Linkage scheme, Rs 239.81 crore through Vaddi Leni Runalu (low interest loans) and 112,053 people have been trained through the Employment Through Skill Training & Placements (EST&P) scheme. Out of those trained, 77.17% were employed. The survey report also stated that as per the latest estimates of the Planning Commission released in July 2013 for the year 2011-12, the poverty ratios for rural and urban areas of united Andhra Pradesh (before the state was bifurcated in 2014 to create Telangana) were 10.96% and 5.81% and the combined ratio was 9.20%. The corresponding figures for all India during the same period were 25.70%, 13.70% for rural and urban areas and the combined was 21.92%, it added. The statement also stated that according to the Family Business Plan surveys (in AP) which are updated on a real-time basis online, 48% of the livelihood units are in the food sector (bakery, dairy etc.), 39% in the textile and handloom (kalamkari, fashion designing, garment making etc.), 5% in handicrafts (jute bags, agarbatti, bamboo products etc.) and 8% in services (salons, laundry, flour mills etc.). The CM also stressed the need to improve the literacy rate in AP. “34.69% of the urban poor are between the ages of 18 and 30 years and 35.48% are between 31 and 40. Although we have an advantage of a high employable section, we should improve literacy rates and promote higher education,” said the government release.
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‘LEARNING CONTINUOUSLY IS IMPORTANT’ k k k
CM Chandrababu Naidu addresses IAS Officers
CM posing for the group photo at Mussoorie academy
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fter so many years, we have a stable government under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Hon’ble Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Shri Nara Chandrababu Naidu during an address to senior IAS officers at Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand. ‘Learn continuously. You can make wonders’, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu advised IAS officers. On an invitation by Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), the Chief Minister addressed senior IAS officers during the inaugural session of 11th round of a 3-week mandatory Phase-V Mid-career training programme. ‘Those who can learn continuously can make wonders. I am still a student. I learn from society, common man and administrators like you’, Chief Minister told IAS officers. He told the officers that they are the future leaders in building India as a developed country. He said ‘India has three advantages; demographic dividend, largest English speaking population and Information technology (IT)’. ‘One out of four IT professionals in the world is Indian and out of every four Indian IT professionals, one is from Andhra Pradesh’, he added. The Chief Minister highlighted the vision for the country and how technology can help in the over-
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all development. Presenting Andhra Pradesh’s case study, he spoke about technology reforms being implemented in the state. He said ‘Through Fiber grid, we want to reach the last mile by connecting every home in the state.’ ‘AP is leading with steady growth rate. In the first quarter, AP has achieved 11.72% growth rate while the country’s average is 5.6%. We have selected ten sectors as growth engines contributing the maximum growth of the state’, he added. Highlighting the importance of environment, he said that the state is aiming to achieve 50% green cover by 2029. ‘We are developing a smart water grid by conserving water and linking of rivers’, he said. ‘Andhra Pradesh has achieved 100% electrification and 24/7 power supply to every household. Now, we are going for smart power grid with the help of technology’, he added. ‘I had the fortune of building a brownfield city, Cyberabad. Now, I am building a Greenfield city, Amaravati. My state, Andhra Pradesh is a new state, only three years old. It is like a small child. I will nurture it carefully’, said the Chief Minister. He presented the strategy of building the state to become the best in the country by 2029. He said that the state is implementing latest technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, drones, sensors and geo-tagging to improve
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CM addressing 450 officers of all india services and Civil services.
governance. He also talked about the concept of ‘uberisation’ on how to utilise assets more efficiently. During his presentation, he showcased ‘CM Core dashboard’ built to facilitate real-time governance where the state can monitor welfare schemes and other government services in real time. ‘To promote good governance, we are using CM Connect, Praishkara Vedika, Kaizala and People First applications to address public grievances. We want to ultimately achieve 80% plus public satisfaction levels’, he added.
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KRISHNA DISTRICT TOP PERFORMER First Quarter Assessment
Krishna district stood first among the 13 districts in their overall performance assessment for the first quarter (April-July 2017) with ‘A++’ rating and a score of 0.444 on the Composite Index (CI) as per the ‘Quarter 1 (AprilJune) 2017-18 - Tracking the Progress-Building on Strengths’ report released by the Chief Minister at the Collectors’ Conference in Vijayawada. It was followed by West Godavari (2), Guntur (3) and Vizianagaram (4), all of which secured ‘A++’ rating, with scores of 0.385, 0.307 and 0.266 on the CI. Chittoor, Kurnool, East Godavari, Prakasam and Nellore were ranked 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 with ‘A+’ ratings and CI scores of 0.252, 0.243, 0.240, 0.192 and 0.158. AP has crossed
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Haryana with a spurt in the GSDP from Rs 5.26 lakh crore to Rs 6.99 lakh crore.
Kadapa, Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam stood at the 10th, 11th and 12th positions with ‘A’ rating and scores of 0.158, 0.155 and 0.146 on the CI. Anantapur was at the bottom of the table with ‘A’ rating and 0.127 CI score.
Machilipatnam Mandal in Krishna district was ranked 1st in the Gross Value Addition (GVA) by agriculture sector to the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) during the 2015-16 as per the ‘2015-16 Mandal Domestic Product Report’.
Gajuwaka Mandal in Visakhapatnam district stood first in GVA by industries sector. Visakhapatnam Urban Mandal was ranked 1st in the GVA by the services sector. OCTOBER 2017
Collectors’ Conference in Vijayawada.
AP’s standing in GSDP According to the 2017-18 Q-1 report, AP has crossed Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Haryana with a spurt in the GSDP from Rs 5.26 lakh crore to Rs 6.99 lakh crore. The State was ranked No. 9 in Per Capita Income (PCI) in 2015-16. Though it had not been able to improve its overall ranking so far, it managed to narrow the difference in the PCI between itself and the next best State Punjab over the last three years. Punjab’s PCI was Rs1.09 lakh in 2014-15, Rs 1.19 lakh in 2015-16 and Rs 1.29 lakh as on date compared to A.P.’s Rs 0.94 lakh, Rs 1.08 lakh and Rs 1.22 lakh.
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new SportS policy unveiled
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ith a vision to develop a sports culture that celebrates and promotes participation and excellence in sports for all citizens of AP, the State Government adopted the new sports policy. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu released the sports policy for 20172022 on the concluding day of the AP has lost access two-day district Collectors’ to world-class conference in the capital.
infrastructure to host, train, and to exhibit talent, most of it developed during the earlier Chandrababu Naidu regime, due to bifurcation.
The policy was formulated after obtaining suggestions from various stakeholders to incorporate in the policy a sports culture that promotes excellence in all disciplines. It may be recalled that following bifurcation, AP has lost access to world-class infrastructure to host, to train, and to exhibit talent, most of it developed during the earlier Chandrababu Naidu regime, to Telangana. The new policy attempts to quickly fill the void and create the
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right environment for nurturing sports culture. Right to play and Right to perform and achieve one’s potential has been recognized as a basic right for every citizen and child in the Andhra Pradesh Sports Policy 2017-22. The policy aims to develop a sports culture for promoting increased participation and for excellence in sports for all citizens of AP. The policy, in tune with the vision of making the state the most developed in the country on all frontiers, has come up with various initiatives to make Andhra Pradesh competitive in the world of sports.
The following are some of the initiatives proposed under new sports policy:
In every Gram Panchayat a play field will be developed with an outlay Rs.5.00 lakhs with MGNREGA funds. The play fields will be in Zilla Parishad high schools, Government schools, Government residential hostels, Government lands adjacent to government schools. Kreeda Vikas Kendras (KVKs) are targeted to be created in each Assembly constituency (total 175) within 2 years. Subsequently, KVKs will be created at each Mandal and
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This Policy fully recognizes that coaching is to be pursued in a more professional manner. The Policy seeks to establish the need for special skills in coaching (training) at school level, which is at grass root level. In order to encourage more people to have a sports- oriented career pathway, a comprehensive athlete incentivization system will be created. Athletes will be awarded and rewarded at all levels from sub-junior to international level. Cash prizes for players will be matched with the best in the country. There will be sports scholarships for District, State and National level ranked players. Also, regional sports academies and sports school athletes will be provided a sports scholarship on a monthly basis. Parasports will be provided equal incentives across all schemes.
Gram Panchayat level in a phased manner coinciding with ‘SwarnaAndhra’ vision of 2029. Presently, the State has one sports school in Kadapa. In order to develop grass root talent in competitive sports, Govt. intends to create one sports school in each district. Sports Sciences is an important area in developing and nurturing talent. The following branches of sports sciences will be encouraged in the state: Sports Physiology, Sports Medicine, Sports Psychology, Sports Anthropometry, Sports Bio-Chemistry, Sports BioCash prizes for Mechanics, Sports Physiotherapists and Sports Massage.
players will be matched with best in the country. There will be sports scholarships for District, State and National level ranked players.
State proposes to open 6 regional Sports Academies (for excellence in priority sports) in the state. Initially 6 regional academies are proposed for Boys and Girls. These centres will serve as a base for all junior athletes in the state.
AP proposes to open 4 Water Sports Academies, starting with first one at Vijayawada. The Government of Andhra Pradesh supports the manufacturing of sporting gear and apparel in AP.
Development of sports City at amaravati
Planned by Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) along the north western riverfront of Amaravati, the Sports City is aimed to be a dynamic waterfront attraction accommodating large stadiums, arena and event venues for international scale sporting events. Covering a land area of 1679 Ha the Sports City will provide the Amaravati Capital City with an edge in South India in the sports and recreation industry. OCTOBER 2017
sports Persons Welfare Fund
A Sports persons’ welfare fund will seek to establish to take care of sports persons without employment or acces to permanent pension.
aPEX body for sports Excellence
The State presently has over 5091 PE teachers working in govt. schools. An equal number will be available in private schools. Sport Authority of Andhra Pradesh has 77 coaches belonging to different Disciplines-Olympics and nonOlympics. SAAP proposes to add another 100 coaches for Olympic disciplines. These 177 coaches have training needs of varying nature with varying capabilities. The state recognises the immediate need to transfer knowledge in relevant areas to these coaches at regular intervals. This Policy brings out the institutional arrangement, infrastructure development and reforms in coaching, which will enable the state to be the Best Performer by 2029.
Reservations for sports persons
To encourage sports persons, reservations shall be put in place for admissions in academic institutions and all category of jobs in Government Departments, local bodies, public sector undertaking, Government institutions. The reservation percentage will be endeavoured to be 5% for admissions in academic institutions and jobs on par with GoI.
Physical Literacy and sports Centres
Kreeda Vikas Kendras, numbering 175 centres (one in each assembly constituency) are proposed to be made with an estimated cost of 2 crores each.
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Amazing Andhra Pradesh
AP Tourism has taken up a new campaign during the festive season of September and October when people celebrate Durga Puja, Dasara and Deepavali.
tubri t
ubri is speciality firework of Diwali in India, with no real equivalent anywhere in the world. The men and women have mastered the craft of making the Tubri generation after generation. Tubri is made of terracotta pots and packed with fireworks that produce sparkles rising up into the sky. Andhra Pradesh has invited the best Tubri makers of India for spectacle of lights in this festive season.
classical & folk performances
dance forms in India have a rich & historic tradition. It’s the
most beautiful form of storytelling also having social, cultural, aesthetical and artistic meaning. India has numerous art forms that are unique and special. Andhra Pradesh has invited Classical and folk performers who have mastered their dance form for a show exclusively for you, during the festive celebrations.
lantern decor
rajahmundry is the melting pot of historic agricultural, economic and cultural backgrounds. This year the cultural capital of Andhra Pradesh will host one of the largest displays of lanterns at the Pushkar Ghat. Come and be a part of the opulent celebrations.
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These cultural events are being organised n Vizag, Rajahmundry and Vijayawada. Bookings can be made on http://festive.goandhrapradesh.com
fireworks f
ireworks have been an essential part of every Indian culture, irrespective of religion, caste, creed for more than 2000 years. Every special celebration and occasion from history to the present day has been marked by a spectacle of ďŹ reworks. In this festive season, Andhra Pradesh celebrates with a grandeur display of ďŹ reworks in Vizag, Vijayawada and Rajahmundry.
drummers of india competition f
or centuries India has been known for its uniqueness in creating melodies and beats that move the heart and soul. This year the beats come to Andhra Pradesh. We have invited the drummers from across the nation to perform and compete for you. In the inaugural festive celebrations in Andhra Pradesh, you will decide the best drummer in the country.
chandan nagar lights
the origins of Chandan Nagar Lights are largely unchron-
icled. But the experiment with lights began as early as the 18th century, as a means of decorating festival venues. This year, Andhra Pradesh welcomes these artists of light for an extravagant display of lights in Vizag, Vijayawada and Rajahmundry.
OCTOBER 2017
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HAPPENING AP autonomous physiotherapy council
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced setting up of an autonomous Physiotherapy Council in the state. In response to the physiotherapist’s federation request, he asked the Minister of Health to constitute a committee to find out areas where physiotherapy can be applied. Naidu called on physiotherapists to take active part in making AP a healthy and happy state. Participating in the world physiotherapy day celebrations held at Vijayawada, he shared his personal experience with physiotherapy. He recalled his days of Pada Yatra (208 days long foot March) and thanked the services of physiotherapists.
gsT meeting: aP gains big
The AP government is a big gainer following the decision of the GST Council meeting to reduce the tax rate on work contracts to construct government buildings from 18 per cent to 12 per cent. AP has embarked on constructing its new capital at Amaravati. The GST reduction will reduce the financial burden on the state, as contractors have demanded that the government bear GST on contracts.
Centre nod to denotify forest land
Andhra Pradesh government's proposal to denotify forest lands for the development of the capital city has been approved by the Central government. The Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) had sought permission for land diversion in 13,267 hectares of forest land in Krishna and Guntur districts following which a proposal was sent to the Centre. According to AP Reorganisation Act, the degraded forest land can be denotified and the state government has secured permission for diversion of 2087.09 hectares of forest land close to two villages in Tadepalli and Venkatayyapalem for the development of capital.
aiiMs from next academic year, says Kamineni
Minister for Health and Medical Education Kamineni Srinivas informed that AIIMS with 50 students would start from next academic year. He disclosed this at an interaction programme with 7-year-old boy, whose life was saved by a young professional, who donated his stem cells to the former. Addressing the gathering, the Minister said that the AIIMS team would be visiting the capital region to finalise modalities.
Rs 50 cr sanctioned for polytechnic colleges
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) sanctioned Rs 50.36 crore under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund as loan assistance for construction of seven new Government Polytechnic Colleges in the State. The colleges will come up in Tadipatri of Anantapur district, Paleripattu in Chittoor district, Krosuru in Guntur district, Pithapuram in East Godavari district, Kamalapuram in Kadapa district and Tadepalligudem and Jangareddygudem in West Godavari district. NABARD also sanctioned an amount of Rs 25.5 crore for improving overall quality of education and for providing additional infrastructure facilities such as dormitories, toilet blocks, kitchen, Overhead Service Reservoirs (OHSR), computer labs, RO plant (safe drinking water) for 21 Tribal Welfare Residential Schools in seven districts of the State.
hy Dora, new CMD of aPEPDCL
H Y Dora, took charge as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (APEPDCL). Speaking on the occasion, Dora said priority will be given to supply of good quality and uninterrupted power to the consumer at a reasonable cost. “Based on the Chief Minister’s assurance that power tariff will not be increased, our focus will now be on reducing the power purchase tariff. According to the new CMD of APEPDCL, the main focus
CM Chandrababu naidu taking a bite of the spread.
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andhra Cuisine showcased
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hief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu partook in the Telugu Poshakahara Panduga, a showcase of healthy and delicious recipes of Andhra Pradesh, at Secretariat. It was on CM’s advice to promote Andhra cuisine that the Tourism Department identified 30 recipe, carefully selected from various parts of the State. The spread from appetizsrs to main course to desserts are traditional and completely Andhra cuisine. Munta masala, Keera vada, Kobbari kudumulu , nalleru garelu and allam pesarattu are some of the items on the platter. All these dishes have been certified by nutritionists for their nutritional quality.
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CM Chandrababu naidu formally launching Zoomcar service.
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Zoomcar agreement with aP
n a bid to improve inter-city services across the State, Andhra Pradesh Tourism has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Zoomcar. The first exclusive batch of the co-branded Zoomcar and Andhra Pradesh Tourism cars were flagged-off by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Tourism secretary Mukesh Kumar Meena, AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) managing director Himanshu Shukla along with Greg Moran, CEO and Co-founder of Zoomcar at the MoU signing ceremony held at Amaravati. On the occasion, Naidu also launched ‘Hop’, Zoomcar’s one way intercity rental service in Andhra Pradesh.
area will on completing the underground cabling network. “Our target is to complete the work by 2019,” he said. The project is being supported by World Bank with a funding of Rs 720 crore and includes 110.22 km of 33 kv lines, 272.75 km of 11kv and 459.9 km of LT lines. Dora, who is a technocrat has put up over 35 years of service in the APSEB and APEPDCL combined.
Biometric attendance in secretariat
The State Government has decided to introduce biometric attendance system for the Secretariat employees. The Chief Minister, the Chief Secretary, and every employee working in the Secretariat has to mark his or her attendance through the biometric system. “Through the biometric attendance system, the Government intends to record the working hours. It also wants to bring every department under e-Pragati. Every Tuesday, the progress and effective implementation of e-Pragati would be reviewed,” the CM said.
Ban on plastic covers from Jan. 1
The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC), at its council meeting, resolved to impose a ban on plastic covers below 50 microns in the city with effect from January 1, 2018. As per the resolution, a fine of Rs 5,000 will be collected from those selling the covers which are posing an environmental hazard. Instructions to this have been issued to the officials of the Health Department. Through two other resolutions, the council allotted 3.50 acres to the Swachha Andhra Corporation for a waste and debris recycling plant and register lands to patta holders in Ajit Singh Nagar.
Krishna tops state in addressing grievances
Krishna District Collector B Lakshmikantam said that at least 64% of respondents among the more than 3.6 lakh people expressed satisfaction with the services being offered by the district authorities. Since early 2014, 12.27 lakh grievances received through the Mee Kosam have been settled in Krishna district. The State Govern-
OCTOBER 2017
ment has gathered public opinion on grievance redressal and delivery of government services. In a video conference with Collectors, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced that Krishna district emerged at the top in addressing grievances.
salary hike for sW contract employees
The State Government has decided to increase the salary of contract employees working in the Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (SWREIS) by at at least 50%. Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat, Social Welfare Minister Nakka Ananda Babu said 1,112 employees would be benefited with the decision. The new pay structure would come into force from October, he said. Subject teachers with a PG degree would be paid Rs 24,225 per month as against the existing Rs 16,150. Subject teachers without PG qualification would get Rs 22,290 per month as against the existing Rs 14,860. Physical Education Teachers (PETs) and those teaching craft, art, and music would be paid Rs 17,295 per month. At present, they were drawing Rs 11,530. A qualified staff nurse would be paid Rs 17,295 per month and those not qualified would get Rs 15,000 per month. Similarly, a librarian would be paid Rs 20,490 per month as against the current pay of Rs 13,660, the Minister said.
anu inks Mous with global universities
Acharya Nagarjuna University (ANU) is keen on bringing the best of global education practices on its campus. The ANU which is into 41st year of its existence, has signed MoUs with the universities in USA, China and Ethiopia. ANU Vice-Chancellor A Rajendra Prasad said that the university has signed MoUs with State University, New York, USA, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, Jilin Jianzhu University, Changchun, for offering twinning programmes in engineering courses, including computer sciences, architecture and civil engineering. The ANU has earlier signed MoUs with the universities in Poland and Australia to offer twinning programmes. v
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5 Pic 1: CM Chandrababu Naidu releasing booklets on various programmes and schemes of the Goverment published by I&PR Dept. Deputy CM K E Krishna Murthy, Ministers K Srinivasulu, Advisor Parakala, CS Dinesh Kumar, I&PR Commissioner Venkateswar are seen.
Pic 2: CM felicitating Sakesh Myneni on being conferred with Arjuna Award. He also rewarded Myneni with Rs 75 Lakhs for his outstanding performances.
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Pic 3: CM oering traditional silk vastram to the Lord of the Tirumala on the occasion of Brahmotsvam.
Pic 4: CM felicitating the weightlifting champions, Matsya Santoshi, Ragala Varun & Ragala Rahul for their recent success.
Pic 5: CM laid foundation stone for Amravati American Institute of Medical Sciences, to be constructed over an area of 20 acres at Ibrahimpatnam.
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IN PICS
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Pic 1: CM Chandrababu Naidu launched 181 Women Helpline for protection of women against eve teasing and harassment.
Pic 2: CM, along with Ministers, at the ‘Rally for Rivers’ event spearheaded by Isha Foundation chief Jaggi Vasudev.
Pic 3: CM at a meeting organised in connection with the golden jubilee celebrations of the APSRTC’s National Mazdoor Union (NMU).
Pic 4: Naidu flagged off the 'Rath' & launched the nationwide campaign “Swachhta Hi Sewa” to intensify the responsibility of maintaining cleanliness.
Pic 5: CM at the opening ceremony of 4th Indian Open World Ranking Snooker Tournament hosted in Visakhapatnam.
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