PEOPLE FIRST “Society is a Temple, People are God in it; People First is our Mantra” – this was the slogan by the Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, in the inaugural session of the two-day collectors’ conference, held on May 25- 26 in Vijayawada. The slogan ended up connecting emotionally with the citizens of the state. 'People First' is an integrated grievance redressal initiative as part of its realtime governance to build a 'happy, healthy and sustainable society'. Under the initiative, people could dial
1100 to register complaints about government services and schemes, which will be escalated to the department concerned in realtime for redressal. 'People First' logo was launched during the Collectors conference.
The campaign that went on from 25th May to 29th May, received huge response. The total number of grievances that were received as part of the initiative stood at 19617. ‘People First’ continues to create ripples.
CONTENTS Three Cheers
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Despite humble roots
It might be too early to celebrate, but Andhra Pradesh has become an inspiring example of how all the adversity in the world cannot stop a state from fulfilling its destiny.
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GI Tag Further Sweetens Bainganpalli
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MoU Signed Between AP & Singapore
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Market Size keeps AP in Rank 3 CM’s Social Network
Safe Drinking Water
Happening Andhra
Winning Deals and Hearts
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32 AP Pioneers in Predicting Lightning
Delighted to watch Naidu in action
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Various developments across the state of Andhra Pradesh.
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Literary reminiscences Of Gurazada
AP farmer armoured with Plantix
Next Step In The Ladder of Happiness
30 Proud moment for AP
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A Watershed Moment For Indian Cinema
ANDHRA PRADESH
Published Monthly In English & Telugu June 2017 Volume:11 Issue:12 Salivahana Era 1939
Commissioner S Venkateswar IIS Editor Ramesh Babu Kandula Executive Editor Naresh Nunna
Cover Page Three Cheers for Development Second Cover Collectors’ Conference 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
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Miles To Go
n the long and arduous journey of creating a people’s capital Amaravati, a major milestone has been reached in May when Government of AP entered into an MoU with the Government of Singapore. The Letter of Award to the Singapore Consortium for the development of 1691 acres start up area adjacent to the Government Core area of 900 acres will kickstart the economy of Amaravati. The pace of construction of the capital city, admittedly, has not been as fast as the Government, or the people, had hoped because of the hurdles sought to be thrown in the way by vested political interests. On the one hand, these naysayers resort to every means to put spokes in the efforts of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu to create a worldclass capital city; on the other, they criticise the Government for lack of progress in the construction. But fortunately, the people have seen through such games, and appreciate the relentless pursuit of the CM to realise the dream in the face of insurmountable odds. As incorrigible as they are, the detractors have tried to fan ill-will against the Chief Minister even in a foreign land like the USA during the former’s week-long visit to drum up support for collaborations and sew up business alliances for employment generation. While such attempts have not dampened the spirit of Naidu who left no stone unturned to explore all available opportunities for the benefit of Andhra Pradesh, such negativity is alarming for the future of the state. Given the CM’s unassailable record in the area of development, the attempts at throwing mud, of course, failed to get any traction.
However, at a time when every hand needs to be extended, it is unfortunate that personal animosities and political rivalries are being allowed to ruin the making of a state that was left rudderless in the choppy waters of bifurcation.
While nobody is above reproach, one hopes that better sense prevails when what is at stake is the destiny of a state and its fifty million subjects. And their dreams of a bright future.
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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Singapore firms to develop start-up area in Amaravati
MOU SIGNED BETWEEN AP & SINGAPORE pany. ADP will undertake the master development of the start-up area, which will be built along with the development of the 900-acre Government Core area in Amaravati. For speedy implementation of the project, a high-level joint implementation steering committee (JISC) will also be formed. The start-up area is expected to create the first centres of activity attracting settlers and investment into Amaravati City, the new capital city that the Andhra Pradesh government has planned to develop for the state, comprising developments for business, commercial and residential use.
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n enticing dream of Andhra Pradesh has come true. The Government of Andhra Pradesh and Singapore government signed a memorandum of understanding on May 15 to develop 6.84 km start up area in Amaravati. Singapore-based AscendasSingbridge Pvt Ltd and Sembcorp Development Ltd were awarded Rs528 crore project by the government of AP to act as the master developer for a start-up area, spanning 1,691 acres, to be built in the upcoming capital city of Amaravati. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Minister for Trade and Industry, Government of Singapore, S Eswaran participated in the MoU signing ceremony. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief JUNE 2017
Minister promised to develop Amaravati as most liveable city in the world with ‘People First’ concept. Lauding the government of Singapore for its character and commitment, the CM said that the master plan developed by Singapore govt helped for a vision on development of capital. He said the start up area would be developed on Swiss challenge system. In his reply, Eswaran thanked the CM for the trust that he reposed in them. According to him, their PM is likely to visit India in the beginning of 2018 and he may probably visit Amaravati then. Ascendas-Singbridge and Sembcorp will form the Amaravati Development Partner (ADP) along with the Amaravati Development Corporation (ADC), an Andhra government comANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
A green-field development, the project includes infrastructure development to prepare the site for a mix of business, commercial and residential activities, as well as catalytic development in the start-up area. The JISC will be co-chaired by the Naidu and Eswaran. Similarly, a joint implementation working committee (JIWC) will also be formed with senior officials from both the Andhra government and the Singapore government. The equity participation in ADP will be Rs306 crore (58%) by the Singapore consortium and Rs222 crore (42%) by ADC. ADP will develop the 1,691 acres in 15 years in three phases. Only after sale of 70% of the developed land will the next phase be started. The reserve price of land for the first phase is Rs4 crore per acre. A committee consisting of the ADP and the government of Andhra Pradesh will decide the same for the next phases.
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3 years
THREE CHEERS
It might be too early to celebrate, but Andhra Pradesh has become an inspiring example of how all the adversity in the world cannot stop a state from fulďŹ lling its destiny. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and his Government have been in the forefront of this resurgence.
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hree years is too short a time, but for someone who has proven as a world leader and a visionary like Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Nara Chandrababu Naidu, it was enough to achieve extraordinary progress on the fast track. Andhra Pradesh is racing towards development under his dynamic leadership which is evident by the results which are there for everybody to see. However, Chandrababu Naidu in all modesty says it is still not the time to celebrate, but to review the work done so far in order to take fool-proof measures for making further strides in development to achieve all milestones one after another. When the entire State was seething with anger on the raw deal meted out to it during bifurcation and even wanted to observe June 2 when the new States of AP and Telangana came into being, as a day of betrayal, the Chief Minister, well-known for turning crises into opportunities, has kept his cool and took a vow on June 2, 2014, for rebuilding a new Andhra Pradesh all over again instead of fretting and fuming over the injustice done to the residuary state.
People First
The Chief Minister has always believed that people came first, for, it was they who voted the Telugu Desam Party, of which he is the national president, to power. His handling of the issue of granting reservations to Kapu community, majority of which remained backward, stands out as a classic example. When some self-centred politicians and vested interests instigated the Kapus to resort to a violent course of action and demand a Government Order (GO) for including them in the list of backward classes, Naidu, who has in mind the long-term interests of Kapus, came out with a prudent move. For one who could set up a Kapu Welfare Corporation with an annual allocation of as much as Rs.1,000 crore purely for the welfare of the Kapu Community, the Chief Minister could have merely issued a GO to satisfy the Kapus. However, he knew it could be merely an eye-wash and therefore, in all sincer-
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3 years ity, set up a Commission on the issue with former Karnataka High Court Judge K.L. Manjunatha as its head. Something only a visionary is capable of. The Commission is thoroughly studying the living conditions of Kapus in the State in a bid to grant them the quota they deserve. After all, people’s interests come first.
Future Decoded
In February last, MicroSoft organized a technical session
upon himself the daunting task of reconstructing a new Andhra Pradesh state. There was no State Capital, everyone was at a loss to know where to locate the new capital. But the Chief Minister, who began with circumspection, slowly unravelled his self to provide the answer to the world. What is Andhra Pradesh today? Is it the one which is spread over 1.63 lakh sq. km., has the second longest coast of 974 km, a sprawling 37,000 km extent of forest region, and standing as the eighth biggest State accounting for 4.1 per cent of the total population of the country? Geographical aspects apart, it has a leader with the missionary zeal and enthusiasm of an explorer in Chandrababu Naidu. He came out with 7 Missions, 5 Campaigns and 5 Grids to take Andhra Pradesh towards a double-digit growth. He is determined to make Andhra Pradesh as one of the three top States in the country by 2022, the best in India by 2029 and a world class State by the year 2050.
Progress-Welfare, two sides of the coin
Before reviewing how each sector fared in the past three years, we will know that the Chandrababu Government gives equal importance to the development of the State as well as welfare of the people. It believes that welfare and development are not synonyms but form each side of the same coin. The Chief Minister has proved during these three years that development without addressing people’s welfare cannot be termed real development and the real definition of development is people’s welfare. The fact that changed the face of the State is the angling for inclusive growth which has become its ideal.
`Future Decoded’ in Mumbai. Our Chief Minister delivered a keynote address in which he briefed the audience as to how he could light the technology lamp in the dwelling of common man. Not only technologically, Chandrababu Naidu is able to realize the dream of achieving inclusive growth which he has done during the past three years, unveiling the Future Decoded with consummate ease. At a time when the State was plunged in gloom in the aftermath of bifurcation, with empty coffers and the revenue spinning Hi-Tech City going to Telangana, he took
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And Chandrababu Naidu has added `happiness’ to its countenance, which certainly counts. It is his aim that people should also be very happy. He not only keeps talking about the happiness index but also ensured it was not confined to papers and established a separate wing in the administration. The result, Andhra Pradesh is ranked 72nd in the World Happiness Index. In accordance with international standards, different aspects like mental health, physical health, utilization of time, education, good governance, social development in villages, diversity in culture, overcoming problems, environment, life stands etc. were taken into consideration to assess the happiness levels of the people in a state. Andhra Pradesh has emerged 72nd with a score of 5,368 compared to India which is placed 122 among 155 countries in the study undertaken for the 2017 World Happiness Report. This also means that Andhra Pradesh is far ahead of India
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which has a score of 4,315 and also head and shoulders above China which scored 5,273, Pakistan at 5,269, Bhutan 5,011, and Nepal 4,962 in achieving international standards of happiness. What better testimony does the Chandrababu Government need for its good governance? There are no agitations on the roads by people, no violent incidents, no protests, no strikes. Even while facing a severe financial crunch, a disciplined approach is adopted to pay salaries to employees on time. There are no power cuts, and the power situation has improved tremendously from deficit to one of surplus! More importantly, there are no farmers’ suicides, no lathi charges for seeking seeds, nor any fertiliser shortage. Despite delayed monsoon, the transplantation process was satisfactory. If Pattiseema project helped realizing the dream of inter-linking of rivers, reaping rich harvest in the Pattiseema ayacut is nothing short of a miracle! Also, in spite of being unable to assess the revenue inflows, the primary and secondary budgets were introduced. It is heartening to note that the revenue flow has surpassed expectations. And the efforts for foreign investments bore fruit leading to unfolding of an Industrial Andhra Pradesh. The farmers spontaneously responded to the call of Chandrababu Naidu for construction of a new Capital by giving away their 33,000 acres of land! Several national and international educational institutions have laid foundation stones for their buildings and some began their academic years too. The residuary state of Andhra which became Navyandhra or new Andhra yesterday is now marching ahead in the path of progress as Swarnandhra – Golden Andhra Pradesh.
No stopping welfare
It has to be kept in mind that Chandrababu’s welfare measures are not populist schemes. They were a result of his long drawn Padayatra covering every nook and corner of the State that formed the basis for preparing the Election Manifesto. `VastunJUNE 2017
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3 years naa Meekosam --`I am coming for your sake' odyssey on foot saw him trek several thousands of kilometres for hundreds of days to get closer to the people. He drew inspiration from legends like Mahatma Gandhi who went on Dandi March, Martin Luther King who undertook peace rally and Acharya Vinoba Bhave who was the architect of the Bhoodan Movement. The Padayatra enabled him to get first-hand knowledge of the tavails of the farmers, handloom weavers, dalits, the downtrodden and weaker sections, and the poor and lower middle classes. It led him to take drastic steps like waiver of farm loans, hike in pensions, NTR ArogyaSri and other schemes. Naidu who saw the plight of farmers in the hands of private moneylenders; the farmer unable to clear the debt, was being forced to take the extreme step of sudicide. He therefore decided on loan waiver which endeared him to the tiller of land. In spite of severe financial crunch, the State Government not only spent Rs.11,076 crore so far on loan waiver so far, but also allocated Rs.3,500 crore for the purpose in the latest budget the Government has which was deposited in 55 lakh turned its attention farmers’ accounts. As many as towards fisheries, 23.46 lakh farmers who had shrimp production, loans below Rs.50,000 became debt-free with as much as dairy and horticul- Rs.4,456 crore credited to their ture. Already, bank accounts at one go. Andhra Pradesh tops Though not a poll promise, crore were also proin fisheries and Rs.384.47 vided as assistanace to horticulshrimp production in turists for clearing their loans.
the country.
The State Government is not content with making the farmer merely debt-free, but also introduced modern scientific farming method bring into play new technologies towards increasing their income generation. All this resulted in significant development in the agriculture sector. To promote farm sector, the State Government has come out with special agricultural budget, with estimates at Rs.18,214 crore. This clearly shows that agriculture plays a crucial role in the State economy and that it enjoyed priority. It has also allocated Rs.25 crore for organic farming. The Government has directed the agricultural officers to not only bring more land under cultivation but also increase the yields. It has set itself a target of producing 185.66 lakh metric tons of foodgrains in the year 201617, and achieved the mark. The programmes towards making the State drought-free or starvation-free like Panta Sanjeevani, Rain Guns and NTR Jalasiri are meeting
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with success. Five lakh agricultural remote pump sets were distributed free of cost to farmers. Like salaried classes, the farmers also should get sizeable income five to six times in a year, Chandrababu Naidu feels. This will be possible only through agriculture allied sectors. Therefore, the Government has turned its attention towards fisheries, shrimp production, dairy and horticulture. Already, Andhra Pradesh tops in fisheries and shrimp production in the country. Last budget allocated Rs.187 crore followed by Rs.282 crore in the present budget towards increasing fisheries products. This saw Andhra Pradesh account for 44 per cent of the exports of marine products valued at Rs.13,500 crore out of the total exports of Rs.30,420 crore from India.
Security schemes
NTR Bharoa scheme is providing financial assistance to as many as 45 lakh destitute and poor people. The Oldage, Widow and Weavers’ pension amounts were increased five-fold from Rs.200 a month to Rs.1,000 and that of differently abled from Rs.500 to Rs.1,500 a month from October 2, 2017. The scheme will complete three years on Gandhi Jayanti day this year. If the previous Government spent Rs.1,349.64 crore on pensions, the Chanrababau regime is spending Rs.500 crore for 13 districts amounting to Rs.6,000 crore a year. The pension scheme is first of its kind in India and to prevent irregularities, bio-metric system and iris equipment is introduced. Now, through the CM Dash Board, it is possible to know all details such as how many received pensions in a particular month, how many more to be given, how many received it on a particular day, in a transparent manner. According to latest figures, while 45.16 lah beneficiaries were sanctioned Rs.492.84 crore as pension, as many as 42.12 lakh were given Rs.457.51 crore, which meant the
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amounts were disbursed among 93 per cent.
First Feminist CM
After the successful conduct of National Women’s Parliament in Vijayawada recently, the Times of India Consultant Editor Sagarika Ghosh described Chandrababu Naidu as the first Feminist Chief Minister of the country. The first IPS officer and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi felt every State in the country needed a Chief Minister like him. Several internationally famous women who participated in the conference praised Chandrababu Naidu for the initiative he had taken.
Silent revolution of DWCRA women
DWCRA means Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas. Though it is not a Chandrababu scheme, the credit of making the DWCRA women attain international reputation goes only to him. At present there are 89.78 lakh members in 8.8 lakh self-help groups in DWCRA which is creating a silent revolution, thanks to Naidu. The Government provided an assistance of Rs.3,760 crore in 2015-16 to enable the SHGs mobilize Rs.10,298 crroe as capital. They had now mobilised Rs.12,288 crore as bank loans. Under Chandranna Cheyuta Scheme, Rs.1600 crore was allocated to them in 2017-18 budget for capital infu-
ganized and at exhibitions in India and abroad, 16 major organizations including Walmart, ITC, Olam Agro, Mahindra and Mahindra, and Sreshta had come forward to work with DWCRA women which shows his bias towards women. “By 2019, each home should have one woman e-literate. The literacy rate among DWCRA women should achieve 100 per cent and they should develop skills and become successful entrepreneurs,” Chandrababu Naidu feels. The DWCRA women have a corpus of Rs.14,000 crore which would help them achieve the goal of women’s empowerment. The development of the society is complete only when women achieve economic independence and empowerment and they would lead us in the future, the Chief Minister says.
Backward Classes to the fore
In a major step towards uplift of the backward classes, the budgetary allocations were increased by 31.5 per cent over the previous year 2015-16 by sanctioning Rs.8,832 crore during 2016-17 for backward classes welfare. The BC Sub Plan in the past is now renamed BC Wefare Fund with Rs.10,000 crore funds to create history. BC Loan Melas are conducted in all the 13 districts under Chandranna self-employment scheme and the AP State Legislative Assembly has also adopted a resolution seeking 33 per cent reservations for BCs in legislative bodies and sent it to the Centre.
Ambedkar statue at Amaravati
Chandrababu Naidu took a surprise decision to set up a 125-foot statue for Dr. BR Ambedkar, the author of Indian Constitution, on a sprawling 15 acres of land at Amaravati, the new capital of Andhra Pradesh. This certainly is a great tribute to the leader who continues to inspire and influence crores of Indians. A convention centre, Buddha meditation hall, Ambedkar Study Centre, library, Ambedkar memorial garden, a museum on his life and times, Telugu translations of Ambedar works, essay and elocution competitions on Ambedkar’s ideals, all would be organized at one lace. The State Government has sanctioned Rs.210 crore for the entire complex. sion. There are 6,67,362 SHGs in rural areas and 1,60,758 SHGs in urban areas. As many as 82,13,281 women belonging to these groups were provided assistance of Rs.4,971.94 crore as a welfare measure. DWCRA women were also given 1800 PC tablets. During the last Godavari Pushkarams, DWCRA women could sell their products worth Rs.3 crore. DWCRA Bazaars were orJUNE 2017
The State Government which has increased the budgetary allocations by 14 per cent for social welfare during 201718, has also sanctioned Rs.933.99 crore for the SC Corporation, Rs.386.3 crore more than last year. Post-Matric Scholarships to the tune of Rs.1100 crore was disbursed among six lakh SC students in the first two years and another Rs.87 crore in the form of pre-Matric scholarships to five lakh students studying between classes 5 and 10.
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3 years Also, Rs.20 crore was spent on providing training in skill development for 10,000 unemployed SC youth and 315 SC candidates appearing for civil services examinations were imparted training by spendingRs.5.07 crore last year alone.
Minorities, Tribal Welfare
The Pattiseema project linking the Godavari and Krishna rivers was achieved to make the entire country look up and take notice. Thanks to the project, Rs.2,500 crore worth standing crops could be saved.
Arogyandhra scheme
The allocations for tribal welfare were increased by 16.12 per cent over last year with Rs.1815.33 crore in the current year. Regarding welfare of the minorities, the fund was increased to Rs.840 crore to meet scholarships for students and Ramzan festivities expenses.
Employment guarantee
Health is wealth and the State Government could reduce the infant mortality rate from 41 to 35 and delivery deaths from 100 to 87. A special call centre has been set up for providing emergency services to pregnant women and infants and round-the-clock services provided on toll free no. 102 to extend medical services to them.
Industrial development –Labour welfare
An insurance scheme to benefit 1.5 crroe workers in the unorganised sector is being implemented. The Sunrise State of Andhra Pradesh could attract huge investments for setting up several industries, thanks to Chandrababu Brand. SriCity was developed in Satyavedu and a helping hand is extended to all classes of labourers. The State Government won the national award for spending Rs.4,424 crore in 2015-16 under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). Under this scheme, 60 lakh workers belonging to 35 lakh families in 13,099 villages had benefited. This year, the budgetary allocations under this head are increased to Rs.6,562 crore.
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The CII Partnership Summit held in Visakhapatnam saw Rs.6 lakh crore investments in the first year and another Rs.10.54 lakh crore investments in the second year, which is a record by itself.
Education gets priority
The budgetary allocation for Education this year is Rs.21,108 crore which is Rs.1,454 crore more –accounting for 8.8 rise over the previous year.
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Power Sector gets acclaim
The power sector received international acclaim with the Global Climate Change Summit held at Paris recently lauding the measures taken by Chandrababu Government in the area of Energy Efficiency.
Polavaram getting ready
The prestigious Polavaram project is getting ready. The JUNE 2017
Government has spent Rs.20,095 crore so far on Polavaram and other irrigation projects and the responsibility of the national project has been handed over to the State Government now. Along with Polavaram, the upcoming capital of Amaravati is all set to become the mascot of a new, confident and modern Andhra Pradesh, along with its chief architect Nara Chandrababu Naidu.
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WINNING DEALS AND HEARTS FlAIr & PrAGMATISM IN CM’S US TOUr
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hectic week-long US tour of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, once again illustrated him as a go-getter, when it comes to marketing what the state, he heads, has to offer. During his tour, he was conferred with an esteemed award- "Transformative Chief Minister" by US-India Business Council (USIBC) and he what has been literally. He was presented that award for his ‘role in advancing USIndia partnership at the state level’, by CISCO executive chairman John Chambers.
In fact, Chandrababu Naidu already won some brownie points from Chambers during 47th WEF meeting at Davos. Naidu made a presentation on Technologies for Tomorrow and Chambers was one of the audiences attended the session in flesh and blood and During the fruitful left astounded.
visit, the CM met top executives of some of the world's largest technology companies Apple’s Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, and sought investments from them in the state.
“Naidu is a tremendous leader who gets what digital can do for his state,” said Chambers during the award presentation at the USIBC West Coast Summit in Silicon Valley. He also recalled his acquaintance with Chandrababu Naidu for 18 years.
Chambers also invited Naidu to his home for a meeting with 30 CEOs because of his personal admiration for Naidu. “This is why I believe in this man so much,” was Chamber’s reaction on discovering Naidu made a trademark meticulous presentation.
prospective investors and companies to set up shop or expand existing facilities in Amaravati and elsewhere in the state. His presentations were emphatic on how Sunrise Andhra Pradesh has been on transformational journey towards a happy state, carrying his goal of promoting inclusive economic growth with happiness.
The CM with his consciousness on deliverance of his promises, impressed upon the pragmatic investors of US, who are generally ambivalent to put their money. At the same instance, Naidu also struck the sentimental chord of non- resident Telugus. In an emotional appeal to Telugu groups, wherever he went, Naidu poignantly reminded them the saying- Janani Janma-bhoomischa Swargadapi Gariyasi (Mother and motherland are superior to heaven). He appealed to them to join as partners in capital construction and development to make Amaravati one of the five best capital cities in the world. Chandrababu Naidu during the tour successfully made the technology companies, including Apple, Google and Dell, express interest in greater engagement with Andhra Pradesh. He entreated them to come forward and create an ecosystem in Andhra Pradesh, as it presents a rare opportunity to build a system from start. The flair of CM's US tour was not merely confined to be an expedition of trade and business. His visit to State of Iowa endorsed his immense love for agriculture. He generally CM addressing IT Service Alliance CEOs in Dallas
The summit brought together echelons in the industry and the government of India to discuss furthering prospects in the US-India technology partnerships.
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In every suitable context during his tour, the Chief Minister raised his sales pitch by showcasing the potential of Andhra Pradesh. Focusing on the capital city, he invited ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.COM
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speaks of the low income levels of the AP farmers, as farming as a career is being mired in doom and gloom. His consistent quest for a solution to the plight of farmers ushered him to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. The objectives of World Food Prize Foundation, Iowa found a striking resemblance with those of Naidu. As a result, Government of Andhra Pradesh signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, State of Iowa at the World Food Prize Foundation in order to get advanced support in the fields of agricultural development, seed production and research. Naidu sought their help in understanding and promoting best agricultural practices and the use of technology to our farmers. The agenda of the US trip made it clear that that farmers and agricultural growth are his main agendas in governance.
Itinerary In Brief Flextronics First
A 17-member team, headed by the CM, including his son and minister Lokesh, minsiter Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, Government advisor Parakala Prabhakar, CM's chief secretary G Saiprasad, senior bureaucrats Ajay Jain, Salmon Arokyaraj, K Vijayanand, Financial Development Council CEO Krishna Kishore and others, was received with rousing welcome at San Francisco Airport. Immediately after the arrival, the Chief Minister held his first meeting with Mike McNamara, CEO, Flextronics and explained him the abundant opportunities and enormous advantages Andhra Pradesh has to offer in terms of location and accessibility. He also highlighted the friendly business atmosphere in Andhra Pradesh besides citing that it stood first in the Ease of Doing Business rankings. McNamara was reportedly impressive about the infrastructure including well maintained airports, deep draft ports, and qualitative power facilities being provided by the government.
plained the successful saga of AP’s integrating technology in governance and taking it to the welfare of the people.
Google and the X- factor
Chandrababu Naidu made his strong point that AP must be the potential ground for experimenting and launching the innovations carried on by Google X. During his visit to Google X, the CM personally tested Google's driverless cars and observed the Google's glasses projects and usage of balloons for spreading Internet. Astro Teller, CEO of Google X, made a presentation on the ongoing research and development works at the facility. Enthralled by Google’s pioneering research, the Chief Minister expressed his desire to get collaborated with Google, as AP is embracing technology and innovation in a big way. “Your experiments such as using of stratosphere balloons to give access to Internet to inaccessible areas is one example out of many that can be experimented in our State,” he told Teller. In a remarkable development, Google X agreed to collaborate with the Government of Andhra Pradesh and work towards internet penetration to enhance connectivity all over the State. Before this visit to Google X, the Chief Minister held his meeting with H. Russell Drinker, Global Director of M Moser, which is an architectural firm. The company has expressed interest to involve itself in the construction of Amaravati. They have displayed their works and projects taken up by them to the Chief Minister during the meeting.
Apple of Apple’s eye
When the CM supposed McNamara to look into the possible expansion of Flex’s existing operations in Visakhapatnam, McNamara responded positively.
Meets Governor of California
The CM met State to the Governor of California, Edmund Gerald ‘Jerry’ Brown Jr and sought California’s help in collaborating in areas such as technology, industry and agriculture. While providing a brief account of contemporary political scenario of Andhra Pradesh, particularly in the aftermath of state bifurcation, Naidu explained him how a great opportunity of building a new capital was bestowed upon him. He invited the Governor to visit Andhra Pradesh in making.
An ARM and its Holdings!
Simon Segars, CEO of ARM Holdings was arm in arm with Techno savvy Naidu, how the latter has been successful in dealing with Internet of Things (IoT). Then the CM exJUNE 2017
Chief Minister presenting a memento to Jeff Williams, COO, Apple Inc.
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CM with John Chambers, Executive Chairman of Cisco Systems
In Dallas, the CM met Srikanth Satya of Dell. Dell has expressed interest to setup a data centre in Amaravati. Naidu’s next meeting was with Director of Bell Helicopters, wherein the possibilities of establishing manufacturing facilities in Andhra Pradesh were discussed. The Chief Minister then drove down to Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Plaza in Dallas to pay his obeisance to the father of the nation with a garland. As many as 28 companies of IT service sector came forward to start their operations in Andhra Pradesh. Premier IT solutions, GlobalOutlook, Tekpros, Arcus Technologies were a few among them.
Moc With Iowa Department Of Agriculture
Chandrababu Naidu's hour-long meeting with Apple's Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams would be a fillip to the much-awaited Apple's foray into Andhra Pradesh. "This is the right time for Apple Inc to invest in AP as it has been growing consistently," Naidu told Williams. He invited them to open a manufacturing facility in Andhra Pradesh, which has been adjudged the best state to do business with and has a productive young population. The Chief Minister also met Sridhar Vembu, CEO of ZOHO, a billion dollar technology company, which provides SAAS services. The CEO said that they are interested to select small towns in Southern AP for their IT operations. Padmasree Warrior, the CEO of U.S for NIO, an electric vehicle company, Elon Reeve Musk, Founder and CEO of Tesla Motors were a few others, with whom the CM interacted.
Janani Janmabhoomi…
The Chief Minister interacted with high-end technology entrepreneurs and Indian CEOs in a meeting organized by KPMG at San Francisco to mark the 3rd day of his visit to US. The ‘who's who’ of the Indian business tycoons and tech leaders were present in the meeting chaired by Arun The CM was also Kumar, who was with Obama honoured with "US administration for three Congressional light years. Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said of the life" Award that he feels privileged to be 2017. The award was amongst the brightest Indipresented by US ans of the Silicon Valley, Congressman rep which he termed was a cradle of innovation.
A memorandum of cooperation was signed between Government of Andhra Pradesh and Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, State of Iowa to promote research and development in the fields of science, agriculture and life sciences. Explaining the farmer-friendly policies of AP, the Chief Minister informed the gathering that farmer producers’ organisations and water users association were established in our state. Referring to the signed MoC, the Chief Minister said that it would help in increasing the seed production and research, leading to increase in crop output. Kenneth M. Quinn, President of the World Food Prize Foundation, Bill Northey, Secretary of Agriculture of Iowa were a few dignitaries present on the occasion.
CISCO makes ‘small business’ easy
Naidu met John Chambers, Executive Chairman of CISCO at latter’s office at San Jose. After spending quality time at the CISCO office and also at the USIBC meeting, where the CM was presented with Transformative Chief Ministeraward, the CM delegation again returned to Chambers’ house for dinner. The CM informed Chambers that Andhra Pradesh can be a
Danny Davis in Chicago.
Recalling India’s inherent strengths, demographic dividends and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strong and purposeful leadership, the CM said the ideal combination of the both made India a right market. In his concluding remarks, the Chief Minister urged all NRIs, particularly Telugus, to stay connected with their motherland.
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The Chief Minister receiving US Congressional Light of the Life Award 2017 from Congressman Daniel Davis
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CM at Google’s X facility, during a demo of the amazing driver-less car
DELIGHTED TO WATCH NAIDU IN ACTION
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enkatesh Shukla was the person who facilitated Chandrababu Naidu’s Meeting with Apple COO Jeff Williams, during Naidu's US trip. After Naidu’s meeting with Williams, Shukla posted a note on his Facebook wall, with a ‘delight to watch Mr Naidu in action’. Here is what Venkatesh Shukla's Facebook post says: ‘Arranged Mr Chandra Babu Naidu's meeting with Jeff Williams, COO of Apple. His plane was an hour late. Raju Indukuri arranged for me to drive with the CM from the airport to Apple HQ So I could brief him about the points he could make to the Apple management. The Apple staff told me that Jeff will be able to spend only 15 minutes with the CM since the meeting started an hour late. He ended up talking to Mr Naidu for more than an hour. Mr Naidu is an engaging speaker and a forceful champion for India, for Modi government, and for his state. He spoke with conviction about his vision for the state and his track record in delivering big results. Jeff was clearly taken by Mr Naidu's charisma and it showed in the amount of time he spent with him as well as in his body language.’
Two comments on the above post Deepak bhagat:
Naidu had hosted me and my Sun team in Hyderabad when I was co-leading the investigation to start an Engineering Center in India in '99. He was the CM. We were very very impressed by him. In fact, he was the best CM we had met and we met many in that trip. Then he made a special trip to visit Sun in Menlo Park and I had arranged for him to meet McNealy. He was 30 minutes late but was so impressive with his charts and presentations that the meeting was extended. Sun decided to open a center in Hyderabad. My co-leader Mark had remarked that he felt like a Lion had entered the conference room. He had so much of energy coming out of him even before he spoke his first word. Thought I will share it. Charul Shukla
True that. He is a very able task master... Since, I’ m involved in the upgradation work of Vijayawada airport, had a chance to meet him in person... And I was very impressed by his awareness and knowledge of all the works going on at the airport... He has a vision for the development of Andhra and he is following it with conviction!
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suitable pilot place for all the practices that emerge out of new trends. “We will create all the necessary conditions and Andhra Pradesh is now ready to take off,” added the Chief Minister. In his reply, Chambers said, “Let’s work on how to make starting a new ‘small business’ easy and how to make knowledge sharing easy.”
CM in Franklin Templeton
The CM called on the President and COO of Franklin Templeton, Jennifer Johnson. Franklin Templeton built a huge campus in Hyderabad during Naidu’s last tenure. Recalling it, she thanked the CM for their comfortable journey with India. When she said Franklin Templeton has plans to launch its operations in Visakhapatnam in case the State government provides land facing the seashore, he rolled out red carpet. He also assured her on the availability of highend talent, telecom carrier capacity, broadband connectivity and cloud infrastructure, etc in AP. The CM team also met Dr. Lloyd B. Minor, MD. Dean of Stanford University. During the interaction, Naidu told him of his admiration for Stanford for its academic excellence, which prompted him to encourage his son to pursue higher studies there. The multi-tasked US tour of the CM resulted in mixed outcomes. He met influential industrialists and brought them to invest in AP and also put in efforts to ensure that the farmers and their hard work reap greater benefits. On the other hand, he called upon the Telugu community to give back to motherland. Thus, with his pragmatic presentations and emotional speeches, the Chief Minister’s US expedition won deals and hearts equally.
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AP PIONEERS IN PREDICTING LIGHTNING
SOUGHT AFTER By SEvERAL STATES FOR TECH SUPPORT was on a spree of issuing similar advisories for three kilometers radius in Narsipatnam of Visakhapatnam district, Markapuram block in Prakasam district and Tirumala hill shrine, Chandragiri, Palamanair and Mittapalem villages in Chittoor district. Accordingly, the field officials have campaigned in Kuppam, Ramakuppam, Venkatagiri Fort, Byreddypalle, Banganipalem, Gudupalle, Santhipuram and Palamanair areas.
M
ay 16: State Disaster Management Authority of APVijayawada headquarters:
did not wait for even a single moment to call up revenue officials of Kuppam of Chittoor district at around 9 pm and alert about an impending lightning (thunderbolt) in 30 minutes in a radius of three kilometers in the area. Kuppam officials were also proactive in passing the message to 300 public servants including village assistants, sarpanches, village revenue personnel, health workers and education officers under her jurisdiction asking them to campaign among people in their areas to stay away from trees and electric poles. It resulted in averting of human and cattle loss and there was only a minimal property loss as in the vicinity.
According to the feedback from the field officers, the lightning occurred in 30 to 45 minutes after the call. The prediction helped them avert human loss. Kishan, a weatherman of state disaster management authority (SDMA),
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With a few more predictions of lightning ahead, Kishan grew more restless with the passing time, and
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At 2.30 pm on May 18, the mandal revenue officer of Anantagiri in Visakhapatnam district was also alerted by the state disaster management headquarters over a thunderbolt in the next 30 minutes within a two kilometers radius of the area. According to the feedback from the field officers, the lightning occurred in 30 to 45 minutes after the call. The prediction helped them avert human loss. Since most of the people in that area were in the forest collecting the forest produce and firewood, there should have been human loss, if they had not been alerted of the calamity.
Felicitated by CM
“Felicitated Sri. Kishan of SDMA, AP, who made use of thunderbolt prediction technology under People First (RTG) for saving lives”- this was JUNE 2017
CM Felicitating Kishan of SDMA.
what the Chief Minister tweeted on May 25, after felicitating Kishan in the inaugural session of two-day Collectors conference. With these tech enabled predictions and swift responses, SDMA made Andhra Pradesh the first state in India being able to predict thunderbolts 30 minutes before their occurrence. SDMA was equipped with an app- Vajrapath, developed by a group of five girls from Kuppam Engineering College. They developed a mobile application, first of its kind, to detect lightning hit or thunderbolts 30 minutes prior to the attack. The path breaking effort was supported by Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) in association with ISRO. The state-of-theart alerting system was tested and practically implemented first on May
Now, SDMA of AP is the most sought after department by its counterparts of several states to help them in setting up similar systems in their states.
How it Works
16, incidentally in CM’s native district. With more than 80 percent accuracy, the prediction mechanism in collaboration with the ISRO and the USbased Earth Network that supplied the knowhow to AP, helps do away with or minimize human loss. According to National Crime Records Bureau data, lightning is the actual monster among the natural calamities, as the death toll from lightning strikes is grimly more. AP and Telangana record several hundreds of deaths on account of thunderbolts JUNE 2017
every year. Though lightning is responsible for at least 10% of the total deaths caused by nature in most years, the victims have been at the receiving end, because, lightning is not categorized as a natural calamity yet. So, the bereaved families get no compensation from the government unlike in the case of floods or earthquakes. In this context, prediction of lightning, 30 minutes prior to its occurrence, is absolutely a path-breaking discovery.
Study on thunderbolt depends on the study of movement of charges across the clouds. The friction between charges in between the (positive and negative) clouds in contact creates a change in temperature, which leads to a current. As the current flow is more than 30 kA(Kilo Amps), there will be thunders. To study these, according to APSCHE officials, as many as 14 proximity sensors, each covering a radius of 250 square kilometers, have been set up across the state in a zigzag pattern. APSCHE ensured that the sensors are installed up universities and engineering colleges to encourage students to focus on the study of lightning prediction. The sensors analyze the parameters of the lightning whose information is sent to the state disaster management board and meteorological department. The information data is processed through an application program interface developed by the students where the information is
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converted into text data and vocal alerts (IVR) which are sent to the people in the areas of the danger zone. Proximity sensors assess the electromagnetic waves and pass the data to the cloud network of Earth Networks that analyses and determines details of the lightning's latitude, longitude and directions of travel and time of strike. The processed data will then be sent through Application Program Interface and the information converted to regional languages. All the sensors are connected to a monitoring screen set up at the AP State Disaster Management Commissioner's office in Kunchanapalli on Vijayawada outskirts. Soon as the sensor gets the indication 30 minutes before the thunder happening, it sends out alerts to all mobile towers under its jurisdiction. The app‘Vajrapath’ sends out text and voice messages to all the mobile numbers in the area at one go, advising them to take care to escape the effect of the thunderbolt. Now, SDMA of AP is the most sought after department by its counterparts of several states to help them in setting up similar systems in their states. According to the APSCHE officials, the existing accuracy levels were at 80 per cent. They evaluate the system after a few predictions for correcting where there are hitches. Consequently, 95 percent accuracy would be attained in the next six months, they aver.
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MARKET SIZE KEEPS AP IN RANK 3 Global Competitive Index
D
uring the inaugural session of two-day collectors’ conference, held on May 25 and 26 in Vijayawada, the Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu revealed a special report that assessed the Global Competitiveness of Andhra Pradesh. Accordingly, AP ranked third in the world based on its market size. The Global Competitiveness Report (GCR) 2016- 17, which was released in September, 2016, also placed India in third position when the market size was taken
It was interesting to note that the Chief Minister dared a summative assessment that gives out grades blatantly, on the performance of his infant-state. into consideration. The assessment note of WEF (World Economic Forum) on the Global competitiveness of AP further compared AP and India, on various parameters, including innovation & sophistication, institutions, infrastructures etc. The comparative report of Global competitiveness by WEF was the result of an MoU signed between the State government of AP and WEF during November, 2015. According to the MoU, WEF would help the AP
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government assessing the state’s level of competitiveness. Thus, various parameters were considered to compare AP on global front. It was interesting to note that the Chief Minister dared a summative assessment that gives out grades blatantly, on the performance of his infantstate. Immensely committed Naidu sought global level analysis and study to keep a constant track of headway for the state. CM’s move to incorporate Global Competitiveness Report for the state in collaboration with the World Economic Forum is a praiseworthy one. Naidu has once again proved that he is a man of ‘right strategy at the right time’ with the inclusion of GCI for Andhra Pradesh. Collaboration with the
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World Economic Forum will provide us with the methodology, tools and knowledge to design better policies,” said the CM of Andhra Pradesh. AP@36, India@51 When parameters like primary education and health were taken into account, Andhra Pradesh fared quite poorly, securing 122nd rank while India ranked 103rd. With all the parameters put together, AP ranked 36th while India secured 51st rank. According to the report, the poor ranking in the health and primary education sector is due to low score in quality of primary education and net enrolment in primary education. Detailing of the ranking shows that AP also scored very low over perception indicators like business im-
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HERE IS A COMPARATIVE TABLE OF PARAMETERS BETWEEN AP AND INDIA S.No
Parameters
2
basic Requirments
1
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Global Competitiveness Index
36
39
Efficiency
34
46
Innovation & Sophistication Institutions
Infrastructure
Health, Primary Education Higher Education
Goods Market Efficiency
Labour Market Efficiency Financial Market
Technological Readiness Market Size
business Sophistication
Drawing on the work of the WEF in benchmarking competitiveness, particularly through the use of the GCI, the assessment was done with competitiveness - of both strengths and weaknesses - of the state's economy. The idea was to have key data to design evidence-based policies and reforms, and allow comparison with other economies which are at similar size of development. According to the index report, AP also
74
29
34
63
Macro Economics
pact of TB, malaria and HIV .
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AP Rank India Rank
75
122 76
58
45
38
81 3
33
63
30
42
81
75
85
81
60
84
38
110
3
35
fares better in innovation parameter standing at 28th rank, one rank higher than that of India (29) in the same parameter. The assessment shows that the state stands at 29th rank in similar parameter of innovation and sophistication whereas India stands at 50. The state performed well in the parameters of efficiency enhancers (34), institutes (34), financial market development (38), goods market efficiency (58). For the same parameters, India secured the ranks of 80, 43, and 65, respectively. ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
Safe Drinking Water
D
Just a Call Away
rought-parched Andhra Pradesh is now turning to the intense heat of the season, thanks to Jalavani, a call centre that is aimed at solving problems of drinking water supply. When simple drinking water has become a precious commodity to thirsty outlying communities across the state, the IT and Rural Development Minister of the state, Nara Lokesh introduced a call center, Jalavani. Now, residents of the villages, townships, who saw the water in their taps dribble or died months ago, are making calls to the tollfree number- 1800-425-1899 for safe drinking water. While launching the scheme, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said that all the people should make the most of this scheme which has been designed by his son Lokesh as a quick resolution to the water scarcity problem in the state. The call made to the center will be recorded in Real Time Alert Management System (RTMS) and will then be forwarded to N Lokesh’s mobile phone. This will enable the minister to alert the authorities concerned to arrange for regular water supply in the concerned areas. As of now, the minister has received close to 3000 calls, 30% of which were immediately acted upon. According to the officials, the new scheme is an instant hit among the citizens who have been responding to it with fervour.
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World Happiness Index
NEXT STEP IN THE LADDER OF HAPPINESS AP secures 72nd place, 50 ranks ahead of India
H
emmed in by mobile towers and squalid buildings, the ground near Rangarayudi Cheruvu in Ongole was an unusual venue for Happy Sunday (Ananda Adivaaram)- a programme, sponsored by government to ‘spread happiness and cheer’. Undaunted by the surroundings and stimulated by an vigorous emcee, some children in red-and-pale brown school uniforms, women in bright poly georgette saris, and young girls and boys in jeans and t-shirts participated in games, dances and festivities all morning. On the field, children raced in gunny sacks. Women, yelling with delight, competed in tug-of-war contests. Dashing men from Rhythm and Siddhu Dance Academies, a dancing school vowed the crowd with hip-hop dance moves. A group of girls provided a rousing finale with their Tollywood-style hip-swinging gyrations.
The venue was a cocktail of classical dance by the students of Sri Sai Natya Kalabharati, Kolatam and folkdance by the stuThe initiation of a dents of PVR Municipal High department for School, volleyball by Krishna and Happiness in AP team, yoga by Yoga Mitramandali, has much to do skating by Nagaraju and team, culand western music and with the better tural painting by Rangula Art Gallery ranking of AP than attracted more audience and parIndia, in UN happi- ticipation from the common pubness report, lic.
released recently. ‘Happy Sunday’, under the aegis of Sankranti Venkata Krishna, Commissioner of Ongole Municipal Corporation, had kicked off well. State-Promoted Smile
Happy Sunday- was a programme with events of song and dance, organised by civic bodies. Ongole event was one among the series being organised in various cities of Andhra Pradesh, including Vijayawada, Rajahmundry and the very purpose of the events is to get people out of homes. The aim is to make them forget the worries of life and enjoy together.
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The newly-formed Department of Happiness was at the core of the events and the Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu himself was at the helm of affairs. He firmly believed in helping the people of the state, through Happiness Department, to ensure their mental well being. Thus, the officials of civic bodies and also the authorities in newly formed State Institute of Happiness were tasked with the responsibility of ‘building up tools of happiness’ and developing a ‘system that would enable people to realise their own potential of inner well being’. The initiation of a department for Happiness in AP, followed by such events of mirth, have much to do with the better ranking of AP than India, in UN happiness report, released recently.
Ladder of Happiness
Andhra Pradesh has got 72nd place in the World Happiness Index 2017, while India has ranked 122 among 155 countries. As far as Andhra Pradesh is concerned, its happiness score is 5,368. "Imagine a ladder, with steps numbered from 0 at the bottom to 10 at the top. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. On which
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AP FARMER ARMOURED WITH PLANTIX
T
he Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu launched an appPlantix, that allows one to identify the variety of pest affecting the crop, at the District Collectors’ Conference in Vijayawada. Plantix identifies crop- affecting pest through artificial intelligence, just by clicking a photo of the infected area of the leaf/crop. This is definitely a breakthrough app that will largely benefit the farmers in the state. AP Govt continues to strive to bring technology to the common man. With Plantix launched, the farmers can access technology that will actually address the most important challenge – pest control.
How does Plantix Work?
step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time?" More than 1,000 people every year in more than 150 countries are asked the above seemingly simple, but subjective question. The average result is the country's score and for 2017, it ranged from Norway's 7.54 to the Central African Republic's 2.69. Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), which has been conducting the survey for World Happiness Index, looks at factors including economic strength (measured in GDP per capita), social support, life expectancy, freedom of choice, generosity, and perceived corruption. AP had the survey conducted exclusively to assess the happiness levels of its people, so as to modify its policies accordingly. In fact, the CM of AP already set parameters for Happiness Index, in his Sunrise AP Vision 2029’'. Bhutan was taken as an explicit model to focus on matters including psychological well-being, health, time use, education, etc. It has resulted in the standing of an average Andhraite at 5.43th step of ladder, whereas Indian stood at 4.315th step. “No government can be graded as successful or achieve desired results unless happiness prevails in society. We have to work towards achieving the dream goal of making Andhra Pradesh a happy state,” Naidu called upon the collectors, during the two-day session of Collectors meet in Vijayawada. Thus, an upper step of the ladder was set as new goal! JUNE 2017
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Plantix is a diagnostic app for farmers, gardeners and everybody working in agriculture. Whether one is a farmer interested in sustainable practice or an urban gardener loving tomatoes, the App tests one's crops on diseases, pests and nutrient deficiencies with the help of a simple smartphone picture. Plantix uses image recognition and deep learning to detect more than 120 plant pests & diseases on 30 crops worldwide, on the rest it is offered a regionalized ranking of most probable pathogens. After sending the picture, besides the individual diagnosis, one gets customized options for disease combat: Plantix offers information on conventional as well as alternative options for treatment and tells how to prevent the problem from the start. This library is available offline as well. And the best: with every picture, one could help other farmers around the world, since the app's automated diagnosis is built on the pictures and growths with every new information sent to the app. This revolutionary app can be accessed in Telugu language and covers nutrient deficiencies of 17 kinds of crops.
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BAINGANPALLI MANGO GI TAG FURTHER SWEETENS
T
he recent Geographical Indication (GI) tag to the King of fruits, Banaganapalle Benisan Bainganpalli variety of mango, which is grown in and around Banaganapalle, ushered me to visit Banaganapalle, a humble town, 70 KM south of Kurnool. It was not my first visit, as I have been a regular sojourner to the town that smelt of luscious fruit with a taut and blushing skin, golden yellow in colour. Since my mission is to know the history of Bainganpalli and its relevance of GI tag, I did not want to be so nostalgic of the town that pickled my memories during the same sweltering days.
“Banaganapalle was the Capital of the Princely State of the same name between 1790 and 1948. A landlord from Panyam developed the breed, knowing the craze of the Nawab Mir Gulam Ali Khan (1905 1922) for mangoes, passed it on to Nawab,” a progressive agriculturist, BC Raja Reddy, who is younger brother of the local MLA, BC Janardhana Reddy told me, when I asked him about the origin of the mango variety. An octogenarian hotelier Raghavendrachar recalled the good olden days, where water was flowing all along the surface in the village for at least nine months in the year, as mango cultivation requires regular manuring and plenty of water. There were about 5,000 acres of mango garden in and around the village. According to
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him, Nawab brought several varieties of mango saplings from different parts of the country. Every one of them had name tags, except one. He named it "Benishan", which means- tag-less. “The variety is an unspoilt obliquely oval specimen presents an unblemished golden yellow thin edible skin. These mangoes are large sized, weighing on an average 350-400 grams. A well taken care of tree, bears 1,500 to 2,000 fruits per crop; single crop per year. The pulp is fibrillates, firm and yellow ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
with sweet taste," Dr. VV Pratap Reddy, a retired scientist of Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru, told me over phone. Urbanisation has not spared Banaganapalle, the headquarters of the same mandal. The Town was upgraded from Gram panchayat to Nagar Panchayat, six years ago. From rural agricultural land, it has turned into a concrete jungle. Water table has drastically dipped to more than 200 feet. Saplings planted, here and there, for want of enough water supplies did not rise JUNE 2017
Government of AP is the registered proprietor of the GI Tag for the succulent Banaganapalle mangoes. A GI tag indicates that the product is of specific region. Being grown here for more than 100 years, this variety of mango is known is also known by names such as - Benisan, Banishana, Chappatai and Safeda. Horticulture, I. Rani Kumudini, nearly 7.68 lakhs families were involved in the production of Banaganapalle mangoes. About 5,500 tones of Banaganapalle varieties of mangoes were being exported annually to countries like the US and the UK. While the annual turnover of the Banaganapalle mangoes were approximately Rs 1,461 crores; exports were to the tune of 20.68 crores, she said.
as gardens. For the last fifteen years not a single acre of new garden is cultivated.
GI Tag for 100 years of Sweetness
Following an application from AP Horticultural Commissioner, O P Gupta, the Registrar of GI. Registry, Chennai, accorded the registration. Government of AP was the registered proprietor of the GI Tag for the succulent Banaganapalle mangoes. A GI tag indicates that the product is of specific region. Being grown here for more than 100 years, it is also known as Banaganapalle mangoes - Benisan, Banishana, Chappatai and Safeda. The fruits can retain their quality under cold storage even up to three months. While seeking the GI tag, the officials of government of AP detailed the prominent characteristics of the variety in the documents. The skin of the mango has
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very light spots, shape of it is oblong, and have very thin seed with sparse and fiber all over. The primary centre of origin of the fruit is Kurnool Dist., comprising Banaganapalle, Panyam, and Nandyal Mandals. Government of AP in its form mentioned Rayalaseema and Coastal AP as secondary centres of origin. The Govt also enlisted Khammam, Jogulamba (Alampur Benisan), Ranga Reddy, Medak and Adilabad districts in Telangana as the secondary centres of origin. Submitting documents for proof of origin it also cited historical records like a "War fund seal, (Banganapalle,- State Madras War fund Seal)" A Logo too is in the place which features a bright yellow fruit around which the tagline says Banaganapalle Mangoes of A.P. with images of a man and a woman, appearing to be farmers. According to an affidavit filed in 2011 by the then Commissioner of
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GI is covered under the Intellectual Property Rights and trade related aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. The GI tag certifies the origin of a product or produced from a particular region as the quality or other features of the product are attributable only to the place of its origin. The tag helps farmers or manufacturers as the case may be to get a better price in the market. “Banaganapalle mango is a heritage crop. Despite the popularity of the fruit and high demand in the market, farmers of Banginapalli mango are not happy because of steep price fluctuation. The fruit is controlled by middlemen which forces the farmers to auction the orchards before the onset of flowering. The front glasses of the APSRTC buses of Banaganapalle Depot used to be embossed with the Mangoes. It’s now discontinued. It must be restored,” a freelance consultant and journalist K.Sudhir demanded. Hopefully, the GI tag may double the sweetness to the farmers and also the mangolovers.
- kuradi Chandrasekhara kalkura Kurnool
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PROUD MOMENT FOR AP
I
t was a proud moment for Andhra Pradesh when two of its cities finished in the top ten and eight of its 32 urban local bodies (ULBs) ranked among the top 50 clean cities of the country in the Swachh Survekshan 2017 contest. Also, as many as 16 ULBs from the State found place in the list of top 100 cities which makes Andhra Pradesh the third State with highest number of top ranking clean cities or towns in the country. The rankings were announced by the Union Ministry of Urban Development under Swachh Bharat initiative early in May in which Visakhapatnam was ranked third in the country, followed by Tirupati standing ninth and Vijayawada at 19. Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada fared extremely well this year. Last year, Visakhapatnam was fifth and Vijayawada 23rd among the 73 cities surveyed. For Tirupati, it was a great climb, soaring from 141 in the year 2014 to enter the top 10 bracket and also finishing as India’s cleanest city in the category of 2 lakh to 10 lakh population. For Vizag, short for Visakhapatnam which is described as a Jewel on the East Coast of India, it was another
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feather in its cap. Tirupati, which has one of the highest floating populations in the country and calling for best efforts in sanitation, proved to be quite an achiever in keeping with the tempo set by the new Andhra Pradesh Government after bifurcation of the State. The criteria considered for the ranking was solid waste management, citizen’s feedback, and independent observation by the Quality Council of India. Each ULB was analysed for 2,000 marks including 900 for data provided by the municipal body through self-declaration regarding waste collection, sweeping and transportation, open defecation free (ODF) status and toilets. The Council representatives who visited the ULBs, assessed the ground situation for awarding 500 marks and verifying the self-declaration. In the final phase, citizen feedback was collected through a website and mobile application, accounting for 600 marks. The jury observed Visakhapatnam is the largest city in Andhra Pradesh in terms of area and with a population of 17,28.129 according to 2011 census. The city has shown significant development on sanitation parameters, demonstrated by the third rank in relation to the fifth rank it obtained last year. To applaud the
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Visakhapatnam has shown significant development on sanitation parameters, demonstrated by the third rank in relation to the fifth rank it obtained last year.
persistent efforts of the ULB, Visakhapatnam has been ranked the third cleanest city in India, and ranked first in the State, State Capital as well as in the Zone, it stated.
And Visakhapatnam’s aggregate of mark was 1,797 out of 2,000. The breakup is -Municipal documentation 869, direct observation 458.51 and citizen engagement 469 from 1,92,651 citizens. It is observed that all the wards in Visakhapatnam city, both residential and commercial, are entirely covered by door to door waste collection system. More than 70 per cent wards, both residential and commercial, notify the users about charges and collect them. And 100 per cent of the total waste that is generated daily is transported the same day to the processing sites. Also, more than 75 per cent of wards engage informal waste pickers for solid waste management and undertake sweeping twice a day in all notified commercial areas including on all festival days and Sundays. The commercial areas are entirely covered with the availability of litter bins at all appropriate places on both sides of the roads. All trucks and auto tippers are installed with GPS/RFID, tracked in public domain. A waste to energy plant is under construction and scientific landfilling is in practice. Besides, Vizag is declared Open Defecation-Free by the Council. It was also noted that in order to create awareness among the citizens, the ULB has placed hoardings, community and public toilets. The city nominates Swachhagrahis who are actively involved in the awareness campaigns related to cleanliness. Tirupati too is found to have drastically improved to get ninth place overall and was adjudged the cleanest city under the category of 2 to 10 lakh population. It aggregated 1704 mark out of 2000. The practice of undertaking sweeping twice a day in all notified commercial areas, including night sweeping carried out on all days including holidays, stood the city in good stead. It is also observed that Tirupati has taken developmental steps, particularly with respect to plastic which is being produced in the city has been used in
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"It’s a vast improvement from the survey conducted in 2014 in which it stood at 235 among 476 cities with more than one lakh population. In fact, It’s the same manpower then and now. But, the results have been achieved by motivation, planning, mobilisation and execution. For instance, for a few weeks, I personally made visits on Saturdays to improve night sanitation. Besides, in the earlier survey the parameters were not known. GVMC has now acquired machinery like Bob Cats, excavators, road sweeping machines and compactors and other equipment spending Rs.33 crore. With another Rs.30 crore expected under Swachh Bharat more machines and push-carts for door-to-door collection will be acquired. Visakhapatnam was ranked number one by Independent Observer. In planning strategy for open defecation-free city and integrated solid waste management it got 50 out of 50 while in provision of public and community toilets it got 98 out of 150. However, there are still some gaps to be addressed and we are on the job"
- Pravin kumar Collector, Visakhapatnam.
road preparing and repairing work. All bulk garbage generation practice onsite composting and Tirupati is also certified as open defecation-free (ODF) by the Quality Council of India. The following are the rankings obtained by AP cities: Visakhapatnam-3, Tirupati-9, Vijayawada-19, Tadipatri-31, Narasaraopeta-40, Kakinada-43, Tenali-44, Rajahmundry-46, Ongole-70, Chittoor-71, Nandyal-80, Machilipatnam-83,Eluru-86, Bhimavaram-87, Guntakal-93, Tadepallegudem-97, Chilakaluripeta-107, Guntur-118, Srikakulam-119, Vizianagaram-126, Proddatur-133, Dharmavaram-149, Kadapa-154, Gudivada-156, Kavali-159, Hindupur-160, Nellore-165, Kurnool-176, Anantapuram-213, Srikalahasti-214, Adoni-224, Madanapalle-281. Taking the cue from the front runners like Vizag, Tirupati and Vijayawada, it is only a matter of time other cities also shoot up in the rankings by adopting the proven and time-tested methods to join the cleanest of the cities by next year. Then Andhra Pradesh will reach the goal of becoming the cleanest city in India.
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- b. Prabhakara Sarma
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Literary reminiscences Of
GURAZADA APPARAO PANTULU k k k
- Vangolu Munisubrahmanyam
T
he work in the cause of “polite spoken Telugu” which Apparao Pantulu had on hand was very extensive. It is a pity most of the work he had in contemplation was left unfinished on account of his old age and indifferent health, on account of the “Durbar politics” which became more and more onerous, and also to some extent (as I note from his letters now) on account of my removal from his side. In a letter written from Elk Hill House, Ootacamund, on 17-5’09 he says as follows “My Telugu grammar is sleeping. I have a great deal to do, and my health is indifferent. If you are at Vizianagram, I do not know what we cannot do.” While I was at Nellore in 1909, I was asked by him to carry out proof of Kanyasulkam, and underline the words that people of Nellore district do not understand. He wanted me to prepare a grammar of Nellore district spoken speech, paying special attention to verbal and substantive inflexions. I must have sent him something to answer the above requirements for I find on acknowl-
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edgement “many thanks for your glossary” in a letter written from Ootacamund on 21-5-’09 and another letter dated 2-6-’09 which says “I shall print a portion of your glossary at the end of the book (Kanyasulkam). While at Vizianagram, he set me to a very laborious work of collecting material to write “Lives of Telugu Poets”. I prepared a very voluminous record, with the aid of the several Telugu works in his library as well as Epigraphic records in the Fort. Apparao Pantulu was saying that in several cases, Viresalingam Pantulu’s conclusions were very incorrect. The work was not completed to my knowledge, and persons interested in the subject will do well to try if the records can be traced.
LITERARy CRITICISM
There are some institutions that give tuition by post. I was the recipient of some such tuition at the hands of Apparao Pantulu. From Vizianagaram, from Madras and from Ootcamund, I used to get my lessons by post. The first subject was Literary criticism. On 7-5-’09 he wrote to me from Ootacamund “If you read Viresalingam’s or Chilakamarti’s plays or other plays that I know or that you can send me copies of, I shall furnish you with short critiques, so that you may gain some knowledge of technique.” This is what he writes in one of his letters on the subject of “presentday dramatic literature”. “Existing plays in Telugu are poor stuff, though some of them do not lack poetic merit or imagination, like Venkataraya Sastri’s Prataparudriyam. You will find even in that play, whole pages which neither
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advance the plot nor help to develop character. The one thing I like about that work is the atmosphere of literary and patriotic romanticism which the poet has successfully conjured up in dramatizing one of the most stirring episodes in the history of our country. But the historical colouring is false, and the improbabilities transcend literary license”. The following is his criticism on Venkataraya Sastri’s Usha. “Mr. Venkataraya Sastri has sent me a copy of Usha. Poor Venkataraya Sastri has no idea of art. He escorts to Vishkambhakas to tell the story, like Greek Choruses and English Prologues. “I never thought that Venkataraya Sastri was so puerile and lacking in healthy imagination. One act is Pradyumna Viraha, another act is Usha’s Viraha, in the old conventional style, lotus eaters, moonbeams and what not. No action. no character. The passage of love between Bana’s nephew and Usha’s wet-nurse, is conceived in bad taste, and is extremely vulgar. Mr. Sastri thinks that buffoonery is wit”. I do not remember exactly whether any home-work was prescribed to me by my master, in the field of literary criticism. But I note from a letter written by him from Ootacamund that I should send him some exercises worked out. He says in that letter, “I am surprised at your command of English and your critical acumen. You have perfect command of the terminology of criticism. I do not know if I have such to teach you in the matter. Do write a review of my play. I shall have it published in some Madras Daily.”
(To be Continued)
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Six AP students scale Mount Everest
DESPITE HUMBLE ROOTS
T
he six Andhra Pradesh youths who literally reached the top of the world on May 13 by climbing the Mount Everest had one thing in common - they all had the rock-like resolve to overcome their humble roots and modest means to succeed.
The two senior Intermediate students of AP Tribal Welfare Residential Schools, Vooyaka Krishna Rao and Kunja Durga Rao, who scaled the world’s highest peak are the sons of daily- wager, and a farm labourer, belonging to scheduled tribes. Krishna Rao’s parents are agriculture labourers in the Seetampeta Agency area in Srikakulam district while Durga Rao’s parents too eke out their living as daily wager. The two were nurtured by the Social Welfare Department and the Youth Services Department to pursue their dream.
first attempt in 2015 because of the devastating earthquake in Nepal but this time, as part of the six-member AP team, he achieved the distinction. The state government picked out about 65 students from social welfare and tribal welfare residential schools for mountaineering and provided them basic training at the CBR Academy near Vijayawada. Later, 34 of them were sent to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute at Darjeeling for further training, according to the Director of Social Welfare. Of the 34, 14 students were chosen for advanced mountaineering in Ladakh where they trained for two weeks in temperatures often plummeting to -40 degrees Celsius. A batch of 13 students was then selected for the final expedition to Mt Everest and six of them successfully scaled the peak.
G Suresh Babu, who conquered the highest peak along with five others from his state, too belongs to the scheduled caste with his parents being small time workers in their native Pulichinta village in Kurnool district.
"Normally, they take 45 days to climb the Everest but these students did it in just 30 days, which is a creditable achievement," said the expedition coordinator U Raghunadha Reddy, alluding to their rock-like determination to succeed against all odds.
The Principal, teachers and students of AP Social Welfare Residential School in C Belagal celebrated Babus conquest. Kare Satya Rao of Visakhapatnam comes from a family of fishermen and he was sponsored by the Youth Services Department. S Nagaraju, also from Visakhapatnam, was a marathoner as well. Tammineni Bharat from Kurnool district could not conquer the Mt Everest in his
"These children have come from humble backgrounds, born into families belonging to vulnerable social groups of Madiga, Koya and Savara. Their parents eked out livelihood by working as hamalis (daily labourers) and small farmers. The boys may not have even imagined that one day they will become shining beacons for scores of underprivileged children," the social welfare official observed. v
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The film has broken every record at the box-office in India and changed the perception about the relevance of period dramas to create a first pan-Indian film in decades.
Baahubali 2 Soars To New Heights
A Watershed Moment For Indian Cinema
SS
Rajamouli's Baahubali : The Conclusion has done the unthinkable. Not only did the film shatter every box-office record in India, but also it has set the bar so high that it'll take a very very special film to come close to the numbers it has posted at the box-office. Until Baahubali 2 release, Aamir Khan's PK held the record for being the highest grossing film in Indian cinema history with a gross of Rs 792 crores and Dangal too had amassed more than Rs 700 crores. In comparison, Baahubali 2 shattered both these records within 10 days of its release! A week prior to Baahubali 2's release, it was estimated that the film could very well become the highest grossing Indian film because of all the hype that the first film - Baahubali : The Beginning - had created back in 2015. The makers kept the buzz alive for two years and the marketing campaign paid rich dividends when Baahubali 2 hit the screens on April 28. The film opened to a staggering Rs 121 crores net at the box-office on April 28 and within a week, it raked in Rs 695 crores (gross) in India alone. While the makers were expecting the film will rewrite the records of Baahubali 1 in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, what came as a shocker was how well the Hindi-dubbed version performed at the box-office. A month after its release, Baahubali 2's Hindi version is on the verge of becoming India's first ever Rs 500 crores (nett) film. No other film in Indian history has
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found a place in the Rs 400 crores (nett) club, leave alone the Rs 500 crores club. It also set a new record at the USA box-office by raking in more than $20 million, another first for an Indian film. In comparison, the previous record was held by Dangal which grossed $12.5 million in North America. At last count, Baahubali 2 has amassed Rs 1630 crores (gross) across the world and also became the first ever Rs 1000 crores (nett) film at the Indian box-office. Dangal had a phenomenal run at the Chinese box-office, where it grossed more than $100 million and it has surpassed Baahubali 2 as the highest grossing Indian film worldwide. Baahubali 2 is yet to hit the screens in China, Taiwan and several other Latin American countries, where it's expected to perform much better than Baahubali 1; however, it remains to be seen how the film fares at the international box-office. Leaving aside how well Baahubali 2 has done at the boxoffice, it's truly a watershed moment for Indian For Telugu cinema, cinema. While the numBaahubali 2 has become bers speak for itself, a flag-bearer of great what's even more imstorytelling and it has pressive is that SS Rajamouli and his team also forced people from have created the first North India to take a ever pan-Indian film, closer look at the work which has long remained being done by Telugu a myth in Indian cinema, which is divided by culfilmmakers. Now, it’s all tural and language barabout how our rier.
filmmakers manage to raise the bar.
The phenomenal success of Baahubali 2 has already inspired several filmmakers and producers to increasingly look at Indian mythology and period-dramas as the preferred genre to create universal stories. Within a short time, there were announcements about plans to make Mohanlal-led 'Mahabharata' with a budget of Rs 1000 crores, 'Ramayana' (3D) to be made with a budget of Rs 500 crores, Shruti Haasan's Sangamithra which is set in 7th century AD, and Kangana Ranaut starrer Manikarnika which tells the story of Jhansi ki Rani Laxmi Bai. That's not all. The fact that Baahubali 2 has been raking in such big moolah in the two Telugu speaking states has forced filmmakers to re-look at their content and spend more, if need be, to offer a better experience to the audience. The downside is that several producers are quoting staggering prices to sell the distribution rights in various territories without realising the fact that Baahubali 2 is once in a blue moon phenomenon.
Baahubali 2 is going to change Indian cinema, and Telugu cinema in particular, but the film has untapped the potential that our cinema has both at home and abroad. It evoked a sense of wonder and forced filmmakers to dig deep into long-forgotten epic dramas which are rooted in Indian culture. For Telugu cinema, Baahubali 2 has become a flag-bearer of great storytelling and it has also forced people from North India to take a closer look at the work being done by Telugu filmmakers. While it remains to be seen if peers of SS Rajamouli will capitalise on this wave, there’s no denying that the success of Baahubali 2 has encouraged people to revisit acclaimed Telugu films with renewed respect. Now, it’s all about how our filmmakers manage to raise the bar and keep pulling the crowd back to the theatres every Friday. There's a film which has already made more than Rs 1500 crores. It just proves that when people make up their mind to watch a film, no force can stop them!
It's perhaps too early to calculate the ways in which JUNE 2017
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HAPPENING AP veteran Telugu Filmmaker Dasari Passes Away
Veteran film director, producer, actor and former Union Minister Dasari Narayana Rao passed away in Hyderabad on May 30. He is survived by his two sons and a daughter. Dasari's wife Padma died six years ago. He was born on May 4, 1942 in Palacol of West Godavari district. He took to acting from his college days and won several awards for his stage performances. He earned place in the Limca Book of World Records as a renowned director who had directed the largest number of films. He directed 151 and produced 53 films besides providing dialogues, screenplay and songs for many films. He acted in Tamil and Kannada films also. He announced making a film on late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa's life but it did not materialise. Dasari was a trend setter in Tollywood particularly during the peak period of 1980s and 90s. He earned the title of Darsaka Ratna for his direction. Tata Manavadu was his first film. He made films with stalwart heroes NTR, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, SV Ranga Rao, Krishna, Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna, Nagarjuna and Venkatesh. His mortal remains were cremated at his farm house at Moinabad, Chevella near Hyderabad with full state honours.
AP amends Act for Sindhu Group-1 post
The Andhra Pradesh Legislature recently passed a Bill to appoint Olympics silver medal winning shuttler PV Sindhu as a Group-1 officer in the government, by amending the state public services Act. Certain provisions in the Andhra Pradesh (Regulation of Appointments to Public Services and Rationalisation of Staff Pattern and Pay Structure) Act, 1994, prevented the appointment of the badminton player as any recruitment in public service should only be through the AP Public Service Commission, selection committee or employment exchange. To give effect to the Cabinet resolution, the government decided to amend section 4 of the aforementioned law to enable appointment of Sindhu directly in the cadre of a revenue divisional officer. Minister for Finance, Yanamala Ramakrishnudu introduced a Bill to amend the Act and it was passed unanimously in the Assembly. The Bill was later passed by the Legislative Council as well.
Lokesh seals deal with HCL Technologies
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Andhra Pradesh Information and Technology Minister Nara Lokesh formally handed over the bunch of permissions to set up R&D facilities, IT services and skill development centre in Vijayawada to HCL Technologies founder and Chairman Shiv Nadar. The parties executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on March 30
wherein they had agreed to the broad outline of the proposed investment by HCL in A.P. The company will invest Rs. 500 crore in ten years for a development centre, training facility and other ancillary facilities. HCL aims to hire, employ and train 5,000 local residents across the two phases. HCL will develop its first centre at Kesarapalle village in Gannavaram mandal of Krishna district in a total area of 17.86 acres. The second centre will come up in 10 acres at Ainavolu village in the Amaravati capital region. Along with the permissions, letter of allocation for land parcel for Phase I of the project was handed over by the Minister to the HCL Chairman. The proposed facility is intended to service new innovations and high-ensd technology requirements of HCL’s global clientele. Trainees are expected to undergo rigorous training by industry experts to equip them with the right skills required for attending to the technology needs of global customers of HCL.
AP FARMER'S SON BAGS 3RD RANK IN CIvILS
Ronanki Gopalakrishna (29) of Srikakulam made Andhra Pradesh proud by securing the all-India third rank in the Civil Services examination, the results for which were declared on May 31. Gopalakrishna, who works as a secondary grade teacher at the Regulapadu MPP School in Palasa mandal of Srikakulam district, attempted the examination in the Telugu language. Muzzamil Khan, who is an alumnus of BITS Pilani Hyderabad, secured 22nd rank. He is the son of Mr. A.K. Khan, retired IPS officer. Other toppers from the two Telugu states who made it to the top 100 include Mikkilineni Manu Chowdary (36), CV Praveen Aditya (79) and P Anvesha Reddy (80), Suruchi Choudary (152), K Varun Reddy (166), Balalatha (167), Pavan Kumar Reddy (353 ), Avinash (502), Srikanth Reddy (519), Yaswanth Rao (531) and Sunitha Chowdhary (862).
AK Singhal New EO of TTD
Anil Kumar Singhal, a 1993 bath IAS officer, was appointed as the new Executive Officer (EO) of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which governs the world famous Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala. Singhal who is the 25th TTD EO had worked as Resident Commissioner in Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi. In the same minor reshuffle, D.Sambasiva Rao of 1986 batch, the erstwhile EO of TTD was posted as Special Chief Secretary (commercial taxes, excise and registration and stamps). Praveen Prakash of 1994 batch officer has been posted as the Resident Commissioner of A.P.Bhavan, Babu.A. who was waiting for posting was posted as Managing Director of AP State Fibernet Limited. He was kept in charge for the post of Executive Officer of Real Time Governance and also for the post of
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Vice Chairman ad MD of AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation. APIIC Vice Chairman J.Nivas was posted as Commissioner of Vijayawada Municipal Corporation.
Senior IPS Kode appointed Advisor to Home
Kode Durgaprasad, an Indian Police Service of the 1981 batch was appointed as advisor to the Ministry of Home department, AP. State government issued a GO in this regard, recently. As an IPS officer Durgaprasad carried out several assignments tackling left wing extremism. He enjoys the reputation of being a hands-on leader with his ear to the ground. From taking the Maoists head-on in united Andhra Pradesh as the leader of 'Greyhounds' force, he also held charge of the elite Special Protection Group (SPG) between November 2011 and November 2014. He also, as the Inspector General (IG), played a role in raising CRPF's own commando force, CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action). As Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is keen on developing infrastructure in Maoist-affected areas, primarily roads to afford movement of security forces, Kode services may be utilised to supervise the special project to build infrastructure in those areas affected by left wing extremism.
Free Civils Coaching Under NTR vidyonnati
NTR Vidyonnati is an educational scheme that envisages free coaching for civil services aspirants. The scheme was rolled out to translate the government's dream of grooming Andhra Pradesh into a knowledge hub. The free coaching under this scheme is provided not only SC,ST, BC and other minority communities but also for students who come from economically poor households. Thus, extension of the scheme to EBCs (economically backward classes) is a first of its kind move initiated by AP Government. Free training would be given to 3,850 students aspiring to write civils in 201718, under various categories. The aspirants should enrol their names on the government website www.apcivilscoaching.aponline.gov.in by June 14. For the free coaching, the State government was collaborating with five reputed institutes, viz Dr. Lakshmaiah institute, R.C. Reddy IAS Study Circle, Brain Tree, Universal and Sriram’s. Of the total number of seats, 700 would be allocated to SC students, 300 to STs, 1,000 to BCs, 750 for Kapus, 300 for Minorities, 50 for Brahmins and 750 for the economically backward classes. The applicants will have to write an examination to be conducted by JNTUKakinada on June 20 and those who pass it, will be eligible for a nine-month free coaching at centres proposed to be set up in Vijayawada, Guntur, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati and Hyderabad.
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MSME Parks in Every Assembly Constituency
The state government is mulling over developing MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) parks in every Assembly constituency in order to widen the scope of providing employment to the youth of the state, said minister for industries and commerce N Amaranatha Reddy. Talking to the reporters in Velagapudi secretariat after occupying his chamber, Amaranatha Reddy said the government will also set up food processing units across the state for the benefit of farmers. Both MSMEs and food processing units will create employment in a big way, he added. According to him, 16 food processing units in north coastal Andhra would start trial production from next year. These units would benefit the farmers in a big way, he said.
Linen and Laundry Service Programme launched
The Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu recently launched the Hospital Linen and Laundry Service Programme. Under this service, clean and hygienic bed sheets and pillow covers with colour coded lining strips would be supplied to all hospitals. The service has been launched for 13200 beds under phase 1 across all Teaching and District hospitals in the State. The Government has outsourced this service to Leotech Process that is based out of Vijayawada. Total cost of this project is 10 crores. It was launched to address the poor quality linen and irregular washing of bedsheets, which is leading to increased infection rate among patients. Colour coding is - Violet on Monday, Orange Tuesday, Magenta on Wednesday, Green on Thursday, Brick red on Friday, Blue on Saturday and Yellow on Sunday. The programme will be monitored on a real time basis and it will be reflected on the CM’s core dashboard.
AP RERA Chairman appointed
Justice V Ramasubramanian was appointed as Chairman of Andhra Pradesh Real Estate Regulation and Development Authority. A GO was released by Principal Secretary of Municipal Administration and Urban Development. Real Estate (Regulation & Development) Act,2016 has come into force from May 1, 2017. Thus, regulation of real estate sector involving over 76,000 companies across the county becomes a reality after a long wait of nine years. Consequently, the government had to establish Real Estate Regulation and Development Authority. On the advice of the Search Committe, the government of Andhra Pradesh appointed Justice V Ramasubramanian, the High Court justice as chairman of RERA. Prinicpal Secretaries of Law and MA&UD ministries are the members of the executive body of RERA.
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chief minister’s
social network
CM Chandrababu Naidu is an active social media user. Many of you have been actively following his activities with admiration. Here are a few snapshots from his Twitter account and those on him.
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IN PICS
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Pic 1: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu inspecting the ongoing works of the Polavaram irrigation project at Polavaram from a chopper.
Pic 2 CM Chandrababu Naidu, along with IT and rural Development minister N lokesh launching Jalavani logo, after inaugurating call centre to address problems of drinking water in the State. Pic 3: CM interacting with a meritorious girl in the programme convened to felicitate top rankers of Inter, Eamcet and JEE from government colleges. Pic 4: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu flagging off advanced life support ambulances donated to 13 districts of AP by Union Minister Suresh Prabhu from his MP lADS.
Pic 5: CM Chandrababu Naidu observing concept designs of Amaravati by Norman Foster of london-based Foster and Partners (F&P) Architects.
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Regd. No. H-HD-1082/2016-18 Published on: 01/06/2017
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