w
CyClng to their future
As a part of the ‘Badikosta’ programme, the Government of Andhra Pradesh is providing bicycles to girl students of Class IX in the state.
It was a random revelation by a young woman at the re-dedication day of AP government, a few months ago, that was the trigger for this program. The woman said that the earlier TDP government had taken up distribution of bicycles to girl students in 2003, which enabled her to complete her school and college.
Touched by her statement, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu immediately took up the initiative once again and approved the scheme. As many as 1,81,556 cycles were distributed now to Class IX students of 5,628 schools including 246 government schools, 4,432 ZP schools, 319 municipal schools, 471 aided schools and 160 model schools at a cost of Rs 74.93 crore.
In rural and tribal and even urban areas, owing to lack of transport facilities many girl students from lower middle class and poor families were dropping out. Giving them bicycles would help reach schools in time and improve their health by providing physical exercise.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said that girls would do better than boys in education given the necessary support and encouragement. v
CONTENTS Kia Motors to invest Rs.7,000 cr in AP
10
Making people partners in development
Construction of the new manufacturing facility, Kia Motors’ first in India, will commence in the final quarter of 2017.
5
Mega tourism events planned
12 17
7
SP, Hema Malini bag NTR awards
Snapshot: Revenue receipts
8
6
9
Telemedicine centres launched
Happening Andhra
British Council to help AP students improve soft skills
For smoother roads
20
Solar Park 14 Mega nearing completion City Gallery first of its kind in India to come up in Amaravati
16
32
26
15
Bali Bali Bali ra Bali Sahoore Rajamouli
‘Protect federal system’
Vistadome Train Coaches with Glass Ceiling
30 Good tidings for Girijans
22
Various developments across the state of Andhra Pradesh.
Amazing AP: Moghalrajpuram Caves
ANDHRA PRADESH
Published Monthly In English & Telugu May 2017 Volume:11 Issue:11 Salivahana Era 1939
Commissioner S Venkateswar IIS Editor Ramesh Babu Kandula Executive Editor Naresh Nunna Cover Page KIA comes to AP
Second Cover Girl Empowerment 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 Citizen-centric governance
B
uilding a responsive and responsible government is a challenge which modern administrations are grappling with for a long time now. With information technology making giant strides, it has now become possible to listen to the pulse of the people on real time basis.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, a firm believer in harnessing technological innovations to reach out to the people, is a pioneer in making use of IT initiatives for improving administrative efficiency. The CORE (CM Office Real time Executive) Dashboard which the CM monitors on a daily basis was the first attempt at real time governance anywhere in the country. The Control and Command Centre set up last year on the eve of Krishna Pushkarams was also another important step in this mission.
Going forward, the CM came up with the new concept of creating a direct channel of communication between the citizens and the Chief Minister. The mobile app CM Connect, a new feature developed within Kaizala platform of Microsoft, opens up new possibilities in forging an interactive government.
Using the new app, citizens can provide feedback on a daily basis, which will be reviewed by the CM directly. As the Chief Minister said this move is indeed ‘a big step towards enabling a citizendriven participatory governance that operates in real time mode’.
Taking the concept further, the AP government also set up the biggest call centre run by any state government in the county to receive independent feedback from beneficiaries of various government schemes. Named Parishkara Vedika, the call centre is a Citizen Experience Management Centre with more than 1200 people working 24/7 listening and interacting with the citizens on a day to day basis in three languages.
These commendable initiatives will go a long way in making people partners in development.
Ramesh Babu Kandula Editor
www.andhrapradeshmagazine.org Email: apchiefeditor@gmail.com www.ipr.ap.nic.in
4
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.
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
MAY 2017
British Council to help
AP STUDENTS IMPROVE SOFT SKILLS
T
CM and other dignitaries after signing MoU with British Council to provide quality education & improve English language proficiency for 100,000 college students.
he Andhra Pradesh government in April entered into a partnership with the British Council to launch a pilot programme to improve the soft skills and employability of one lakh university and college students in the state.
to be trained by the representatives of British Council, who will further train 2,500 teachers selected from all across the state. These 2,500 teachers will further provide face-to-face training to one lakh students enrolled in AP’s Higher Education Institutions.
The pilot project will focus on providing training to students in areas related to spoken English communication, confidence building, better employability, CV/resume writing and preparation for interviews.
“We have a vision of making Andhra Pradesh the best state in the country by 2029 and a major part of this vision entails developing the state into a knowledge hub, by strengthening the system of education to produce welleducated youth to enter into various technological fields” Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said.
The pilot project will address the strong need to improve language proficiency and soft skills of students in higher education.
The pilot project will focus on providing training to students in areas related to spoken English communication, confidence building, better employability, CV/resume writing and preparation for interviews.
It will offer 150 hours (100 hours of face-to-face and 50 hours of online English) of learning model supplemented with mobile learning and English clubs. This initiative also includes the training of 150 master trainers and 2,500 teachers. For effective implementation of the project, Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) and British Council will evolve a coordinated approach in selecting and training 150 highly qualified master trainers MAY 2017
He asked the British Council to explore other opportunities and partnerships in the field of education and help increase the employability of students in the state Alan Gemmell, director, British Council India said, “We will respond to the Chief Minister’s ambitious goals and provide support to the state in improving the educational opportunities and employment skills of the learners.” Last year, the state government had invited the British Council to conduct an investigation of the current situation of English language teaching and learning in 14 higher education institutions, where in 139 teachers, 672 learners and 90 staff members participated in the programme. The outcomes of the study suggested that there is a strong need to improve the language proficiency and soft skills of students enrolled in the higher education institutions in AP. v
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
5
C
FOR SMOOTHER ROADS
omputerized Road Management System for the State highways and major district roads in the State is expected to improve the conditions of the roads in the state.
As part of the review held with the officials of the Roads and Building department, the Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the working of the system for the state highways and major district roads.
The Chief Minister suggested appointing knowledge partners as consultants to work with nodal oďŹƒcers to maintain best road network in the State.
The officials who made a presentation on the road management system said that the RMS is linked to GIS database and by preparing multi-year rolling plans it would help in road improvement and annual maintenance.
The framework for the APRMS includes data collection on various aspects such as road inventory, pavement condition, maintenance history and thickness and traffic volume. The collected data will be transferred to a database system and then to the decision and support center. Here at this center, economic analysis, rolling out of plans, work programmes and prioritization of works will be decided.
6
Computerization of RMS data linking to GIS and
preparation of rolling out plans have been completed for state highways for 8 districts which include Prakasam, Guntur, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Krishna, East Godavari and Nellore. Coming to the districts of West Godavari and Kurnool, preparing of rolling out plans is due and will be completed soon. With regard to Chittoor, Kadapa and Ananthapuram districts the process is yet to begin and will be completed by the end of May 2017. A pilot study was conducted on 40 roads in the district of Prakasam to understand the network condition of state highways. A number of distresses such as potholes, edge breaks, cracks, raveling, longitudinal cracks and rutting were found and treatments were suggested. The overall average network quality of the 1257.66 Km surveyed was understood to be poor and not up to the IRI standards. The officials also informed the Chief Minister that the existing roads and buildings maintenance practices which is a combination of ordinary and periodical maintenance has many shortfalls and lacked a scientific approach. The Principal Secretary informed the Chief Minister that 7 nodal officers were appointed to ensure the speedy implementation of the 7 critical projects in the State. Nodal officers are appointed to projects such as Amaravti – Ananthapuramu National Expressway,
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
MAY 2017
Benz Circle Flyover (NH 16), Outer Ring Road for New Capital Amaravati, Vijayawada-Gundugolanu Project: 6laning including Vijayawada Bypass on NH 16, 4-Laning Vijayawada – Machilipatnam section NH 65, Guntur – Narasaraopet,Perecherla section NH 544D, and Beach Corridor Project from Bhimunipatnam to Bhogapuram.
SP, Hema Malini bag NTR awards
Officers were also appointed to oversee works of External Aided Projects for Rural Road, technology development & CM Dash Board and for the development of quality methods, Policies, Training programme for institutional capacity building of (R&B) Dept. Sanctions from the Centre
The officials of the roads and buildings department informed the Chief Minister about the recent sanctions made by the Government of India. Rs 3370.93 crores were released by the GOI for various works. Under the Central road fund, the Center released an amount of 1690.60 crore for taking up of 132 works. Besides this, Rs.896.37 crore was released for works relating to Vizianagaram Bypass , NH 340 (Rayachoti-Angallu) & NH 75 (Mangalore-Tiruvannamalai Road ). Another 783.96 crores were released for Railway Road Over bridges and Road Under Bridges works. The Chief Minister suggested appointing knowledge partners as consultants to work with nodal officers to maintain best road network in the State. Let’s keep AP clean: CM
The Chief Minister during the review suggested some steps to make Andhra Pradesh clean. He said that the officials at various levels should use technology to keep the state roads clean. “Engineers should take a video which lasts for one-minute and they should put the video online. The video should be processed using machine learning technology,” the Chief Minister said. At the end of the meeting the Chief Minister suggested the construction and maintenance of all the roads should be brought under the purview of the road development corporation. If need be, the corporation can borrow funds, he suggested. MAY 2017
v
I&PR Commissioner S Venkateswar, MLA, Actor Balakrishna, MP, Actor Murali Mohan, film Industry personality Ramesh Prasad announcing the awards.
A
ndhra Pradesh Government announced NTR National Film Award to renowned singer S P Balasubrahmanyam for the year 2012 and to Hindi Film actor and the yesteryear dream girl Hema Malini for the year 2013. The NTR award carries a cash award of ₹5 lakh and a citation. The State Government revived the presentation of four prestigious awards instituted in the name of eminent film personalities- NTR, B N Reddy, Nagireddy and Chakrapani (all national ) and Raghupathi Venkaiah Film Award, after a gap of five years. Veteran film director Singeetham Srinivasa Rao won the B N Reddy National Film Award for the year 2012. The other two awards — Nagireddy and Chakrapani National Film award went to film producer Daggubati Suresh and Raghupathi Venkaiah Film award to film director Kodi Rama Krishna for the year 2012. For the year 2013, NTR National Film Award was conferred on Hema Malini, B N Reddy National Film award to Director Kodanda Remireddy, Nagireddy and Chakrapani National Film award to producer Dil Raju and Raghupathi Venkaiah film award to actor Vanisree. Addressing the media, Murali Mohan and Balakrishna said the committee submitted the list of awardees for the two years to the Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and he gave his approval 10 days ago, but due care was taken not to leak the information. They said the awards could not be announced since 2012 because of the disturbed political situation in the undivided state. Murali Mohan said the committee did not want to discriminate between Telugu people of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as the film industry was one. The committee as well as awardees belonged to both the States. Committees would be soon constituted for selection of awardees for 2014, 2015 and 2016 for Nandi awards for film, theatre, Television and NTR national awards and the process would be completed in two months. The awards for all the five years would be presented at a grand function to be held over two days in October or November. ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
v
7
VISTADOME TRAIN COACHES WITH GLASS CEILING Tourists now can have unďŹ ltered view of the beauty of natural sights along the 128-km route from Visakh to Araku Valley.
A
iming to provide a delightful travelling experience to the picturesque Araku valley in Visakhapatnam, the Railways in April introduced a see-through Vistadome coach on its Visakhapatnam-Kirandul passenger train. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu flagged-off the train through a video link from Bhubaneswar. The specially-designed Vistadome air-conditioned coach, claimed to be a first-of-itskind on Indian Railways, has large glass windows and an observation lounge that offer passengers a panoramic view of the sites along the 128-km rail route from Visakhapatnam to Araku valley hill station. A unique feature of this Rs 3.38 crore 40-seat coach is the double-wide reclining passenger seats that could be rotated 360 degrees for a bet-
8
ter sightseeing experience. The coach also has a glassdomed ceiling, automatic sliding doors and a multi-tier luggage rack, a railway release said. The tourists can now sit relaxed in their seats and get a clear view of the breath-taking Anantagiri ghat section, Lambasingi, Borra caves and the tunnels along the route, from the Vistadome coach, unlike the crammed train compartments. Only one coach has been attached to the train now on a trial basis while one more will soon be added. After the launch, Prabhu said the Vistadome coach was being introduced for the first time in the country to promote tourism. A similar coach would later be introduced on a route in northeast as well, he said. Visakhapatnam MP, Kambhampati Haribabu attended
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
the function along with Prabhu in Bhubaneswar, while Araku MP Kottapalli Geeta, MLAs, Railway Divisional Manager (Visakhapatnam) Chandralekha Mukherjee and others took part in the launch from Vizag. What’s the most fascinating about the Vistadome coaches is the glass ceiling with electrically controlled transparency. Passengers of the Visakhapatnam-Araku Valley train can climb to special observation lounges in the Vistadome coaches for more spectacular views. The Vistadome coaches are also fitted with automatic sliding doors and multi-tier luggage racks. The modern amenities that the glass coaches are equipped with for convenience of travelers include LED lights, GPS-enabled info system, and multiple TV screens for infotainment, according to the press release issued by Indian Railways.
v
MAY 2017
SNAPSHOT
REVENUE RECEIPTS
The following details emerged at a review meeting of the Chief Minister with revenue-earning departments in April.
w Tax revenue for the year 2016-17
is Rs. 44,055 crores
w Non tax revenue is Rs. 5,046
crores
w Share in central taxes is Rs.
26,264 crores
w Central grants is Rs. 24,365
crores
w Total revenue receipts is Rs.
99,730 crores
w Shortfall under receipts from
w Likewise, negative growth rate
of -49.29% was seen in the Forest Department.
w The land Revenue Department’s
growth rate is 17.33% and has earned revenue of Rs.267.90 crores.
w The revenue achievement in the
Transport department is Rs. 2,463.21 crores and the growth rate achieved is 15.71%.
Government of India for capital city and Polavaram is Rs. 3,358.96 crores
w Rs.1,700.61 crores revenue was
2014-15 given by the Center is Rs. 1,176.50 crores and shortfall projected is Rs. 1,823.50 crores.
w Among all the 13 districts, East
w Revenue deficit grant for
w 450 crores given by the center
for capital city and shortfall is Rs.550 crores.
w Rs. 2,514.54 crores released by
the Center towards Polavaram project and shortfall is Rs. 985.46 crores.
w During the year 2016-17 up to
March 2017, the total revenue realized by the Commercial Tax department is Rs. 33,566.65 crores with a growth rate of 12.29%.
w The Prohibition and Excise
department achieved a growth rate of 5.88% and has earned revenue of Rs. 4,644.45 crores for the year 2016-17.
w Negative growth rate was regis-
tered in the Departments of Registration, Stamps and Forest.
w In comparison to the previous
year, the growth rate fell by -4.01% in revenue from stamp
MAY 2017
Duty and Registration.
achieved in the year 2016-17 by the Department of Mines and Geology with a growth rate of 22%.
Godavari district achieved the highest revenue of Rs.315 crores and Vizianagaram the least revenue at Rs. 30 crores.
w The total revenue earned by all
the 7 departments for the year 2016-17 is Rs. 46,285.30 crores and the growth rate achieved, compared to 2015-16, is 9.81%.
w Krishna District is the highest
revenue collector with Rs.16,226 crores, followed by Visakhapatnam at Rs.12,130 crores and Guntur at Rs.3,648 crores.
w The revenue target set for the
Mines Department for the year 2017-18 is Rs.1,960 crores.
w GSDP for 2016-17 at current
prices is at Rs.6,99,307 crores and growth achieved is 14.65 %. Tax revenue for 2016-17 is Rs. 46,285 crores, growth at 9.81%. Tax revenue as percentage of GSDP is 6.61%.
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
v
9
KIA MOTORS
to invest Rs.7,000 cr in AP
I
CM and Industries Minister at the signing of the MoU for setting up of KIA Motors plant.
t’s a dream come true for the State of Andhra Pradesh. The State Government under the leadership of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had been relentlessly working to position the state on India’s automobile manufacturing map. And now its efforts have borne fruit with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with Kia Motors Corporation to set up a car manufacturing facility in Ananthapuramu District. The MoU was signed by Solomon Arokiaraj, Secretary, Construction of the Industries, Government of Andhra new manufacturing Pradesh and Han-Woo Park, Presifacility, Kia Motors’ dent of Kia Motors, in the presence first in India, will of the Chief Minister Naidu.
commence in the final quarter of 2017.
10
Kia Motors along with his associates and vendors will set up a green-field car manufacturing facility in Erramanchi in Anantapur district with total investment of USD 2.0 billion. The company will produce strategic compact sedans and compact SUVs, which will be designed to suit the Indian market conditions. The unit will incorporate facilities for stamping, welding, painting and assembly. Besides an advanced training center, Kia Motors will also establish a township for their employees. The project is expected to generate employment for
over 11,000 people, both permanent and temporary. The project is likely to commence work in the last quarter of 2017 and is expected to roll out the first batch of cars in the second half of 2019, to eventually produce up to 300,000 units each year. The Chief Minister in his address on the occasion said that it is a proud moment for him and as well as to the people of Andhra Pradesh to welcome a global automobile giant to the State. “I am very happy that Kia Motors has finalised its investment plans to enter India, and has selected Andhra Pradesh to set up their new plant,” the Chief Minister said. He, in fact, advanced the deadline for trial production from June 2019 to the end of December 2018. The Chief Minister said that he considers the Automobile & Auto-components as a very important thrust sector for the growth of Andhra Pradesh and that today’s MoU will go a long way in its development history and will also strengthen his commitment towards “Make in India” program. With an accent on manufacturing efficiency, as India’s automobile industry had made great strides in recent years, the Chief Minister said that he is confident that Kia Motors will bring in its latest technology, both in products as well as in its machinery and also help
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
MAY 2017
The project, by brining in around Rs 12,000 cr investment, is expected to generate employment for over 11,000 people, both permanent and temporary.
strengthen the automobiles sector in the State by enhancing its auto-components ecosystem.
Solomon Arokia Raj, Secretary Industries for their efforts in making this MoU happen.
On behalf of the Andhra Pradesh government, the Chief Minister assured Kia Motors that the government machinery would extend all the needed support to the project and will stay committed all though. “We will stand by you and provide a transparency ecosystem”, the Chief Minister added.
He spoke at length about Kia Motors profile wherein he mentioned that Kia is Korea’s 2nd largest vehicle manufactuer and that it has a production capacity of 3.5 million units and annual revenue of the company is USD 45 billion. The company has 14 manufacturing and assembly operations in 5 countries.
Andhra Pradesh is poised to become a very strong hub for Automobile sector in India. Its overall target is to employ at least 2 lakh in the Automobile and Auto components sector by 2020.
He stated that this MoU is a next major step in Kia’s global expansion plans and that it would help them become a strong player in the overseas market.
The government believes that with the presence of Kia Motors and its ancillaries, the entire region from Anantapur towards Bengaluru will be developed into a strong economic hub. Besides this, the project will have a spin-off effect on industrial development and employment in backward areas within Andhra Pradesh. The Chief Minster said that he would personally monitor the progress of the project every 4th Monday and appointed the District Collector of Anantapur as the nodal officer for this project. Both the plant manager and the nodal officer would be responsible for the speedy completion of the plant, the Chief Minister said. In his concluding remarks, the Chief Minster said “I would reiterate my Government’s commitment towards providing Kia Motors with all necessary support and handholding throughout the implementation lifecycle.” Han-Woo Park, President of Kia Motors in his opening remarks said that he is delighted that Kia is setting up its newest manufacturing facility in Andhra Pradesh. He expressed his gratitude to the Chief Minister and to MAY 2017
He assured the Chief Minister that they would contribute to the economic development of Andhra Pradesh and in turn sought continuous support from the government. “ Kia Motors and Andhra Pradesh are now a family. Today’s MoU will open a new chapter in our company’s growth and also for the growth and development of Andhra Pradesh,” said Han-Woo Park.
AP Auto Policy bears fruit
Government of Andhra Pradesh has identified automobiles as a key thrust sector for industrial development. With a view to the sector’s tremendous potential to generate employment opportunities and foster innovation and growth, the state came up with the Automobile & Auto Components Policy 2015-20, which aims to generate new employment opportunities for at least 2 lakh people and attract new investments of at least Rs 20,000 crore in this sector by 2020. Automobile & Auto Components Policy 2015-20 encompasses a holistic package of incentives on infrastructural support, subsidizing common infrastructure development and aiding marketing, patenting and quality certification.
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
v
11
MEGA TOURISM EVENTS PLANNED Fountain and Multimedia show on the banks of Bhavani Island to come up by Dasara ent contribution is 7.03%. The room carrying capacity has increased from 6,742 in 2014 to 8,835 in March 2017. The Tourism department has won three awards at various occasions this year. “Andhra Pradesh – Emerging Tourist Destination” Award was presented at the ITB (The World’s Leading Travel Show) – Berlin in March 2017. Similarly Most Promising New Destination Award was presented at the Travel Trade Fair - Outbound Travel Mart (TTF-OTM) – Mumbai. And the Pilgrimage Destination of the Year & Best Decorated Stand Award was presented at the India International Travel Mart (IITM) – Kolkata. The officials informed the Chief Minister that they are focusing on infrastructure development and marketing and promotion for the 5 identified hubs in the State. The department aims at attracting private sector investments worth Rs 2,200 crores for infrastructure development and has prepared a plan to add as many as 1500 rooms at 5 Star hotels for the year 2017-18.
T
he Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department is monitoring as many as 113 projects that will enhance the tourism profile of the the State. The Tourism Department officials informed the Chief Minister that 75 projects worth Rs 3,341 crores have been grounded and another 38 projects worth Rs 10,958 crores are in pipeline.
The tourism department has signed a MoU with a Spanish consultant to design and develop an Oceanarium at Visakhapatnam.
These details were shared by the department officials at a recent review meeting held with the Chief Minister at Velagapudi. Andhra Pradesh’s domestic tourist footfall has increased by over 30% in comparison to last year.
The domestic arrival in 2014 was 98 million and has increased to 158.5 million till March 2017. The international arrival has picked up over the years and is now at 3.24 lakhs.
12
The GSDP contribution was at 6.8% in 2014 and the pres-
The tourism department has signed a MoU with a Spanish consultant to design and develop an Oceanarium at Visakhapatnam.
Central government projects
Out of the 11 projects sanctioned by the central government, 6 have been completed. The centre has sanctioned a sum of 180 crores of which 75 crores were released and 56 crores have been spent. Development of Rayalaseema Religious and Heritage Tourist Circuit in Rayalaseema districts, development of Mahayana Buddhist Circuit, development Rajamahendravaram Heritage, Eco and Nature Tourism Circuit, development of Tirupati temple Town, and development of Srisailam Temple Town, are some of the proposals submitted to the central government for consideration.
Activities and events planned for 2017-18
For the year 2017-18, 24 mega-events and 76 days of activities with a budget of 65 cr have been finalized by the department.
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
MAY 2017
Sand Marathon, the yacht Pentagonal, Visakha utsav, Sound Cloud, Cooking olympiad, Araku Balloon festival are some of the events planned for Vizag. Sand Marathon, The Yacht Pentagonal, Visakha Utsav, Sound Cloud, Cooking Olympiad, Araku Balloon Festival are some of the events planned for Visakhapatnam. Buddhism festival, though leadership, Amaravati theatre, Amaravati music and dance show in Amaravati, world spiritual week, crafts Mela, flamingo festival in Tirupati and celebrating A. R Rehman, Konaseema Sankranti, Godavari Dance and Lantern show in Rajamahendravaram are some of the events planned for this year. The Chief Minister after reviewing the presentation said that services and hospitality provided to the tourists is the key element which determines the success of the tourism sector. He asked the officials to involve service providers to provide best services and make sure that premises and places are kept neat and clean. The Chief Minister shared his ideas on how the department can plan activities to encourage water sports, village and agricultural tourism and food festivals in the State. The Chief Minister said once these activities are executed he is hopeful that the tourist flow will grow by 40 to 50 % and achieve a growth rate of 15%.
tect and perpetuate Telugu Literature and different Art Forms, the Committee on Telugu Bhasha has suggested in its report to establish Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Akademi, Andhra Pradesh Sangeetha Nrutya Akademi, Andhra Pradesh Nataka Ackademi, Andhra Pradesh Drusya Kalala Akademi, Andhra Pradesh Folk and Creativity Akademi, Andhra Pradesh History Akademi and Andhra Pradesh Science & Technology Akademi.
fountain and Multimedia show at Bhavani island
Bhuma Akhila Priya, Minister for Tourism, Cultural and Telugu language made a presentation on the observations made in the department and proposed changes to them. She also proposed some new projects of which ‘ Street Theater’ is one.
Bhavani island is a unique gift of nature and is most appropriate to be developed as a major tourist destination. In this context, the government is proposing to develop a fountain and multimedia show on the banks of Bhavani Island to act as catalyst to increase tourist footfall.
The department of Telugu Language and Culture briefed the Chief Minister about the proposed new infrastructure projects in the State.
BITC envisages to set-up musical fountain with provision for water screen of suitable size for the purpose of displaying laser and high lumens projections on water Screen. All features, including water works, music, laser show will be seamlessly synchronized so as to generate mesmerizing shows for minimum 250 spectators.
Department of telugu language and Culture
Pavitrasangamam Cultural Centre and Godavari Kalakshetram at Kakinada, Amaravathi Cultural Centre, district cultural centers, Kuchipudi Natyaramam are some of new projects proposed. The government also proposes to establish 6 schools of performing and visual arts and also set up a Ghantasala Museum.
The proposed fountain would be 75 m wide and 25 m tall with world class features on the lines of Bellagio fountain at Las Vegas, Burj Khalifa Lake fountain in Dubai. The laser show content would be highlighting themes relevant to Andhra Pradesh culture. BITC is planning to have the project ready by Vijaya Dasami.
Director, Culture informed the Chief Minister that to proMAY 2017
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
v
13
MegA SolAr PArk neAring CoMPletion
With the commissioning of the solar park, the installed capacity will go up to 1,867 MW in AP, making it the state with highest generation capacity.
T
he single large solar park in the world, with a maximum capacity of 1,000 megawatts, is nearing completion in Andhra Pradesh. The nine-square-mile Ultra Mega Solar Park, which costs 70 billion rupees ($1.09 billion) of both public and private money to construct, contains 4 million solar modules. The park is located in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, which in recent years has distinguished itself as the solar power capital of India. It is a joint endeavor of India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and the Andhra Pradesh Solar Power Corporation, a private venture company mostly owned by government corporations.
The world’s largest single-location solar park of 1,000 megawatts (1 gigawatt) is nearing completion in Kurnool district.
Construction of the park began in December 2016, and it is expected to be fully operational in May. Already, 900 of the park's 1,000 MW capacity has been implemented. Kurnal Ultra has single-handedly made Andhra Pradesh the Indian state with the highest solar power capacity, 1,867 MW. In second place is Rajasthan with 1,812 MW.
Renewable power activists and energy industry professionals alike are impressed with the speed and efficiency
14
of the Kurnal Ultra project. Bids for the project in April 2015, and only two years later the project is nearing completion. "This means that the solar park model is working," said P. Vinay Kumar, COO of Greeniko Energies, which is building another solar power park in Andhra Pradesh. "We are able to scale up capacities faster. Also, the IPPs [independent power producers] are unburdened of the responsibility of land acquisition and constructing evacuation infrastructure, the activities that governments are better at doing." Along with the Kurnool Park, three other large solar power parks are planned for construction in Andhra Pradesh: Ananthapuram I and II (500 MW each) and Kadapa Ultra Mega Solar Park at 1,000 MW. Kadapa is expected to be operational in 2018. These parks are part of an Indian initiative to reach 100,000 MW in solar capacity in 2022. The State now has 6,052 MW of installed renewable projects. India’s renewable energy target by 2022 is 175 gigawatts of which 1 lakh MW should be generated from solar and 60,000 MW from wind energy and the balance is from biomass, he explained. Following the same, AP has set the target of producing 10,000 MW from solar and 8,000 MW from wind energy, he said, adding that one crore tonnes of carbon dioxide could be reduced per year, if the 1,000 MW solar energy is produced.
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
v
MAY 2017
CITY GALLERY
First of its kind in India to come up in Amaravati
The Chief Minister suggested that a beautiful replica of the sacred Tirumala Temple be constructed on a hill.
A
‘City Gallery’ which will serve as Amaravati Experience Centre is likely to come up in the new capital. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the proposal for setting up such a gallery. The city gallery which is perhaps the first of its kind in India would engage people of the capital in the development process of AmaravatiThe People’s Capital. The gallery would come up in an area of 4.5 acres a cost of 13.69 crores. After studying city galleries in cities such as Singapore, Astana, Berlin and Chicago the CRDA officials came up with this concept. The gallery would provide interfaces through physical models, virtual reality experience and exhibitions for people to participate in the growth of Amaravati. Besides this it will also show images depicting the past, present and future of Amaravati. The temporary structure will be built on existing infrastructure near the Amaravati foundation stone area and a semi- permanent structure would also come up to house the capital city model. The proposed number of visitors per day is 300 to 500 and may cross 4,000 after its completion. Various concepts and designs for the city gallery were discussed by the officials and the Chief Minister has asked them to come up with more innovative
MAY 2017
designs in the next meeting. Later the Chief Minister reviewed the proposals for the development of Rajiv Gandhi River Front Park and integrated transportation plan. At the beginning of the meeting CRDA officials played a walkthrough video on the streets of LPS layouts. In a few days the department proposes to develop a virtual experience of the walkthrough video and show it to all the stakeholders involved. Sharing his comments on the video, the Chief Minister said that a more number of trees, walking and cycle paths and green ways should be developed keeping in view the climatic conditions of the State. The Chief Minister suggested that Amaravati should have a wide range of public transport facilities. He said that main centers in the city should be connected through metro and other centers through electrical buses. Small distance travel should be through waterways, he added. The Chief Minister suggested that a beautiful replica of the sacred Tirumala Temple be constructed on a hill. River front development activities at Varadhi and pavitra sangam were discussed by the Chief Minister in detail. He asked the officials to take up religious and spiritual activities at Pavitra Sangam.
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
v
15
‘PROTECT FEDERAL SYSTEM’ State at Inter-State Council
Don't accept Governor's recommendation to impose Presidents rule: AP tells the Centre
T
he TDP government in Andhra Pradesh, an ally of the ruling NDA, said the central government should not accept the recommendation of a Governor to impose President's rule in any state. Addressing the Standing Committee meeting of the Inter-State Council, Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said such a decision was necessary for protecting the federal system in the country. "It has been requested not to accept the recommendation relating to imposition of local emergency under Articles-355 and 356 of the Constitution of India as the same is against principles of federalism," said Ramakrishnudu, who deputised for Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. He said as regards the role of Governor, it was suggested that one month's time is given to the Governor for giving his assent to a bill or making reference to the President wherever required as against the AP Finance Minister time limit of six months recomRamakrishnudu said mended by the M M Punchhi Commission.
each state should form its own administrative/ developmental services to man the departments of health, education, etc.
He said the recommendations relating to providing a fixed tenure to Governors and their impeachment was not necessary.
The minister said as regards fixing eligibility criteria for selection of Governors, it was specifically suggested that retired bureaucrats and judges should have a minimum cooling off period before which they are considered for Governorship. Ramakrishnudu suggested the Standing Committee meetings of the Inter-State Council be mandatorily held at least three times a year. "It was further suggested that the treaty-making powers of Union Government, whenever they are impinging on the jurisdiction of states, the state governments concerned should invariably be consulted and any financial loss/burden be compensated," he said.
16
The AP Finance Minister said for assenting a Bill that has been referred to the President, a time limit of three months should be fixed. Regarding the recommendation for creation of more All India Services, he said each state should form its own administrative/developmental services to man the departments of health, education, etc. He said the Punchi Commission's recommendation relating to equal representation to all states in the Rajya Sabha was against the interests of larger states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat etc. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the meeting, while Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his Odisha, Tripura and Chattisgarh counterparts Naveen Patnaik, Manik Sarkar and Raman Singh attended it. Chief Ministers of Rajasthan, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh, who are also members of the committee, did not attend the meeting and sent their representatives.
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
v
MAY 2017
teleMeDiCine CentreS lAunCheD
AP in forefront in MgnregA implementation
A
ndhra Pradesh performed exceedingly well in the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), said Panchayat Raj & Rural Development Commissioner B Ramanjaneyulu. Speaking at a press conference, he said 6,41,294 families across the 13 districts had utilised the 100 days of employment and Rs. 5,715 crore had been spent for the purpose in 2016-17.
C
hief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu launched the ‘Mukhyamantri Arogya Kendras’ (MAK), e-urban primary health centres, for providing telemedicine. The government plans to run the MAKs in the private-public partnership mode. Inaugurating them at his chambers at the Secretariat, Naidu said the process to cleanse the government hospitals had begun. Equipment worth crores were lying in the government hospitals. The patients did not benefit though the government had provided the equipment. Noticing these horrifying conditions, the government had decided to develop the government hospitals on a par with the corporate hospitals, he said. Future plans
The Chief Minister said AP would be developed as medical hub which would be the destination for patients across the globe. The Indo-U.K. Institute of Health, in association with King College, would come up in the capital city of Amaravati. A medical and health university at a cost of ₹1,000 crore would be set up as part of the project. A 1, 100-bed hospital would be part of the project, which would be referred to as the health care city. The government planned to complete it by 2018, he said. Work on the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) would begin soon at Mangalagiri in Guntur district. It would come up at a cost of ₹1,618 crore. The VIMS at Visakhapatnam would also be operational. Naidu, referring to kidney patients, said the government had plans to set up dialysis centres in all 13 districts. A research centre would come up in Srikakulam. Medical and Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas and Principal Secretary (Medical and Health) Poonam Malkondaiah were present.
MAY 2017
v
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
Livelihood security
The MGNREGA was initiated to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteered to do unskilled manual work. “Out of the 13 parameters of the scheme, AP was in the first position in five, second in two, third in one and fourth and fifth in two each,” he said. Elaborating, he said with regard to making payments within the stipulated time, use of material component, setting up farm ponds, individual lavatories and vermin-compost pits, the State was in the first position. In spending the funds allocated by the Centre, in providing 100 full days of work and in starting anganwadi centres, the State stood second. In providing work to women, it was in the third place, in the number of days of allocated work and in growing trees on either side of the roads, it was in the fourth place while in spending on wages and in the number of families brought into the purview of the MGNREGA, it was in the fifth position, he said.
v
17
THE INVINCIBLE KRISHNA DEVARAYA AND HIS
AMUKTA MAALYADA
S
ri Krishna Devaraya (14741530 ??) is very reverentially remembered by the people even after 500 years of his coronation on August 7, 1509 for his art of administration, for his smile for friends and sneer for enemies, and for his unique love for literature and art. Valour was this dauntless ruler’s gift. He had been designated king on July 22, 1509. Born at Hampi in Karnataka in a Tulu dynasty, this king of Vijayanagara empire was most appropriately titled “Andhra Bhoja,” “Mooru Raayaraganda,” “Kannada Rajya Ramaa Ramana,” and “Malla Rayar.” Sri Krishna Devaraya, one of the great emperors of India, was an idol of countless Dravidians, particularly the Tuluvas, Kannadigas and Telugus. Today we know a good deal about his rule and characteristics through the inscriptions and the writings of Portuguese travellers Domingo Paes and Fernao Nuniz. This Emperor was ably assisted by his Prime Minister Timmarusu (said to be from a Niyogi Telugu Brahmin family), who was instrumental for his coronation, which was said to have taken place on Janmashtami --- Lord Sri Krishna’s birthday. His mother was Nagala Devi. His father Tuluva Narasa Nayaka was an army commander under Saluva Narasimha Devaraya. He developed an exquisite outlying residential district in memory of his mother. He always sported a smile and treated the foreign visitors with great respect. A man of immense strength and courage, he was ruthless in maintaining law and order and in fighting the enemy. As a
18
warrior he did physical exercises to keep himself combat-ready and withstand exhaustion. Besides being an able administrator, Krishna Devaraya was a marvellous army general leading from the front in battles, and was exemplary in attending to the wounded. In the history of Vijayanagara, the rule of Sri Krishna Devaraya is a splendid chapter. The Vijayanagara armies were victorious wherever they fought a battle. His arch enemies were the Gajapatis of Orissa who had been in constant conflict ever since the rule of Saluva Narasimha Devaraya. The Bahmani Sultans were also a regular threat. The Portuguese became a rising maritime power and controlled much of the sea trade. The feudatory chief of Ummathur, the Reddys of Kondavidu, and the Velamas of Bhuvanagiri repeatedly rebelled against the Vijayanagara ruler. However, Krishna Devaraya overpowered the local rulers, Kondavidu Reddys, Bhuvanagiri Velamas, and occupied the lands
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
up to River Krishna.The Ummathur region, after its ruler Ganga Raja committed suicide, was made part of Srirangapatnam province. Krishna Devaraya effectively put an end to the raids and plunder of Vijayanagara towns and villages by the Deccan Sultans. His army fought with the Sultan of Bijapur at Diwani and seriously wounded Sultan Mahmud, and defeated him. Yusuf Adil Khan was killed and Kovilkonda was annexed. At that time the Bahmani Sultans were disunited. Taking advantage of this, Sri Krishna Devaraya invaded Bidar, Gulbarga and Bijapur. He released Sultan Mahmud and made him the de facto ruler of Bijapur. During the period 1516-1517, Krishna Devaraya advanced beyond the River Godavari. He conquered the Gajapati Kings of Orissa, who occupied northern Andhra, after waging wars with them five times. Inspired by the success at Ummathur, Sri Krishna Devaraya campaigned into the Telangana region which was under the control MAY 2017
there is an exquisite art of story-telling in verse in the text. krishna Devaraya’s idealism, his love of beauty, and his very fine melody have all earned him the sobriquets of poet-king and a poets’ poet and an ideal literary workman. of Gajapati Pratapa Rudra. Earlier, he annexed the Udayagiri fort during 1512-1513. Later, accompanied by his wives Tirumala Devi and Chinna Devi, he offered prayers to Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala. The Vijayanagara army later on confronted the Gajapati army at Kondapalli and laid siege to the fort. The Gajapati King met with a crushing defeat. Accepting defeat, Gajapati offered his daughter Jaganmohini in marriage to Krishna Devaraya. She was his third wife. The period of Sri Krishna Devaraya was a golden age of literature in many languages, particularly for Telugu literature. It was hailed as the age of “Prabandhas” --- a literary genre. Several Telugu, Sanskrit, Kannada, Tamil, Jain, Shaiva, Vaishnava poets enjoyed his patronage. The emperor was fluent in many languages, including his mother tongue Tulu. Being an accomplished poet and aesthete himself, Sri Krishna Devaraya wrote Amukta Maalyada. His Telugu literary court was known as Bhuvana Vijayam. Eight Telugu poets distinguished as “Ashta Diggajas” adorned his court. Among those eight literary luminaries, Allasani Peddana, who wrote Manucharitra, was regarded as the greatest and was conferred with the title Andhra Kavitaa Pitaamaha (father of Telugu poetry). The other seven poets were: Nandi Timmana (Paarijaathapaharanam), Madayagari Mallana (Rajasekhara Charitra), Dhurjati (Kaalahastiswara Mahatmyam), Ayyalaraju Ramabhadrudu (Raamaabhyudayam), Pingali Surana (Raghava Paandaveeyam
MAY 2017
with double meaning running into the Ramayana and the Mahabharata), Bhattumurthy alias Ramarajabhushanudu (Vasucharitra), and Tenali Ramakrishna (Panduranga Mahaatmyam). The noted Telugu scholar Adapa Ramakrishna Rao says that Krishna Devaraya’s distinction in the sphere of poetry is evident from the fact that his poetical work Amukta Maalyada had traditionally been included among the five classics (Pancha Kavyas) in the Telugu language which were required reading for aspirants to scholarship. Krishna Devaraya dedicated his classic Amukta Maalyada to Lord Venkateswara. A staunch devotee of the Lord, he visited Tirumala seven times during 151321 and offered several diamond studded ornaments to the deity. Sri Krishna Devaraya embarked upon writing his classic in the form of Prabandha after being ordinated by Lord Vishnu in a dream. During one of his attacks on King Gajapati of Orissa, Krishna Devaraya had to camp at Vijayawada. He availed the opportunity to visit Srikakulam, a small town in Divi Seema, in Krishna district, famous for the shrine of Lord Vishnu. The deity is also called Srikakulandhra Vishnu. He is famed as Telugu Vallabha (deity). It was Ekadasi day. In the night the Lord appeared to him in a dream and advised him to write a Prabandha in Telugu (as it is the best and sweetest of all languages of the country) on a girl (Goda Devi) who used to offer him a marvellous garland after trying it out on herself first. Amukta Maalyada,
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
though called a Prabandha (a comprehensive narrative poetical work), reads like an epic written by Sri Krishna Devaraya. Amukta Maalyada, in short, is the life story of Goda Devi (Andal), and of her deep devotion to Lord Vishnu (Sri Krishna). Goda Devi was found in the garden of Tulasi plants (ocimum sanctum) that belonged to Vishnuchitta (Perialwar) in Srivilliputhur in South Tamil Nadu, India. Perialwar took her home and brought her up with loving care in an atmosphere surcharged with love and devotion. Goda Devi’s love for Lord Vishnu was symbolic of Madhura Bhakti. She was head over heels in love with Sriranganatha (Lord Vishnu). Perialwar (Vishnuchitta), her foster parent, could not understand the reason for her impatience and her strange behaviour. He sought guidance from the Lord to manage the situation.The Lord first narrated the story of Mala Dasari, a staunch devotee who prayed to, sang in praise of the Lord and danced in ecstasy of devotion. The Lord then opened his mind to make him understand who Goda Devi was in reality and her pangs of separation from the Lord God. A perfect melody, a rare sense of beauty, a splendid imagination, a lofty moral purity and seriousness, a delicate idealism and a deep devotion to Lord Vishnu mark Krishna Devaraya’s poetry. Another characteristic of the King’s poetry is his beauty of expression and a wonderful sensitiveness to beauty.
- Y. V. Ramakotaiah Senior Journalist
19
CM CONNECT
MAKING PEOPLE PARTNERS IN DEVELOPMENT isfied with the government’s performance?” “A whopping 75 per cent rated the government’s performance as good with just four per cent saying it was bad. I will have a team in my office to monitor the public response and take required action,” he said. According to a news agency report, those who said that the government’s performance was good also had complaints to make. One farmer from East Godavari district complained that the second installment of his loan waiver was never delivered despite repeated visits to the authorities concerned. A farmer from Amaravati capital region complained that he was not being issued the pattadar passbook (denoting the title deed) for his agricultural land. “I met you personally five times over the issue but to no avail,” he told the Chief Minister. Another person from Prakasam district brought to the notice of the CM that the local TDP MLA promised to build a road in his village, but failed to keep the word in three years.
A
ndhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in April launched a mobile application “CM Connect” through which people could connect directly with head of the state. The app runs on Microsoft’s Kaizala platform.
Calling it a “unique app in the world”, Naidu, after launching the app, said, “This is a very interesting experiThe new concept of ment. This is a milestone as citizen-driven we are moving for a realparticipatory gover- time e-governance, and one nance that that makes people partners in development.”
20
operates in real time mode will be helpful to the government to draw policies, which will improve the standard of living of the people.
The app is built into Kaizala through which smart phone users could respond to a question posed by the Chief Minister’s Office and insert a brief comment. The Chief Minister said that over 3000 users responded to the question, “Are you sat-
One user from Vizianagaram district heaped praise on the AP CM as well as Union Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapati Raju, even as he cited lack of any development in his village. “The state seems to be developing but not our village,” he wrote. After reading out the responses, Naidu said, “People are happy with our government but it is coming with a rider.” When asked about the lack of features in the application, the Chief Minister said some more (features) would be added in the days to come. “This is a very interesting experiment we are doing using technology. This is unique not only in the country, but also in the world. People should be positive and be truthful in their response,” he added. “Be it pension, ration, water, climate or anything else, I will address them directly and these inputs will be used to review the working of that particular department,” he informed. The new concept of citizen-driven participatory governance that operates in real time mode will be helpful to the government to draw policies which will improve the standard of living of the people of the state, Naidu averred. “I need unbiased feedback from the people through this app, where the people can give their valuable opin-
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
MAY 2017
The CM inaugurated "Pariskara Vedika", a mega call centre in capital city Amaravati as part of his initiative to develop citizencentric governance.
ion on the performance of the government.
solving the grievances of people in real time and also help to curb corruption."
“The people can give their opinion on the performance where four options will be given viz., happy, ok, can be better and disappointed, from which they can chose one answer.
The centre also has unique robo calls through voice of CM Chandrababu Naidu on different events and occasions, automatic call distribution, interactive voice response system, computer telephone integration, citizen experience management centre application, performance monitoring, quality management and recording with toll free numbers for people.
“The caller’s name and his identity will be kept confidential and I will personally monitor every feedback,” he informed.
“This is our first step towards building an interactive government - citizen relationship for a better Andhra Pradesh,” said the CM on the occasion. The state of the art Call Centre located in Guntupalli, Vijayawada, will stand as
how to Connect with AP CM? w Install Kaizala from PlayStore.
w Activate with your phone number.
w Click on Discover and Subscribe to "AP CM Connect".
w Click on "Share Feedback" on top panel to provide your feedback on the government.
Call Centre for grievance redressal inaugurated
Andhra Pradesh has started a first of its kind call center for public grievance redressal. This is part of the Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu ‘s initiative to make part of the process of governance. The CM inaugurated "Parishkara Vedika", a mega call centre in capital city Amaravati as part of his initiative to develop citizen-centric governance. The main aim of this initiative is to establish a grievance redressal-oriented forum to enable all the citizens to get transparent and approachable services, directly by stating their Aadhaar numbers. The centre is being aimed at getting independent feedback from the beneficiaries on various government welfare schemes, and educating them on ways to derive maximum benefits from respective schemes. Citizen contact will occur through various means like IVRS, SMS, voice response, web chat, social media and multiple web platforms of Andhra Pradesh government. The mega call centre was established with 750 seats and functions for 12 hours a day initially. Speaking on the occasion, Naidu said, "Our priority is to use technology to reach public directly and get cent per cent satisfaction level from them. This centre would help MAY 2017
an excellent cost-free interactive platform for the citizens to directly enquire, file complaint and suggest. The queries will constantly be monitored, reviewed and daily reports will be sent to the officials of the relevant departments. The aim is to actively interact with the citizens of Andhra Pradesh on a day to day basis and provide better governance.
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
v
21
GIRIJANS GOOD TIDINGS FOR
F
or long, the Visakhapatnam Agency region was written off as a place beyond repair, due to lack of communications and sheer backwardness. Successive Governments were blamed for neglecting the place. But quite a few things happened during April which will go a long way in the development of the place and help really uplift the tribals. The first and foremost is the introduction of as many as ten Telugu Velugu buses for improving transport facilities in the remote areas of the Agency. Transport Minister K. Atchan Naidu flagged off the buses, bought
22
with Girijan sub-plan funds. The new buses would be operated from Paderu and Narsipatnam to Mampa, Bakuru, Jolaput, Maredimilli, Gudem, Chintapalli, Sileru, Pedavalasa, Donkarayi and other places resulting in connectivity to an extent of over 600 km. More, the cost of each bus is Rs.25 lakh and though plying under Telugu Velugu banner, the buses have modern equipment making travel smooth and pleasant even on the ghat road. Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation occupies the first place in the country plying 12,000 buses over 45 lakh km carrying about 80 lakh passengers and won several awards.
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
MAY 2017
Health Minister Kamineni Srinivasa Rao has announced in Visakhapatnam mid-April that doctors willing to serve in agency area would be paid high salaries and also appointed through National Health Mission.
Though the APSRTC is facing a loss of Rs.800 crore,, it is confident that it could tide over the crisis with support from the State Government. Laws for the safety of the passengers and also to extend the services would be enacted to cater to the needs of the passengers, the Minister said.
The second important factor is that there are healthy signs for improving the medical facilities in the agency. There is this allegation that doctors are unwilling to work in the Agency due to lack of facilities and backwardness of the area. However, Health Minister Kamineni Srinivasa Rao announced in Visakhapatnam mid-April that doctors willing to serve in Agency area would be paid high salaries and also appointed through National Health Mission. Addressing a review meeting on `Health in tribal areas' , he said medical specialists who had done post-graduation would be paid as much as Rs.2 lakh a month while doctors with MBBS qualification would get up to Rs.One lakh a month. This certainly is the right incentive for the service-minded doctors to rush to the Agency to have the pleasure of working there without monetary loss. Also, the Minister said that in remote areas where there are no proper roads and inaccessible for ambulance, the Government would introduce bike feeder services shortly. The blood collection vans in all 13 districts started on April 20. Sick new born care units will be set up at all community health centres and where there is need, primary health centres will provide round-the-clock services, he assured. The Rampachodavaram hospital will be upgraded with 100 beds and dialysis centres will be set up at Rampachodavaram and Jangareddigudem. The Central Government would give an incentive of Rs.6,000 to mothers who are delivered children in Government hospitals and the State Govenment, on its part, would provide a mother kit, baby kit and Rs.1,000 as incentive, the Minister stated. The third incident was the much-awaited Vistadome coach for the Araku-bound train. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu laid the foundation stone and dedi-
MAY 2017
cated various railway initiatives to the nation at Rail Sadan in Bhubaneswar through video conferencing. The minister dedicated Vistadome coach and laid foundation stone for mechanised laundry under BOOT model at Visakhapatnam in the presence of Union Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain, Visakhapatnam MP K. Haribabu, Visakhapatnam North MLA P. Vishnukumar Raju, and others at Rail Sadan. The Vistadome coach has features like glass roof, LED lights, rotable seats, GPS based info system, etc. offering the tourists to enjoy scenic beauty not only at destination but also along the journey which has scores of tunnels. The mechanised laundry under BOOT model at Visakhapatnam would significantly improve the quality of linen leading to enhanced passenger satisfaction. A function was also arranged on the occasion at Visakhapatnam railway station where a large number of public representativesc including Araku MP Kothapalli Geetha, MLAs Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy, K. Sarveswara Rao, V. Ganesh Kumar, PGVR Naidu, and P. Srinivasa Rao along with Divisional Railway Manager Chandralekha Mukherjee, were present. Last but not the least, the Visakhapatnam agency region which is notorious for the presence of Maoists, will soon see two more companies of CRPF men stationing there to control the situation, according to the Director General of Police N Sambasiva Rao who was in Visakhapatnama for a review meeting. This will certainly boost the confidence of the tribals as well as the tourists going to places like Araku, Anantagiri, Tyda, Borra Caves, Paderu, Chintapalle and Lambasingi for sight-seeing.
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
- B. Prabhakara Sarma
23
Literary reminiscences Of
GURAZADA APPARAO PANTULU k k k
- Vangolu Munisubrahmanyam
A social reformer, champion of spoken dialect and a poet of superlative artistic acumen and ingenuity- Gurazada Venkata Apparao (1862 – 1915) stands tall on several counts and is rightly hailed as father of Telugu modern literature. A poet, playwright, writer, critic, Gurazada, through his life and works, shaped the thinking of his contemporaries and influence the later generations leaving his foot prints on the sands of time. During the first decade of 20th century when the times were on the cusp of a new era, Vangolu Munisubrahmanyam had incidentally become his ward. Gurazada treated him like his son and took care of his academics. Later , Vangolu, being a fanatical Gurazada disciple, wrote his memoirs, recalling his close association with Gurazada- "Literary reminiscences of Gurazada Apparao Pantulu". In this personal account on Gurazada, the writer chronicles his association with the literary-colossus. We thank the renowned Telugu writer, Akkiraju Ramapathi Rao for handing over this memoir, which is richly historical both in content and expression, for publishing it in series in the columns of Andhra Pradesh. - Editor 24
T
he late Gurazada Apparao Pantulu, the author of Kanyasulkam, needs no introduction to the Andhra Public. The thinnest human form that I had ever seen, he was usually clad in two or three shirts and one or two coats, and in winter, a trifle more of inner and outer clothing, cotton and wool, with thousand as a human to give him a presentable appearance. But he was a fairly healthy man, and what is more, an intellectual giant. He was a great scholar in Sanskrit, Telugu and English, and he could wield his pen with distinetion in any of the three languages. He was the pioneer of the new school of Telugu Literature, which is characterized by originality of style, of metre, of thought, and of imaginative art. It is a pity he is not living today, to see the popularity of and the status in literary world attained by the new school that he founded. I came into contact with him in the year 1905, just by accident, even as Boswell came into cantact
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
MAY 2017
with Johnson. I was then a poor student of the Maharaja’s College at Vizianagaram seeking his help to carry on my college studies. Slowly, I found myself, quite unconsciously, both morning and evening, at his desk or in his library, dabbling in all kinds of literary work that he was doing. Such was the hypnotic influence on me of his personality, and my attachment to him, that my friends at college likened us, in sport, to the Scottish biographer and the literary dictator of England. When, in 1909, I graduated from that College and left Vizianagaram and settled down as a teacher in my native district of Nellore, and afterwards at Cocanada, the literary work that was being carried on was disturbed, and the same had to be done by correspondence for one or two years. It was during that period that Apparao Pantulu wrote to me a number of letters, rather lengthy some of them which are pieces of fine literature in English, and living treatises on several aspects of literature, science and art. The letters lay in oblivion for over quarter of a century. Recently they have been recovered and read out by me to my friends here in Ongole, at whose suggestion, I am endeavoring to present extracts from them for the benefit of the large number friends, followers, and admirers of the large number friends, followers, and admirers of the late Apparao Pantulu. The parting of literary companionship was indeed painful, and I wrote to him early in 1909, expressing my gratitude to him and regretting the unavoidable separation. The following ext --- from his reply to me shows not only his particular attachment to me, but also his feelings towards “the coming generation”, which we are now in a position to state authoritatively, has fully justify his expectations. He says “If contact with me inspired you with literary enthusiasm, I am sure your acquaintances with me, made me think better of the coming generation, and get interested in them. Through you I recovered my better self”.
Spoken Dialect And literary Dialect
It is well know that Apparao Pantulu was a literary reformer. He used to tell us that literature should be made more democratic. He raised a huge controversy on the subject and his play Kanyasulkam, almost caused an explosion in learned Telugu circles. MAY 2017
His argument was this. If a learned Sastri is not ashamed to talk to his wife and children in good, sweet, polite and colloquial Telugu, why should he be ashamed to write a literary work of merit in that style and make it available to be assimilated by a wider range of reading public? In one of his letters to me he wrote as follows “my cause is the people’s cause. I have cultured opinion at my back. I do not mind of those who are incapable of understanding the subject, array themselves against me. Their conversion can do no good to the language. They are so hopelessly wedded to the old highly artificial literary dialect that I can never expect them to write well in the new. Even in the old literary dialect, good writers are few. I want young men like you to create a tradition of good writing in polite spoken speech. I am sorry to learn that Cocanada is still against me”. Apparao Pantulu was scholar in both Telugu and Sanskrit. It was whispered here and there that he was advocating spoken dialect, because he could not write in good literary style. There is a reference to this point in one of his letters, wherein he says “I suppose you have received my ‘Songs of Blue Hills. If so, review it also along with my play, so that philistines may not say “This man has written in spokes dialect, because he cannot wield literary dialect”. I remember well that Apparao Pantulu was carefully picking up strictly ungrammatical forms in works written in florid artificial literary style. He ridiculed the impossible standard of strictly grammatical literature which of the mars the harmony of literary form and theme. He wrote to me in one of his letters “I want more writers, who write spoken Telugu dialect consciously, not those who pretend to write in the old literary dialect and lapse into modern spoken dialect”. He wanted to prove that the spoken dialect can be used in any kind of literary work, and for the expression of any kind of sentiment or emotion. He says “I am engaged in writing a Drama on the story of Bilhana to show that spoken dialect lends itself to the expression of the higher emotions”.
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
(To Be Continued)
v
25
SS Rajamouli has emerged as the latest Superstar in Indian Cinema, thanks to Baahubali, which has shattered all cultural barriers across the nation.
Bali Bali Bali ra Bali Sahoore Rajamouli
B
tant director. Soon, he began working under K Raghavendra Rao and went on to direct few episodes of Shanti Nivasam, a TV serial produced by K Raghavendra Rao, which paved way for his directorial debut Student No 1. But it was the phenomenal success of Simhadri which turned him into a director to watch out for. And in the past 15 years, Rajamouli hasn't disappointed his admirers.
Rajamouli's journey into filmmaking began in the early 90s when he joined Kranthi Kumar as an assis-
Even as he kept pushing the bar, in terms of the emotional quotient of his film, Rajamouli never gave up on his dreams to make period dramas. In fact, he has repeated, time and again, that he's hugely influenced by Amar Chitra Katha, Mahabharata, and Ramayana, and his influences are quite evident in his style of story-telling. Whether it's Magadheera or Vikramarkudu, Eega or Baahubali, some of the themes like revenge, redemption, quest for power, death, reincar-
ack in 2009, when SS Rajamouli's Magadheera released in theatres, it not only set new records at the box-office, but also Rajamouli's prowess to make epic dramas was cemented once and for all. No other Telugu filmmaker has come close to him, in terms of turning movies into visual spectacle. Although there have been plenty of other films which have surpassed Magadheera's box-office records, little did anyone expect that Rajamouli would turn out to be the latest superstar in Indian cinema, purely on his own merit. First it was Eega which stunned everyone and now with Baahubali : The Conclusion hitting the screens across the nation, the director has turned into a national treasure of sorts.
26
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
MAY 2017
nation, and sibling-rivalry have made it into his stories in more blatant ways than one can imagine. The success of Baahubali : The Beginning was perhaps only the beginning of Rajamouli's rise to fame on the national stage. In a recent column in India Today, written by filmmaker Rohan Sippy, it's quite evident that Rajamouli's way of story-telling holds several lessons for other filmmakers, especially in Bollywood. "Projects like Baahubali are driven by the madness, passion and insomnia of phenomenal storytellers who recognise the value of universality and timelessness. The Baahubali films are not going to be dated because they are set in a fantastic world. Because we have grown up on Amar Chitra Katha stories of kings and queens and revenge and redemption, the film Although there have feels red-blooded and isn't alien in anyway. In a been plenty of other sense, it is an Indian film ďŹ lms which have which fits in the Marvel surpassed Magad- and DC action enterheera's box-oďŹƒce tainer universe that's flourishing in Hollyrecords, little did wood," Rohan Sippy anyone expect that writes. Truer words have Rajamouli would turn never been spoken!
out to be the latest superstar in Indian cinema, purely on his own merit.
The thing about Rajamouli's films is that they strike an emotional chord which is hard to forget. Take for instance, that iconic scene from Chatrapathi where Prabhas crosses the line, drawn by the antagonist, and the following bout of violence and emotion is a stuff of legends. It gives the audience an emotional high which is not just hugely satisfying as a viewer, but also a testimony to Rajamouli's ability to make the audience invest their energy and time in watching a character grow into a hero. His penchant to create powerful villains has paid off quite handsomely, considering how gratifying it is to watch the hero win in the end. In a way, Rajamouli's films, over the years, have traditionally followed the 'Baasha' template; however, the director has, time and again, managed to stun the audience with the emotional highs in the story. One of the bestever interval bangs, so to speak, in his filmography appears in Baahubali : The Beginning. When Bhallaladeva realises that the people in Mahishmathi haven't forgotten their true king Baahubali, we are told how jealous he is of his brother. The visual cuts to a wide shot of Bhallaladeva's statue looking like a dwarf in front of Baahubali's image. There's not a drop of bloodshed in the shot and there's not
MAY 2017
even a shot of the hero challenging the villain. But the fact that we are in awe of that scene, even after so many months of watching the film, speaks volumes about Rajamouli's command over the storytelling. In a recent interview when Rajamouli was asked when did he realise that he was good enough to make Baahubali films, he said, "I think I've always wanted to make films like this. I'm a big fan of Amar Chitra Katha and Mahabharata, and over the years, I've learnt to refine my ability to tell a story in the biggest possible way." Well, that's all there is to his style of filmmaking - He makes films in the biggest and most exquisite manner. Watching a SS Rajamouli film isn't just a one-off thing in our lives. They remain as a memory that you want to keep revisiting over and over again. For that alone, he must be hailed as the best of the lot. All hail Rajamouli!
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
- hemanth kumar Cr 27
Foundation for AMBEDKAR MEMORIAL laid
CM and other dignitaries at the foundation laying for Ambedkar Smriti Vanam
C
hief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation for Ambedkar Smriti Vanam at Inavolu village in Thullur mandal in the capital region on the occasion of Dr. Ambedkar’s 126th birth anniversary.
It may be recalled that the Chief Minister had announced last April that the state government would install a 125foot statue of BR Ambedkar in Amaravati to mark the Dalit icon's 125th birth anniversary.
He also laid the foundation-stone for a 126-ft statue of Ambedkar that will come up in the park, spread over a 20acre site. The Smriti Vanam will have a multi-purpose Convention Hall with a seating capacity for 3,000 persons. A Buddhist Dhyana Kendram (Meditation Hall), Dr B R Ambedkar Memorial Library with his collected works and thoughts, Memorial Park with aesthetic and landscaped gardens and an Open Air Theatre with a seating capacity of 2,000 people with facilities for conducting multi-media shows are some of the other features of the Smriti Vanam.
28
tion, which was almost single-handedly drafted by Dr.B R Ambedkar. “A majority of the members of the committee appointed to draft the Constitution were unable to fulfil their mandate for various reasons. But, Dr. Ambedkar, who headed the panel, did not give up his responsibility. The Constitution drafted by him became the bedrock of the Indian democratic system which won global acclaim,” observed Mr. Naidu. Addressing a public meeting after laying the foundation for Ambedkar Smriti Vanam, Naidu said the principal architect of the Constitution had overcome great difficulties in his personal life and was not allowed by his detractors to grow in the political arena, but he proved his mettle as an intellectual and a talented barrister. The Chief Minister said the downtrodden sections would remember Dr. Ambedkar for his efforts in getting reservation implemented and the battle he waged against untouchability, and vowed to strive to eradicate poverty.
The state government has allotted Rs 97.64 crore for the project that is expected to be completed in 24 months. This includes Rs 25 crore for the 126-ft statue.
The Chief Minister said he was fortunate to get the Ambedkar memorial built on 20 acres at Inavolu and added it would be completed in two years.
Assembly Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao, Social Welfare Minister Nakka Anand Babu and others attended the function.
Earlier, Naidu consecrated the place at Inavolu where Ambedkar’s statue would be built, with holy water and soil brought from Mhow (Dr. Ambedkar’s birthplace), Parliament and various Buddhist shrines amid the chanting of hymns in praise of Lord Buddha and the ‘Father of the Indian Constitution’ by Buddhist monks.
Speaking on the occasion, Naidu said that India withstood many ups and downs in its history but continued to be a strong nation because of the robustness of the Constitu-
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.COM
v
MAY 2017
INS VIRAAT to berth at Bhimili creek T
he AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) held successful talks with the central government officials in New Delhi for reviving the INS Viraat project, which was thought to be shelved due to lack of funds. APTDC executive director K Sriramulu Naidu, who along with principal secretary of tourism N Srikanth returned from Delhi on Friday, said that the project cost has been reduced to Rs 300 crore and all the proposals were shown to the tourism secretary in a power point presentation. He said that this Rs 300 crore would be spent for bringing the vessel from Mumbai, construction of dry dock and development of 500 acre area surrounding it. “It has been proposed to berth the giant vessel at Mulakuddu village near Bhimili close to the creek. The entire area will be declared as special tourism zone,� Sriramulu Naidu said. The government will be announcing five such special tourism zones across the country to boost tourism. Naidu said tenders would be called for preparing Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Rs 300 crore. As per initial plans, a convention centre and floating hotel will be constructed. However, the vessel will be docked at special jetty being constructed under Sagarmala project. Earlier, principal secretary Srikanth said his department will propose 15 integrated projects that would be easy to get partners for PPP projects. Tour operators and travel agents who had a meeting with the collector Pravin Kumar recently said that with existing INS Kursura submarine museum and the proposed TU 142M aircraft museum close to it, INS Viraat will boost the tourism in a big way. Vistadome coach introduced in april and thus in the next couple of years, the tourist footfall will definitely increase with the above proposed projects, the operators said. MAY 2017
v
two MegA ProjeCtS APProVeD By SiPB The two companies together will invest more than Rs 1,000 crores and create nearly 1500 jobs.
T State.
he State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) which metunder the chairmanship of the Chief Minis N Chandrababu Naidu granted approval for setting up of two mega projects in the
Tremag Alloys Private Limited and Tata Chemicals Limited have been granted approval for setting up of units to manufacture Magnesium Ingots and prebiotics. Tremag Alloys Private Limited has come forward to set up a Magnesium Ingots Manufacturing Plant in the Kadapa Mega Industrial Park in an extent of 100 acres. While the total investment proposed by the company is Rs.660 crores, it will provide direct employment to over 1200 persons and indirect employment to 6000 persons. The phase one of the project will commence in the month of November 2018 and second phase will start from May 2019. The expected turnover is Rs. 800 crores. This is 1st such project in India to use Pidgeon process to produce magnesium ingots; used primarily for steel, auto, aviation industries. Tata Chemicals Limited is keen on setting up a Prebiotics Manufacturing Plant to manufacture FOS (Fructooligosaccharides) and GOS (Galacto-oligosccharides) powders.
The plant will come up in APIIC Industrial Park, Mambattu Village, Tada Mandal, Nellore district, in an area of 39.81 acres with a total investment of 400 crores. The expected turnover is Rs 183.crore by 2021 and will provide direct employment to 150 people and indirect employment to 80 members. The plant will be completed in two phases and the production will start by 31st December 2018.
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.COM
v
29
AMAZING ANDHRA PRADESH
MOGHALRAJPURAM CAVES Refuse To Cave In To Times
30
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
MAY 2017
A
fter all, it’s just about rocks in the cozy city with its enviable memoirs of past. The rocks in the swanky vicinity of Moghalrajpuram, seemingly in mystic silence and lying with Sisyphean ennui, are not really rudimentary, as they appear to be. The solitary rocks of Moghalrajpuram caves mutely ruminate the empirical endurance of history. The rock-cut caves of Moghalrajpuram are, what is left of a glorious past, that is over 2,000 years old. The site has five rock cut sanctuaries of stunning sculptures and carvings, dating back to the 5th century AD. Most of these caves are also one of the finest examples of various types of architecture of those times and also have depicted some really fascinating anecdotes of history. The unique monolithic structure houses the conspicuous sculptures of Lord Nataraja, Ganesh in one cave. They are still in good condition among the worn images of deities. Cave 2 shows an overhanging cornice with artificial windows. One of the three cave temples carries an impressive carving of ‘Ardhanariswara’ which is thought to be the earliest in South India.
Buddhist Viharas or hindu Cave temples?
Archaeologists had gone on record that the site was of Buddhist Viharas, which were later converted into Hindu Cave temple. Eminent archaeologist and historian, Veluri Venkata Krishna Sastry (1934 - 2012), who hailed from Krishna district, affirmed the conversion. According to him, Moghalrajpuram caves were the monasteries mentioned by Chinese Buddhist pilgrim and scholar Xuan Zan(also spelled Hsuan Tsang or Hiuen Tsang), who traveled during 7th century in India to record the accounts of the life of the people. The remnants of Poorasaila (eastern hill) and Aparasaila (western hill) monasteries mentioned by Xuan Zang were actually the Moghalrajpuram caves and the Akkannna Madanna caves located in the heart of Vijayawada. Later, the Buddhist Viharas were said to be converted into Hindu Cave temples during the reign of the
MAY 2017
Vishnukundins. Prior to Sastry, a historian, civil servant and keeper of the Madras Record Office, Robert Sewell, argued very strongly that Bezawada was the place where the two famous monasteries were located. By the time he made his observations in 1878 the Chaityas and Viharas of Avarasila and Pourvasila were totally destroyed.
Caves Crumble
Now, the site was crumbling not due to any communal catastrophe, but due to the potential vandal
threat. Because the monumental site is located in the heart of the city, proxy to the new capital of Andhra Pradesh, it is further in great danger. Grills have been put to protect the site. Cracks appear in the rock and rain water seeps in, forming stalagmites and stalactites. Every year repairs have to be conducted to the grills and fences. An Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officer of the Senior Conservator Assistant cadre is posted in Vijayawada to protect and maintain the site.
why to visit
It is not merely a leisure trip to these caves. Exploring the monumental caves will also provides the visitor a better and detailed understanding of rich heritage of amazing Andhra Pradesh.
other attractions
1. The Undavalli caves, on the other side of river Krishna banks, are surrounded by the green countryside. There opens beautiful view through those ancient sculptures towards other green hills and stands of palms below.
2. Kanaga Durga Temple, which stands majestically over the Indrakeeladri Hillock on the banks of River Krishna, is the major pilgrim center in Vijayawada to visit.
3. The impressive Prakasam Barrage, which is 1223.5 mt long across the river Krishna has created a beautiful reservoir lake. Boating is also another facility at Bhavani Island resorts.
how to reach
Moghalrajpuram caves are accessible by public transport from various locations in Vijayawada. Being capital of Andhra Pradesh on various fronts, also being one of the biggest railway junctions of India, Vijayawada has many a source of connectivity through road, rail and also airways. It is well connected to most major cities of the country like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Patna, Bhubaneswar and Tirupati. Undavalli Caves are very proximate to the city and thus, very accessible as being part of the city.
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
v
31
HAPPENING AP Snapdeal partners AP for smart village project
E-commerce firm Snapdeal today announced a partnership with University of California, Berkeley and Andhra Pradesh government to enable digital access for small artisans in the state's 'Smart Village' project. The objective of the joint partnership is to create viable solutions through digitisation and new-age services, Snapdeal said in a statement. Under the partnership, Snapdeal will provide local handloom weavers direct market access to buyers across the country, through its platform.
12,000 km CC roads in villages
Minister for panchayat raj and information technology N Lokesh said that the state government would construct nearly 12,000 km CC roads in all the villages by the end of 2018. The state government will construct underground drainage in villages which have a population of more than 5,000 to improve hygienic condition and preventing seasonal diseases like dengue, cholera. He said that the state government would supply LED bulbs to all panchayat offices to reduce power bills.
flyover in Vizianagaram
AP government and Indian Railways are taking up construction of underground and fly over in Viziangaram to overcome the traffic snarls. The new fly over and underground passage will help the vehicles to have hasslefree journey. Around Rs.10 crore is being sanctioned to build the fly over and underground passage. Once the project gets completed the vehicles passing towards Salur and Bobbili can move through underground passage and the vehicles coming from return journey can come by the fly over.
work on Benz CirCle flyoVer Soon
Work on the Benz Circle flyover will commence very
A LEGEND HONOURED
32
soon with the city police preparing alternative routes to divert the highway traffic. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has already completed soil testing on the highway from Benz Circle to the Ramesh Hospitals junction. To divert the traffic, the NHAI was asked to complete the Kankipadu bypass on NH-65 on a priority basis. The government has plans to complete the flyover work on time and to inaugurate it in August 2018 at any cost. The designs for the flyover have been prepared. The 1.6 km-flyover starts at Ramesh Hospitals/Gurunanak Colony junction and ends near the Skew Bridge.
Vizag girl wins gold
Vizag Local girl M Sahithi Varshini has made country proud by winning two gold medals (under-10 year girls) in Classical and Blitz categories in Asian Youth Chess Championship held in Tashkent. Sahithi Varshini became the first girl from the region to win the medals at the Asian level. Indian team ruled the roost at the Asian Youth Chess Championship by clinching 12 medals, including four gold medals. Varshini has qualified to play in the world cadet girls under-10 championship to be held in Brasilia in Brazil in August 2017. A third standard student of a private school in the city, Sahithi was initiated into chess around three years ago by her fathercum-coach Lokeswara Rao, a senior officer with the HPCL, and chess player Rama Kumar.
Collector offers job to Satyam Babu
District Collector Babu A provided a job in the government sector as an outsourcing staff member to P Satyam Babu, who was acquitted recently in the sensational B Pharmacy student Ayesha Meera’s murder case. Satyam Babu met the Collector at Prajavani programme in Machilipatnam and urged him to provide him a job on temporary basis in the government sector. The Col-
R
enowned filmmaker and actor Kasinathuni Viswanath was honoured with the prestigeous Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2016. The award is conferred by the Government of India for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema. The award consists of a Swarn Kamal (Golden Lotus), a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh and a shawl. The award will be conferred by the President of India at a function on May 3 at Vigyan Bhawan. A presenter of classical and traditional art, music and dance, K Viswanath has been a guiding force in the Indian film industry. As a director he has made fifty films since 1966 known for their strong content, endearing narrative, honest handling and cultural authenticity. His films on a wide range of social and human issues had great appeal to the masses. K Viswanath was born in February 1930 at Repalle in Andhra Pradesh. He recevied the Padmashri Award in 1992 by the Government of India for his contribution to filmmaking. He has also been awarded 5 National Awards, 20 Nandi Awards (awarded by the State Government of Andhra Pradesh), 10 Filmfare Awards including Lifetime Achievement Award.
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
MAY 2017
Minister for it & Panchayat raj n lokesh consoling the family members of the victims of the lorry accident at yerpedu in Chittoor district. he also handed over financial assistance to the victim’s families.
lector, who responded positively, immediately issued orders offering him a job as an outsourcing employee. He also sanctioned a pucca house to Sayam Babu in his native Anasagaram village of Nandigama mandal. Satyam Babu also requested the Collector to provide an employment to his sister as an ANM.
Synthetic track to boost sports
An eco-friendly Rs 8.86cr blue synthetic track is under construction in Acharya Nagarjuna University, which is expected to boost sports activities. State athletic championship and national junior athletic championship events, scheduled for November, are likely to take place on the new track under the aegis of the Athletic Federation of India (AFI), according to Dr Paul Kumar, Principal of Physical Education College, an arm of ANU. The 400mt-long eight lane track will make way for hosting all the track and even field events like shot put, javelin throw, hurdles, triple jump, long jump, high jump, besides football and cricket which also could be conducted. This is an international level blue eight lane synthetic athletic track, according to officials.
govt planning municipal residential jr college
The Municipal Administration Department is reportedly working on establishing a state level municipal residential junior college in Vijayawada or Guntur. The students of municipal schools, who obtain 10/10 score in SSC examinations, will be eligible to get admission in the junior college and a screening test will also be conducted for selections. The purpose is to provide best education to the municipal school students coming from poor financial background. The Department has taken the decision on establishing the college in principle and is framing guidelines.
CrDA bags 2 huDCo awards
Union Minister for Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu presented HUDCO awards to CRDA Commissioner Cherukuri Sreedhar in New Delhi on the occasion of HUDCOs 47th foundation day. The CRDA won two national awards. It has won the award for implementation
MAY 2017
of the ‘Voluntary Land Pooling Scheme at Amaravati’ under urban governance category. It has also won the award for implementing innovative ideas in formulating best plans for urban infrastructure. The APCRDA acquired around 32,000 acres in Amaravati through land pooling scheme for building new capital city. Sreedhar said that the national award was in recognition to sacrifices made by farmers who parted with their lands under land pooling scheme.
AP to pass gSt bill in May session
The AP Assembly will conduct a special session sometime in May second week to ratify the Constitution Amendment (122nd) Bill for the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao said. At least 16 out of 31 state Assemblies, including Union Territories of Delhi and Puducherry, need to pass the bill with a simple majority enabling the Centre to seek the President’s consent.
Metro rail works to be entrusted to two firms
Amaravati Metro Rail Corporation (AMRC) has decided to entrust metro rail project works, except metro depot at Nidamanuru, to two companies. The two companies L&T and Afcons Infrastructure got eligibility in financial bidding that was conducted in Delhi in April. According to a senior officer of AMRC, each corridor work will be entrusted to one company. Two corridors, one from Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) to Penamaluru and the other from PNBS to Nidamanuru are planned to be built. It may take around two months for the project to take off.
relief to nregS workers
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu instructed officials to suspend working hours of employment guarantee scheme from 12 noon to 4 pm every day in view of scorching heat. Participating in a review meeting with health department officials at Interim Secretariat at Velagapudi, he asked them to distribute butter milk to workers during their work period. The health department officials were directed to take immediate steps to avoid sunstroke by distributing medicines. v
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
33
Srikanth and Sai Praneeth make it to the top
runner up kidambi Srikanth
title winner Sai Praneeth
F
or the past few months, India’s challenge on badminton courts has been dominated by the women and Telugu one at that. PV Sindhu has been the cornerstone of India’s challenge from Rio Olympics last year to the India Open Super Series a few two weeks back. But at Singapore Open, that has changed with two men – both proud Telugus - making their way into the decider. B Sai Praneeth and K Srikanth fought for the honours with B. Sai Praneeth seizing the moment and make it
34
count. Playing his maiden Super Series final for the Singapore Open title, Sai beat K. Srikanth in a historic all-India final for a first major international title. In a contest lasting 54 minutes, Sai prevailed 17-21, 21-17, 21-12 to maintain his supremacy over Srikanth, ranked a place higher at 29. It was a proud moment for Telugus when both players later stood on the podium with the national flags loosely resting on their shoulders. Sai received $26,250 and Srikanth, $13,300
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.COM
v
MAY 2017
IN PICS
1
2
3
4 5
Pic 1: CM Chandrababu Naidu after a fruitful meeting with the Consul General of South Korea, Kim Hyung Tae at AP Secretariat. Pic 2 CM and Union Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju welcoming the heaviest and fastest flying Turbo prop in the world TU-142, whcih is to be converted into a museum and placed at Beach Road, Vizag.
Pic 3: AP Assembly Speaker K Sivaprasada Rao meeting Union Minister for Housing and Information & Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu in Delhi.
Pic 4: CM Chandrababu Naidu complimenting Revanth from Visakhapatnam who won Sony TV Reality Show Indian Idol. Pic 5: Nandi TV Awards Committees submitting the report on the Television Nandi awards for the years 2012 and 2013 to the Chief Minister at Secretariat.
Subscription Details: Yearly Subscription rate is Rs 220 for Andhra Pradesh (Eng) Magazine. Readers may send MO or DD in the name of Accounts Officer, I&PR Department, Vijayawada. Mention your full postal address in your letter and send to Accounts Officer, I&PR Department, II floor, NTR Administrative Block, Pandit Nehru Bus Station, Krishnalanka, Vijayawada - 520013 Ph: 9949351534
Regd. No. H-HD-1082/2016-18 Published on: 01/05/2017
APENG/2007/20679
Posting Dt: 6th