<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday claimed that Krishna District Collector Babu Ahamed has come up with a solution to ease the currency crunch being faced by people following demonetization.AadharPay, a cashless payment system which needs only a smartphone and a biometric reader, can be used for transferring money with a thumb impression.The trader (or recipient of money) needs a smartphone fitted with biometric reader as an accessory. “I struggled for 40 days. I had sleepless nights. We searched the world and broke our heads to find a solution. But now, Babu has come up with a simple solution that will transform the nation,” the Chief Minister said at the conference of District Collectors.He felicitated the Collector at the conference. “Aadhar-enabled payments are the best way (to overcome the currency crisis). We will discuss this in our committee meeting,” Naidu said.”One can transfer money using AadharPay from any bank under one platform…It’s a simple solution but will transform the nation,” he added.
<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>After supporting demonetization initially, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday appeared to be having a second thought saying this is not what they wished for and that the solution to problems due to the note ban remained elusive even after 40 days.”Demonetization was not our wish but it happened. More than 40 days after demonetization, there are still lot of problems and there appears to be no solution,” he told a workshop of Telugu Desam MPs, MLCs, MLAs and other leaders here.”It still remains a sensitive and complicated problem,” Chandrababu, who heads the 13-member central committee to look into demonetization issues, observed.
ALSO READ 6 reasons why, despite being criticised, demonetization has failed to halt BJP’s victory march”I am spending two hours daily to find out how to ease the problems caused by demonetization. I am breaking my head daily but we are unable to find a solution to this problem,” he said.It was Chandrababu who had been a strong proponent of ban on high denomination currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000. In fact, he had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 12 reiterating his demand.
ALSO READ Whoever planted the idea of demonetization didn’t know elementary economics: Chidambaram Hours after the Prime Minister came out with the demonetization announcement, the Telugu Desam Party started claiming credit saying it was a “victory for Chandrababu” over his fight on corruption.”This is a moral victory for the TDP,” it said in posts on Facebook and Twitter.
ALSO READ Global rating agency Crisil gives thumbs up to demonetization, predicts lasting economic benefits”Prime Minister Modi may have taken the decision now but Chandrababu had these thoughts even when he was in the opposition (2004-14). He had been fighting for scrapping of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes since then,” the TDP said in a Facebook post.The party media cell dug out newspaper clippings dating back to June 2013 when Chandrababu raised the demand for the first time.But as people started facing trouble in exchanging the scrapped notes as well as in withdrawing cash from their accounts, Chandrababu seemed to change his tone and started making critical remarks about the Centre’s move, particularly the introduction of Rs 2000 notes.”We could resolve the ‘August crisis’ (an internal party coup dating back to 1984) in 30 days but this (demonetization) still persists,” he said.He said banks were “not prepared” for a transition to digital economy.”They are unable to even register banking correspondents,” he added.Unless there were remedial measures, people’s woes would continue in the long-term, Chandrababu warned.
After coming out in support of demonetisation initially, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday did a volte face saying that this is not what they wished for and said the solution to problems arising out of the note ban still remained elusive even 40 days after the step. The U-turn is significant as Naidu was one of the first non-BJP leaders to support the Narendra Modi government’s move.
“Demonetisation was not our wish but it happened. More than 40 days after demonetisation, there are still a lot of problems but yet there appears to be no solution,” Naidu said addressing a workshop of Telugu Desam MPs, MLCs, MLAs and other leaders in Vijayawada on Tuesday.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. AFP
“It still remains a sensitive and complicated problem,” Naidu observed.
“The people who are supposed to manage the crisis are incapable of doing anything. The RBI has not been able to do anything about it. It still remains a sensitive and complicated problem,” he has been quoted as saying in media reports.
“I am spending two hours daily to review the situation and ease the problems caused by demonetisation. I am breaking my head daily, but we are unable to find a solution to this problem,” said Naidu, who heads the 13-member central committee to look into demonetisation issues.
Naidu had been a strong proponent of ban on high denomination currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000. In fact, he had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 October reiterating his demand.
On 9 November, hours after the Prime Minister came out with the demonetisation announcement, the Telugu Desam Party started claiming credit saying it was a “victory for Chandrababu” over his fight on corruption.
“This is a moral victory for the TDP,” it said on posts on Facebook and Twitter.
“Prime Minister Modi may have taken the decision now but Chandrababu had these thoughts even when he was in the opposition (2004-14). He had been fighting for scrapping of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes since then,” the TDP said in a Facebook post.
The party media cell dug out newspaper clippings dated back to 2013 June when Chandrababu raised the demand for the first time.
But as people started facing trouble in exchanging the scrapped notes as well as in withdrawing cash from their savings accounts, Chandrababu seemed to change his tone and started making critical remarks about the Centre’s move, particularly the introduction of Rs 2,000 notes.
“I am spending two hours daily to ease the problems caused by demonetisation. I am breaking my head daily but we are unable to find a solution to this problem,” the CM said on Tuesday.
“We could resolve the ‘August crisis’ (an internal party coup dating back to 1984) in 30 days but this (demonetisation) still persists,” he said.
He said banks were “not prepared” for a transition to digital economy. “They are unable to even register banking correspondents,” he added. Unless there were remedial measures, people’s woes would continue in the long-term, Chandrababu warned.
<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday said demonetization was not what they wished for, adding he was still breaking his head as a solution to the ongoing (currency) crisis remained elusive.”Demonetization was not our wish but it happened. More than 40 days after demonetization, there are still a lot of problems but yet there appears to be no solution,” Chandrababu said addressing a workshop of Telugu Desam MPs, MLCs, MLAs and other leaders here today. “It still remains a sensitive and complicated problem,” Chandrababu — who heads the 13-member central committee to look into demonetization issues — observed.It was Chandrababu who had been a strong proponent of ban on high denomination currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000.In fact, he had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 12 reiterating his demand. On November 9, hours after the Prime Minister came out with the demonetization announcement, the Telugu Desam Party started claiming credit saying it was a “victory for Chandrababu” over his fight on corruption. “This is a moral victory for the TDP,” it said on posts on Facebook and Twitter. Prime Minister Modi may have taken the decision now but Chandrababu had these thoughts even when he was in the opposition (2004-14). He had been fighting for scrapping of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes since then,” the TDP pointed in a Facebook post. The party media cell dug out newspaper clippings dated back to June 2013 when Chandrababu raised the demand for the first time.But as people started facing trouble in exchanging the scrapped notes as well as in withdrawing cash from their savings accounts, Chandrababu seemed to change his tone and started making critical remarks about the Centre s move, particularly the introduction of Rs 2000 notes. “I am spending two hours daily to ease the problems caused by demonetization. I am breaking my head daily but we are unable to find a solution to this problem,” the Chief Minister said today.”We could resolve the ‘August crisis’ (an internal party coup dating back to 1984) in 30 days but this (demonetization) still persists,” he pointed out.He said banks were “not prepared” for a transition to digital economy. “They are unable to even register banking correspondents,” he added.Unless there were remedial measures, people’s woes would continue in the long-term, Chandrababu warned.
<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday assured all possible assistance to Tamil Nadu following Cyclone Vardah. He took to his official Twitter account to inform the same.”Will extend all possible assistance to Tamil Nadu, that suffered extensive damage. We’ll discuss contribution that could be made to TN: CM,” it read.Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has also all concerned departments not to lower their guard till the cyclone subsides completely. The National Disaster Management Authority has predicted rainfall over North interior Tamil Nadu and adjoining South Karnataka in next 12 hours. The death toll due to cyclone Vardah has risen to ten so far.Four persons have died in Chennai, two in Kancheepuram, two in Tiruvallur, one in Villupuram and one in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu.In the wake of the cyclone, the government and private schools, colleges and other educational institutions in Chennai, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur will remain closed today.
<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>Former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao’s son and former MP PV Rajeswara Rao passed away in Hyderabad on Monday. He was 73. Rao had been suffering from heart-related complaint and he passed away at around 4 PM on Monday at a private hospital in Hyderabad, his nephew and Telangana BJP spokesperson NV Subhash said.Rajeswara Rao was Congress MP from Secunderabad here during the 1990s. He was also an accomplished singer and shuttle badminton player. Condoling the death of Rajeswara Rao, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao recalled his association with him.The departed leader had deep interest in public service, music and literature, the Chief Minister said, according to a release from his office. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu also mourned Rajeswara Rao’s demise. Chandrababu, in a message, extended his condolences to the bereaved family.YSR Congress president YS Jaganmohan Reddy too expressed grief over Rajeswara Rao’s death. “Rao was active in literary and cultural fields,” Jagan recalled in a statement.
<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>With severe cyclone Vardah expected to cross the Bay of Bengal coast in the next two days, the Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday placed the administrative machinery in SPS Nellore, Prakasam, Guntur and Krishna districts on high alert to meet any eventuality. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu conducted a teleconference with officials of different departments this morning and directed them to take all precautionary measures. “I have cancelled my trip to the Gulf (scheduled to begin tomorrow). I will constantly monitor the situation,” he told the officials.The cyclone is currently 840 km south-southeast of Vishakhapatnam. The sea continued to be very rough around the Andhra coast, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. It moved west-northwestwards in the past few hours at the speed of 17 kmph. The system is very likely to move west-northwestwards and intensify further during the next 24 hours, the NDMA said. “The cyclonic storm is very likely to maintain its peak intensity up to evening of December 11, 2016,” NDMA added.According to the weather forecast, the cyclone may make a landfall somewhere between Kavali and Machilipatnam and under its impact rainfall is likely in the south coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh. “Keep adequate stocks of food and also cash. Electricity poles and cement should also be kept ready for any emergency,” the Chief Minister directed the officials. The Tamil Nadu Meteorological Department has predicted that it will make a landfall between Nellore and Machilipatnam on the evening of December 12. As a result, Chennai, Kanchipuram and Thiruvannamalai are expected to receive heavy rainfall.
<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday directed the concerned department to remove industrialist J Shekhar Reddy as Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthaman (TTD) (Tirupati) Board Member. Naidu’s decision came days after the Income-Tax Department raided his Chennai residence and seized currency notes and gold in huge quantities. The department seized Rs 6 crore in newly introduced Rs 2,000 denomination notes from the house of Shekhar Reddy in T Nagar.Earlier on Friday, Left parties and social activists demanded Reddy’s ouster from prestigious TTD Trust Board, which manages the famous Tirumala Balaji Temple and charged the government of preferring businessmen and contractors for coveted post for nurturing their business interests and personal gains. CPI activists also demanded that Reddy be removed from the TTD Trust Board.The Income Tax Department on Thursday raided premises belonging to three businessmen Shekhar Reddy, Srinivasa Reddy and Prem, in Chennai ‘s T Nagararea and seized Rs 90 crore and 100 kilograms gold. The income tax officials also questioned businessmen, involved in the money exchange racket.
<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>The ‘war on drought’ announced with a lot fanfare by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has failed to yield the desired results with groundnut crop output plummeting despite crores of rupees spent on providing water to the arid fields.Scanty rain during July-August prompted the state government to declare the ‘war’ on drought by deploying thousands of rain guns to wet standing groundnut crop in 15 lakh acres in Anantapuramu district, 4.5 lakh acres in Kurnool and two lakh acres in Chittoor as it faced the threat of drying up.The Chief Minister himself led the campaign by camping in Anantapuramu for over four days while at least 10 ministers, a number of legislators, 21 IAS officers, 80 deputy collector-rank officers and scores of other staff were drafted in these districts to oversee the operation. As many as 6,777 rain guns and 6,434 sprinklers have been deployed in Anantapuramu district, 2,285 rain guns and 2,686 sprinklers in Kurnool, 3,915 rain guns and 3,855 sprinklers in Chittoor and 356 each in Kadapa districts, according to government statistics.”Our aim is to save every acre of the crop and we are confident that we will succeed at least 90%,” Chandrababu had announced on August 30 before leaving for Anantapuramu.Incidentally, the Chief Minister, who boasts of a ‘realtime governance’ using his ‘CORE Dashboard’, sounded lost when asked why there was at least a 10-day delay in taking up drought mitigation measures. “My people had not told me. Neither did you people (media) report (the gravity of the situation),” he remarked.The ‘war’ cost the exchequer a whopping Rs 280 crore with Rs 160 crore spent on procuring the rain guns alone. The balance Rs 120 crore was spent on sprinklers, motor pumps, pipes, fuel and other needs, according to a senior official of the Disaster Management Department.The latest reports on crop cutting, however, are dismal. As against the normal yield of 1000 kg per hectare, the crop cutting experiment revealed that only 213 kg was achieved, indicating massive loss to the farmer.”Had nature been kind, we could have saved the crop. But we did our human effort,” Information and Public Relations Minister Palle Raghunatha Reddy, who hails from Anantapuramu district, observed. He said only Rs 29 crore was spent on the drought mitigation measures.Interestingly, less than ten days after the ‘war on drought’ was carried out, the Chief Minister released a glossy booklet with ‘success stories’ of his mission and how the hapless farmers of perennially drought-hit Anantapuramu appreciated his ‘innovative idea’ (of using rain guns). Asked about this, Palle said, “It was successful for that day”.Now, the state Agriculture Department is preparing a detailed report on the whole exercise and hopefully it should throw light on what went wrong.
<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>The first meeting of the panel of Chief Ministers set up by the Centre to suggest measures to minimize the inconvenience to the people post the demonetization drive will be held on December 2 under the chairmanship of Andhra Pradesh’s N Chandrababu Naidu.Sources said the Chief Ministers of Tripura, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry and Bihar will also be present in the meeting. In order to blunt the opposition on note ban, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday held talks with Naidu and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The Central Government yesterday decided to form a sub-committee of Chief Ministers to deal with the demonetization issue.This come as a united opposition is leaving no stone unturned in taking potshots at the government post the decision. Demanding that this decision should be rolled back for not being implemented properly, the opposition parties have also alleged that this exposed the ‘anti-poor’ stand of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government as the general public is the worst hit.So far, only two Chief Ministers Bihar’s Nitish Kumar and Odisha’s Naveen Patnaik – have voiced their support for the Centre. Nitish has said he supported the currency ban as he is ‘convinced’ that it would help in the fight against black money while Patnaik has praised the move as a bold step. The ruling BJP at the Centre is also facing the wrath of its alliance partners as the Shiv Sena has alleged that the implementation of demonetization has not been done in an appropriate manner and said it is not only ‘one party’s monopoly’ to end corruption.The government has recommended the use of cashless methods of payment not only to tide over the cash shortage being experienced by people due to demonetization but also to curb corruption and generation of black money in the future.
<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>Demonetization problems are temporary but the gains in the long run will be fruitful, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said as he enlisted the steps taken by his government to help the people in this situation. The Andhra government has adopted several innovative ways to solve the problems of the people and become a role model state in the country in cashless transactions, he said.The steps taken by the state government include setting up of four committees to oversee cashless transactions, arrangement of 19,000 e-PoS (Point of Sales) machines involving students and self-helf women’s groups and starting a mobile application ‘AP Purse’. “The demonetization problems are temporary but the gains in the long run will be fruitful,” he said.The Chief Minister urged the people to endure the currency crisis for some more time to come and asked them to face it in a challenging spirit.To overcome the problems post scrapping of the high value currency of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000, the Andhra government is planning to distribute free mobile phones to people, particularly the economically-backward classes to undertake cashless transactions, Naidu said. Naidu, who has been holding teleconferences with bankers and officials to ensure that problems of people are minimised, has announced the decision to set up four committees to oversee cashless transactions, Jan Dhan bank account and Rupay dealings and overall expenditure.The state government is also planning to start ‘AP Purse’ to provide short term, middle term and long term benefits to the people. While terming as unfortunate that the demonetization problem has prolonged, he lauded the people for having patience by being in such long queues at banks and ATMs. He asked the people to make effective use of mobile currency, online transactions and debit and credit cards and Rupay cards.He has written to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, seeking more funds of smaller denominations to the state to ease out the problems of people. The Chief Minister said the state government had received an additional Rs 2,000 crore, of which Rs 400 crore is in the denominations of Rs 100. He hoped that this would bring some relief to the people. Naidu said he had requested the Centre and RBI to send Rs 5,000 crore to the state. He suggested that out of this, at least Rs 1,000 crore should contain smaller denominations like Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 50 and Rs 100.He added that the state government had earmarked Rs two crore to each of the districts, which would be of great help to small businessmen to continue their business transactions non-stop.
For the past several days, the Parliament has been stalled with the Opposition demanding the Prime Minister’s presence in the House. For reasons best known to Narendra Modi, he has decided not to lend Opposition MPs an ear and has given them the cold shoulder. But he did not spare an opportunity to irk Congress and company when he addressed the Coldplay concert in Mumbai via video conference over the weekend.
The inference is that Modi is telling the opposition: I don’t care for your criticism of the demonetisation scheme.
What he has done subsequently should anger the Opposition even more. Modi’s move to conduct a nationwide opinion poll by asking citizens to respond to the ten questions he has asked, is his attempt to bypass the opposition MPs. He wants the 125 crore people of India or at least those with access to a smartphone, to rate his demonetisation strike. By doing so, he is indicating that he would much rather listen to the people directly.
He is also telling the pollsters who are recording 87 percent approval ratings for his drive that he will put them out of business by conducting his own poll, with a larger sample size. It will also be seen as transparent as anyone taking the survey has to register on the Narendra Modi app and every user can take the survey only once.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. AFP
But what does this poll do to the institution of Parliament? The Narendra Modi app cuts through the parliamentary red tape and sends out the message that the prime minister treats the opposition with contempt.
A point highlighted by this answer. Union minister of state for Heavy Industries, Babul Supriyo told TV cameras that when little kids (referring to ministers like him) can answer the Opposition questions, where is the need for “Daddy” to come.
This to my mind, is not the right approach. Demonetisation is a serious enough issue for the prime minister to come to Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and listen to the criticism and suggestions. Particularly when more than 70 people have died waiting in long queues in front of banks and ATMs and stampedes. Death is not a ‘minor inconvenience’. It is incumbent on him to convince the MPs and through them, the nation that he has done the right thing. The Parliament after all, under the Constitution of India, is supreme and needs to debate the issue.
No one for a moment doubts Modi’s intentions. Arvind Kejriwal‘s over the top allegations don’t stick. But even many of those who strongly supported the move on 8 November are now criticising the manner in which it has been implemented on the ground. This includes even people like Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, an NDA ally and one of the proponents of the demonetisation idea. Several economists are putting caveats on whether it will really achieve its goals.
It is a bit much for Modi to expect the economics-illiterate Indian to understand the issue for him to give an informed response to the questionnaire. What Modi is doing is to emotionalise the issue when he asks whether you think “evil of corruption and black money needs to be fought and eliminated”. Of course, it has to be. Will anyone who has India’s interest at heart, give an answer to the contrary?
Modi has also brought politics into the picture by asking “Do you think some anti-corruption activists are now actually fighting in support of black money, corruption and terrorism?” It is evident the reference is to Kejriwal. Modi is wrapping the question in the tricolour and suggesting that those who oppose it are on the side of the corrupt and the terrorists.
The prime minister also would be aware of an inherent flaw while using the Narendra Modi app to conduct the poll. While the MPs represent the voice of India from different states, the android app can be accessed only by smartphone users. According to a Cisco report, there are 24 crore smartphone users in India. The problem with it is that only 7 percent in the lower income category own a smartphone. This would mean the feedback with the prime minister would be skewed with users from ‘smart’ India responding and ‘unsmart’ Bharat almost going unheard.
May be the prime minister wants to come armed with the results of the app poll to Parliament to tell his critics that the people of India are with him. Because if the result gives Modi’s decision the thumbs up, it will prove that an app a day keeps the critics away.
<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>TDP MPs expressed “shock” on Tuesday over the “unexpected fallout” of demonetization in terms of the hardships caused to the people that seems to have left the party flustered despite having earlier sought the ban on the high-value currency notes. Party sources said the issue dominated a TDP meeting in Vijayawada this afternoon, with party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu as well as MPs expressing “shock” over the “unexpected fallout” of demonetization, a move which the Chief Minister had been demanding for over three years now.”It has created a lot of negativity because the Centre failed to take adequate alternative measures. The abrupt manner in which the exercise was carried out left the common people cashless and that has caused a lot of heartburn. The economy has also suffered as the cash flow ceased,” the sources quoted the MPs as telling Naidu.The Centre’s decision to bring out Rs 2,000 notes also left the TDP brass baffled. “What’s the point in bringing Rs 2,000 notes and reintroducing Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes? Would it not defeat the whole purpose and only lead to disgruntlement among common people,” the meeting opined, according to the sources.On his part, Naidu welcomed the scrapping of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes but opposed the introduction of Rs 2,000 notes. “It should go,” the sources quoted him as telling the MPs. For the record, however, Union Ministers P Ashok Gajapati Raju and Y Satyanarayana Chowdary maintained that demonetization was good for the medium and long terms. “There has been a delay in execution (of alternatives) as a result of which people are facing problems,” they told reporters at the end of the meeting.”There will be a debate on this (demonetization) in Parliament and we will have clarity on why the government introduced Rs 2,000 currency notes. The Central government and Finance Minister will also give reasoning for it,” Gajapati Raju said. “We want to use the debate for a constructive business, not an academic debate. People are facing a problem. We feel if A, B, C is done, the problem will ease out. Let them spell out what they are going to do and also take our suggestions,” the Civil Aviation Minister said.”Now, this is the line we will be taking there and we will request for information,” he added. Chowdary said the Chief Minister was discussing the issue with officials and would write a letter to the Centre on the steps needed to alleviate the people’s problems arising out of demonetization.
Vijayawada: The proposed introduction of Rs 2,000 currency notes would be like falling from the frying pan into the fire, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said on Wednesday and called for a debate on the move.
N Chandrababu Naidu. News 18
“I do not understand if RBI has any technical reasons (for coming out with the new value note). If so, it should tell us,” he said at a press conference in Vijayawada.
He wondered if the Rs 2,000 currency notes were necessary and, if not, why were they being printed.
“I think it will not come. Some people are deliberately trying to mislead people,” the Chief Minister observed.
“If indeed it comes, it will be like falling from the frying pan into the fire. It should not happen. The government should once for all put a full stop to it. If at all, you may release it as a temporary measure and then withdraw. There should be a debate on this,” he said.
“If Rs 2,000 note had to be printed, it should be limited (in number) and should have surveillance. A Rs 200 is sufficient when you have banks and cheques. The Rs 2,000 note may be needed only if there are no banks,” he maintained.
The government should take steps to ensure Rs 2,000 note is not in circulation during election time and that it is not hoarded, Naidu added.
Just few hours before the expiration of the Income Declaration Scheme (to disclose black money), officials at the Income Tax Towers at AC Guards in Hyderabad were in for a shock. A frail-bearded individual who claimed to be Gopalan had brought thirteen suitcases full of assorted currency, some in haphazard bundling. There were seven American Tourister suitcases with Rs 1,000 notes, and the rest with Rs 500 notes. It took a dozen of IT sleuths and half a dozen counting machines to complete the task in five hours.
The officials did not mind though, as the Finance Ministry ranked the team first, and announced a bonus for them all. “He made us famous and took us to top of the list,” says a senior IT official with glee.
Representational image. Reuters
It was not just the IT officers who were gleeful though. The ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) too were in joy. The frail Gopalan had given them enough grist to start a mudslinging fest.
Immediately following this episode, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu launched a verbal attack on his opponent and Opposition leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy. “I want the Centre to demonetise all the Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes if it really wants to end the reign of black money in the country,” he said.
Naidu did not stop at this statement, though. He went ahead and wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his demand, but not bothering to explain his logic behind it. The publicity wing of the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) then launched a tirade against Jagan, alleging that he was the one who disclosed the hoard, citing sources from the NDA government.
Slugfest over black money
Sources told Firstpost that after the Congress came to power in 2004, Jagan had paid an income tax of Rs 7 crore against Rs 2.9 lakh he paid in 2002. In the wake of CBI cases foisted on him in 2012-13, Jagan had made advance tax payment of Rs 84 crore. In the 2014 election affidavit, he had mentioned an asset base of Rs 416 crore and liabilities of Rs 137 crore. In the year 2015, Jagan made an advance tax payment of Rs 22 crore. These figures are also bandied about by the TDP to fling mud at their main Opposition party, hoping that some of it will stick.
But Jagan and YSR Congress party leaders are not silent spectators. They ask how Chandrababu Naidu became rich with just two acres of ancestral property in his native Naravaripally village of Chittoor. They allege that Naidu amassed wealth during his first tenure, and now again in the current tenure. “Naidu had made corrupt money worth Rs 1.32 lakh crore after Amaravati, Pattiseema, Polavaram and Rayalaseema (irrigation) projects,” says Ambati Rambabu, YSRC spokesperson.
If Naidu could write a letter to the Prime Minister, so could Jagan. So, he wrote to the PM demanding all names involved in the disclosure of Rs 13,000 crore worth of black money in Hyderabad to be made public. “Why is Chandrababu alone privy to that information and not the public?” he asked in a two-page letter. The Prime Minister’s Office has not responded to either of these letters. “It is also an irony that just recently AP, under Naidu, has been ranked as the most corrupt state in the country by National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER),” adds Jagan.
Naidu’s son Lokesh jumped into the fray to take on Jagan disclosing family assets for the sixth time since 2011, an exercise Naidu began five years ago to gain a “Mr Clean” image ahead of polls. Naidu declared a net worth of Rs 3.73 crore (1,312 times less than Jagan) and his wife Bhuvaneshwari net worth was Rs 33.66 crore. Son Lokesh declared Rs 14.5 crore, daughter-in-law Brahmani declared Rs 5.38 crore and his grandson Devansh Naidu Rs 11.7 crore. “No other political family has declared its property list in such a transparent manner,” said Lokesh, as he made the declaration.
Andhra: Hub Of black money
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, though separate states now, boast of a heritage of rich agricultural activity even before Independence. Wealth distribution, though, was uneven. While only four districts in Telangana had the potential for economic activity, the entire coastal region of what is now Andhra Pradesh, flourished, and with it, large scale corruption.
Black money dominates the lifestyle of the coastal regions — for instance, during Sankranti Pandugalu (harvest festival), mango and banana plantations are hired for week-long gambling, wine and women, an attraction for politicians and businessmen from across the country, who participate as guests.
A small village near Mogalthuru (native to film star Chiranjeevi) was known for its fine collection of Harley Davidson bikes, Lenovo laptops, Apple iPhone 6 smartphones, and Paris Hilton fashion. Recently one resident of this village acquired a Rolls Royce Phantom car, and it made a journey of only three kilometres every evening, because that was the length of the only motorable road in the village. “I earn as much as Rs 72 lakhs as my share from paddy, sugarcane and tobacco crops twice a year. I pay no tax and can buy anything,” says Sunil Raju, a farmer in Mogalthuru village.
Hyderabad: The new hub
In pre-Independent India, Hyderabad has always been a seat of enormous wealth. The last Nizam, Osman Ali Pasha, even doled out a plane load of gold to Pakistan in the initial days of its making. After his death, most of his wealth was squandered by his adopted son Nizam Mukkaram Jah and his brother Muffakam Jah.
From 1983, money began pouring into Hyderabad when Seemandhra industrialists saw opportunity and were assured of fair play by the TDP which had come to power for the first time. The vast agricultural wealth of Seemandhra flowed into Telangana. Farmers of Seemandhra ventured not only into Hyderabad, but also made investments wherever there was irrigation potential — Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Nalgonda and Khammam in Telangana; Raichur and Bellary in Karnataka; and Nanded, Aurangabad and Sholapur in Maharashtra. “Without political support, it is impossible to make huge investments and tackle the power of local musclemen,” explains Vadde Shobanadeswar Rao, a former TDP minister and businessman from Vijayawada.
N. Chandrababu Naidu, chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. Reuters
Most of the agricultural income has gone into creation of IT infrastructure in the city’s IT corridor and in creating residential spaces in Manikonda, Gachibowli, Nizampet, Jubilee Hills, Shamshabad and Shamirpet.
Rise of a parallel economy
Everybody wanted to cash in. A journalist-turned-real-estate-agent, Govind Reddy would have sack loads of currency in his car to buy vacant land available in the city. When he died in a car accident in 2008, police were shocked to find Rs 2 crore worth currency in his car. Farmers and small land holders around Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy and Medak districts had a windfall when Hyderabad became a major hub for IT activity under the initiatives of Chandrababu Naidu, and then BJP-led NDA government under Atal Behari Vajpayee. An acre of private land was quoted at Rs 10-15 crore during that boom period.
The story of K Raghunath Reddy is illustrative of the conditions prevailing at the time. Reddy, a school teacher with three acres in Manikonda, says he almost had a heart attack when buyers offered him Rs 10 crore per acre. His family wanted him to sell just one acre so that they could build a house with a courtyard to keep two buffaloes. “He asked the buyers to give him just Rs 1 crore at the time and keep the rest in deposit until he decided to make investments. Even then he could not handle the cash and spent most of it on a Singapore-Bangkok tour with family, and kept the rest in his toilet/bedroom in plastic bags,” said a family member who did not wish to be named. Reddy took his entire family and neighbours on a Singapore tour for a week, hosted by the buyers. He bought a Zen car for each of his family members as well, and installed air conditioners in his courtyard for the buffaloes.
The parallel black money economy also bred social and communal unrest, according to social analysts. “The rise of Maoism, a louder, shriller Telangana movement, the Seemandhra agitation, the birth of the TDP, failure of Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam party, growth of MIM, formation of YSRC — all of these are a fallout of the support or lack of it by these parallel forces,” says Nageswar Rao, a senior columnist based in Hyderabad.
This black parallel economy also dominated media circles. “How did ventures like Udayam, Vartha and Metro fail while others with highly prejudiced content are on top of the charts,” asks Rao.
A study conducted on the economic wealth of Andhra and Telangana by the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS) in the wake of Telangana agitation, identified that huge parallel economy of both the regions were behind the protests. “They are fanning and funding, and function as custodians of this regional battle,” says the study submitted to the Justice Srikrishna Committee which was in charge of bifurcation. The same agency had surmised then that that the parallel black economy of the erstwhile united AP was worth over Rs 25 lakh crore.
The illegality runs deep and has a long history. Unfortunately, for Chandrababu Naidu, simply demonetising Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes will not help. And the Rs 13,000 crore worth of disclosures from Hyderabad are a mere tip of the black money iceberg.
<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Leader of Opposition YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Thursday sought to take their bitter political war to the Prime Minister by writing separate letters to Narendra Modi on the black money issue.Jagan’s letter came a day after Chandrababu indirectly sought to imply that the YSRC leader declared an income of Rs 10,000 crore under the Income Declaration Scheme.While Chandrababu wanted the Centre to “demonitise” currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denomination to “curb” proliferation of parallel economy, Jagan wanted publication of “entire list of IDS-2016″ and also initiate a thorough inquiry into the corruption charges against the Chief Minister.”Out of the Rs 65,000 crore disclosed across the country, Rs 13,000 crore was declared in Hyderabad and, out of it, Rs 10,000 crore by a single individual.”Who is that, we can’t know as per law. Is it possible for a businessman to declare such huge money,” he wondered yesterday, indirectly seeking to imply it was the YSRC president.Separately, a couple of ministers and Telugu Desam legislators directly named Jagan as the one who made the Rs 10,000 crore disclosure, a charge the lone opposition party stoutly denied.”How is that Mr Chandrababu Naidu alone is privy to this information ? If true, then the person declared should have been a ‘benami’ of Chandrababu Naidu. Otherwise, how can he be so specific on the numbers,” the YSRC chief asked in his letter to the Prime Minister.”If this information is true, then we people of Andhra Pradesh should also be aware of this information. Hence, we request your office to kindly let us know as it is also an irony that AP under Naidu has been ranked as the most corrupt state in the country by NCAER (National Council for Applied Economic Research) just recently,” the Leader of Opposition said.Chandrababu, on the other hand, praised Narendra Modi saying “the country is fortunate to have you as Prime Minister at this opportune and inspiring time. Opportunity for transformational change arises rarely and even rarer when such opportunities are actually seized for national transformation.”Lauding the Income Declaration Scheme, the Chief Minister said it has reportedly resulted in pan-India declaration of undisclosed income exceeding Rs 65,000 crore, implying a tax earning of Rs 30,000 crore.
<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu moved into his new office chamber on the first floor of Block-1 at Government’s Transitional Headquarters (GTH) in Velagapudi in the capital region on Wednesday, marking the near completion of the translocation of the state administration from Hyderabad to Amaravati.The Chief Minister now has four offices — two in Hyderabad, one in Vijayawada and the latest one in Amaravati — with the state government having spent over Rs 100 crore on them. Soon after becoming the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, following the bifurcation of the state in June 2014, Chandrababu used to function from Lake View Guest House in Hyderabad which was officially designated as the Chief Minister’s Camp Office. In October 2014, he moved into L-Block in the Secretariat after a plush office was readied.In June 2015, Chandrababu shifted base to Vijayawada after a new office building was constructed for him. On April 25, he symbolically occupied his chamber at GTH in Velagapudi, though the temporary Secretariat was still under construction.He formally stepped into Block-1 at GTH amid vedic chants this morning, but he can start working from there only towards the end of this month as nothing is ready yet. “As early as possible, probably by this month-end, I have to work from here (Velagapudi) only if everything is ready,” the Chief Minister said.After performing a puja, the Chief Minister signed a file, approving the release of Rs 2,500 crore to women self-help groups under a financial infusion scheme. He then addressed a press conference and subsequently, reviewed the progress of works related to development of Amaravati.The CMO Block at GTH is a highly-secured place and the building is said to be able to withstand even a rocket attack. The CMO is completely bullet-proof and has an intelligent lighting system that functions with the help of sensors for energy efficiency.Besides the cabinet meeting hall and a conference room, the State Command and Communications Centre is also on the first floor for the Chief Minister to monitor the development works taking place across the state through video links. The Chief Secretary’s chamber is also on the first floor while the General Administration Department which works under the Chief Minister is on the ground floor. The GTH is slowly coming to life with the Secretariat staff getting down to work after the initial hiccups, though some of the bureaucrats are yet to move in. Many IAS officers could not move to GTH yet because their chambers were not fully ready. Some ministers are also yet to occupy their offices there.It is expected that full-fledged functioning of the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat will begin from the end of this month, four months after the original June deadline.
<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>The Andhra Pradesh Secretariat began functioning from the interim government complex that came up at Amaravati on Monday, the state’s permanent capital city, with majority of the employees shifting there.Aiming to run the administration from within Andhra Pradesh’s geography, the state government had begun the process of shifting the Secretariat and other offices from its shared capital Hyderabad to Amaravati a few months ago. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for Amaravati, on the banks of river Krishna near Vijayawada, on the auspicious day of Vijaya Dasami last year.Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had started functioning from Vijayawada several months ago. Though Hyderabad is the shared capital city for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for 10 years as per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, Naidu decided that the government’s seat of power should be within the geography of the state.Accordingly, the state government started constructing an interim government complex (temporary secretariat) at Velagapudi village near Vijayawada. While many departments and employees have already shifted to the temporary secretariat, several others moved from Hyderabad on Sunday and Monday.The state government plans to keep only skeletal staff in Hyderabad to attend to court cases and to meet other purposes. The TDP government plans to develop a grand capital city of world class standards at Amaravati.
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said on Wednesday his government would work to make the state “100 per cent mosquito-free” in the next two years.
“It is possible. We have recently launched a war on mosquitoes. We have to work on this daily and in two years make AP mosquito-free,” the Chief Minister said, inaugurating the two-day conference of District Collectors on Wednesday.
Sri Lanka has achieved the distinction of being a mosquito-free nation and the World Health Organisation has also declared it so, he pointed out.
Representational image. AFP
Andhra Pradesh would also reach a milestone on 2 October when all 110 municipalities and another 1,000 villages would be declared open defecation-free (ODF).
“We will be the first state in the country where all municipalities are ODF. By the end of 2018, all the remaining villages should also be made ODF,” the Chief Minister said.
Chandrababu claimed that his government put in place a system to overcome drought in the Rayalaseema region.
“Use of rain guns and water sprinkler systems proved effective in tackling drought and saving crops in lakh of acres in Rayalaseema this year. Our ultimate objective is to make the state drought-free,” he said.
“But there is no way we can avoid cyclones or floods, which the state is prone to. For this, preparedness is required. We have to regularly conduct mock drills so that we can prevent damage to properties and lives during calamities,” the Chief Minister said.
Deputy Chief Ministers N China Rajappa (Home), K E Krishna Murthy (Revenue), Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, Chief Secretary Satya Prakash Tucker, Chief Commissioner of Land Administration Anil Chandra Punetha and other bureaucrats attended the conference.
<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>With heavy rains lashing Palnadu region of Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu conducted an aerial survey of the area for the second consecutive day on Sunday and promised all help from the state government. He flew over Gurazala, Macherla and other villages in the region inspecting the damaged crops and also the overflowing rivulets and streams. Naidu landed in Dachepalli and toured the villages in the area and interacted with the locals and promised full help from his government.The Chief Minister directed officials to ensure that all necessary relief like food and drinking water are provided to the rain-hit people. “Don’t be lax. Ensure proper distribution of relief. Even if one person complains that he did not receive any relief, I will act tough on the officers,” he warned.Standing crops, mostly paddy, chilli, and cotton, suffered extensive damage in over 41,000 hectares of Guntur district alone. “Full-scale enumeration of the losses will be completed soon and affected farmers will be compensated under the Pradhan Mantri Phasal Bima Yojana. The state government will also give input subsidy to farmers to raise alternative crops,” he said.Naidu directed the Roads and Buildings Department to invite short-term tenders and complete repair and restoration of damaged roads within 30 days. “You have to complete temporary repairs in three days and restore road transport,” he told the officials.Nine persons have so far died in rain-related incidents in the state – six in Guntur and three in Visakhapatnam. Train services on Guntur-Secunderabad section, remained disrupted in last four days. The rail tracks which were washed away at some places are likely to be revived by Monday.Meanwhile, 84,107 cusecs of water flowing into the KL Rao Sagar reservoir on Krishna river, upstream the Prakasam Barrage, is being discharged as the storage level remained steady at 30 tmc ft.At Prakasam Barrage, all 70 crest gates have been lifted to discharge 1,02,272 cusecs of water into the Bay of Bengal. Inflow into the barrage was recorded at 77,954 cusecs at 3 PM on Sunday. The flood water also gushed into the Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage on river Godavari at Dowlaiswaram near Rajamahendravaram.The SAC Barrage received 2,42,368 cusecs of water and all of it is being discharged into the Bay of Bengal.
<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>Copious rains due to formation of low pressure area in the Bay of Bengal paralysed normal life in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh and affecting train services on Guntur-Nadikudi section that provides a crucial link to Secunderabad. Several express and passenger trains between Guntur and Secunderabad had to be stopped at several places as flood waters flowed over railway tracks. The South Central Railway has set up helplines at various stations to provide updates on the situation.The affected trains include Falaknuma, Palnadu, Amaravati Express and Macherla-Bhimavaram Passenger. Rivulets in Guntur district are in spate, inundating housing colonies in Sattenapalli town and nearby villages. Revenue officials have made arrangements to provide drinking water and food packets to the affected people.Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao, who represents Sattenapalli, is monitoring the rescue and relief operations in there and put the revenue and police officials on alert to help the affected people. Most places in Guntur district like Nakarikallu, Sattenapalli, Narsaraopet, Muppalla, Medikonduru received 10 to 21 cm rainfall since yesterday.Transport services were disrupted in Sattenapalli, Narsaraopet and Pidiguralla. Many villages in the Palnadu region remained cut off as rivulets caused flooding and disrupted transport services. The APSRTC bus station in Machilipatnam was marooned following heavy rains, paralysing the services.Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu spoke to Collectors of the rain-hit districts and directed them to undertake all precautionary and relief measures. Krishna, Prakasam, East and West Godavari districts have also been receiving moderate to heavy rainfall under the influence of the low pressure area in Bay of Bengal. The MeT department forecast the situation is expected to continue till tomorrow.
<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>The tourism ministry is holding a first of its kind investors summit in Delhi to attract investments in over 700 projects from over 29 states. With a total value of over Rs 50,000 crore, the projects will be discussed with over 50 investors from countries such as China, Dubai, Hong Kong, Qatar and Singapore, etc.The summit will be inaugurated by finance minister Arun Jaitley in New Delhi on Wednesday, in the presence of tourism minister Mahesh Sharma, and Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu.”There are several projects that hold a lot of potential from all across the country, and the ministry will facilitate the proposals. State ministers will be given a hour to make these presentations in front of the investors,” said tourism secretary Vinod Zutshi.Some of the potential investors who will participate in the summit include JP Morgan Chase, Hyatt, Mc Donald’s, Mariott, Shinsei Bank, Carlson Rezidor Hotels, Goldman Sachs, etc. Yes Bank, KPMG, and Earnst & Young have been roped in as hospitality partners in the summit, which will be co-organised with the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).”In the last eight months, we have registered a tourist growth of over 10.2%, as opposed to the global average of 4.2%. While there was a growth of 15% in the inflow of foreign tourists, domestic tourism, too grew by 15%,” said Zutshi. “We have a shortage of over 2,00,000 hotel rooms annually, and we are focussing on hospitality to ensure that more budget hotels come up.”He added that the tourism ministry is in talks with the home ministry for smooth e-visas for sea ports, and that a project to develop a oceanic terminal on the lines of Terminal 3 is on the anvil.The secretary also revealed that another summit, India Global Travel Mart, on the lines of tourism summits like the annual World Travel Market held in London, will be announced soon. It is likely to happen in November. “In addition to that, the World Travel Market has announced India as a premier partner. This means that all publicity materials will encourage tourism to India,” said Zutshi.Some of the proposed projects include cruise tourism projects in Wokha in Nagaland and Sunderbans in West Bengal, ropeways in Nandi Hills in Karnataka and Loktak Lake in Manipur, medical tourism in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, wellness centre in Kapilavastu in Uttar Pradesh, adventure sports in Chikhaldara in Maharashtra.
Vijayawada: A weapons integration facility to manufacture Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), said to be the first-of-its-kind in the country in the private sector, will be set up in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh at a total cost of Rs 2,135 crore.
Representational image. Reuters
Wem Technologies Private Limited is partnering with Lockheed Martin, the largest defence equipment manufacturer in the US, to set up this facility, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said.
“We have decided to allot 350 acres of land for this facility spread over Vatluru and Bhogapuram villages near Eluru in West Godavari district. In the first phase, they will invest Rs 635 crore and provide employment to 650 persons. In all, 2510 jobs will be created when the facility becomes fully operational,” Chandrababu told a press conference here last night.
Wem currently has orders worth Rs 560 crore on hand, he said.
Other details about the project or its Indian promoters are awaited.
<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>Ten persons were killed and 19 others injured when their bus fell into a canal at Nayakangudem in Khammam district of Telangana in the wee hours on Monday, police said.Besides, three persons died in Andhra Pradesh when their car met with an accident in Chittoor district early this morning when they were returning from the Krishna Pushkaram festival, they said.The driver of the private bus was apparently driving the vehicle at a very high speed. He lost control over the wheels, as a result the bus on its way to Kakinada from Hyderabad, fell into the canal under Kusumanchi mandal, police said.Andhra Pradesh government announced an ex-gratia of Rs 3 lakh each to the kin of the 10 deceased.Some of the victims belonged to East Godavari and some were from West Godavari district of the AP.Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the accident and spoke to East Godavari district Collector Arun Kumar over phone to enquire about the incident.The 19 injured persons were admitted to the Government General Hospital for treatment, Kumar said.Meanwhile, three persons were killed in a separate road accident in the Chittoor district early this morning.The car they were travelling in rammed into a stationary lorry on the highway at Srimallavaram village, killing three persons belonging to Madanapalle.The victims were returning to their town after taking part in the Krishna Pushkaram.Naidu also spoke to Chittoor district Collector Siddharth Jain over phone and enquired about the incident, a communication from the CMO here said.
Hyderabad: At least 10 people were killed and 18 injured when a bus fell into a canal in Telangana‘s Khammam district early on Monday, police said.
The accident occurred near Nayakangudem when the bus lost control and fell off a bridge on Nagarjunasagar canal.
Representational image. AFP
The bus of a private travel company was on its way from Hyderabad to Kakinada in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.
According to the police, seven people were killed on the spot while three died in the hospital. All the injured were admitted to government-run hospital in Khammam.
The survivors told the police that the negligence by the driver led to the accident.
According to them, the driver was running the vehicle at a high speed and applied sudden brake on reaching the bridge. The bus overturned and fell into the canal.
There were 31 passengers aboard the bus which had left Hyderabad around 11.30 pm on Sunday.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu expressed shock over the accident.
Rao directed officials to ensure best possible treatment to the injured.
Andhra Pradesh government on Friday appointed senior IPS officer Anjana Sinha as the state-level officer to deal with crime against women. Sinha is an Additional Director General of Police-rank officer and an order regarding her appointment was issued here this evening.Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had first promised during his 2000 km foot march in 2012-13, in the aftermath of the Nirbhaya incident in New Delhi, to appoint an Inspector General of Police-rank officer exclusively for prevention of crime against women.<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>After assuming office as Chief Minister on June 8, 2014, he repeated his election-eve promise many a time at various meetings in the last two years.On International Women’s Day this year, Naidu made a statement in the Assembly on women empowerment and reiterated his Government’s intention to appoint an IG-rank officer at the state level and a Deputy Superintendent of Police-rank officer at the district level to deal with crime against women.Nearly three months after the Chief Minister’s statement in the House, Chief Secretary Satya Prakash Tucker issued an order appointing Sinha, a 1990-batch IPS officer, for the state-level job.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu is set to be elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh with the deadline for filing nominations for the biennial election ending on Tuesday. Prabhu today filed the nomination as a BJP nominee, supported by the NDA partner TDP. Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Y S Chowdary of TDP and former Andhra Pradesh minister and Chowdary’s fellow partyman T G Venkatesh, who too filed nomination papers at the AP Legislature here today, are also set to be elected to the Rajya Sabha. While Chowdary is seeking an election to the Upper House of Parliament for a second straight term, Venkatesh is going to make his maiden entry. Both are industrialists-turned-politicians. <!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>The candidates were accompanied by Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapati Raju; TDP General Secretary N Lokesh, son of party supremo and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu; and AP BJP president K Haribabu as they filed the papers. The election, slated for June 11, is being held to fill four vacancies from AP. With a combined strength of 108 in the 176-member AP Assembly, the ruling TDP-BJP can comfortably bag three seats. The opposition YSR Congress has fielded its leader Vijaysai Reddy as its nominee for the sole seat it can win. His wife, Sunanda Reddy, also filed her nomination as a dummy candidate. She will later withdraw it, YSRCP MLC U Venkateswarlu said.
Vijayawada (AP): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said on Monday that the opposition parties were creating hurdles as they were “jealous” of progress of the state under the TDP rule.
“Under the TDP rule, Andhra Pradesh is making progress more than other states. With the vision to move ahead with investor-friendly policies, the state is attracting huge investments for industrial advancement and to provide better employment opportunities,” Naidu told TDP workers while interacting with them via video-conferencing from here.
According to a release by the Information and Public Relations Department, Naidu told his party men that the state government successfully conducted CII summit, where MoUs for investment of about Rs 4.71 lakh crore.
A file photo of Chandrababu Naidu. AFP
The state government also convinced many multinational firms at the recently-held World Economic Forum at Davos to set up their units in the state, Naidu was quoted as telling the party men.
“But all such efforts by the state created jealousy in the minds of opposition leaders and hence they create disturbances to pose difficulties in the path of development,” he said.
The Chief Minister asked his party men to explain to the people the facts on both the success of the government in many fields and the role of opposition in disrupting development initiatives.
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said he repented not having shifted his base to the state’s new capital region Amaravati immediately after taking charge in June 2014.
For a year since assuming office, Naidu operated from Hyderabad, the joint capital of AP and Telangana, and moved base to Vijayawada last June after a temporary office building was constructed.
Amaravati was chosen as the new capital in September 2014.
Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu. AP
“I should have shifted to Vijayawada straightaway and started working from under the trees or tents. Had I moved here then itself, everyone would have followed. I am repenting now,” Naidu said.
His remark came to a question at a press conference on the shifting of government departments from Hyderabad to Amaravati by mid-June.
“It is bound to happen … may be in the third or fourth week [of June]. But, there is a suggestion that we move all departments and other offices in one grand (move), not in a phased manner as planned. We are looking into it,” he said.
“My main concern is about the academic year. We can’t afford losing one more year if employees don’t shift from Hyderabad in June. I am discussing this with all concerned and will take a call,” the Chief Minister added.
Referring to the apprehensions raised by employees over lack of proper facilities at Velagapudi where the state government transitional headquarters is coming up, he said some problems were bound to be there initially.
The state government is constructing the transitional headquarters at Velagapudi village in the capital region Amaravati and has set June 15 as deadline for completion of the structures.
The government’s plan is to shift the departments in the Secretariat in the first month followed by other offices in a phased manner.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said he “repented” not having shifted his base to the state’s new capital region Amaravati immediately after taking charge in June 2014.For a year since assuming office, Naidu operated from Hyderabad, the joint capital of AP and Telangana, and moved base to Vijayawada last June after a temporary office building was constructed there.<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>Amaravati was chosen as the new capital in September 2014.”I should have shifted to Vijayawada straightaway and started working from under the trees or tents. Had I moved here then itself, everyone would have followed. I am repenting now,” Naidu said. His remark came to a question at a press conference on the shifting of government departments from Hyderabad to Amaravati by mid-June.”It is bound to happen … may be in the third or fourth week (of June). But, there is a suggestion that we move all departments and other offices in one grand (move), not in a phased manner as planned. We are looking into it,” he said.”My main concern is about the academic year. We can’t afford losing one more year if employees don’t shift from Hyderabad in June. I am discussing this with all concerned and will take a call,” the Chief Minister added.Referring to the apprehensions raised by employees over lack of proper facilities at Velagapudi where the state government transitional headquarters is coming up, he said some problems were bound to be there initially.
Every time there’s news about a cyclone, it — more often than not — is expected to hit Andhra Pradesh.
This isn’t a figment of your imagination.
A report in The Hindu talks about how, since the Diviseema cyclone in 1975, the state has faced more than 60 of them, including moderate and violent ones. The 1975 one in particular was the most devastating: 10,000 were killed, a million houses and 1.35 million hectares damaged with the total loss estimated to be around Rs 172 crore.
Representational image. Reuters
Now, a deep depression over west-central Bay of Bengal that intensified into cyclonic storm Roanu will most likely hit parts of Odisha and further move north-northeastwards along and off Andhra Pradesh coast on Friday.
Heavy rains have already been lashing different parts of Andhra Pradesh: SPS Nellore, Prakasam and Guntur districts witnessed heavy rainfall on Wednesday, Krishna, East Godavari and Visakhapatnam have been receiving heavy rains Thursday.
According to Skymetweather.com, Roanu, which continues to gain strength, has already hit the southern coastal districts of AP: Machilipatnam recorded heavy showers of 68 mm till early Friday morning.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to take steps to ensure that normal life was not affected. “Open relief camps wherever required. Evacuate people living in vulnerable areas to safety. Keep adequate stocks of food and other essential items ready to meet any eventuality,” he told Chief Secretary Satya Prakash Tucker and collectors of various districts during a teleconference with top officials to review the situation.
He also asked the officials to closely observe the movement of Roanu and assess its impact, to clear all “uprooted trees and electric poles”, and that the NDRF, State Disaster Response and fire service personnel should focus on rescue operations.
The Cyclone Warning Centre (CWC) has also asked the fishermen not to venture into the sea along and off the Andhra coast, reported News18. It also included a statement from the CWC: “Gales with speed reaching 90 to 100 km/ph gusting at 110 km/ph are very likely to prevail and strong surface winds from a westerly direction with speed reaching 60 to 70 km/ph are also likely along and off south coastal AP”.
Cyclonic storm Roanu. Image courtesy IMD
The same Roanu is expected to cause damage to thatched huts, minor damage to power, communication lines and pucca roads and major damage to kutcha roads, over coastal Odisha.
Currently, the cyclone which is centred at around 85 km south-to-southeast of Machilipatnam and around 290 km south-to-southwest of Visakhapatnam, is moving at a pace of 15 km ph.
This heavy rainfall prediction comes at a time when heatwave continues to wreck havoc across North India, with the temperature hitting 47 degree Celsius in some parts of the NCR on Wednesday. The IMD even had to declare an ‘Orange Alert’, asking people to take precautions against the heat wave.
It is number 15 in the ‘defection’ order as Srisailam MLA Budda Rajasekhar Reddy crossed over to the Telugu Desam (TDP) from YSR Congress.At the “auspicious” time of 9.05 AM, Rajasekhar met TDP supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at the latter’s riverfront residence and got the yellow scarf adorned, marking his admission into the ruling party.<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>Rajasekhar was also the Kurnool district unit president of YSRC. He is the fourth MLA of YSRC from Kurnool district to defect to the TDP. In fact, the defection of legislators from the lone opposition party to the ruling party started with two MLAs from Kurnool district on February 22. Now, four MLAs in all have crossed over to the TDP, reducing the YSRC strength in the district to seven.Kurnool district had been one of the bastions of the YSRC but now it appears to be crumbling.
Secretarial staff who move from Hyderabad to Vijayawada are being promised huge benefits by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. He has announced that in the new capital of Amaravati, the government will construct 5000 houses for employees. He has also approved their demand for a five-day week and 30% additional HRA. Landowners who give their land for the construction of the capital city will also get benefits, reported the Deccan Chronicle. <!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>The AP government has also accepted the demand of metta landowners for 50 square yards of land as additional allotment, stated the report. Chandrababu Naidu was taking part in the housewarming ceremony of the temporary secretariat. At the function, he reportedly said that the government is set to provide all the necessary facilities for those who want to work from the new capital. He would look after them like a family member, he said. Chandrababu Naidu also added that all those who take part in the governance of AP from Amaravati should see themselves as shareholders. Employees had requested that they commute from Hyderabad to Vijayawada for some time and he had granted the request. He added that issues like education were there, so they would need to resolve those. The AP CM has stated that he wants to build a world-class capital soon so that it gives strength to the Telugu people, reported the daily.
57 years of distinguished service later, first as HMS Hermes in the Royal British Navy and with the Indian Navy since 1987, the warhorse INS Viraat is staring at an undignified end of its life cycle.Now, already due for decommissioning, the aircraft carrier with a glorious history, including participation in the Falkland war of 1982, has no takers. It faces similar fate as the 1971 war hero INS Vikrant, which was reduced to a heap of scrap in 2014, after preserved as a museum in Mumbai from 1997 and 2012.<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>Last year, in August, the Navy, keen to see Viraat converted into a tourist attraction like a museum, had shared its concern with the ministry of defence (MoD). MoD, in turn, wrote to nine maritime state governments – West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat – asking them if they would be interested in taking the custody of the decommissioned ship.Although some of them showed interest, none came up with a feasible model to maintain the decommissioned warship, which involves huge costs, a senior MoD functionary told dna.Notably, the Andhra Pradesh government took over the submarine INS Kursura, after its decommissioning in 2001, and converted it to a museum. It’s now a major tourist attraction in Visakhapatnam.Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, in fact, wrote a letter to defence minister Manohar Parrikar last year showing its interest in Viraat. However, after that, Andhra government has not given any model to take the possession, said the functionary, adding that fresh letters in this regard will go out to the chief secretaries of the nine maritime states from the defence secretary’s office.Sources said that the Navy is keen to preserve the rich legacy of Viraat but has little resources, both monetary and human, to dispense with for a ship not in use, and would rather prefer to divert them to new and existing ships.INS Viraat, one of the two aircraft carriers with the Navy (the other being INS Vikramaditya), has a combined strength of about 1,500 officers and sailors, including the aviation crew. It participated in the multi-nation International Fleet Review in February as her last operational deployment. Her full complement includes six Sea Harrier fighter jets, six Sea King anti-submarine warfare helicopters and four Chetak helicopters.”Viraat has to go for the final dry docking at Cochin before decommissioning. We are looking to find takers for it before we let it retire,” said a senior Naval officer.Caption: Aerial shot of Viraat, with its full complement, sailing for International Fleet Review in February, 2015 (file pic)
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu launched the year-long celebrations of the 125th birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar in Vijayawada on Thursday by paying glowing tributes to the architect of the Indian Constitution.
At Jakkampudi village on the outskirts of Vijayawada, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for the NTR Housing Scheme for weaker sections under which six lakh two-bedroom houses would be built across the state at a cost of Rs 16,000 crore.
Under the scheme, two lakh houses each would be built in rural and urban areas of the state while 1.5 lakh houses would be built under the NTR house renovation scheme.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. AFP
Another 50,000 houses would be built under other schemes.
During its ten-year rule from 2004, the Congress government sanctioned Rs 42,000 crore for the weaker sections housing but spent only Rs 12,000 crore, he said.
“Those houses built by the Congress are unfit to live in. Congress leaders only swindled money in the name of houses,” the Chief Minister said, addressing a meeting.
Later, the Chief Minister garlanded the statue of Ambedkar at Tummalapalli Kalakshetram here and offered floral tributes.
Addressing a state function at A-Convention Centre here, marking the launch of the year-long celebrations of Ambedkar’s birth anniversary, Chandrababu described Ambedkar as the father of Indian Constitution.
“Born in an ordinary family, Ambedkar rose to great heights. The Constitution he wrote has become the holy book for all Indians,” he said.
The government would build a 125-ft tall statue of Ambedkar at Amaravati, the state’s new capital, which would be unique.
“It will be one of the best statues in the country and one that will stand as an inspiration for everyone. We will celebrate his 125th birth anniversary for a year so that Ambedkar’s life and message will become a guiding spirit for all,” the Chief Minister said.
Ambedkar Smriti Vanam would also be developed on a 15-acre site at Amaravati that would house a library, Buddhist Dhyana Kendram and convention centre, all at a cost of Rs 210 crore.
He administered a pledge on the occasion that everyone would follow the ideals of Ambedkar and strive to build a society free of inequalities.
Ministers, MPs, MLAs and other leaders attended the events.
Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday said his government was committed to the welfare of Backward Classes (BCs) in the state and has taken up several programmes for their benefit.
The TDP-BJP government has allocated a hefty sum of Rs 8,832 crore in the current fiscal to take up welfare programmes for the uplift of BCs, he said in Visakhapatnam.
This shows the government’s commitment for the wellbeing of deprived sections of society, the Chief Minister maintained.
A file photo of Chandrababu Naidu. PTI
He was speaking at a function organised by the state government to celebrate legendary social reformer Jyotiba Phule’s 190th birth anniversary.
Naidu said the state was establishing constituency-wise industrial clusters to help the youth from BCs become entrepreneurs. At present, the State has 175 Assembly constituencies and the number will go up to 225 in future.
He stated the Government has allocated 100 acres in the heart of Visakhapatnam to build a ‘health city’.
Naidu said he had urged Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya to enhance the number of beds in the proposed super-speciality ESI Hospital in the city from 300 to 500, and the latter has agreed to do so.
He said the Centre has decided to establishment ESI hospitals in Vizianagaram district and Kakinada in East Godavari district.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said the Centre has launched a health insurance Scheme for the poor in the country.
Amaravati is set to be the new capital of Andhra Pradesh and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has announced some new plans. He has already said that he wants to develop the capital as a tourist attraction due to its connection to Buddhism. Now he wants to build a 125-foot statue of BR Ambedkar to mark the 125th birth anniversary of the renowned leader and thinker.A report in The New Indian Express states that on Tuesday, Naidu spoke about this in the assembly and also announced year-long celebrations to mark Ambedkar’s 125th birth anniversary. He was quoted as saying, “We’re planning to develop the memorial as a garden which will have a convention centre and a Buddhist meditation hall. We are also planning to set up a museum and a library to make people aware about the great leader’s teachings.” The museum will depict the life and teachings of Ambedkar and the statue would come up on a 15-acre site.<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>He also reportedly added, “We want to develop Amaravati as a tourist attraction for Buddhists from across the globe. BR Ambedkar’s proposed statue and memorial park would further add glory to the capital city. We are planning to organise an Ambedkar Ideology Run, Ambedkar Sports Meet and other programmes for the entire year. We will translate all the works of Ambedkar into Telugu language. The Chief Minister also stated that the state will hold an ‘anti-discrimination week’ and host an international Buddhist convention.Additionally, Naidu has announced that the state government will lay the foundation stone for 6 lakh houses for poor people on April 14. This was in keeping with the teachings of Ambedkar and NT Rama Rao’s efforts to uplift the poor.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday launched the first phase of Fiber Grid project to provide broadband connectivity at cheap rate.Andhra Pradesh government signed an MoU with Cisco company as part of the inauguration of India’s first statewide broadband project ‘AP Fiber-Net’ here.Naidu said that digital transformation was the most transformative means to ignite sustainable growth and improve society. His government’s aim was to provide internet connection to all households in the state as part of Digital India campaign, he said.<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>Under the project, internet connections would be provided at cheap rate in districts of Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram by April. It will cover the rest of the state by end of July this year.Under the project, 15 Mbps broadband connection will be provided at Rs 149 per month to households and 100 Mbps connection for offices at Rs 999 per month.Electrical poles will be used to lay overhead fiber net cable instead of underground cable to save on the cost.Executive chairman of Cisco John T Chambers said Cisco will set up an Internet of Everything (IoE) Innovation Centre in Visakhapatnam to foster regional innovation and will enable partners and startups to build solutions around IoE and engage in rapid prototyping.
The strength of Opposition TDP in Telangana Assembly has been reduced from 15 to just three, with 12 party MLAs, who switched loyalty to TRS, being recognised as members of the ruling party in the House. A bulletin to this effect has been issued, official sources said. “They are now treated as members of TRS,” the sources said.Out of the 15 MLAs who won on TDP ticket in the 2014 Assembly elections, 12 have switched over to TRS since then.<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>The Chandrababu Naidu-led party, which is ruling adjoining Andhra Pradesh, is now left with just three MLAs — A Revanth Reddy, Sandra Venkata Veeraiah and R Krishnaiah.Ten TDP MLAs, who had switched loyalty to TRS, urged the Assembly Speaker last month to merge them with the ruling party.Two more — M Gopinath and Arikapudi Gandhi — have joined them in the last few days. Yesterday, TDP suspended the duo for violating party discipline and principles.The Budget session of Telangana Assembly began yesterday.
Telugu actor and TDP legislator Nandamuri Balakrishna has expressed regrets over his alleged “objectionable” remarks on women at a movie function here recently.ICC World Twenty20 2016: Afghanistan vs Scotland, Group B 2nd T20 Match Live Cricket Scores & Ball by Ball commentaryThe Hindupur MLA, also brother-in-law of AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, is under fire from various political parties and women organisations for his alleged objectionable remarks on women.””Balakrishna regrets over his remarks and apologises if they hurt the feelings of any section. He made those remarks as part of fun (during the movie function) and did not aim at anyone. He also said that he inherited the culture of respecting women from his father NT Rama Rao,” a statement from Telugu Desam Party issued here said.<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>A police complaint was lodged against the MLA by a section of lawyers for allegedly passing “vulgar” comments against women at a movie audio release function.”We have received a complaint against Balakrishna alleging that he made some vulgar comments against women at an audio release function for a movie held three days ago. We are seeking legal opinion on the issue,” Saroornagar police inspector S Lingaiah said yesterday.Meanwhile, Opposition YSR Congress party has demanded an apology from the CM and Balakrishna on the issue.
A police complaint was lodged against noted Telugu actor and MLA N Balakrishna by a section of lawyers today for allegedly passing ‘vulgar’ comments against women at a movie function, police said.Balakrishna, a TDP MLA from Hindupur constituency in Andhra Pradesh, is the brother-in-law of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.”We have received a complaint against Nandamuri Balakrishna alleging that he made some vulgar comments against women at an audio release function for a movie held three days ago. We are seeking legal opinion on the issue,” Saroornagar police inspector S Lingaiah told PTI.<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>Wading into the issue, YSR Congress MLA RK Roja today demanded an apology from the CM and Balakrishna on the issue. “While the top leadership itself has been pursuing anti-woman policies it percolates down the line resulting in the harassment of women at various levels and such government should apologise to the women community,” Roja told reporters on the eve of International Women’s Day.
BJP president Amit Shah on Sunday snubbed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for “faulting” the Centre over “meagre” financial allocations to the state even as he sought his cooperation in development of AP in next five years “like never before”.”Some people have launched a misinformation campaign that the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre did not render any financial assistance to Andhra Pradesh. “Since Narendra Modi became Prime Minister, the Centre had sanctioned schemes worth Rs 1.40 lakh crore to AP. If someone thinks funds will be given in one go, they are only misleading the people,” the BJP chief said without taking any name. Shah addressed a huge public meeting organised by the BJP’s state unit in the Arts College grounds here this evening.<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>The meeting was organised in a bid to counter the campaign against the Narendra Modi government over financial assistance to AP in the backdrop of apparent strain in the relationship between the BJP and the TDP.”If I start reading out the list, I will not be talking about any other thing for a week. The list is that long,” Shah remarked, referring to the Rs 1.40 lakh crore financial package the Centre granted the state since June 2014.On the occasion, the BJP president mentioned certain important allocations to AP like Rs 65,000 crore for development of national highways and other major roads in the state.He also mentioned allocation of Rs 22,000 crore for an industrial park, Rs 3650 crore for setting up a Naval Air Station in Vizianagaram, Rs 3266 crore for a missile manufacturing unit, Rs 3000 crore for a Kribhco fertiliser plant, Rs 1500 crore for inland waterways, 1.93 lakh houses under the ‘Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana’ and various national educational institutes like IIT, IIM, AIIMS, etc.”AP has been chosen as the first state to implement the pilot project for 24×7 electricity supply. By 2019, all villages in the state will get three-phase quality power supply,” Shah added. Terming the Polavaram multi-purpose irrigation project as the “lifeline of AP”, Shah said the Central government will do everything to complete it.”Polavaram would have become impossible had the Centre not amended the Act and transferred seven mandals from Telangana to AP, post-bifurcation. Amending the Act was the first thing Narendra Modi (did) because of which Polavaram has become possible. It was, in fact, the NDA government that declared Polavaram as a national project,” Shah said.Stating that Centre is conscious of the issues like Polavaram and setting up of a new railway zone at Visakhapatnam, the BJP chief assured Chandrababu that everything would be taken care of. “You are our partner (in NDA). Let us work together and develop AP in five years like it never happened before,” Shah told Chandrababu.Challenging the Congress to list out what it did for AP in the last 60 years, the BJP chief said the grand old party only forced the state chief ministers to “carry footwear and touch the feet” (of high command leaders). “The Congress has only insulted Andhra Pradesh. It was then that late N T Rama Rao launched the Telugu Desam Party to protect the Telugu self-respect,” Shah said evoking applause from the crowd.”I assure and promise you that as long as Narendra Modi government is in power, AP’s prestige will only increase.Nobody will be able to demean it,” he said. The BJP chief exhorted his rank and file to ensure their flag flew high in this part of the country.”They say we are just a north (Indian) party. But AP proves we are strong even in this part of the country. We should emerge stronger in all southern states. Our flag should fly high in all directions and only then we will realise the dream of Congress-mukt Bharat,” Shah said, adding that the BJP which was born with just 11 members, now is a 11 crore-strong force.Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, state health minister Kamineni Srinivas, BJP national secretary Siddharth Nath Singh, AP unit president and MP Kambhampati Hari Babu, MP Gokaraju Ganga Raju and other leaders attended.
A Muslim man from Chennai has donated a refrigerator truck to famous Tirupati temple for transporting vegetables.The vehicle, worth Rs 35 lakh, was on Monday flagged off by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in Vijaywada.The truck, with eight tonne capacity, was donated by one Abdul Gani, and will be used for transporting vegetables to the shrine for its “Nitya Annadan (food donation)” scheme.The vegetables for the scheme have been donated by one Mandava Kutumba Rao and his family members since 2007.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has announced a compensation of Rs five lakh to the kin of Sepoy Mustaq Ahmed, who was among the 10 Army personnel who were killed in a massive avalanche while posted in Siachen.Mustaq hails from Parnepallu village in Kurnool district and is survived by wife and son. The Chief Minister has announced Rs five lakh compensation to his family of Sepoy Mustaq Ahmed, an official release said on Saturday. <!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>In his condolence message, Naidu described Mustaq as a “great patriot and soldier who sacrificed his life for the nation”. Mustaq and nine others, died after getting buried under a mass of snow after being hit by an avalanche on February 3 at a high-altitude post on Siachen Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir.
A day after its floor leader in Legislative Assembly quit the party, TDP in Telangana on Thursday suffered a fresh setback with another party MLA announcing his decision to resign.Rajender Reddy, TDP legislator from Narayan Peth in Mahabubnagar district, said he decided to quit the party in the interest of his constituency’s development. The MLA regretted he could not do much for his Assembly segment’s development in the last 20 months.<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>Reddy said he would hold talks with TRS President and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao after he returns here from Delhi. Reddy, speaking at a TDP meeting presided over by party boss and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu earlier in the day, expressed anguish over the outfit’s affairs in Telangana in the wake of electoral defeats and desertions from its ranks.Also read: Trouble for TDP in Telangana; founding member joins TRSOn Wednesday, TDP floor leader in Telangana Assembly E Dayakar Rao and another MLA Prakash Goud joined the ruling TRS. If Reddy also joins TRS, the number of TDP MLAs who have switched over to the ruling party since 2014 would rise to 10. The Naidu-led outfit had won 15 seats in the 2014 Assembly elections.
The stage is set for polling in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections on Tuesday that witnessed a high-voltage campaign among the ruling TRS, opposition Congress, TDP-BJP combine and the MIM.About 74 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in about 7,000 polling stations from 7 AM to 5 PM on Tuesday. Elaborate security arrangements have been made by police to ensure a free and fair poll. The counting of votes would be taken up on February 5.<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>The electioneering for the GHMC resembled a Legislative Assembly poll with senior leaders from all major parties hitting the streets months before the polling.Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, M Venkaiah Naidu, Radha Mohan Singh, Prakash Javadekar and Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, Bandaru Dattatreya were among those who campaigned for the candidates of the BJP-TDP alliance.TDP President and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who takes credit for turning the city into an IT hub, canvassed for the candidates of the alliance for two days. AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh and the Telangana Congress leaders took part in the campaign for the party.Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, his son and state IT and Panchayat Raj Minister K T Rama Rao undertook a vigorous campaign to wrest the civic body in the metropolis. MIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi was the star campaigner for the party.As many as 24 Assembly segments come under the GHMC limits. The GHMC elections assumed importance in view of the size and nature of the city.
It was a dark day for Andhra Pradesh on Monday, the second day of the Kapu reservation agitation that was kicked off at Tuni on Sunday.
The situation in Andhra, already reeling under the agitation, took a volatile turn when a person belonging to Kapu community committed suicide at the office of the District Collector at Kakinada on Monday.
According to the police, a 45-year-old man Ramana Murthy alias Ramu came to the Collector’s office to participate in ‘prajavani’ program where public can represent their grievances to the officials. Ramu, who belongs to Suryanarayanapuram in Kakinada, carried a suicide note in the pocket of his trousers.
Representational image. PTI
The letter had a message that justice must be done to Kapu community. Suryanarayana, who hanged himself to a TV dish on the premises of the Collectorate, mentioned in his note that he had waited for long thinking that movie actor Pawan Kalyan would do something for the Kapu community. “But, what remained was my eternal waiting,” he said in his note. Though Pawan Kalyan had claimed that his was a “questioning party”, it turned out to be a party that was “out of question”.
He hoped that “Kapu Garjana” (call given by Mudragada Padmanabham) would fight for justice to the community. He was working as a diesel mechanic in Kakinada dairy farm.
Padmnabham, YSR Congress MLA Jyothula Nehru and TDP legislator B Umamamheswara Rao called on the victim’s family and promised all help.
Interestingly, Pawan Kalyan, who had toed the line of the TDP and threw his weight behind the party in the 2014 elections, made a tongue-in-cheek statement on Monday saying that justice should be done to Kapus without prejudice to the existing Backward Classes. Though he said that anti-social elements and miscreants entered the agitation and torched the train, he was not ready to hold anybody responsible for the same. He, on the other hand, advised the leaders of the protest not to let the agitation slip out of their control and appealed to them to maintain restraint, instead of provoking tempers.
Meanwhile, former Union Minister and Congress member in the Rajya Sabha megastar K Chiranjeevi addressed an open letter to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in which he expressed his dismay over Naidu’s attempt to blame the Opposition for the violence in the agitation. He alleged that there was no transparency in the administration in the State in the last 20 months under Naidu. He wanted a resolution to be adopted in the Assembly urging the Centre to include Kapus among BCs and forward the same to the Centre.
Leader of the Opposition in AP Assembly YS Jaganmohan Reddy launched fiorewroks on Chandrababu Naidu. He sought to know if Naidu was committed to providing reservations to Kapus at all. “The Government can enhance the quota to 69 per cent on the lines of Tamil Nadu and implement them the same way,” he said. Reddy derided the government for “attempting to shift the blame” on to the Opposition parties.
Towards the end of the day, Naidu held a long press conference and once again held the YSR Congress responsible for the violent incidents. He alleged that “miscreants” from Pulivendula, the Assembly constituency being represented by Jagan, were sent to aggravate the situation in Tuni, where the train was torched in which all of its 24 coaches were gutted.
Naidu said that he wanted to ensure reservations to Kapus by insulating the same from legal wrangles. The Chief Minister said he would order an inquiry into the violent incidents at Tuni and bring all the culprits to book. Interestingly, Naidu had no new points to add, but tried to defend the position of the Government. He sought to highlight that the Opposition was hell-bent on projecting the Government in a poor light and the State as reeling under severe law and order problems, just on the eve of International Fleet Review at Visakhapatnam (slated for February 4) in which 50 countries are taking part.
At least 15 policemen are injured in violent protests by a lower caste community demanding better access to jobs and education in southern India’s Andhra Pradesh state.
Visakhapatnam: Large-scale violence broke out in Andhra Pradesh’s Tuni town on Sunday as protesters demanding reservation for Kapu caste set afire a train, two police stations and many vehicles, police said.
Kapu leader M Padmanabham on Sunday night announced that he was withdrawing the protest.
The mobs went on a rampage in the town — about 100 km from Visakhapatnam — in East Godavari district and sat on rail tracks and the national highway, bringing to a halt the movement of trains and vehicles between Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.
Agitators belonging to the Kapu caste set fire to Ratnachal Express when it halted at Tuni railway station in East Godavari district on Sunday afternoon. PTI
The protesters set afire rural and urban police stations and 25 vehicles. Fifteen police personnel, including two officers, and four railway employees were injured in the attacks by protesters.
All trains between Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam and vehicular traffic on the Chennai-Kolkata national highway came to a halt as thousands of protesters squatted on the tracks and the highway.
Padmanabham on Sunday night announced that he was withdrawing the protest, but gave an ultimatum to the state government to issue orders by Monday evening to include Kapus in the list of backward classes. He threatened to launch a ‘fast-unto-death’.
The violence broke out around 3 pm during a massive public meeting organised by the Kapu State Committee at Tuni.
Kapu leaders declared that they will not leave the rail tracks and highways till the government issues an order to meet their demand.
Soon the protesters marched towards the tracks and stopped the Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada Ratnachal Express near Tuni railway station.
They attacked the engine and set afire bogies after ordering passengers to get down.
A railway official said no one was injured in the incident but the passengers including women and children ran in panic.
The protesters later attacked the Tuni railway station and ransacked the furniture. Four railway employees were injured.
Railways cancelled 14 trains between Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam and partially cancelled several others. Many trains were also diverted.
With the situation going out of control, additional forces were rushed to the region. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu termed the violence “pre-planned”.
He said the government was committed to include Kapus in the backward classes list but the orders can be issued after a detailed study.
Naidu said some political parties were instigating people for their narrow interests. He appealed to people to maintain peace.
Trouble began soon after Padmanabham announced at the public meeting that they will not tolerate any further delay.
“We will not move from highways and tracks till the government issues an order,” he said amid loud cheers from tens of thousands who had gathered from different parts of the state.
The Kapu leaders were angry with the ruling TDP for not implementing its poll promise to include Kapus in the backward classes list.
Visakhapatnam: Large-scale violence broke out in Andhra Pradesh’s Tuni town on Sunday as protesters demanding reservation for Kapu caste set afire a train, two police stations and many vehicles, police said.
Kapu leader M Padmanabham on Sunday night announced that he was withdrawing the protest.
The mobs went on a rampage in the town — about 100 km from Visakhapatnam — in East Godavari district and sat on rail tracks and the national highway, bringing to a halt the movement of trains and vehicles between Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.
Agitators belonging to the Kapu caste set fire to Ratnachal Express when it halted at Tuni railway station in East Godavari district on Sunday afternoon. PTI
The protesters set afire rural and urban police stations and 25 vehicles. Fifteen police personnel, including two officers, and four railway employees were injured in the attacks by protesters.
All trains between Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam and vehicular traffic on the Chennai-Kolkata national highway came to a halt as thousands of protesters squatted on the tracks and the highway.
Padmanabham on Sunday night announced that he was withdrawing the protest, but gave an ultimatum to the state government to issue orders by Monday evening to include Kapus in the list of backward classes. He threatened to launch a ‘fast-unto-death’.
The violence broke out around 3 pm during a massive public meeting organised by the Kapu State Committee at Tuni.
Kapu leaders declared that they will not leave the rail tracks and highways till the government issues an order to meet their demand.
Soon the protesters marched towards the tracks and stopped the Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada Ratnachal Express near Tuni railway station.
They attacked the engine and set afire bogies after ordering passengers to get down.
A railway official said no one was injured in the incident but the passengers including women and children ran in panic.
The protesters later attacked the Tuni railway station and ransacked the furniture. Four railway employees were injured.
Railways cancelled 14 trains between Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam and partially cancelled several others. Many trains were also diverted.
With the situation going out of control, additional forces were rushed to the region. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu termed the violence “pre-planned”.
He said the government was committed to include Kapus in the backward classes list but the orders can be issued after a detailed study.
Naidu said some political parties were instigating people for their narrow interests. He appealed to people to maintain peace.
Trouble began soon after Padmanabham announced at the public meeting that they will not tolerate any further delay.
“We will not move from highways and tracks till the government issues an order,” he said amid loud cheers from tens of thousands who had gathered from different parts of the state.
The Kapu leaders were angry with the ruling TDP for not implementing its poll promise to include Kapus in the backward classes list.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is wooing American aerospace and defence technologies major Lockheed Martin to Andhra Pradesh. According to a report in The New Indian Express, the Andhra Pradesh CM is trying to convince Lockheed Martin and Airbus to set up shop in his state. At the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Chandrababu Naidu had a meeting with Marillyn Hewson, CEO of Lockheed Martin, an American global aerospace, defence, security and advanced technologies company. He reportedly invited the company to invest in the Sunrise State. It looks like Hewson told the AP CM that they were looking to shift some of their manufacturing facility to India and were looking for an ideal location. <!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>The daily also states that post this meeting, Chandrababu Naidu met with Fabrice Bregier, CEO of Airbus (a division of the Airbus Group which manufactures civil aircraft). Bregier reportedly told Naidu that he would be coming to Andhra Pradesh to explore whether they could make investments in the state. Naidu informed the CEO that India’s first satellite-launching station was located in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh and they were trying to create an ecosystem for the space and defence industry at Anantapur as it was close to Bengaluru.
