Monthly Archives: March 2019

Nat’l conference on improving cashew cultivation begins

Agriculture, Business & Economy

Horticulture commissioner Chiranjiv Choudhary said that his department was taking steps to improve the cultivation of cashew and value-added products of the fruit.

Vijayawada :

Horticulture commissioner Chiranjiv Choudhary said that his department was taking steps to improve the cultivation of cashew and value-added products of the fruit. After inaugurating a two-day national conference on improving cashew cultivation in the State, the Commissioner said that the byproducts of cashew have a huge market. “Oil extracted from cashews has a large market.

That is why the government is working on increasing the production of a variety of cashews using latest techniques,” he said. He added that cultivating the fruit would help double the income of farmers as it had a very high demand in the market.

The Commissioner noted that over 250 delegates from 17 States from across the country were participating in the conference. “A report would be submitted to us on the deliberations made in the conference on the latest techniques for improving cashew cultivation,” he added.

He further explained the initiatives taken up by the State government to promote horticulture in Andhra Pradesh. “Over the last three to four years, production of horticulture crops has increased manifold, especially in Rayalaseema region. This has helped in boosting the farmers’ income,” Chiranjiv Choudhary said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Vijayawada / by Express News Service / February 23rd, 2019

Alumni walk through familiar corridors as college turns 50

Education, Leaders, Records, All
A view of the Sri Govindaraja Swamy (SGS) Arts College in Tirupati
A view of the Sri Govindaraja Swamy (SGS) Arts College in Tirupati

Association to come out with database of graduates soon

What do A.P. Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) Chairman V. Jayarami Reddy, litterateur ‘Sahasravadhani’ Medasani Mohan, former Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, Progressive Writers Association president Sakam Nagaraja and bureaucrat K. Dhananjaya Reddy have in common? They graduated from the Sri Govindaraja Swamy (SGS) Arts College here.

As the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD)-run institute entered its golden jubilee year on Wednesday, its old students went down the memory lane by recalling the “golden moments” of their lives.

After opening arts colleges for men and women in the name of Sri Venkateswara and Sri Padmavathi respectively, the TTD opened another arts college to cater to a growing demand for higher education in Tirupati. Besides students from the Rayalaseema districts, many from Nellore, Prakasam and Guntur districts have studied at the college, known for its value-based education.

Many alumni at the golden jubilee event took selfies with their old classmates, related anecdotes to one another and walked with a heavy air of nostalgia through the institution’s corridors and rooms.

“The values ingrained in the curriculum made us what we are today,” says Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State general secretary G. Bhanuprakash Reddy, an alumnus. “Compared to corporate colleges, TTD institutions have better infrastructure, faculty members and foster spaces to encourage creativity among students,” says TTD Public Relations Officer T. Ravi, an alumnus.

Meanwhile, the alumni association of the institution has begun collecting details of its alumni through WhatsApp groups and Facebook profiles to come out with a database at the end of the year-long celebrations.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Special Correspondent / Tirupati – February 28th, 2019

Oldest Waltair railway division will now be history

Business & Economy, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

Waltair will now be history as the division was bifurcated and part of it was merged with Vijayawada division and rest will be a new railway division.

Visakhaptanam :

Announcement of South Coastal Railway Zone with Visakhapatnam as headquarters by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday brought cheers to the people of the Port City. However, in the process, one of the oldest divisions in the country, Waltair, will now be history as the division was bifurcated and part of it was merged with Vijayawada division and rest will be a new railway division with Rayagada (Odisha) as headquarters.

Uttarandhra Charcha Vedika convener Konathala Ramakrishna said, “We have mooted the idea of creating a  zone with Odisha areas to facilitate new zone in Visakhapatnam. However, the merger of part of Waltair division with Vijayawada was unwarranted. It will have bearing on employment opportunities for the local youth.” He said Kolkata has two divisions and in SCR zone there are two divisions. Maybe this is for the first time that a zone without a division, he said,  adding that the BJP government at the Centre had to concede to the demand in view of growing resentment among the people.

Waltair Divisional Railway Manager MS Mathur said South Coastal Zone, created with  Visakhapatnam as headquarters, will have three divisions — Vijayawada, Guntur and Guntakal — and it has a fair chance to become a premiere zone in the country. Addition of Visakhapatnam into Vijayawada division will add up to its revenue and will become one of the top divisions in the country.

 WaltairZoneANDHRA01stmar2019He said the zone can start functioning immediately with minimum disruption as the city has all necessary infrastructure facilities and employees. Modalities and geographical jurisdiction are being worked out and will be announced in a day or two, he said. Waltair division has 1106 km and it is bifurcated between Rayagada and Visakhapatnam. The new zone will facilitate redressal of the employees grievances and passenger-related issues which were hitherto looked after by zones in the neighbhouring States. Stating that holy places Tirupati and Tirumala will be under the new zone, he said new trains are likely to be introduced on the route.

Railway Zone Sadhana Samiti convener JV Satyanarayana Murthy said the BJP, at last, announced the zone, but there is a big question mark over jurisdiction of north Andhra areas — will they come under the new zone or East Coast Railway?

He said there is little to cheer for the people from the region and emphasised the need to merge the entire Waltair division leaving Odisha areas in the new zone by retaining Waltair division.

Uttarandhra Rakshana Vedika convener SS Shiva Sankar said the KK line, which is now under a single section, will face operational problems, if bifurcated. The control of two different zonal railways on a single section will result in administrative problems. So, Waltair division should not have been bifurcated while creating the new zone.

BJP MP Haribabu said the BJP government gave the zone though technical committee felt that the zone is not feasible. “The BJP had to convince its alliance partners and took a political decision, for which it took four years. All is well that ends well,”  Haribabu said, summing up the mood of the BJP cadre.

The move will be a morale booster for the BJP rank and file ahead of the general elections and it will help the party get a foothold in the coastal areas.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by G. Janardhana Rao / Express News Service / February 28th, 2019