Monthly Archives: April 2015

Services of ‘messiah of the downtrodden’ hailed

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders
Children take part in a procession organised during the birth anniversary celebrations of Dr.B.R. Ambedkar in Tirupati on Tuesday.—PHOTO: K.V. Poornachandra Kumar
Children take part in a procession organised during the birth anniversary celebrations of Dr.B.R. Ambedkar in Tirupati on Tuesday.—PHOTO: K.V. Poornachandra Kumar

People should work for achieving goals set by the Constitution, says Kodela

The pivotal role PLAYED by the principal architect of Indian Constitution B.R. Ambedkar in emancipation of the poor and the downtrodden in society was brought to the fore by leaders of political parties and other organisations across Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday.

MARKING his 124th birth anniversary celebrations, leaders paid glowing tributes to a ‘true son of the soil’.

In Ongole, State Assembly Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao led the celebrations.

Paying floral tributes to a statue of the Dalit icon at Thuravagunta along with TDP farmers wing State president Karnam Balarama Krishnamurthy and others, Dr. Rao said the Indian Constitution was “one of the best in the world,” which had laid the foundation for modern India’s rightful place in the comity of nations.

He exhorted fellow countrymen to rededicate themselves on this “NATIONAL festival” to relentlessly work for achieving the goals set by the Constitution. “This alone will be a fitting tribute to the Constitution architect,” he said.

In Chittoor, Minister for Forests Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy said that revolutionary developments in EDUCATION SECTOR alone could drive away social inequalities.

“As part of implementing the Central and the State PROGRAMMES for uplift of SC/ST communities, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has formulated the best policies in the State. The officials should strive sincerely to distribute the fruits of the development to target groups by judiciously spending the funds meant for the SC/STs,” he urged.

At ONGC Rajahmundry asset, Executive Director-Asset Manager Debashish Sanyal, led the celebrations at the Corporation’s base complex. He said as a responsible citizen of the country, Dr. Ambedkar had actively involved himself in emancipation of the downtrodden. He had waged ‘academic battles’ and had taken to activism to realise his goal. Cutting across PARTY lines, public representatives in Srikakulam offered floral tributes to Dr. Ambedkar. Local MP K. Rammohan, Srikakulam Collector P. Lakshmi Narasimham and others garlanded statue of Ambedkar near RTC Complex. Palakonda MLA Viswasaraya Kalavati, Lok Satta Party vice-president P. Rambabu and others attended.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Andhra Pradesh Bureau / Vijayawada – April 15th, 2015

Masonic temple coming up in Vijayawada

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinion

Grand Master of Grand Lodge of India Vasudev Jamnabihar Masurekar on Saturday exhorted the members of Freemasons Lodge to add more love and affection in whatever they gave to the society.What matters is not how much we give but how much care we put while giving it to others, he said while speaking at the foundation stone laying function of the Masonic temple at Ibrahimpatnam.

Mr. Masurekar also inaugurated a Masonic library along with Mr. Arvind Prasad Chitra, Regional Grand Master of the Southern India. He released the members’ directory for the benefit of the lodge members. He inspected the drinking water plant built by Lodge Burroughs Strange No. 87 for the neighbourhood locality and commended the work done by lodge members who generated Rs. 60 lakhs for the Huhhud cyclone victims . Grand Master B. Amarnaath, P.V. Krishnaiah, G. Harisiva Kumar and others took part in the both the functions.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Special Correspondent / Vijayawada – April 05th, 2015

Amaravathi to Bring a Wave of Nostalgia and Hope Among Andhraites

About Seemandhra / Andhra Pradesh, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion
A view of the Amaravathi Road from Seethanagaram in Guntur district | Express Photo
A view of the Amaravathi Road from Seethanagaram in Guntur district | Express Photo

Hyderabad :

The Andhra Pradesh government’s decision to name its capital city as Amaravathi has turned the spotlight on the ancient town, bringing in a wave of nostalgia and hope post-bifurcation of the undivided state last year.

The move will also rekindle unity among Andhras, feel observers.

Amaravathi, which means the town that lives forever, was the seat of power of Satavahana rulers and the name has been chosen in view of its historical, spiritual and mythological significance, says Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

A meeting of the state cabinet, chaired by him last week, passed a resolution in this regard.

Highlighting the glorious past of Amaravathi, Advisor (Communications) to Andhra Pradesh government Parakala Prabhakar said the government would like to build a futuristic city.

“With the capital being named Amaravathi, we look back at our glorious past and move ahead. Post-bifurcation, this holds out hope for the future and promotion of unity among Andhras,” he told PTI.

Tracing the history of Amaravathi, M Somasekhara Rao, a retired history lecturer at Hindu College in Guntur, said, “It is highly appropriate to name the new capital as Amaravathi in view of its significance. It is a good decision. It will rekindle the unity of Andhras,” he said, adding that the name of the city may strike a chord in the South East Asian countries where Buddhism is prevalent.

The state government has “pooled” about 33,000 acres of land from farmers and other land owners in the Vijayawada- Guntur region for raising the modern city of international standards, albeit a “people’s capital” that is convenient for poor as well.

Amaravathi had seen three religions – Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism – flourishing in the region, Rao, a former General Secretary of Andhra Pradesh History Congress, said.

The name Amaravathi may have come from ‘Aramavati’ (house for ‘aramas’ or monasteries), he said.

Though the naming of the city as Amaravathi has largely been welcomed, the gigantic task of developing the capital stares at the TDP government led by Naidu as the state is now faced with a fiscal deficit of Rs 17,500 crore after losing the crown jewel of Hyderabad to Telangana in bifurcation.

Naidu, who was once the poster boy of IT and reforms in the country, has big dreams for developing the new capital as a world-class city.

The Singapore government is preparing the master plan for the capital for free.

The plan has three components – overall capital region, capital city and seed capital, Naidu had said.

The Singapore government submitted a report on capital region during Naidu’s visit to the city state on March 31, the capital city master plan details would be submitted by May 15 and that on seed capital would be given by June.

The government’s decision to name the capital as Amaravathi has largely been welcomed by all, though Opposition parties hold different views on the issue.

Main opposition YSR Congress had organised protests against allegedly forcible acquisition of land, though it is not opposed to its location.

YSR Congress president YS Jaganmohan Reddy had earlier visited the villages in the proposed capital region and voiced opposition of farmers to part with their lands.

A group of retired officials, who had visited the region, expressed concern over multi-cropped land being taken for building the capital.

According to LSN Prasad, Reader in Economics in the Hindu College in Guntur, the Amaravathi region has been fertile and witnessed robust agriculture activity with the availability of river water.

Observing that multiple crops, including rice and a wide variety of horticulture crops like carrot, are grown in the region, he, however, felt that future generations may lose out on the crops.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by PTI / April 05th, 2015

Port City to get tribal museum, research centre with central aid

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Uncategorized

Visakhapatnam :

A tribal museum and research centre is all set to come up on the city’s outskirts with the help of central aid very soon. The proposed museum and research center is proposed to be set up over five acres near Yendada at a cost of Rs 10 crore, of which Rs 1 crore has already been released by the central government.

According to sources, the tribal museum will showcase beliefs, customs, culture and lifestyle of various tribes in all the 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh, which comprise nearly 4% of the state’s population. The museum will display typical ornaments, dress, hunting artifacts, musical instruments, utensils and other apparatus used by tribals. The tribal research center will study the inscriptions of various tribes, their culture and way of life.

Currently, Hyderabad houses a tribal museum and research centre and Araku has a tribal museum showcasing their heritage and culture.

“This is a central government funded project. We will monitor the construction of the project and everything will be taken care by the tribal welfare department. Tribal welfare department higher ups are scouting for suitable land for the project,” ITDA project officer Hari Narayan said. AP tribal welfare director M Padma, who recently visited the Port City, visited two sites at Yendada and PM Palem.

According to sources in the revenue department, initially the department asked for two acres and later requested the district administration for five acres but now the director of the tribal welfare department has sent a letter to the district collector seeking 10 acres land. “Providing 10 acres of land in the city is not possible for the district administration because it does not have major chunks of land in the city,” a source pointed out.

“The central government funded project will be taken care of by the state government. We have already shown the department officials land at two places. We are ready to provide them five acres near the NIO site, where we have kept aside a piece of land for the science center,” district collector N Yuvaraj told TOI.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Visakhapatnam / by Siva G, TNN / April 04th, 2015

‘Singing is my passion, acting a favourite pastime’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

SreeramaANDHRA06apr2015

Indian Idol 2010 winner Sreerama Chandra says he didn’t face any problems in singing Hindi songs, despite being from south

Singing is his passion while acting is his hobby. Winner of Indian Idol 2010, Sreerama Chandra Mynampati took the nation by storm by his consistent performance in the reality show.

“I have done a couple of movies too,” he reminds, quickly adding that there is a difference between singing and acting.

“Acting involves a lot of hard work while singing comes to me naturally,” he tells The Hindu on the sidelines of a musical show held in the city recently.

After doing two films, Sri Jagadguru Adishankara and Prema Geema Janta Nai , Mr. Sreerama Chandra has come back to what is closest to his heart — singing.

“Currently, I am based in Mumbai and working with almost all Bollywood music directors. In terms of career, the Mumbai platform is bigger and I want to focus on this city for now. I also want to work with A.R. Rahman and other leading composers. Being a Telugu boy, I love to sing Telugu songs,” he says.

A native of Prakasam district, Mr. Sreerama Chandra developed a passion for singing and started crooning from his school days.

He studied Intermediate in a corporate college in Vijayawada where he recently performed at a musical show along with singer Nagur Babu (Mano) and other singers.

In Telugu film industry, his favourite music directors are Devisri Prasad and Taman while M.M. Keeravani is an all-time favourite with whom he started his career.

When reminded of a popular perception that upcoming singers from south can’t sing Hindi songs perfectly, he begs to differ: “It’s wrong. I did not face any such problem.”

About the upcoming singers in the music industry, he says the talented ones should have clarity on what they want to do in life. Before taking the plunge, they must learn the basics and focus on practising. “There will be more scope if they come up with their own music albums,” he adds.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by M. Srinivas / Vijayawada – April 05th, 2015

Workshop for Ryots on Organic Farming

Agriculture, Green Initiatives / Environment, Leaders

Visakhapatnam :

Prakruti Vyavasaaya Raithangam, an organisation working for the welfare of farmers, will organise a workshop on ‘organic farming’ for farmers of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts, at Ambedkar Assembly Hall in Andhra University on May 4 and 5. Subhash Palekar, the pioneer of this  methodology, will brief the farmers on the advantages of bio-fertilisers and pesticides against the chemical ones. On May 4, from 10 am, Palekar will educate the farmers about ‘zero-budget farming’, and on  May 5, he will talk on the ‘back to nature’ policy towards farming.

Subhash Palekar, born in a farmer’s family in Maharashtra, conducted experiments in 154 regions, including farmland and forests, and has come up with a natural substance named ‘Jeevamrutha’ that can be used to improve soil fertility in arid and semi-arid regions. He launched it 15 years ago and had been promoting it ever since.

M Pavan Kumar, the convenor of Prakruthi Vyavasaaya Raithangam, told mediapersons here Sunday that the workshop would include farmers who had already benefited from the nature methodology. They will interact with the farmers who are not aware of it. The farmers will also be provided practical training.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / April 06th, 2015

US invitation to Woman congress leader Usha

Leaders, Sports, World Opinion
In a rare honour, a woman congress leader Gara Usharani has been invited by United States of America (USA) for a three-week state sponsored visit to explore the federal political system of USA.
In a rare honour, a woman congress leader Gara Usharani has been invited by United States of America (USA) for a three-week state sponsored visit to explore the federal political system of USA.

Guntur :

In a rare honour, a woman congress leader Gara Usharani has been invited by United States of America (USA) for a three-week state sponsored visit to explore the federal political system of USA. Usha is one of the few to get the invitation from across the nation and only woman from AP. US state department invited select young leaders from across the globe to have a close look at the political administration of its government under International Visitor Leader Programme (IVLP). Usha is presently serving as all-india general secretary of Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) and in-charge of women wing.

A multi-talented woman, Usha is basically a Sports Authority of India (SAI) trained badminton coach and also an ace athlete. She joined the congress party at the very young age and worked in the youth congress in the team of Rahul Gandhi at the national level. She was all india general secretary of youth congress when Rahul was in-charge. She was in-charge of Youth congress affairs in various states. After seeing her authority on various languages and ability to act as trouble shooter in crisis management, INTUC chief Sanjeev Reddy took her into his team and appointed her as national level women wing chief. Usha is presently working on various women related issues in the implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). “It is a privilege to get the opportunity to study the US political administration,” said Usha.

She said that as per the programme, the US officials would introduce the structures and functions of the U.S. federalist system of government, with emphasis on the division of authority and responsibility between federal, state, and local governments and the courts. She said that they would also demonstrate successful models of cooperation among state and local governments, non-governmental organizations, community organizations, and the business sector.

“Exploring the role and structure of ethics in government and business in the United States and illustrate the principles underlying transparency and accountability will be main task of the tour,” said Usha. The tour will begin on April, 4 and culminate on April, 25. She explained that there would be roundtable on women in politics during the tour in which representatives of the Women’s Democracy Network (WDN), Running Start and Women’s Policy, Inc. (WPI) would join for a conversation on building political aspirations and power among women both in the United States and across the world.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / by M N Samdani, TNN / March 29th, 2015