The New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation (NREDCAP) in Andhra Pradesh has bagged three awards for its outstanding performance at the national level in three categories.
Corporation Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Kamalakar Babu on Saturday said NREDCAP, which was in the forefront of implementing the National Biogas Manure Management Programme (NBMMP), had formulated the best renewable energy policies, besides introducing a single-window clearance for projects and capacity-addition off grid from waste energy products like bio-mechanisation and bio-kitchen waste.
Speaking after receiving the award presented by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Mr. Babu said the Central government had sanctioned funds to the tune of Rs. 137 crore as an incentive under the 13th Financial Commission to the renewable energy sector. “These funds will be put to use for development of renewable energy and to develop innovative modes,” Mr. Babu said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Special Correspondent / Vijayawada – August 30th, 2015
The two-day annual general meeting of ex-Saikorians, organised at Sainik School, Korukonda, in Vizianagaram concluded on Sunday.
Ex-Saikorians from Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Hyderabad chapters attended the 23rd annual general body meeting. Principal in charge and Headmaster Lt. Col. Praveen Kumar welcomed the members and told them about the achievements, development works and ongoing projects at the school during the last one year.
The senior-most former student, K. Krishna Kumar and Lt Gen K.R. Rao (Retd.) addressed the senior cadets and association members. School Registrar Sqn. Ldr. M. Subba Rao and staff members were present. The AGM is conducted to plan various welfare measures, financial issues for the uplift of the poor, needy and the orphans. Saikor Association established a few schools with the basic objective of giving back something to society, especially to poor and needy people.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Special Correspondent / Visakhapatnam – August 31st, 2015
Pawan Kalyan addressing farmers at Penumaka village in Guntur
Penumaka (Guntur ):
A new hero is born in Andhra politics. Telugu film star Pawan Kalyan, who made foray into politics by floating a new outfit, Jana Sena (people’s army), during the last general polls and campaigned for the victory of the TDP-BJP combine at that time, now seems to have decided to tread on his own path to emerge as a people’s leader on the political spectrum of Andhra Pradesh.
Late chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s son YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is also the YSRC president, started losing his sheen after his party’s debacle in the last general polls. Eying 2019 general polls, Kalyan, the younger brother of actor-turned-politician K Chiranjeevi, has begun seizing every opportunity to transform himself into a mass leader. As there is a feeling among YSRC leaders that their party chief might have to go to jail sooner or later in connection with corruption charges since a CBI Special Court has decided to fast-track the ongoing trial on the assets’ case against Jagan, the Jana Sena boss is understood to be aiming at filling the political vacuum, which is likely to be created in Andhra Pradesh in the coming days.
Kalyan, whom his fans call ‘power star’ for his power-packed on-screen fights and high-voltage dialogues in Telugu action thrillers, seems to have grabbed the opportunity of utilising the highly emotive issue of farmers asserting their right on their agricultural fields in the Andhra Pradesh’s new capital region where the TDP government is trying to construct an ultra-modern capital city by destroying fertile farm lands.
The actor-turned-politician has even outwitted TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu with his recent political moves by winning over farmers in the state’s new capital region. His recent tour across Vijayawada and stern warning issued to the ruling TDP government in the state against invoking Land Acquisition Act to take fertile agricultural lands from the local farmers for the construction of the new capital city, Amaravati, pushed the TDP government into corner. State Municipal Administration Minister P Narayana has made it clear that the state government dropped its decision to invoke Land Acquisition Act as per the advice given by Kalyan.
Earlier, for the second time in the recent past, the actor-turned-politician, who says he likes Che Guevara, Martin Luther King and Lok Nayak Jaya Prakash Narayan, in his bid to project himself as the ‘saviour’ of agriculturists, visited some villages in Guntur district recently to express solidarity with the agitating farmers in the new capital region, who were opposing the TDP government’s move to take their fertile lands for the construction of the Amaravati. In a true filmy style, the actor warned the TDP government, saying, “Don’t snatch fertile lands from small farmers. Stop the land acquisition process immediately. We don’t need a capital city that is built on the tears of farmers. I am ready to launch indefinite fast if the government fails to withdraw the land acquisition notification.” According to sources, Kalyan has plans to undertake protests in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to protect the rights of farmers in the coming days in order to make his Jana Sena Party the sole representative of farmers.
Kalyan Woos Supporters with Speech, Shoulder
The stage, the style of interaction and the topic of conversation and nature or problems discussed at the farmers’ meeting that Jana Sena chief K Pawan Kalyan recently addressed here were no different from those of what were seen at similar meetings during his whirlwind tour of the capital region in March first week.
The only thing that was different at the Penumaka meeting was the facial and sartorial appearance of the actor-turned-politician. Instead of sporting a well-grown beard and wearing a ‘kurta’ over jeans, he was clean-shaven and wore a grey shirt, neatly tucked into a faded blue jeans.
The style of interaction with the aggrieved farmers was no different from the one he had adopted at the Bethapudi meeting last March. This time too, he went from person to person among the farmers gathered along the ramp of the stage and interacted with them.
Farmers, including women farmers, poured out their woes and their desire to be left alone by the government. “We are not interested in giving up our valuable land. Unlike other places, here we get ground water at a depth of just 20 feet. Year round, we grow different crops and earn handsomely, even on a half acre land,” some said. To stress their point, most of the farmers had brought different kinds of vegetables and other farm products grown in their farms, which were put in heaps along the ramp on which Kalyan walked.
A farmer from Yerrabalem village said they had been telling the government that they did not want to lose their livelihood. “We have submitted memorandums to everyone from the district collector to the CRDA commissioner. Everyone seems to have gone deaf. Now our only hope is you,” he said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> The Sunday Standard / by J R Prasad / August 30th, 2015
Noted Indian agriculture scientist Dr Modadugu Vijay Gupta, who has done pioneering work in aquaculture in India and several other countries, was today awarded the first Sunhak Peace Prize, billed as an alternative to the Nobel Peace Prize, which he shared with the President of Kiribati Islands.
Gupta, 76, shared the USD 1 million prize with President of Kiribati Islands Anote Tong here at a glittering function which was attended by invitees from all over the world.
Tong, 63, the head of the Pacific Ocean island nation which is facing dire prospects of being engulfed by rising sea waters by 2050, was chosen for the award for his dogged fight to end the carbon emissions which are spelling doom for small island nations.
The awards were presented by South Korean religious leader Dr Hak Ja Han Moon, the wife of late Rev Sun Myung Moon, who instituted the awards to recognise and highlight the work of individuals making big efforts for the betterment of the people.
Hailing from Bapatla in Andhra Pradesh, Gupta, a biologist, was also the recipient of the World Food Prize in 2005 for development and dissemination of low-cost techniques for freshwater fish farming.
Before his retirement, he served as the Assistant Director General at WorldFish, an international fisheries research institute under the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research based in Penang, Malaysia.
Starting his career as a scientist in Indian Council Agriculture Research over three decades ago in Kolkata, Gupta worked in Laos, Vietnam, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Thailand pursuing his belief that the aqua technology which can provide food security and improve livelyhoods of rural poor.
“I believed throughout my career that all the advanced fish farming technology which we created in laboratories should be taken to people, then only it can make a difference to their lives,” he told PTI after receiving the award.
Regarded as a rebel within the ranks of the agricultural scientist community in India, Gupta mostly worked with the UN and agriculture related international organisations in different countries.
His work with rural communities in Bangladesh, a nation bestowed with lot of water resources, has made fish farming a major source of livelihood for millions of rural poor, according to the organisers.
As a scientist advocating sustainable alternatives, Gupta said aquaculture should be seen as a major source of food security.
“There can be no peace without food security in the world. You cannot talk peace to a hungry man,” he said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> India / PTI / August 29th, 2015
IFCI CEO Malay Kumar Mukherjee (centre) interacts with APCCIF executive director P Bhaskara Rao (right) at an interactive session organised by the APCCIF in Vijayawada on Thursday as deputy managing director of IFCI Achal Kumar Gupta looks on | Express Photo
Vijayawada :
IFCI CEO and managing director Malay Kumar Mukherjee on Thursday said his non-banking financial institution, owned by the Central government, was looking forward to taking part in the process of rebuilding the state. Mukherjee was inaugurating the IFCI’s 17th regional office at Bharathinagar in the city.
Later, at an interaction with industry representatives organised by the AP Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation (APCCIF), he said that as a special case his institution was offering loans as low as Rs 25 crore in Andhra Pradesh so that more number of entrepreneurs could benefit (the minimum loan that IFCI offers is Rs 50 crore).
He said that though IFCI charged an interest rate which was higher than that of banks, its USP was in time taken in processing the application and offering customised products. “IFCI’s interest rate is higher because we borrow from banks. But we are different and better than banks in the area of clearing the loan applications,” he said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / August 28th, 2015
Sneha Deepti with her first book ‘Mandaravalli, A Veiled Vigilante’ in Visakhapatnam.— PHOTO: C.V. SUBRAHMANYAM
Sneha Deepti’s world revolves around books. Her room is stacked with a collection of various genres including fiction, mythology, and romance.
Her love for reading inspired her to write a novel ‘Mandaravalli, A Veiled Vigilante’ recently. “The novel is based on fantasy fiction that also has streaks of history.
The story portrays how family values still play a predominant role in the modern world and the importance of upholding dharma against all odds,” says the 18-year-old, a first-year degree student of St. Joseph’s College for Women.
Inspired by her mother V. Sudha Sreenivas, a writer, and father V.V.S. Sreenivas, Chief Vigilance Officer of Dredging Corporation of India Limited, Sneha Deepti says that she aspired to write a book ever since she was a child. “I am also interested in journalism and that’s the reason why I opted for English literature, psychology, journalism and mass communication as my main subjects,” says the young writer.
Although ‘Mandaravalli’ is the writer’s first book, she had tried her hand at poetry writing. “Three years ago, I was able to come up with my collection of poems ‘A Palette of My Poems’. Interestingly, it was released by author Ruskin Bond in Mussoorie,” she explains.
Inspiration
Apart from The Bronte Sisters, Sneha Deepti is fond of Rabindranath Tagore’s literary works. “I draw inspiration from their writing style as well. ‘Mandaravalli’ unfolds chapters of a bold woman who follows the path of dharma and contributes to society, braving all odds. Most importantly, the novel conveys that love can be more spiritual than physical,” says Sneha Deepti, who is equally fond of painting and dancing.
Wins award
Striking a balance between studies and writing, the young writer says that it took only six months to complete her first book. A recipient of Special Achievement
Award for her thought-provoking literary works from Carnatic maestro Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna, Sneha Deepti says that she intends to spread Indian culture and family bonding through her future works.
The young writer is also fond of painting and dancing
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Rani Devalla / Visakhapatnam – August 28th, 2015
K Rosaiah presenting the award to Yaddanapudi Sulochana Rani
Eminent Telugu novelist Yaddanapudi Sulochana Rani, popular among the ladies and younger generation with her fiction novels based on love stories and drama, was awarded the Sri Malathi Chandur Award for 2015, at Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Kala Mandapam, Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University.
Yaddanapudi Sulochana Rani, who is renowned for bringing family and women centric issues into the drawing rooms of homes, has written up to eighty bestselling novels, many of which have been converted into movies, too.
Expressing happiness on receiving the award, she urged women to write. “Write in any language, but do write your stories. Modern women have many issues and the current generation should write about them. Also, do not forget your mother tongue, Telugu,” said Sulochana Rani.
“All my characters come from family. I have read a lot of western literature – Somerset Maugham, Oscar Wild, Pearl S Buck and the likes. But I wrote our stories,” she added. Yaddanapudi influenced women and made many of them not just readers, but also writers.
Speaking on the value of family-centric stories, Sulochana Rani said, “People call our stories ‘Kitchen Stories’ – but I ask where would one go if there was no kitchen? Health and happiness of the family comes from the kitchen. Publishers like Emesco and other magazines have been supporting us.
Thanks to that, women started buying these books and writing their stories. The result is that family stories came out.” The writer expressed her affection to Malathi Chandur, the famous Telugu writer, who has written over twenty-five novels and the Central Sahitya Academy award winning novel, ‘Hrudyanetri’.
Her loss, she said, was extremely saddening. “We read her books and gained knowledge of society withoutrealising we were learning.” Eminent journalist Telakapalli Ravi called both Malathi Chandur and Yaddanapudi similar in their focus on women oriented characters. “Both their novels mirrored the middle class women’s desires and aspirations. They helped them gain confidence and self respect,” he said.
Deputy Speaker of Andhra Pradesh, Mandali Budha Prasad, related his memories of Malathi Chandur and said that she is like an elder sister to all Telugu women as she taught them to question through her column and address their problems.
The nostalgia filled evening was attended by dignitaries like Governor of Tamil Nadu, K Rosaiah, Volga, Mrunalini, Sri Ramana, Ghantasala Savitri, Raavi Kondalarao and the who’s who of the Telugu literature world, especially women writers – many her contemporaries.
source: http://www.thehansindia.com / The Hans India / Home / August 25th, 2015
The Indian Space Research Organisation began a 29-hour pre-noon countdown on Wednesday for the launch of GSLV-D6 satellite launcher.
The launch vehicle is powered by the indigenously developed upper cryogenic stage and will be flown at 4.52 p.m. on August 27 from Sriharikota in coastal Andhra Pradesh.
It will put the 2,117-kg GSAT-6 communication satellite into space. The spacecraft will be gradually moved and finally positioned over the country at 83 degrees East longitude in the coming days.
The GSLV is a medium-lift launcher that can put two-tonne satellites into an initial or geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) of up to 36,000 km from Earth. The last GSLV was flown in January 2014.
ISRO Chairman A.S.Kiran Kumar, who is also Secretary, Department of Space, said the upcoming event was doubly significant. The ninth GSLV launch, for whose success he said ISRO has taken all necessary actions, would take the 20-year-old GSLV programme almost to fruition and regularise its use.
From the satellite point of view, he said GSAT-6 would try out quite a few novel technologies that very few satellite players have tried out, such as the large, unfurlable antenna of a diameter of six metres.
ISRO’s other launch vehicle, the light-lift PSLV, is a big success after 30 flights in 22 years, lifting Indian spacecraft to Moon and Mars apart from several Earth observation satellites, a national communications satellite and 45 small foreign satellites.
High hopes
ISRO officials have often said the national space programme needs the GSLV badly for launching its communication satellites; many have been put in space on European Ariane launchers at higher costs than on a GSLV.
S.Sivan, Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, the lead centre for launch vehicles in Thiruvananthapuram, recently said they had retained the configuration of the previous GSLV-D5 of 2014 so as to establish the vehicle’s reliability and robustness.
Flight D6 would fully prove the vehicle and the indigenous cryogenic technology and shift the programme into functional mode. The next GSLV could be as early as the first half of 2016, Dr. Sivan said.
When the GSLV is fully achieved, ISRO plans to have two flights of it a year. Meanwhile, a GSLV-Mark III of twice its capacity is also being developed and will be flown for the first time around December 2016.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National / by Madhumati D.S. / Bengaluru – August 26th, 2015
Andhra Pradesh’s Vijayawada city will be host the World Coconut Day 2015 on September 2 with the theme “Coconut for Family Nutrition, Health and Wellness”, an official release said.
The release by the Coconut Development Board (CDB) said September 2 has been designated Coconut Day by the Jakarta-headquartered Asian and Pacific Coconut Community (APCC), an intergovernmental organisation of 18 countries mandated to promote, coordinate and harmonize coconut developmental activities of the Asian Pacific region to achieve maximum economic development.
All major coconut-growing countries including India are members of APCC, whose foundation day is also on September 2.
The release said the celebration is aimed at creating awareness about the importance of coconut and its potential in alleviating poverty, encouraging investments and promoting the development of coconut industry in the member countries.
Around 500 farmers from all coconut growing states are expected to attend the function and would be a platform for the farmers to get firsthand knowledge about the new initiatives of the CDB.
An exhibition showcasing latest technologies in coconut sector and various value added coconut products including Neera.
The inaugural session will be followed by a technical session which will be attended by the who’s who of the industry.
As per the statistics of union agriculture ministry’s horticulture division for coconut production for the year 2013-14, the state of Andhra Pradesh occupies the first position in productivity (14,997 nuts/ha) though in fourth position both in area (1,21,920 ha) and production (1828.46 million nuts) among the coconut-growing southern states in India.
source: http://www.siliconindia.com / Silicon India News / Home> News>General / Wednesday – August 26th, 2015
It is not necessary to inform the Forest Department before going in for red sanders plantation.File photo
The Forest Department has embarked on a massive plan of action to remove the “meaningless” phobia of red sanders plantation among farmers and planters.
Speaking to The Hindu , Chief Conservator of Forests (Tirupati Wildlife Circle), Mr. P.V. Chalapathi Rao said there were so many fallacies among the public about the commercial exploitation of red sanders plantations.
“They have formulated wrong opinions over the years that growing red sanders is a crime, or its trade is prohibited and involves criminal action by police and forest departments. Farmers and private planters should realise that just by paying a user charge of Rs. 10 or 20, they can grow red sanders and sell them at any price of their choice to anyone anywhere. It will be like growing any other agriculture crop,” he said.
The official said there was no need for planters to inform the Forest Department before going in for red sanders plantation. “Whenever they want to cut the trees and sell them, all they have to do is to get transit permits from the Forest Department. This is for the safety of their own material during transportation,” Mr Rao added.
The officer said though the Forest Department encouraged private plantation of red sanders, “virtually, no farmer is coming forward to openly say that he is interested.”
According to him, though there are some private plantations in Chittoor district, particularly in the western zone close to Karnataka and within the purview of the Tiruapti Wildlife Circle, no steps have been initiated yet for their assessment.
Farmers and private planters, by paying a user charge of Rs. 10 or 20, can grow red sanders and sell them at any price of their choice to anyone anywhere.P.V. Chalapathi RaoChief Conservator of ForestsTirupati Wildlife Circle
Efforts on to remove phobia among public
“Only recently, we hit upon the idea of surveying such private plantations, though their owners have not furnished details to the department so far.
“We also do not know at what price they are selling the produce and to whom and how. We will get into the details soon only to remove the public phobia about the trade and to encourage it,” Mr. Rao said.
He added that those who owned private red sanders plantations need not pay fee to the department for raising them, and they needed no official permission. However, he clarified that the government would not provide subsidy to plantations, and that planters should take care of the security of their plantations in view of the mind-blowing demand for red sanders in the international market.
Farmers and private planters, by paying a user charge of Rs. 10 or 20, can grow red sanders and sell them at any price of their choice to anyone anywhere.
P.V. Chalapathi Rao / Chief Conservator of Forests / Tirupati Wildlife Circle
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by K. Umashanker / August 25th, 2015
