Page 27 - Andhra Pradesh

Veteran united Andhra Pradesh Congress leader D Srinivas passes away

Former Andhra Pradesh (undivided) Congress president D Srinivas died here on Saturday, his son and Nizamabad MP D Arvind said. He was 76. Srinivas had been unwell for the past few days, family sources said. He was the PCC president during the 2004 and 2009 assembly and general elections. He was also a minister in former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy's cabinet. He left Congress and became a BRS Rajya Sabha Member from 2016 to 2022 and later rejoined the grand old party. Chief Revanth Reddy, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, Telangana ministers, and senior leaders of the Congress party expressed condolences over his demise.

Investment holding companies rally after Sebi delisting framework

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Thursday announced that with the entire public shareholding being extinguished, the holdcos will be delisted

Vihari to continue playing cricket for Andhra after assurance from TDP

Indian all-rounder Hanuma Vihari has committed to represent Andhra following assurance from the state's ruling party, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) that his grievances with the state association would be addressed. The 30-year-old had announced in February that he would "never play for Andhra again" as he had lost his "self-respect" after being forced to quit as the team's captain. In March this year, PTI had reported that the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) had served Vihari a show-cause notice after he alleged that the governing body had unceremoniously removed him as captain. Soon after Vihari announced his decision to leave Andhra, he was approached by the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA). Vihari was granted No-Objection Certificate (NOC) by ACA earlier this month but he changed his mind, leaving the MPCA aggrieved. A report in ESPNCricinfo said that Vihari had held meetings with TDP officials on Monday before confirming that he would continue to play for Andhra. "I'm so

Jagan requests Andhra Assembly Speaker to recognise him as leader of Oppn

YSRCP chief and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday requested Assembly Speaker C Ayyannapatrudu to recognise him as the leader of opposition and his party as the principal opposition party. Reddy made this plea in a letter to the speaker. Law mandates that whichever party has the highest number of seats in the opposition should be recognised as the principal opposition, Reddy said in the letter shared by YSRCP to PTI. He claimed that no law states that 10 per cent seats are required to confer the principal opposition party status, and added that such a practice has not been followed in Parliament or the state's assembly. According to Reddy, making him take oath as a member of the assembly after the swearing-in of ministers recently was against tradition. He alleged that the ruling NDA alliance of TDP, BJP and Janasena have already decided not to confer him the status of leader of the opposition. The ruling alliance and the speaker are already ...

YSRCP dist offices receive notices over legitimacy of their construction

Close on the heels of the demolition of the under construction YSRCP central office at Tadepalli in Andhra Pradesh recently, several district offices of the party have started receiving notices from civic bodies, questioning the legitimacy of their construction. The opposition party shared a notice it received in the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday about the legitimacy of its Vizianagaram district office from the local civic body. "You are hereby directed to stop the unauthorized construction work and submit a reply to this notice within seven days from the date of receipt of this notice in writing by you/your authorised agent," said the notice. In the event of no reply, the Vizianagaram Municipal Corporation warned that "it will be treated as a continuous and intentional offence and further action will be taken as per provisions laid down under Section 452 (1) and 461 (1) of APMC Act, 1955". Similar notices were also served to other district YSRCP offices. Meanwhile, the

Vizag beats Mumbai port; emerges as India's top seafood exporting gateway

Visakhapatnam Port emerged as India's top seafood exporting gateway, clocking an impressive shipment of 3.14 lakh tonnes, valued at Rs 17,984 crore in fiscal 2023-24, a port official said on Monday. Mumbai-based Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), which handled over 2.4 lakh tonnes of seafood, valued at Rs 6,396 crore is ranked behind the Visakhapatnam port, followed by Cochin Port at the third position, logging over 1.81 lakh tonnes (Rs 6,120 crore). "Visakhapatnam Port has established itself as the premier port in India for marine product shipments, handling an impressive 3,14,199 tonnes of seafood valued at Rs 17,984 crore in FY24. This achievement positions Visakhapatnam Port at the forefront of the nation's seafood export sector," said Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) secretary T Venu Gopal in a press release. According to Venu Gopal, India's seafood exports touched an all-time high of nearly 18 lakh tonnes in the previous fiscal, worth Rs 60,534 crore. Incidentally, thi

Shree Cement's installed renewable power capacity touches 1 GW across India

India's third largest cement manufacturer Shree Cement on Monday announced achieving installed power capacity of 1,000 MW with the commissioning of a 19.5 MW solar power plant at its Andhra Pradesh unit. "The one GW (Gigawatt) capacity includes a mix of solar, wind, thermal and waste heat recovery power plants, showcasing Shree Cement's diversified approach to meeting the electricity demand for cement production," the Bangur family-promoted firm said in a statement. The company has made an investment of Rs 4,000 crore to expand the renewable portfolio, which now accounts for nearly half of the installed power capacity. "Looking ahead, an estimated capex of Rs 1,000 crore is planned in FY25 for installation of additional renewable energy capacity," it said. This includes the installation of 132 MW of solar capacity in five states - Jharkhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, 36 MW of wind generation in Rajasthan and 34 MW of waste heat recovery capacity in Karnatak

Andhra Pradesh gave NDA onus to set state right: CM Chandrababu Naidu

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said the people of the state have given the NDA alliance the responsibility to set the house in order and highlighted the key areas the state government will focus on in the next five years. Addressing the 16th Legislative Assembly, Naidu said, "Building a capital city, completion of Polavaram project, interlinking of rivers, attracting investments are some of the issues that the government needs to focus more on in the next five years." Targetting the previous YSRCP dispensation, he alleged that it had allegedly turned the House into a disrespectful assembly. In the last five years, the holy Assembly was turned into a place for evil politics, personal attacks, stage for character assassinationthere were abuses, mocking, gagging without giving the mike (microphone) to speak... there were many problems, he claimed. He recalled the alleged objectionable comments against his family by YSRCP legislators and how he vowed to .

Ruling TDP clarifies on YSRCP's under construction party office demolition

YSRCP's under construction central party office at Tadepalli was demolished based on a complaint lodged by a TDP leader that it was being allegedly built illegally on Irrigation Department land, said the party on Saturday. The complaint was lodged with the commissioners of the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) and Mangalagiri Tadepalli Municipal Corporation (MTMC) that the opposition party office was being built illegally on two acres of Irrigation Department land, a TDP release said. "Following this, the demolition of these illegal constructions of the YSRCP leaders has been launched under the supervision of the MTMC officials," it said. According to the ruling party, former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had allotted that parcel of land in survey number 202/A1 in Tadepalli, misusing his power. "Jagan Mohan Reddy has prepared a plan to occupy the neighbouring 15 acres by building the party office in these two acres. It is now clarified that the Irrigation Department

TDP's Ayyannapatrudu to be elected unanimously as Andhra Assembly Speaker

TDP's Narsipatnam MLA C Ayyannapatrudu is likely to be elected unanimously as the Speaker of the 16th Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Saturday. Ayyannapatrudu's election is a mere formality as no other MLA filed a nomination for the Speaker's post to challenge him. On Friday, only three nominations were received for the Speaker's post, and they all were on behalf of Ayyannapatrudu, said PPK Ramacharyulu, secretary general, Legislative Assembly. The second day of the first session of the 16th Legislative Assembly commenced at 10.30 am today. Meanwhile, YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is not likely to attend the Assembly as he is scheduled to visit Kadapa district. According to a statement from the opposition party, the former CM will spend the next three days at Pulivendula.

YSRCP's under construction office demolished despite court orders: Jagan

YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday said the Chandrababu Naidu-led NDA state government has demolished the under construction central office of the opposition party at Tadepalli in Guntur district. Reddy alleged that the demolition was carried out disregarding high court orders. "Chandrababu took vendetta politics to the next level. Like a dictator, he got YSRCP's central office demolished with excavators and bulldozers, which was almost complete," said Reddy in a post on 'X'. According to a YSRCP statement, the demolition commenced around 5.30 am on Saturday. "The demolition proceeded even though the YSRCP had approached the High Court the previous day (Friday), challenging the preliminary actions of the CRDA (Capital Region Development Authority)," said the statement. YSRCP noted that the court had ordered a halt to any demolition activity, which was conveyed to the CRDA commissioner by a party lawyer, but the authority still went ahead and demolished the ...

Ex-CM Jagan splurged Rs 500 cr on hilltop mansion in Vizag, alleges TDP

The ruling TDP in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday accused YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy of splurging Rs 500 crore of public money on building a palatial mansion for his use. However, the YSRCP asserted that the building belongs to the government and projecting it as Reddy's "personal" property was "atrocious". The TDP was referring to the mansion built atop sea-facing Rushikonda hill in the port city of Visakhapatnam, reportedly featuring ultra-expensive amenities. This is the lavish palace built by Jagan Reddy at Rs 500 croreHe extravagantly spent government money. How many more atrocities will get discovered, the TDP said in a post on X on Sunday, sharing purported pictures from inside the building. TDP's Bheemili MLA G Srinivasa Rao recently visited the mansion, accompanied by a group of people and journalists. Jagan Reddy built this beach-view palace using royal materials fit for a state head, the TDP alleged. The party claimed the hilltop house is fitted with up to 200 chandeli

77% rural households provided with tap water connections: Govt data

About 77 per cent or 14.88 crore rural households have been provided with tap water connections till now, according to official data. There are a total of 19.31 crore rural households in the country, according to official data by the Jal Jeevan Mission. According to official data, 14,88,16,184 out of a total of 19,31,21,778 rural households have been provided with a tap water connection so far. Eleven states and Union Territories (UT) have achieved 100 per cent coverage in rural areas, the data showed. A total of 16 states and UTs have tap water coverage between 75-100 per cent and five states have coverage of 50-75 per cent. Rajasthan and West Bengal have below 50 per cent coverage, according to the data. Jal Jeevan Mission, launched in 2019, aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India.

YSRCP govt left Polavaram Project in complicated state, says CM Naidu

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday alleged that the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP government had complicated the Polavaram Project and got it entangled in a chaotic situation. The Chief Minister asserted that he was studying the national project after five years of YSRCP rule to make sense of it and what to do next. "They (YSRCP govt) had complicated the project and entangled it in difficulties, making it a chaos. We are still studyingI am studying as to what to do now," said Naidu, addressing a press conference near the project site. Visiting the project site for the 31st time and the first time in 2024 after taking charge as the CM for the fourth time, he alleged that due to the policies of the YSRCP government, the diaphragm wall suffered breaches at four places during the 2019 and 2020 floods. Following a review with officials on the current state of the project, Naidu highlighted that the upper and lower cofferdams are not existing while the guide bun

Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu reviews Polavaram project; holds hour-long meet

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday visited the Polavaram Project to review works and the project status. This is the first time the chief minister is visiting the site after assuming the office for the fourth term. Naidu landed at the Polavaram Project at 12 pm and was accompanied by Water Resources Minister N Ramanaidu and others. The chief minister inspected the project works and officials explained to him in detail. Following his inspection, the CM is expected to hold an hour-long meeting on the project's progress. Polavaram Project is on the river Godavari near Ramayyapeta village in Polavaram Mandalam of Eluru district, located about 34 km upstream of Kovvuru-Rajahmundry road-cum-rail bridge. It emerges from the last ranges of the Eastern Ghats and enters the plains in the Godavari region. According to the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA), the multi-purpose irrigation project is intended to irrigate over 4.3 lakh hectares of land and generate 960 MW

Tale of two states: Bihar, Andhra Pradesh carry a high debt legacy

Bihar joins AP in taking fiscal stress in recent years, but lags far behind the southern state in prosperity

Karnataka fuel price hike: Rates still lower than Andhra, Maharashtra

The Congress-ruled Karnataka government's move to raise local tax on auto fuels pushed petrol prices above Rs 100 a litre and diesel to Rs 89, but rates are lower than neighbouring Andhra Pradesh which has the costliest fuel in the country, oil industry data showed. The Karnataka government on June 15 hiked local VAT (value added tax) from 25.92 per cent to 29.84 per cent on petrol and from 14.3 per cent to 18.4 per cent on diesel. This led to petrol price now costing Rs 102.86 per litre in Bengaluru and diesel coming for Rs 88.94 a litre. But the rates in Karnataka are still lower than neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. TDP-BJP combine ruled Andhra Pradesh has the costliest petrol at Rs 109.87 a litre, followed by Left Democratic Front (LDF)-ruled Kerala, where a litre of petrol comes for Rs 107.54. Congress-run Telangana is close behind with petrol costing Rs 107.39 a litre. BJP-ruled states are not far behind -- petrol costs Rs 106.45 a litre in Bhopal, Rs 105.16 in P

Real estate prices set to soar in Amaravati with push from new Andhra govt

After a lull of five years, real estate prices in Andhra Pradesh's Amaravati region are set to soar with several land dealings expected to close as the regime in the state transitioned from YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP to N Chandrababu Naidu-helmed NDA, breathed new life into the hitherto abandoned city project. The Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority has already notified eight tenders, calling for jungle clearance along several roads in Amaravati even as Chief Secretary Neerabh Kumar Prasad, accompanied by other key officials such as CRDA Commissioner Vivek Yadav, has already visited the region to take stock of the situation. YV Ramana Rao, president, Andhra Pradesh chapter, Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) claimed that land prices in Amaravati started inflating two months before the 2024 simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, anticipating Naidu's win. According to the CREDAI office-bearer, up to 50,000 acres of land ...

Unauthorised structures at ex-CM Jagan's residence in Hyderabad demolished

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) on Saturday demolished certain structures on pavement adjacent to the Lotus Pond residence of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy here. The demolition works were carried out 10 days after Reddy stepped down as chief minister of the neighbouring state. According to a senior official of GHMC, the civic authorities removed the structures abutting the compound wall to carry out tiling work on the pavement at Jagan's residence. The structures were being used by security personnel, he said. An earthmover was used to remove the structures. A senior official of the GHMC's town planning department told PTI that they have informed the concerned persons at Jagan's residence to remove the structures six months ago to carry out the footpath work. "We have been telling them to remove the structures to facilitate footpath work. The residents of the colony have also complained about the encroachment of the footpath which c

Andhra orders teachers recruitment drive for over 16,000 vacancies

The Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday initiated the first step to begin the recruitment of 16,347 government teachers by issuing an order (GO) and completing the procedure by the end of 2024. Chief Secretary Neerabh Kumar Prasad directed the commissioner of school education to take all the necessary steps to conduct the Mega DSC (District Selection Committee) 2024 and complete the process of filling up teacher posts by December 31, 2024. "Government hereby decides to fill up (16,347) teacher posts in School Education and other line departments dealing with education through Mega DSC 2024," said Prasad in the GO. Endorsing teacher recruitment was the first file signed by new Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu after assuming office on Thursday, which was a poll promise. Besides the teacher recruitment project, Naidu also approved other projects pertaining to his poll promises on enhancing welfare pensions and others. Welfare pensions to eligible beneficiaries have been hiked t