Page 34 - Andhra Pradesh

CM Naidu rejects reports of bargaining for ministerial posts with BJP

According to sources, the FM promised Naidu that she would look into Andhra's demands within the broader fiscal constraints

Andhra CM meets FM Sitharaman, seeks financial aid for debt-ridden state

Ahead of the Union Budget presentation, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, pressing for enhanced financial support to the debt-burdened state. Sources said Naidu, during the meeting in North Block, highlighted various ongoing projects in Andhra Pradesh that require urgent central assistance. "The CM presented a detailed memorandum outlining the state's financial requirements and the rationale behind the demand for increased allocation," the sources added. TDP ministers in the Centre were present during the meeting. According to the state government data, the public debt of Andhra Pradesh has increased from 31.02 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) in 2019-20 to 33.32 per cent in 2023-24 fiscal, indicating deterioration in the fiscal health of the state in the last five years. Key among Naidu's demands were funds for the Polavaram irrigation project, special assistance for backward regions, and

Andhra CM Naidu meets Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi today

The meeting comes ahead of the much-awaited full budget of the central government for 2024-25

Chandrababu Naidu meets PM Modi, seeks more central aid for Andhra Pradesh

CM says need support to rebuild capital Amaravati; demands BPCL refinery

Andhra CM meets PM, terms talks on state-specific issues 'constructive'

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Thursday and described their discussions on key development issues concerning the state as "constructive". During the meeting at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Naidu -- whose Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is an important ally in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre -- advocated for increased assistance to Andhra Pradesh in lieu of special category status. The TDP chief presented several crucial proposals for the state's development and sought the Union government support, sources said. Following the meeting, he expressed confidence in Andhra Pradesh's potential to "re-emerge as a powerhouse among states" under PM Modi's leadership. "Today, I had a constructive meeting with the Hon'ble Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodi Ji, in Delhi to address important matters concerning the welfare and development of Andhra Pradesh. I am confident that under his leadership,

Telangana CM seeks Centre's help in resolving pending issues with Andhra

Reddy sought increased allocation for his state under the forthcoming phase of the PM Awas Yojana to build 2.5 million houses and the release of Rs 1,800 crore under the Backward Regions Grant Fund

Hathras tragedy: A look at the deadliest stampedes in India over the years

Recent stampedes in India have occurred due to a combination of factors, like high turnout at religious, or other social events, poor crowd management and poorly managed venues and infrastructure

Venkaiah garu: Life in service of Bharat

From his early days in the political arena to his tenure as vice-president, Venkaiah garu's career exemplifies his unique ability to navigate the complexities of Indian politics with ease and humility

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