NDA Charge Sheet Against YSRC Government Full of Untruths

Vijayawada: YSRC leaders have said the charge sheet released by the Telugu Desam, BJP and Jana Sena alliance against the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy rule was totally false and untrue. The leaders including former minister Ravela Kishore Babu, former chairperson of AP Womens Commission Vasireddy Padma and YSRC Grievance Cell president Narayana Murthy were addressing a press meet at the YSRC Central party office. Kishore Babu said the alliance leaders were trying to create confusion among the people as they were unable to digest the fact that Jagan is going to win the election again. He said that the cover page was titled Raktacharitra (blood history) but the real Raktacharitra was made by the Telugu Desam in Karamchendu and Neerukondas through the Dalits massacre. The Dalits never forgot that massacre and people can't forget the brutal murder of Vangaveeti Ranga in Vijayawada. YSRC Grievance Cell president Narayana Murthy said they will not tolerate Chandrababu's motivated propaganda along with green media, alleging that no good was done to BCs in the YSRC government. The development of BCs is visible as CM Jagan Mohan Reddy is treating BCs as Backbone Classes. He said Naidu wanted BCs to be stuck in caste professions but Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy introduced fee reimbursement and made BCs as engineers and doctors. CM Jagan Mohan Reddy took another 10 steps forward and brought BCs into development in all ways. Murthy stated that Jagan Mohan Reddy instilled self-respect in them by giving the slogan that BC is not a backward class but a backbone class. Former chairperson of the Women's Commission Vasireddy Padma said that BJP, TD and Jana Sena, who did not dare to contest the elections as a single party, are hurrying to come up with a charge sheet with fake allegations. She recalled that Chandrababu was caught red-handed in the Skill, Inner Ring Road, FiberNet IMG Bharat and Vote for Note scams. What is the use of the chargesheet on Jagan Mohan Reddy who did not give a chance for corruption and scandal in the YSRC government, she asked

Naidu Misleading Public With Unachievable Promises in TDP Manifesto: Jagan

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan on Saturday accused the TDP president and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of misleading the people in the State with unfulfilled promises in the name of Super-6. Drawing a comparison between the TDP and YSRCP rule in 2014-2019 and 2019-2024 respectively through a power-point presentation at Tadepalle party office in Guntur, he said the YSRCP continued welfare schemes and infrastructure initiatives in spite of facing financial constraints due to Covid-19. Referring to Naidus allegations that the YSRCP was imposing more taxes, he refused the formers allegations saying that the TDP president was only misleading people by telling lies. It is the responsibility of people to know the reality, Jagan Mohan Reddy said, making it clear that he would not tell lies and would execute whatever feasible only. The YSRCP implemented the schemes like Kapu Nestham, House Pattas, Gorumudha that were not included in the manifesto released by the YSRCP in the 2019 elections, he explained. We are not like Naidu, who dupes people with unfulfilled promises. Whatever is possible for the benefit of people, the YSRCP will certainly implement it, he said, adding that no State government in the country executed the welfare schemes on DBT mode directly benefiting the people without the involvement of anyone.

Jagan Spells Out 9 Promises in YSRCP Manifesto

Vijayawada: The much-awaited manifesto-2024 of YSRCP with nine crucial promises was released by the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at Tadepalle party office in Guntur on Saturday. Promising to continue existing welfare schemes aimed at benefiting people across the State, he said that the pensions to elderly persons was increased from Rs.3,000 to Rs.3,500. The pension amount of Rs.250 will be increased in January 2028 and another Rs.250 will be increased in January 2029 totaling to Rs.3,500. No State government in the country was giving pensions to elderly persons like in Andhra Pradesh. The YSRCP government was spending Rs.24,000 crore for giving pensions to 66 lakh while neighbouring Telangana was spending only Rs.12,200 crore for giving pensions to 43 lakh people. As many as 66 lakh elderly people are presently getting a pension of Rs.3,000 each, he said. Stating that the amount of Ammavadi scheme would be increased from Rs.15,000 to Rs.17,000 while three lakh people would get loans under YSR Zero Paisa Interest scheme. The amount of YSR Cheyutha was increased to 1.50 lakh from the existing Rs.75,000 and it would be extended in four phases. Assuring that all the eligible people, who are not having houses, would get house pattas, he said priority would be given to education, health, women empowerment, among other sectors. Referring to the welfare of farmers in the State, he said the amount of Rythu Bharosa was increased from Rs.67,500 to Rs.80,000 each benefitting 53 lakh farmers. The Rythu Bheema scheme would also continue for farmers. One new initiative introduced in the manifesto was declaring a habitat with dalit population of over 500 as a separate panchayat. Highlights in two-pagemanifesto Pension increased from Rs.3,000 to Rs.3,500 Rythu Bharosa increased from Rs.67,500 to Rs.80,000 Ammavadi scheme increased from Rs.15,000 to Rs.17,000 Three lakh women to get loans at zero paisa interest rate Kalyanamasthu and Shaadi Tofa will continue . YSR Bhima to gig workers.

AP Assembly Elections: YS Jagan Releases YSRCP Manifesto

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy released YSRCP Manifesto at the partys headquarters in Tadepalli for the ensuing Assembly Elections in the state on Saturday. YS Jagan said that the YSRCP has accorded top priorities to the manifesto for the last 58 months.

CGST Officials Destroy Cigarettes Worth Rs 6 Crore

The increase in prices will in turn lead to increasing the government revenue by 7 percent (Photo: DC) The increase in prices will in turn lead to increasing the government revenue by 7 percent (Photo: DC) Vijayawada: Central GST (CGST) officials led by commissioner Sadhu Narasimha Reddy destroyed fake branded cigarettes valued at Rs 6 crore. The CGST had earlier seized these cigarettes while being smuggled or for evasion of taxes. Officials destroyed the cigarettes at the Jindal Waste Energy Plant in Yadlapadu mandal of Palnadu district, after getting all the necessary permits. Narasimha Reddy said they have been continuously organising checks in West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and Nellore districts, which come under the Guntur CGST Commissionerate, against illegal transportation of various products. The commissioner said they have detected tax evasion worth 403 crore and collected tax of Rs 278 crore during the last financial year.

Senior YSRC Leader Dokka Manikya Vara Prasad Quits Party

Dokka Manikya Vara Prasad Rao Dokka Manikya Vara Prasad Rao Vijayawada: YSRC senior leader and former minister Dokka Manikya Vara Prasad quit the ruling party on Friday, expressing his unhappiness with the party high command. In his resignation letter, Vara Prasad said on joining the YSRC, he had been made an MLC. He said the party high command promised to make him an MLC again, but it did not do so. With the elections coming, he said he had been expecting the ruling partys MLA ticket from Prathipadu or Tadikonda. But he did not get the ticket from either of the constituencies. Vara Prasad had been elected as MLA from Tadikonda twice as a candidate of the Congress party. He had also worked as a minister during one of the Congress regimes.

13 nominations rejected in Guntur LS constituency

Vijayawada: Guntur Parliament constituency Returning Officer and District Collector M Venugopal Reddy on Friday said that 13 nominations were rejected after completion of the scrutiny process. A total of 47 candidates had submitted 67 sets of nominations. Of these, the Returning Officer accepted nominations from three candidates of national and state recognized political parties, 17 candidates from unregistered political parties and 14 independent candidates. He mentioned that election observers for Tadikonda, Prattipadu, Guntur West and Guntur East, S.P. Karthika conducted the scrutiny of the nominations.

AP Women's Panel seeks improved facilities for women at polling booths

Vijayawada: AP Women's Commission chairperson Gajjala Venkatalakshmi met with Chief Election Commissioner Mukesh Kumar Meena. During the meeting, Venkatalakshmi requested the provision of separate queues, feeding rooms for mothers, emergency medical services, shelter, drinking water, ORS packets, and mobile toilets to cater to the needs of women, particularly those with infants, pregnant women, and the elderly. Chief Election Commissioner Mukesh Kumar Meena acknowledged the importance of these requirements and assured Venkatalakshmi that positive action would be taken. He instructed the district election officers to make the necessary arrangements to meet these demands. In addition to the improved facilities, Venkatalakshmi also sought the election commission's permission to allow the AP state women commission to meet with women victims and offer them support and consolation.

Pawan Kalyan says red sander smugglers in Pithapuram

Kakinada: Jana Sena chief and film star Pawan Kalyan has alleged that rivals in the other party have sent 50 to 60 red sanders smugglers into the Godavari districts as he is contesting from Pithapuram Assembly constituency, . I am not afraid of such threats. I have come to politics leaving my fears, he declared while addressing several meetings in Konaseema district from atop his Varahi vehicle. The JS chief said Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has frequently been saying that if the NDA alliance comes to power, welfare schemes will be stopped. He said the amount being spent on welfare schemes is not coming from Jagan Mohan Reddys or his own forefathers. The schemes are from peoples money, he declared. He regretted that individual clashes between Vangaveeti Ranga and Nehru in Vijayawada and Pilli Subhashchandra Bose and Thota Trimurtulu in Ramachandrapuram have to be seen as clashes between two castes. He found fault with such trends in society. Pawan Kalyan said a small stone had been hurled on Jagan Mohan Reddy amidst thousands of people. The police nabbed a youth. But when an auspicious chariot had been burnt at Antarvedi, the government could not find the accused. He observed that the person who threw the stone is mentally ill. He accused minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy and his son Mithun Reddy of terrorising the people of Godavari district. I will not tolerate this, he declared. The JS chief demanded that ONGC, Gail and Cairn Energy replace their pipelines with safer ones. He demanded that CSR funds from these companies should be spent on development of the respective constituencies. Pawan Kalyan advised people not to fall for upma and idlis provided by the ruling YSRC. Amalapuram Lok Sabha candidate G. Harish Mathur and P. Gannavaram nominee D. Vara Prasad accompanied the JS chief.

Election observers to receive code violation complaints in Vijayawada

Complaints and representations from political parties, candidates and general public over election code violations to be recieved on all days between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. until May 13

11 dead in three separate road accidents across Telangana

WARANGAL/SURYAPET/SANGAREDDY : Celebrations turned into a tragedy when four Intermediate second-year students, all aged 19, died after a two-wheeler they were riding collided with a private bus on the outskirts of Yellanda village on the Warangal-Khammam highway late on Wednesday. Sources said that the boys were returning to Yellanda in Warangal district from Hanamkonda where they had gone to celebrate the completion of their Intermediate studies. The victims have been identified as P Ganesh, M Siddhartha, V Teja and P Anil Kumar, all hailing from Yellanda. Siddhartha and Anil were students of Wardhannapet government junior college while Teja and Ganesh studied at a private junior college in Hyderabad. While three of the victims died on the spot, the fourth succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment at the MGM Hospital in Warangal. The impact of the collision was such that the bodies of the students were strewn across the highway. The accident resulted in a traffic jam stretching over one km on the highway. Police shifted the bodies to MGM Hospital for a postmortem examination. Wardhannapet S-I A Praveen Kumar said that a case has been registered under IPC Section 304(A) and an investigation is underway. Elsewhere in Durgapuram village of Kodad mandal, six people died and four others sustained injuries when the car they were travelling in crashed into a stationary lorry on the highway. The victims were identified as N Chandar Rao (55) and his wife Manikyamma (50), N Krishamraju (30), N Swarnakumari (20), J Srikanth (30) and Lasya (4). They were residents of L Govindapuram village of Bonakal mandal in Khammam district and were on their way to Vijayawada from Hyderabad. The four injured persons were shifted to Kodad area hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, a 33-year-old man was burnt alive after the car he was travelling in rammed a lorry near the Muthangi toll plaza in the wee hours of Thursday and caught fire.

BJP will scrap reservations by 2025 if it wins: Telangana CM

HYDERABAD : Alleging that the BJP and RSS have declared a war on the Constitution with the aim of scrapping reservations for SC, ST and OBC communities, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday said that the saffron party was hoping to win 400 seats to implement this agenda. The BJP is trying to win 400 seats so that it gets two-thirds majority in Lok Sabha. This will enable it to pass a Bill scrapping the reservation system. The RSS has a policy to abolish quotas by 2025, as mentioned by its leaders on numerous occasions, the chief minister alleged. The TPCC president was speaking after releasing a chargesheet against the BJP and its 10-year rule at the Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad along with AICC in-charge Deepa Dasmunshi, co-in-charge Rohith Choudhary, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, TPCC working president Mahesh Kumar Goud, ministers Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Konda Surekha, Ponnam Prabhakar and others. Warning the people that voting for the BJP would contribute to abolition of the reservation system in the country, the chief minister said that if the saffron party gets even a single seat in Telangana, it would deprive them of their rights. This election is a battle between upholding reservations and their abolition, Revanth said. He recalled that the BJP opposed implementation of the Mandal Commission report that recommended reservations for OBCs. At that time, its senior leader LK Advani toured the country in a rath spreading communal hatred so that attention was diverted from reservations, Revanth alleged. Whats in Cong chargesheet BJP accused of betraying Telangana by forcibly merging 211 villages of Khammam into AP BJP did not implement a single assurance as mandated in AP Reorganisation Act, like setting up of Bayyaram Steel Plant, Kazipet railway coach factory & 2,400 MW NTPC plant, alleges Cong What the Congress chargesheet said For every rupee of tax paid, Telangana gets back only 43 paise. In contrast, BJP gives Rs 7.06 to Bihar, Rs 2.73 to Uttar Pradesh, Rs 2.63 to Assam, and Rs 2.42 to Madhya Pradesh BJP did not release Rs 4,000 crore GST compensation due to Telangana, Rs 24,205 crore recommended by NITI Aayog and Rs 1,800 crore grant for the development of backward districts The saffron party did not allocate a single rupee to Telangana in the 202425 budget. It did not allocate even a rupee to the Mulugu Tribal University or the Turmeric Board at Nizamabad Allocated Rs 1,000 crore for Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh but only Rs 3.14 crore for the Sammakka Sarakka Jatara No assistance when Telangana faced floods. It did not help even when Hyderabad was devastated by severe floods in 2020 In 2023, BJP gave Rs 1,420.80 crore to Maharashtra, Rs 707.60 crore to Odisha, Rs 624.40 crore to Bihar, and Rs 584 crore to Gujarat under disaster relief funds, but neglected Telangana Caused severe loss to Telangana farmers by preventing the state from getting its rightful share of Krishna river waters Lakhs of jobs lost due to privatisation of public sector enterprises like BHEL, BSNL, LIC, BDL, HAL and DRDL, which were established by the Congress in Hyderabad Did not grant national project status to any irrigation project in Telangana, including the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme Telangana lost 13.9 lakh jobs and Rs 2.19 lakh crore in investments as a result of BJP cancelling the ITIR project given by Congress Abandoned Hyderabad-Warangal, Hyderabad-Nagpur Industrial Corridors, Fab City, Sileru Power Project, establishment of Narayanpet Handloom Park and revival of Adilabad Cement Factory Did not establish a single new airport, dry port or industrial park in Telangana Did not develop Warangal and Karimnagar as smart cities, did not give even one IIM, IIT, Central University or Medical College to Telangana. BJP is privatising coal mines allocated to Singareni by the Congress government. Auctioned Kalyan Khani, Koyagudem, Sattupalli and Shravanapalli coal blocks BJP failed in construction of railway lines on Manoharabad-Kothapalli, Bhadrachalam Road-Sathupally, Peddapalli-Nizamabad and Medak-Akkannapet routes, doubling of Secunderabad-Mahbubnagar, Mudkhed-Medchal railway lines, and third railway line on the Kazipet-Vijayawada routes Did not sanction a single Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya to Telangana since 2014. Discrimination against Telangana in establishment of Sainik Schools and Kendriya Vidyalayas Modi exploiting handloom sector via GST: Revanth The chief minister asserted that it was the responsibility of Congress leaders to explain to the people the failures and conspiracies of BJP in the last 10 years of its rule. He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of miserably failing to fulfil his promise of creating 20 crore jobs in 10 years and providing only seven lakh jobs instead. The TPCC chief blamed the BJP government for the spiralling prices of essential commodities and adding to the burden of the common man. He alleged that there was rampant exploitation in industries from handloom to cottage industries, all in the name of GST. Revanth also accused Modi of imposing GST even on basic items like matchboxes and soaps. Stating that the people of the country have been burdened with a debt of Rs 168 lakh crore in the last 10 years due to the Modi government borrowing Rs 113 lakh crore, Revanth accused the prime minister of handing over assets built by successive Congress governments over 60 years to corporates within a decade.

Guntur: Six-day ABDM training programme concludes

VIJAYAWADA: Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Dr S Venkateswar emphasised the significance of Electronic Health Records (EHR) adoption in modern healthcare practices, its role in facilitating data-driven decision-making, and ensuring efficient resource utilisation within healthcare facilities in Andhra Pradesh. He participated as a chief guest on the final day of a six-day training session by the health, medical and family welfare department of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) held at Haailand resorts in Guntur district. The training programme, attended by a diverse array of doctors of all teaching hospitals, lab technicians, pharmacists, and staff nurses, focused on harnessing the potential of EHR systems to enhance patient care, streamline administrative processes, and improve overall healthcare delivery. Participants benefited from hands-on training sessions, practical demonstrations, and insightful discussions led by experienced practitioners. The Commissioner commended their commitment to professional development and encouraged them to leverage their newly acquired skills and knowledge to enhance healthcare services within their respective domains. ABDM state Nodal officer Boddepally Venkateswar Rao and others participated.

Seizures in Andhra Pradesh touch Rs 165.91 crore

VIJAYAWADA: After the announcement of the election schedule, Rs 165.91 crore worth cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals and other articles have been seized in the State, informed Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Mukesh Kumar Meena. In a release issued on Thursday, the CEO said effective vigil is being kept in the State to prevent illegal transportation of cash, liquor and other voter inducements. The State will go to polls on May 13. Continuous surveillance has resulted in seizure of Rs 165.91 crore worth cash, drugs, liquor, gold and silver and other articles, he added. MCC enforcement Rs 8.65 crore worth election inducements seized in 24 hours Rs 36.89 cr cash Rs 20.32 cr worth liquor Rs 2.87 cr worth drugs Rs 91.26 cr worth precious metals Total Rs 165.91 cr The highest seizure of election inducements worth Rs 30.66 cr were seized in Anantapur parliamentary constituency. The least seizure of election inducements worth Rs 1.15 cr was recorded in Narasapuram Lok Sabha segment.

Unfortunate that VSP on verge of closure: Andhra Pradesh HC

VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday commented that it was unfortunate that the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant is on the verge of closure due to scarcity of coal following the strike of Gangavaram Port workers. Hearing the petition of Steel Executives Association general secretary K Venkata Durga Prasad seeking the courts directions to the government to ensure that coal supply to Visakhapatnam Steel Plant is not hampered due to the strike of Gangavaram Port workers, Justice N Jayasurya said it is paramount to safeguard the interests of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and asked the senior officials to address the workers stir and directed the Visakhapatnam Port management to divert the coal stocks at Gangavaram port to Visakhapatnam port. The government pleader was directed to submit details regarding these from the State government to the court. The High Court registry was directed to make the Chief Secretary and Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner respondents in the case and clarified that till then no orders can be issued. Further hearing in the case was adjourned to Friday. Petitioners counsel Ambati Srikanth Reddy submitted to the court that due to the workers strike at Gangavaram port, coal supply to Visakhapatnam Steel Plant has been affected, and as a result, out of three furnaces in the steel plant, only one is working and other two furnaces were damaged. He further submitted that it would take several crores of rupees to repair those furnaces and said once the existing coal stock is finished, the steel plant will be closed. Stating that it will affect the livelihood of thousands of workers and employees, Srikanth Reddy said that a letter was written to the Chief Secretary explaining the problem and seeking a solution. Responding to this, the government pleader said talks between Gangavaram port management and workers have taken place and said it is the responsibility of the management to ensure the needs and incentives of the workers as per the previous agreement. It was said that the district Collector informed the same to the port management and at present the Collector is busy with election duties. Explaining to the court, counsel for Gangavaram Port YV Ravi Prasad said the workers were making untenable demands. He said to compensate for the land acquisition for the port construction, locals were provided jobs in the port and each of them was being paid Rs 22,000, though they were unskilled. He submitted to the court that the workers are now demanding Rs 36,000 per month as salary and Rs 50 lakh for the worker who takes VRS. Further, he informed that no strike notice was served in advance and the workers with their families resorted to flash strike. As all those on strike are locals, they are not allowing workers from other regions to enter the port, he added and said that the port is incurring a loss of Rs 5 crore per day with port activity stalled. According to him, around 2.7 lakh metric tonnes of coal belonging to the Visakhapatnam Steel plant is stocked at Gangavaram port and already 80,000 metric tonnes have been shipped to Visakhapatnam port. In addition to this, the law and order situation has been compromised due to the flash strikes of workers, and the police are not acting on the complaint from the port management, Ravi Prasad added.

YSRC govt failed to complete Polavaram project due to graft: Piyush Goyal

VIJAYAWADA : Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Thursday claimed that Andhra Pradesh has witnessed the YSRCs vindictive and corrupt rule in the past five years. Addressing the media in Vijayawada during his one-day visit to the State, the BJP leader alleged that the State has experienced a string of failures marked by misgovernance at the highest levels in the last five years. He noted that despite Central grants to the tune of Rs 15,000 crore being released for Polavaram project, the government failed to complete it due to corruption, thus betraying the farmers of the State. Despite the fact that YSR in the YSR Congress Partys name stands for Yuvajana, Shramik and Rythu, the youth, workers and farmers have been neglected. The State suffered mismanagement under Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Despite the immense potential in the State and its previous status as a fast-developing region, the last five years have seen it overrun by the sand, land and liquor mafias, he claimed. He added Central schemes designed to benefit the poor were not fully executed in the State. The Narendra Modi-led Centre approved approximately 21.32 lakh homes for the State under PMAY, but the ruling YSRC only managed to distribute 3.25 lakh homes to beneficiaries, he alleged. He expressed hope that once TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu becomes the chief minister, the State will be placed on the path of progress by a double-engine government. Union Minister Piyush Goyal during a press conference Union minister accuses YSRC govt of diverting Rs 8,000 crore Panchayat funds He assured people that the TDP-led NDA alliance in the State will prioritise the completion of Polavaram, ensuring that Godavari water flows into every household and farm. On the issue of setting up of a railway zone as promised, the Union minister alleged that the YSRC government has not yet provided suitable land in Visakhapatnam. He asserted that the alliance would win and the new government would allocate land for the construction of the special railway zone. He accused the state government of diverting Rs 8,000 crore in panchayat grants between 201920 and 202223. The Union Minister stated that the countrys GDP ranking has improved from 11th to 5th globally, and it is poised to become the third-largest economy in the next five years. During Modis tenure, 20 crore people emerged out of poverty without discrimination based on religion, caste, or state, with the measures implemented by the Centre, he added. Piyush Goyal highlighted the success of the striking down of Article 370, which he said facilitated the integration of Kashmir into India.

Trounce Jagan & send him home for rapid growth of State: Naidu

VIJAYAWADA : The people of the State have started revolting against Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and he will be trounced in the elections, said TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu. Addressing a public meeting, along with Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan and former Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who is contesting as the BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Rajampet, on Thursday, the TDP chief cautioned the people of the State to be alert as Jagan will loot the properties of everyone if he retains power in the State. He urged the people to give their treatment to the injury suffered by Jagan in the recent stone-pelting incident by simply throwing him out of power. Terming Energy Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy Papala (sinful) Peddireddy, Naidu held him responsible for the damage of Annamayya project. Promising to sanction a medical college for Rajampet soon after the formation of the TDP-led NDA government in the State, he said the Galeru-Nagari project will be completed on a priority basis to supply Krishna water to Rajampet. We will rebuild the Annamayya project, which was washed away in floods, and come to the rescue of the project displaced families, he vowed. Urging the people not to believe the YSRCs false propaganda against the tripartite alliance, the TDP chief asserted that the it is committed to safeguarding the interests of Muslims. He appealed to the people to give their massive mandate to BJP MP candidate Kiran Kumar Reddy and MLA nominee S Balasubrahmanyam in the elections. Once the NDA comes to power in the State, the first victory rally and a meeting will be organised in Rajampet, Naidu exhorted. Launching a broadside against the YSRC government, Pawan Kalyan called upon the people to give a resounding victory to the tripartite alliance. The NDA alliance should come to power to put an end to the rowdyism and factionism brought by the Peddireddy family, he asserted. Kiran Kumar Reddy said he had never seen an inefficient Chief Minister like Jagan. The defeat of P Midhun Reddy is a must for the development of Rajampet Lok Sabha constituency, he averred.

Jagans remark on saree shameful: YS Sharmila

VIJAYAWADA: In a vehement rebuttal to the remarks made by her brother and YSRC president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, APCC chief YS Sharmila Reddy said her brother seems to have no shame for commenting on the colours of sarees worn by his sisters. Addressing a public meeting in Guntur on Thursday, she sought to know why Jagan has to stoop to such a low. Calling her brother uncultured for commenting on the colour of her saree, she demanded to know, Does TDP have any patent on yellow colour or has the party purchased it? Jagan seems to have forgotten that the display of his news channel was yellow colour, which was recommended by YS Rajasekhara Reddy as he believed the colour signifies a good omen. Responding to the Chief Ministers allegations that she reads out of a script prepared by TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, she said, I dont need to read scripts prepared by others. It is Jagan who reads the script prepared for him verbatim. I am the daughter of YSR, and I dont have to lower my head before anyone. Sharmila, who is contesting the Kadapa MP seat against her cousin YS Avinash Reddy, opined that Jagan lowered himself before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and became his foster son. Has he ever spoken on the States interests? He is the heir of Modi and not YSR, she quipped and questioned Jagans silence over the violence in Manipur. Why did Jagan support Modi when so many Christians were being killed? she sought to know. Claiming that none of those who follow Jagan are his well-wishers, she said, Women, who spoke ill of YSR are now his sisters. Those who insulted YSR in the Assembly are his relatives. Refuting the allegations that the CBI included YSRs name in the chargesheet, Sharmila said the fact is that it was Jagan who, through his lawyer Sudhakar Reddy, included YSRs name in the chargesheet by filing a petition so that he could get bail in the case. She challenged Jagan to clarify on the matter. Earlier, the APCC chief addressed public meetings in Vijayawada and Sattenapalle. She criticised the YSRC government for rendering the State without a capital. Speaking to mediapersons in Pulivendula, Vivekananda Reddys daughter Suneetha Narreddy said that if her husband N Rajasekhar Reddy is an accused in her fathers murder, he should be arrested. Whoever is responsible, should be arrested. All I seek is justice for my father, she added. Pointing out that Pulivnedula was developed due to the efforts of YSR and Vivekananda Reddy, she asked why Jagan omitted the contribution of Vivekananda Reddy. Further, she demanded the Chief Minister to come clean on why he withdrew his demand for a CBI inquiry into Vivekas murder. A doctor by profession, Sunitha advised Jagan to remove the bandage on his forehead so that air can pass through or else it would get infected.

No respite from scorching heat in Andhra Pradesh

VIJAYAWADA: As many as 56 mandals in the State are likely to reel under severe heatwave, while 174 mandals are likely to experience heatwave-like conditions on Friday. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted a heatwave at isolated places across the State, besides predicting hot, humid, and discomforting weather at isolated places across the State for the next four days. On Thursday, Andhra Pradesh largely experienced hot and humid conditions with daytime temperatures being above 40 degrees Celsius at most of the places. According to APSDPS, at around 4 pm, as many as 547 places in the State have reported daytime temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius and of them 78 places reported maximum temperatures above 43 degrees Celsius. APSDMA in its daily bulletin said on Thursday as many as 72 mandals experienced severe heatwave, and 102 mandals recorded heatwave. Among the 72 mandals with severe heatwave, 21 each were in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts, 12 in Anakapalli district, 11 in Paravatipuram-Manyam district, three each in Alluri Sitarama Raju and East Godavari districts, and one mandal in Kakinada district.

Issues galore in Machilipatnam, development of port vital

VIJAYAWADA: Machilipatnam Lok Sabha constituency has a plethora of issues that need the attention of policy makers for years, but have been totally ignored. Bandar or Machilipatnam port has been a long-burning issue. Finally, the works of the port project had commenced in May, 2023. The port is expected to be a pivot of change for the entire Krishna district, and emerge as an important sea port on the East Coast. After several agitations, the port was sanctioned by the YSRC government, but it hit a roadblock with the contracting agency backing away due to some issues. After the State bifurcation, the project was given to Navayuga Engineering Company Limited, but the project got embroiled in land issues. After the YSRC came to power, the project tender was cancelled, and a new DPR was prepared. Later, the project was handed over to MEIL, which is expected to complete it in two years. Speaking to TNIE, Vinay of Machilipatnam town said, The development of the port would bring the much-needed growth to the region, and could create more employment. For several years, the people of Nagayalanka and Edurumondi have been using punts to travel between the two islands risking their lives. The demand for a bridge for years remains a dream. In Gudivada, the long pending demand for Road Over Bridge (ROB) is yet to be met, though several assurances were given in this regard. In Gannavaram Assembly segment, the issue of compensation to farmers for the land acquired for airport expansion is yet to be resolved. Machilipatnam also known as Bandar parliamentary constituency consists of seven Assembly segments, including Bandar, Pedana, Avanigadda, Gudivada, Gannavaram, Pamarru (SC reserved) and Penamaluru. The constituency has a total population of 17,35,079. The total electorate in Machilipatnam is 15,18,826. The parliamentary constituency, which retained the name Krishna District after the district reorganisation, has rural and semi-urban character, and compared to NTR District, it has more agriculture and aquaculture fields. Irrigation and drinking water is an issue in the constituency though the perennial Krishna River flows through it. The proposed barrages downstream of Prakasam Barrage have remained a distant dream. Bandar town gets drinking water once in two or three days now. Tail-end lands under Bandar Canal do not get water for irrigation, pointed out a senior CPM leader of the region. The demand for rail connectivity between Repalle and Machilipatnam remains unfulfilled. The region will witness a sea change if the rail connectivity is provided, he opined. The constituency was represented by Communists after it was formed in 1952. Sanaka Buchikotaiah was the first MP. He was succeeded by Mandali Venkata Krishna Rao of Congress, followed by Mandala Venkataswamy Naidu, Y Ankineedu Prasad, Nageswara Rao Meduri, Maganti Ankineedu, K Sambasiva Rao, Kolusu Pedda Reddaiah Yadav, K Satyanarayana, K Sambasiva Rao, Ambati Brahmanaiah and Badiga Ramakrishna. Konakalla Narayana of TDP represented the Lok Sabha constituency in 2009 and 2014. In 2019, Vallabhaneni Balasouri of YSRC was elected. The sitting MP has shifted his loyalties to the Jana Sena Party, and is contesting the Lok Sabha seat as an NDA candidate. Facing him is Dr Simhadri Chandrasekhar, a noted oncologist, contesting the election for the first time.

Political bigwigs set to battle it out in Dhone

KURNOOL : With elections fast approaching, all eyes are on Dhone Assembly constituency in Nandyal district where two prominent politicians YSRCs Buggana Rajendranath Reddy and TDPs Kotla Jayasurya Prakasha Reddy are set to lock horns. While the sitting Dhone MLA and finance minister is vying for a third term, former Union minister Kotla Suryaprakash Reddy is leaving no stone unturned to wrest the seat from the ruling YSRC. They both have been campaigning vigorously by conducting door-to-door visits and public meetings. Water crisis, unemployment and migration are some of the top concerns of the voters in the segment. Lack of irrigation water has resulted in insufficient job opportunities, consequently causing youth and agricultural labourers to migrate to cities like Guntur, Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Ballary in search of livelihood. Buggana Rajendranath Reddy, YSRC Many roads to access the villages have been constructed poorly due to the negligence of the current government, R Venkatesh, a resident of Dhone town alleged. Many eligible beneficiaries have been left out of government schemes due to political reasons, he added. Dhone is a prominent constituency as it was from here that Neelam Sanjiva Reddy contested the elections in 1962 on a Congress ticket and went on to serve as the first Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and later the sixth President of India from 1977 to 1982. Buggana is banking on the development initiatives he has taken up in the constituency. He has been highlighting the development brought in infrastructure, education, provision of water for farmers and road connectivity under the YSRC rule. The incumbent MLA has promised to continue the welfare and development programmes to ensure progress of the people of Dhone. Kotla Suryaprakash Reddy, TDP TDPs Kotla Surya Prakash Reddy is mobilising the cadre and party sympathisers to challenge the incumbent. A seasoned politician and former Union Minister, he brings decades of experience to the table. He is banking on the legacy his family name carries and the work done by his father and former Chief Minister Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy as well on his own victories as Kurnool MP. AN OVERVIEW 2,24,085 - Total Electorate Male - 1,10,748 Female - 1,13,259 3rd gender - 78 291 - Total poling booths 2019 POLL OUTCOME Buggana Rajendranath (YSRC): 1, 00,845 KE Pratap (TDP): 65,329

Bapatla: Final List of Voters to be Released on April 29

Election Commission's Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP). Election Commission's Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP). Vijayawada : Bapatla district election officer P. Ranjit Basha on Thursday informed leaders of recognised political parties that the final list of voters in the district will be released on April 29. He said 99 candidates have filed 147 nominations for the parliament and assembly constituencies in the district. These nomination papers will be scrutinised on Friday. The election officer disclosed that symbols will be allotted to the contesting candidates on April 29. He said voter ID cards have already been distributed to voters by post.

APCPDL to Ensure Power Supply in Krishna District

Vijayawada: Executive engineer and nodal officer of Machilipatnam in Krishna district M. Bhaskara Rao said Andhra Pradesh Central Power Distribution Company Limited (APCPDCL) has formulated a comprehensive action plan to ensure reliable power supply to consumers in Krishna district during the summer of 2024. New 33kV and 11kV feeders, along with distribution transformers, have been strategically installed for the purpose, he said. Pre-monsoon inspections have been held at all 33kV and 11kV feeders. Defects, such as damaged poles, conductors, and insulators have been resolved. Bhaskara Rao maintained that additionally, 8 MVA power transformers have been added at Nandamuru and Bhaskarapuram substations. 5 MVA transformers have been placed at Attamuru, Pamulanka, N.R. Nagar, Mopidevi, and Maddur substations. Upgrades have taken place at Vuyyur, Bantumilli and Lakshmipuram substations, increasing their capacity from 5 MVA to 8 MVA. These measures will ensure a strong power distribution system capable of meeting the increasing demand during the summer months, the power official added.

BJP leaders reject Naidu's plea on Muslim reservation

Vijayawada: A team of senior BJP leaders met Telugu Desam chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu here on Thursday and discussed the 3-party alliances poll strategies in AP and the issue of Muslim reservations. The team comprised Union Commerce minister Piyush Goyal, BJP national general secretary Arun Singh, BJP national joint secretary Siva Prakash and BJP state general secretary (organisation) S. Madhukar. After the meeting, Piyush Goyal made a key announcement at a press conference, affirming that the BJP is against Muslim reservations. He made it clear that the BJP favoured only the SC, ST, BC and OBC reservations as also the EWS, and stressed that no reservation will be given to Muslims. According to sources, Naidu explained the political situation in AP to these leaders and claimed that the people were ready to dethrone the YSR Congress from power in the present Assembly elections. When both sides discussed the Muslim reservations, Naidu said the cancellation of 4 per cent reservations to Muslims will impact the election outcome. Hence Naidu urged the BJP leaders not to raise the issue in AP. But, the BJP leaders made it clear that the party was against Muslim reservations. This has been their national-level policy. We are against religion-based reservations to Muslims, they stressed.

CPM Lambasts NDA Alliances Promise to Reduce Prices

VIJAYAWADA: CPM candidate from Vijayawada Central constituency CH. Babu Rao questioned the promise of Telugu Desam and Jana Sena in alliance with Bharatiya Janata party that prices of essential commodities will be reduced. In his fiery speech while addressing the residents of Sanjeevayya Colony, he pointed out that TD and JS have teamed up with BJP, which has hiked the cooking gas prices from 400 to 1,200. The two parties are trying to influence public in the wrong way, the CPM candidate remarked. He showcased his partys history of supporting the underprivileged, helping them get ownership rights over their houses, making efforts towards ending corruption and promising transparent governance once the CPM comes to power.

Cash, Items of Rs 165.91 Crore Seized in AP After Release of Election Schedule

Vijayawada: Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Meena has said cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals, free bees and other items worth more than Rs 165.91 crore have been seized since the announcement of the election schedule in AP. He said that as the general elections are slated for May 13 in the state, a strong vigil has been kept on the illegal transportation of cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals etc that might be distributed by candidates or parties to attract voters. Through inter-state as well as other check posts in the state, more than 20 enforcement agencies such as police, excise, income tax, forest, ED, NCB, RPF, customs etc are on constant vigil against illegal transportation of cash and goods for election-related canvassing. Illegally transported assets worth Rs 8.65 crore have been seized in the last 24 hours alone. The highest amount of Rs 30.66 crore was seized in Anantapur LS constituency and the lowest amount of Rs 1.15 crore in Narsapuram LS. The total amount seized till date was Rs 36.89 crore in cash, 6,62,402.65 litres of liquor worth Rs 20.32 crore, 52,28,218.94 grams of drugs worth Rs 2.78 crore, 14,73,734.46 grams of precious metals worth Rs 91.26 crore, 4,88,557 items worth Rs 2.90 crore, Freebies (freebies) and other items worth Rs 11.74 crore were seized, he said. In Tirupati (SC), Rs 19.37 crore was seized; Kakinada Rs 18.18 crore, Elur Rs 13.77 crore, Visakhapatnam Rs 12.50 crore, Rajampet Rs 6.96 crore, Vijayawada Rs 6.75 crore, Nandyala Rs 5.63 crore, Kadapa Rs 5.62 crore, Narasaraopet Rs 4.61 crore, Vizianagaram Rs 4.18 crore, Bapatla (SC) Rs 3.99 crore, Anakapalli Rs 3.72 crore, Rajahmundry Rs 3.62 crore, Srikakulam Rs 3.61 crore, Araku (ST) Rs 3.37 crore, Nellore Rs 3 crore, Machilipatnam Rs 2.87 crore, Guntur Rs 2.75 crore, Kurnool Rs 2.45 crore, Chittoor (SC) Rs 1.94 crore, Ongole Rs 1.93 crore, Hindupur Rs 1.63 crore and in Amalapuram (SC) Rs 1.52 crore.

Friday last day for postal ballots

The news of postal ballots being given out to persons with disabilities (PwDs) has not been welcomed by all voters in the city. (Representational Image:AFP) The news of postal ballots being given out to persons with disabilities (PwDs) has not been welcomed by all voters in the city. (Representational Image:AFP) Vijayawada: Krishna district election officer D.K. Balaji has informed government employees on election duties that they should submit Form-12 by Friday, April 26, to avail the postal ballot facility. Balaji explained that those who are entitled to vote in other districts due to unavoidable reasons will also have to submit Form-12 by Friday in the constituency where they are currently working. The election officer also gave details of how the process of postal ballots will be followed through.

Marxists Seek Delivery of Pensions at Homes on May 1

Vijayawada: CPM state committee secretary V. Srinivas Rao on Thursday demanded that state government make arrangements for distributing social security pensions to old aged, disabled, widows, single women, handloom workers, fishermen, artisans and others at their homes on May 1. He deplored that last month, when temperatures had been high, disabled and elderly had been forced to queue up at village and ward secretariats for pensions, leading to deaths at some places. In particular, Srinivas Rao pointed out that in agency areas, secretariats are far away from residences. There are no transport facilities in such regions. People have to walk through forests or down the hills to collect their pensions and return. Reiterating his demand for delivery of pensions at doorsteps of the pensioners, the CPM leader said those distributing must carry sufficient cash in advance, so that pensions are paid to all.

Politicians turn MCC into Make Chaos Cool

Hyderabad: Welcome to the wild, wild west of Andhra Pradesh electioneering, where the only rule is that there are no rules at least, not the ones set by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The rules of engagement in election campaigns are crystal clear, or so they say. Despite the ECIs valiant efforts to drum them into the heads of political parties, it seems like some candidates and their cohorts are determined to march to the beat of their own drum, ignoring the model code of conduct (MCC). In most cases, going by the repeated violations of the MCC provisions, it appears that parties and their candidates are like truant children, who do exactly the opposite of what they are told. Take the case of Sk Asif, YSRC candidate from Vijayawada West, who decided to make a grand entrance to file his nomination on horseback! The poll panels memo about the ban on displaying animals in roadshows didn't make it to his mailbox. But he's not alone in this equestrian escapade; followers have been spotted galloping alongside on camels and horses, turning rallies into impromptu petting zoos. The 13-page MCC for campaigning could be a steeplechase for most candidates and among its provisions is one that says display of animals in roadshows is totally banned. The air is thick with the sound of high-decibel speakers as prominent leaders like Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy, N. Chandrababu Naidu, and Pawan Kalyan lead their own campaigns. Roadshows block the entire road, oversized flags billow in the wind, and convoys defy the laws of traffic physics. The AP Chief Minister's Memantha Siddham Bus Yatra might as well be a victory lap for the audacious occupier of the entire one-way of road. Naidu's Praja Galam public meetings are so electrifying, you might need sunglasses to shield yourself from the glaring lights and ear plugs to save from thunderous noise. The scenes captured in the videos of actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan, as he went to file his nomination, resembled something out of a movie's pre-climax chase sequence. His followers, accompanying him in a massive bike rally, were observed zooming recklessly on both sides of the road, while the Jana Sena chief stood from the sunroof, waving at his supporters. Amidst this cinematic spectacle, the ECI's regulations stating that all bigger convoys exceeding 10 vehicles shall be broken after every 10 vehicles, and a gap of 100 metres would be maintained appeared to have been tossed aside like yesterday's newspaper. In AP, it appears that the leaders have conveniently overlooked the ECI's guidelines on maintaining decorum during election campaigns, specifically the section that prohibits criticism of aspects of private life not connected with the public life of leaders or workers of other parties. As for the ECI's meticulously crafted norms on firecrackers, loudspeakers, and campaign vehicle designs, etc., seems like a bygone era, lost to the winds of political defiance in Andhra Pradesh

Fire on private gas pipeline in Vijayawada

YS Jagan Files Nomination from Pulivendula

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has filed nomination from Pulivendula Assembly constituency for the ensuing Assembly Elections on Thursday. Andhra Pradesh Siddham! #VoteForFan YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (@ysjagan) April 25, 2024

Six Including Infant Killed in Road Accident in Telangana's Hyderabad-Vijayawada Highway

The car carrying the victims collided with the truck parked on the roadside for repairs, along the Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway

Vishwajeet is new Intelligence chief, Ramakrishna appointed as NTR CP

VIJAYAWADA : A day after State Intelligence chief P Sitaramanjaneyulu and NTR district commissioner of police Kanthi Rana Tata were transferred, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday issued an order appointing two IPS officers in their place. According to the order, additional director general of police (Railways) Kumar Vishwajeet was appointed as the Intelligence chief, while Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director PHD Ramakrishna has been appointed as NTR district police commissioner. The order further instructed the two officers to take charge and send the compliance report to the poll panel by Thursday (April 25) 11 am. On Tuesday, the Election Commission of India had asked Chief Secretary KS Jawahar Reddy to submit a panel of three officers along with their APAR grading for the last five years and Vigilance Clearance, to replace the officers who have been transferred. Based on the names sent by the Chief Secretary, the ECI selected the two and instructed the officials concerned to issue further orders pertaining to their appointment. Coincidentally, the 1994 IPS batch officer, Kumar Vishwajeet was appointed as ADG Intelligence by the ECI in 2019 general elections, replacing the serving AB Venkateswara Rao of 1989 batch IPS.

Attack on Andhra CM: Accused sent to police custody

VIJAYAWADA: The Principal Junior Civil Judge-cum-Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Vijayawada on Wednesday pronounced that the prime accused in the case related to the attack on Chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will undergo police custody for three days starting from Thursday. Judge C Ramana Reddy further instructed the investigating officers to question the accused Satish Kumar in the presence of either his legal counsel or parents. He also mentioned that Satish shall be called for questioning from 10 am to 5 pm. The North Zone assistant commissioner of police (ACP) filed the petition with the court seeking custody of the accused for further investigation into the case. Satish is currently at NTR district jail in Vijayawada. Police informed the court that the 19-year-old had hurled a stone on the Jagan during his Memanta Siddham election campaign near Vivekananda School in Ajit Singh Nagar on April 13.

TDP chief promises to transform womens lives with Maha Shakti

VIJAYAWADA: Asserting that the yellow party has always been committed to the empowerment of women, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu said the Maha Shakti scheme will transform the lives of women. He added that his sole aim is to make women independent. Interacting with women in Srikakulam on Wednesday, Naidu highlighted that the TDP has provided equal rights for women in ancestral properties, 33% reservations in educational institutions and job opportunities. DWCRA groups were formed exclusively for women only during the TDP regime to ensure that they are independent. Interest-free loans were provided to these DWCRA groups and separate bazaars were established to market the products they manufacture, he pointed out. In a jibe at Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Naidu quipped, Pressing buttons after incurring huge debts is not a great thing. Further, he asserted that besides implementing welfare schemes, the TDP, in an alliance with the JSP and BJP, will also focus on creation of wealth and generation of jobs, once it comes to power. Exuding confidence that the NDA will resolve the crisis created by Jagan in the State by creating wealth, the former chief minister promised women that houses will be built for them in two cents of land. Further, he promised that old-age pension will be increased to Rs 4,000 and Rs 6,000 will be extended to the differently-abled.

Six of a family killed in high-speed crash in Telangana

The incident occurred when the family of 10 was travelling from Hyderabad to Vijayawada to attend a church.

Jagan will go to jail after elections: Pawan

VIJAYAWADA : Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan on Wednesday predicted that YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will go back to jail after the elections. He was speaking in reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modis speech in Rajasthans Balmar, where he said that those who do wrong should be prepared to be punished. Jagan, an accused in more than 30 cases, is out on bail. However, after the elections, he will be in jail and this is Modis guarantee, he asserted. The actor-politician was speaking to reporters after the partys Lok Sabha candidate, Tangella Uday Srinivas filed his nomination. Reiterating that the elections will decide the fate of the people and the State, he said, The JSP, TDP, and BJP have allied to assure people that law and order issues, corruption, and anarchy prevailing in the State will stop. On the issue of a leader of the Jana Jatiya Sena Party, named Srinivasu Tangella, contesting the Kakinada MP seat, the JSP chief said they have requested the returning officer to see to it that the JSP candidates name in the ballot paper appears as Tea Time Uday. The request was accepted. Later in the day, Pawan, along with TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, addressed a public meeting at Nellimarla in Vizianagaram district. Terming Jagan a big thief, Pawan said, The YSRC president has looted Rs 450 crore of NTR University funds, diverted `800 crore of government employees GPF without their knowledge and `8,000 crore of Panchayat Raj funds. Even Rs 450 crore of building and construction workers funds were not spared. To bring down power tariff, this fan (YSRCs poll symbol) should be stopped, he quipped. Stating that Jagan can be described as a psychopath and sociopath, he underscored the need to dethrone him. Lambasting at Jagan over his governments failure to maintain law and order in the State, the JSP chief said, Lord Rama is worshipped by all, but under the YSRC regime, the idol of Rama in Ramateertham was beheaded. However, no action was taken. Under Jagan, over 200 Hindu temples were demolished, he alleged. On the Bhogapuram Airport issue, the actor pointed out that Jagan, when he was the Opposition leader, wanted to cancel the project. But now, he is using it for land grabbing and minting money, he claimed. Naidu, too, accused the YSRC of attempting to demolish Lord Ramas idols in Ramateertham. The police will arrest us even if we speak anything against the Chief Minister, but they took no action when idols were damaged, he said. Naidu questioned Jagans disinterest in doing any good for Nellimarla. If I had remained in power, the works of Bhogapuram Airport would have been completed. I acquired 2,750 acres for the airport and laid the foundation stone, added Naidu and promised to complete the international airport by 2025. Ensure door delivery of pensions TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu has sought the intervention of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) to direct the State government to distribute pensions to beneficiaries at the doorstep. Pointing out that 33 elderly citizens reportedly lost their lives because of the government forcing beneficiaries to visit the village/ward Secretariats to collect their pensions in April, Naidu wrote that the ruling party launched a vicious campaign of blaming the ECI and opposition parties to get political mileage by twisting the facts. In this backdrop, there is every possibility that the State government, with active connivance of officials concerned, will repeat the same scenario when the pensions will have to be disbursed on May 1. With temperatures in the State soaring beyond tolerable levels, beneficiaries will face severe hardships if they are made to wait at the secretariats to collect their pension, the former chief minister wrote in the letter.

Andhra Pradesh HC issues showcause notice to IAS officer for contempt

VIJAYAWADA: Taking serious exception to the contempt of the court by senior IAS officer N Gulzar, who is currently on Central deputation, the Andhra Pradesh High Court issued a showcause notice to him. Hearing a contempt petition filed against Gulzar, Justice G Ramakrishna Prasad expressed his ire over the IAS officer. The court said Gulzar, who has no respect for the judicial system, is not fit for government service. Gulzar made a mockery of the judicial system by not only violating the existing laws, but also ignoring the court directions. He crossed the Lakshman Rekha of Executive, the bench said. The Court said as per the preliminary evidence, the officer is not only unfit for government services, but should also be subjected to action under the contempt of court. Since he is not eligible for government services, why should he not be removed from the service, it asked and issued a show cause notice. Gulzar was directed to reply within two weeks. Further, the High Court registry was directed to register a contempt of court cases against him suo-motu. Hearing for the same was posted to May 1. The court also cancelled the proceedings issued by Gulzar rejecting the compensatory appointment to petitioner Srinivas in 2022 and directed the officials concerned to take a decision on the petition in four weeks. It is to be recalled that B Saraswathi Devi, working with the commercial tax department, died and her younger son B Srinvias applied for compensatory appointment. Citing that his father is taking the pension and as Srinivass age has crossed the age limit, his application was rejected. In 2021, he challenged the proceedings and the single judge bench asked him to apply afresh and directed the officials concerned to take action in four weeks. However, with no action from the government, Srinivas filed a contempt petition. While the hearing of the petition was underway, the then Finance Secretary Gulzar issued proceedings rejecting the application. Since the orders were issued, the court dismissed the contempt plea. Srinivas once again knocked the doors of the HC for justice and hearing his petition, Justice Ramakrishna Prasad found fault with the officer and observed that the officer had intentionally ignored the court directions.

Cant ask volunteers not to resign: ECI

VIJAYAWADA: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday submitted to the Andhra Pradesh High Court that it cannot give directions not to accept the resignations of the volunteers in the State, as it is their personal decision. Advocate Avinash Desai, appearing for the ECI, said unless there is a clause in their contract that they cannot resign, issuing orders asking them not to resign is not possible. He said that petitioner Bharath Chaitanya Yuvajana party founder president Bode Ramachandra Yadhavs request is very peculiar as he wants ECI to direct the government not to accept the resignations of the volunteers, which is not possible. Taking it into consideration, Justice B Krishna Mohan directed the ECI to file a counter with all these details and adjourned the case hearing for two weeks. During the arguments, the court was informed that between March 18 and April 22, a total of 62,571 volunteers have resigned, while 929 volunteers were removed for violation of Model Code of Conduct. Further ECI has issued orders not to employ volunteers as polling agents Special Government Pleader Chintala Suman said that following ECI orders, the government has not entrusted any work to volunteers and they are now idle. However, they are being paid honorarium and this is proving taxing on the exchequer. Meanwhile, Advocate PVG Umesh said ECI is empowered to give any orders under Article 324 of the Indian Constitution and it is being urged to use these powers to issue orders to the government for not accepting the resignations of the volunteers. The petitioner was directed to file a counter.

Gold rates in Vijayawada surges, check the rates on 25 April 2024 - The Hans India

Gold rates in Vijayawada surges, check the rates on 25 April 2024 The Hans India

Six killed in road accident in Telangana

SURYAPET (Telangana): Six persons, including a girl child died in a road accident in this district on Thursday, when the car they were travelling in collided with a stationary truck, police said. The accident happened near Kodada town in this district, located about 180 km from state capital Hyderabad. The car carrying the victims collided with the truck parked on the roadside for repairs, along the Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway, Kodada DSP Sridhar Reddy told PTI. A total 10 people were in the car when the accident happened in the early hours of Thursday. Four passengers sustained minor injuries and were shifted to a government hospital.

Ballot battle for Vijayawada LS seat will be one-sided: Kesineni Sivanath

DP candidate for Vijayawada Lok Sabha constituency Kesineni Sivanath, popularly known as Chinni, is confident of winning the election with a huge majority against YSRC nominee and his elder brother Kesineni Srinivas (Nani) as the fight will be largely one-sided. In an interview with S Viswanath, Kesineni Sivanath rubbished the remarks being made by Nani against TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, asserting that his family has been with the TDP since its inception and his father was the founder member of the party. Why did the TDP leadership choose you over your brother, a two-time MP? TDP supremo Naidu gave Nani the opportunity to contest the Lok Sabha seat twice as our family has been with the party for the past 42 years. After the TDP losing power in in the State in the last elections, Nani, instead of standing with Naidu and the party, had started criticising the party chief and leaders and encouraged groupism within the party. In fact, I was not in active politics at that time and involved in my social service activities. The birth centenary of NTR was organised by me in a grand manner, and I strove for the success of Yuva Galam Padayatra of party general secretary Nara Lokesh. The TDP leadership conducted 11 surveys to select the candidate for Vijayawada Lok Sabha segment and in all the surveys, the people put their trust on me. Thus our family has got the opportunity to contest the Lok Sabha seat for the third consecutive time. Nani has accused Naidu of giving tickets to those coming with cash bags. What is your response? By making such remarks against the party supremo, Nani himself stooped too low. Instead of making remarks against the leadership, he should speak on policy matters. It was the same Nani, who praised Naidu as a great leader when he was in the TDP. Now, he resorted to make cheap allegations after he was denied the party ticket. You have released a separate manifesto for Vijayawada parliamentary constituency. Are you confident of implementing all the assurances made in the manifesto in the five-year tenure if elected as an MP? When the TDP was with the NDA, Vijayawada witnessed tremendous development. Traffic problem in Vijayawada city was solved to a great extent by developing 34 roads. Now, I am confident of building another flyover from the Government Hospital Junction to Nidamanur on NH 16, which will provide an effective solution to traffic congestion in Vijayawada City. Apart from the government spending, I will personally set up RO plants in SC, ST and BC colonies of all the 285 villages that come under the purview of Vijayawada Lok Sabha segment to provide safe drinking water to the people. I will also take the support of industrialists under their corporate social responsibility in the endeavour. I will also set up a skill development centre at Auto Nagar for the benefit of youth. How is the response to your electioneering from people? The response from the public reflects that the elections are turning to be one sided in favour of the TDP. The fight is between an arrogant Nani and a simple me. The tripartite alliance is set to make a clean sweep by winning all the seven Assembly segments in Vijayawada Lok Sabha constituency. What are the other steps required to further develop Vijayawada city? In fact, Vijayawada is a commercial centre. The three-capital stance taken by the YSRC government has hit the growth of Amaravati Capital City and Vijayawada. Besides focusing on development of tourism and industrial sectors, I will strive to improve the living standards of people. Our motto is decentralisation of development. Unlike Hyderabad, the population of Vijayawada is more or less 20 lakh. We could provide them employment opportunities in Vijayawada itself and we will work in that direction.

PM Modi to campaign in Andhra Pradesh on May 3, 4

VIJAYAWADA : Giving the much needed boost to the saffron party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will conduct electioneering for the candidates of the tripartite alliance for two days. BJP State vice-president Vetukuri Suryanarayana Raju said the Prime Minister would tour the State on May 3 and 4. According to party leaders, the itinerary would be planned in the next couple of days by the State leadership. The national leadership has just given us the days when the Prime Ministers programmes could be accommodated. We are chalking out the tour schedule, the leaders said. Sources said the State unit had earlier sent a proposal for the PM to address meetings at four places. The BJP is contesting six MP and 10 MLA seats in the State along with the TDP and JSP. Modi had earlier addressed a public meeting at Chilakaluripet after the alliance was announced. We are planning two or three public meetings and a roadshow of the Prime Minister in which the alliance partners will also participate, the sources said. Modi is likely to campaign in Rajahmundry, Anakapalle and Rajampet where the partys candidates are contesting. He may also campaign in Vijayawada Lok Sabha constituency where TDP candidate Kesineni Sivanath (Chinni) is in the fray. BJPs YS Chowdary is contesting from Vijayawada West constituency. Sources said that the party had initially planned Modis campaign in Tirupati, from where it is contesting and won the Lok Sabha seat earlier, but later favoured Rajampet. The BJP is of the view that Modis campaign in Rajampet would boost the party prospects where Kiran Kumar Reddy is pitted against MP PV Midhun Reddy.

Battle lines drawn in Pedana Assembly constituency

VIJAYAWADA : The ruling YSRC and Opposition TDP have intensified their efforts to attract the electorate in the Pedana Assembly constituency. Contesting under the YSRC banner from the Assembly seat, Uppala Ramesh, popularly known as Ramu, has locked horns with TDP candidate Kagitha Krishnaprasad. It is interesting to know that both the candidates hail from the same Gowda community. Comprising four mandals, including Gudur, Pedana, Bantumilli and Kruthivennu, Pedana Assembly segment has nearly one-third of the electorate belonging to Kapu community, who are detrimental in deciding the outcome of the election. Besides 35,000 voters belonging to Gowda community, the major chunk of the electorate with 50,000 of voters belong to Telaga and Shetty Balija communities in the constituency. While YSRC candidate Uppala Ramesh is completely relying on welfare schemes fulfilled by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to garner peoples support, TDP candidate Kagitha Krishna Prasad, son of former minister Kagita Venkatarao, is gearing up to emerge victorious in the coming elections. Remember, Krishna Prasad has won the 2014 elections and lost to YSRC candidate Jogi Ramesh in the 2019 elections. As Jogi Ramesh was swapped to contest Penamaluru constituency, the YSRC top brass fielded Uppala Ramesh to contest Pedana segment. Pedana is known to the nation for its handlooms, especially the renowned Kalamkari products. The weavers from the region are claiming that the absence of effective handloom reservation on 11 products and inadequate Hankey Yarn supply from power looms has been causing a financial strain on handloom cooperative societies. Speaking to TNIE, Yarra Nagaraju, a weaver, said that rising colour rates and the removal of government incentives have further weakened the handloom industry. Kalamkari artist-cum-product producer Balla Prasad highlighted the lack of welfare schemes for the industry, which supports over 20,000 people in the constituency. Artisans lack essential health insurance cards and are facing market challenges, discouraging new entrants. Despite frequent proposals to the government, cooperative societies havent been established for decades, he explained and urged the government to allocate an area in the Krishna basin or implement a separate pipeline for Pedana Kalamkari artisans. On the other hand, the irrigation and drainage system in Pedana constituency is in disarray. Despite plans to modernise major and minor drains, crop canals, and other infrastructure dating back to the 2000s, no progress has been made. The areas clay soil requires regular tilling for agriculture, but this has been allegedly neglected for years. BK Sarojini, from SV Palli in Pedana Mandal, highlighted the severe drinking water issue in the constituency. Saltwater intrusion due to the conversion of fish and shrimp ponds has raised the issue. Residents are forced to spend significant amounts to purchase drinking water, Sarojini added and emphasised the need for a permanent solution to address drinking water crisis in the area. TDP MLA candidate Kagitha Krishna Prasad expressed his confidence in an anti-incumbency wave working in his favour. He stated that he has garnered support from all communities in the constituency, as well as from alliance parties Jana Sena and BJP.

Andhra CM concludes bus yatra, exhorts people to vote for YSRC so welfare schemes continue

VIJAYAWADA : Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday asserted that people should vote for the YSRC for the continuation of the welfare schemes. Terming the upcoming elections as a Kurukshetra battle, he said the polls are not meant for electing the MLAs and MPs, but for continuing the people-oriented reforms initiated by his government. Winding up his 22-day Memanta Siddham campaign in Tekkali of Srikakulam district, Jagan said, on the contrary, voting for TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu will only mean ending all of them for good. During his last public meeting held as part of his bus yatra, Jagan elaborated on the plethora of welfare schemes and development works taken up by his government. He said the newly-renovated government hospitals are all set to provide quality healthcare services while the volunteer system is ready to provide civic services at the doorstep of citizens. Upgraded government schools are all set to offer quality education to our children. As many as 15,002 Village and Ward Secretariats will provide services to the people in their villages, he asserted. He said he was Siddham (ready) for the elections with the 1.35 lakh youngsters for whom he had provided jobs, and with the Grama Swaraj he had achieved through door-to-door delivery of civic services across the State. Meanwhile, Jagan is set to file his nomination in Pulivendula on Thursday. CM Jagan during a public meeting at Tekkali in Srikakulam on Wednesday YSRC fulfilled 99% promises, Oppn only stitched up alliances, says Jagan We are ready to face the elections as we have been delivering `3,000 as monthly pensions at the doorsteps of each beneficiary on the first of every month, he said and added that Siddham is not just an election campaign, but is a sign of self-confidence that he has to seek votes from the people for the good work he has done. Jagan maintained that he had fulfilled 99 per cent of the promises made in the run up to the 2019 elections. Opposition parties, on the other hand, have stitched up alliances, he mocked. Reminding the people that Naidu had never fulfilled the promises he made in the 2014 manifesto, the Chief Minister said Naidu had assured farm loan waiver, DWCRA loan waiver, Rs 10,000 crore BC sub-plan, one job for each household, financial assistance to unemployed youth, three cents of land to the eligible poor, construction of a hi-tech city, and development of cities on par with Singapore. However, he failed to fulfil even a single promise, he added. This time, again, the alliance partners are joining forces, to deceive the people of Andhra Pradesh in the name of Super Six. Naidu and his alliance partners have a habit of cheating people with false promises and plundering the States resources, Jagan alleged. In a dig at Naidu, he questioned, People identify the characters in movies based on their deeds, whether they are a hero or villain. And now, who is the hero and who is the villain in Andhra Pradesh politics?

Telangana: Six die after car rams into parked lorry

Hyderabad: Six people were killed and four injured when a car rammed into a lorry in Kodad mandal of Suryapet district early Thursday morning. The car, carrying the victims, was en route to Vijayawada when it collided with the truck, which was parked on the roadside for repairs along the Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway, said Kodada DSP Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

11 killed in 3 different accidents in Telangana

Eleven fatalities in state road accidents; six in Kodad Town car-lorry collision, four students in Warangal accident, and one inmate in Muthangi car fire incident. Victims from Hyderabad and enroute Vijayawada.

Suryapet: 6 Persons Die, Two Injured in Road Accident

Suryapet: Six persons died and two were seriously injured in a road accident on National Highway No. 65 at Durgapuram of Kodad mandal in the district on Thursday morning. The accident occurred when a car, traveling from Hyderabad to Vijayawada, collided with a stationary lorry due to a breakdown. About 10 persons were traveling in the car at the time of the accident. The deceased were identified as Jella Srikanth, Manikyamma, Chander Rao, Krishna Rao, Swarna, and Lasya, natives of Govindapuram in Bonakal mandal, Khammam district. The injured have been shifted to the government hospital in Kodad for treatment. More details awaited.

YSRC Dares Pawan To Debate on Kapu Funds

Adapa Seshu raises concerns about Pawan Kalyan's political alliances, demanding transparency in his affiliations. Adapa Seshu raises concerns about Pawan Kalyan's political alliances, demanding transparency in his affiliations. Vijayawada: YSRC Kapu leader Adapa Seshu criticised Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan for speculating that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has lakhs of crores rupees. Speaking to the media persons on Wednesday, he asked Pawan, who claims to have read lakhs of books, whether he knows what an election affidavit means. Seshu said Jagan Mohan Reddy has officially declared his assets in the election affidavit. He advised PK to visit the website of the Election Commission for more clarity on the Chief Ministers assets. Pawan Kalyan is making baselessly allegations only to create confusion among people, the Kapu leader charged.

Vijayawada IFS Officer Bags Medal

Vijayawada : The 2022 batch of Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers attended their convocation on Wednesday at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy in Dehradun. An officer from Vijayawada Md. Abdul Rawoof received the All Round Outstanding Performance Medal for securing the highest aggregate marks in the professional training course. President Droupadi Murmu had been the chief guest on the occasion. She presented awards to various winners, including Abdul Rawoof. Before joining the IFS, Rawoof had worked with NABARD, Chennai, for over two years. The 2022 IFS batch is set to join the respective state cadres in the first week of May 2024 for on-the-job training and subsequent allotment of duties.

Police Custody for CM-attack Accused Satish Kumar for Three Days

Vijayawada: The metropolitan magistrates court here on Wednesday granted three days police custody for Vemula Satish Kumar, first accused in the stone pelting on CM case, from 10.30 am on April 25 till 5 pm April 27. The court, in response to a plea from the assistant commissioner of police, north division Vijayawada, imposed a series of conditions for further examination of the accused to enable the police to get more details about the suspected plot. The court directed the ACP to interrogate the accused in the presence of one of his male family members. Do not adopt any coercive or third degree methods. The court said the accused was at liberty to engage the services of an advocate of his choice during the interrogation. The accused must be provided sufficient food and shelter. No threat or coercion should be made on the accused and the police should produce the accused before the court on or before April 27, 5 pm. The accused was produced before the court on April 18 before he was sent to judicial custody till May 2 for the offenses booked under sections 307 and 20 (B) of IPC. The voluntary confession of the accused at the time of arrest revealed that there was a conspiracy to kill the CM (Jagan Reddy). Unless the accused is taken into police custody, it might not be possible for the investigating agency to find out the details of the criminal conspiracy, the court felt.

AP gets new intelligence head, Vijayawada police chief

Vijayawada: Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday issued an order posting two senior IPS officers as AP intelligence chief and commissioner of police, Vijayawada. As per the order, Kumar Vishwajeet will be the new DGP of Intelligence. P.H.D. Ramakrishna has been appointed as the Vijayawada police commissioner. Both officers have been asked to take charge immediately. ECI had recently transferred incumbent intelligence head P.S.R. Anjaneyulu and Vijayawada commissioner Kanti Rana Tata for their lapse in providing adequate security to Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, which led to a stone-pelting attack, injuring the CM above his left eyebrow. At the time, Jagan Mohan Reddy had been standing on top of the bus, greeting people as part of his Memantha Siddham programme.

Candidates Named for Lok Sabha, Assembly Seats in Andhra Pradesh

Candidates Named for Lok Sabha, Assembly Seats in Andhra Pradesh The Congress on Wednesday announced the names of its candidates for three Lok Sabha and six assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh. KBR Naidu will contest from the Narsapuram Lok Sabha constituency, SK Basheed from Rajampet and M Jagapathi from Chittoor, according to an All India Congress Committee (AICC) press release. For the assembly elections, G Tirupathi will contest from Srungavarapukota, G Anji Babu from Bapatla and C Chandra Paul from Sattenapalle. Shaik Jelani Basha will contest on a Congress ticket from the Kurnool assembly seat, M Khasim Vali from Yemmiganur and PS Murli Krishnaraju from Mantralayam. The Congress also replaced its candidates for Cheepurupalli, Vijayawada East, Tenali, Kondapi and Markapuram assembly constituencies. The party is contesting the Lok Sabha elections and the assembly polls, which are being held simultaneously in Andhra Pradesh, in an alliance with its INDIA bloc partners the CPI and the CPI(M). With the latest announcement, the alliance partners have declared candidates for all Lok Sabha and assembly seats in the state, Jagna Goutham, working president of the Congress' Andhra Pradesh unit, told PTI. Elections for the 175-member assembly and the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh will be held on May 13. The votes will be counted on June 4.

YSRC Election Manifesto o be Released in a Day or Two

Vijayawada: YSRC general-secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy has said that the ruling partys election 2024 manifesto will be released in a day or two. He alleged that Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan has been working exclusively for Telugu Desam chief Chandrababu Naidu. Everyone in the alliance is Naidus men and he has a habit of blaming others. The people of AP are watching the alliance dramas. Sajjala alleged that Naidu has come up with a new plan to cheat the people in 2024. The alliance has already understood that the YSRC would be victorious in this poll. Hence, the opposition is criticising us without evidence. This was the same alliance that cheated the farmers in the name of loan waiver. He blamed Pawans for trying to transfer Kapu votes to TD. I did not say anything negative about actor Chiranjeevi. What I said was there was no problem for YSRC if Chiranjeevi supports the NDA alliance. Ramakrishna Reddy said Naidu was playing various tricks to become CM. In 2014, BJP and Jana Sena supported TD. Earlier, the TD had insulted the BJP and JSP leaders. Not, they are back in an alliance, he noted. He said, It is a joke to hear Naidu saying that he has supported Dwacra women. Naidu was the one who cheated Dwacra women and he has a history of cheating, by saying that he will waive loans.

Padma Says Women Distrust TDs Poll Promises

Vijayawada: Former AP Womens Commission chairperson Vasireddy Padma asked Telugu Desam chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu to explain what he did to women during his five-year rule. Addressing media at the YSR Congress Party central office on Wednesday, she said that no woman in the state believes Chandrababus promises, as he has not fulfilled his earlier poll promises, including to Dwacra women with regard to loan waiver. Padma asserted that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy fulfilled all poll promises, including waiving the loans of Dwacra women that Naidu had failed to do. This is the reason why women will back the YSRC government, she stated. The former commission chairperson said Jagan rule is a golden era for development of women with schemes like Aasara and Cheyuta. Refuting Naidus allegations of increase in petrol price by Jagan government, she underlined that prices of petrol have been increased by the central government. The state government has nothing to do with it. The former womens commission chairman said Naidu could as well ask his alliance partner BJP, which is leading the government at the centre, to check the petrol prices.

Health Chief Inspects Guntur Government Hospital

Relatives gherao the Tiruchengode government hospital alleging medical negligence (Photo: DC) Relatives gherao the Tiruchengode government hospital alleging medical negligence (Photo: DC) Vijayawada: Health and family welfare commissioner S. Venkateswar made a surprise inspection of the Guntur Government Hospital on Wednesday. In particular, he focused on security in the maternal and child welfare ward. He reviewed the RFID system to combat instances of child abduction from the hospital premises. He inspected the functionality of tags fixed on infants to ensure their safety. Venkateswar ordered continuous monitoring of a mother-child pair for 24 hours. Hospital superintendent Dr. Kiran Kumar took the commissioner around the hospital.

Big Battle Ahead for Vijayawada West Assembly Segment

Y S Sujana Chowdary (Photo: DC/File) Y S Sujana Chowdary (Photo: DC/File) Vijayawada: The Vijayawada West Assembly segment is set to witness a big battle between Sk Asif of the YSRC and former Union minister Y. Sujana Chowdary.The YSRC is hopeful of retaining the seat as the minorities are a large presence in the constituency. Vijayawada West had not been very kind to the Telugu Desam. It won the seat only once, during the formation of TD in 1983. The Congress triumphed there three times, the YSRC twice, the Praja Rajyam once and CPI three times. This time, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy shifted Vijayawada West MLA Vellampalli Srinivas Rao to Vijayawada Central segment and brought former YSRC corporator Asif into the fray. Asif has a unique connect with the common man in the constituency. His opponent is an influential businessman, who headed the Hyderabad-based Sujana Group of industries before joining politics. The quitting of Jana Sena by its leader Pothina Mahesh following his failure to get the ticket this time due to the alliance constraints, and his subsequent joining into the YSRC are seen as an added advantage to Asif. Mahesh arduously worked in the West constituency for the past ten years. He lost the election in 2019 but hoped to get the JS ticket this time. Pawan Kalyan had promised to give him the ticket. But, the scenario changed due to the entry of Sujana Chowdary. Under the alliance seat-sharing formula, the west constituency went into the BJP fold and Sujana grabbed the ticket. The election fight now turned into a battle between the rich and the poor. Sujana, it is said, belonged to the elite class and Asif represented the common man. Notably, Sujana Chowdarys strong lobbying for the Vijayawada Lok Sabha seat did not succeed. The ticket for this key LS seat went to TD candidate Kesineni Sivanath (Chinni), who is now engaged in a direct battle with his brother Kesineni Nani. Nani made a crossover to the YSR Congress Party after TD denied him the ticket. YSRC candidate Asif is a local and while his rival is seen as non-local. This as also the stamp of corruption came as a big disadvantage to Sujana, as the YSRC is highlighting these in its campaign. The CPI, a part of the INDIA alliance, has also fielded its candidate B Koteswara Rao from the Vijayawada West assembly constituency. The main fight is between the YSRC and the TD-JS-BJP alliance. The constituency has large presence of Muslims, BCs and Vysyas. A sizeable number of families are of the Jain community.

Poll panel transfers State Intelligence chief, Vijayawada CP

VIJAYAWADA : The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday transferred two senior IPS officers, DG (Intelligence) P Sitaramanjaneyulu and Vijayawada city commissioner of police Kanthi Rana Tata, following complaints against them by the Opposition parties. The ECI said the two officers should not be assigned any election related duties. They have been transferred with immediate effect. While Sitaramanjaneyulu is a 1992-batch officer, Rana is from the 2004 batch. The ECI has asked the Chief Secretary to submit a panel of three officers along with their APAR grading for the last five years and Vigilance Clearance, to replace the officers who have been transferred. Following the attack on Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy during his Memanta Siddham roadshow in Vijayawada, Rana came under Opposition criticism. The Opposition took exception to the manner in which the case was investigated and the dragging of TDP supporters into the issue. The investigation pointed to the role of a TDP leader from Vijayawada Central constituency who was picked up and later let off after probe. The YSRC targeted former MLA and TDPs Vijayawada Central candidate Bonda Umamaheswara Rao for the attack. Intelligence chief accused of tapping phones of Oppn leaders The TDP had lodged complaints against the intelligence chief, alleging that the officer was indulging in tapping phones of Opposition leaders. It may be recalled that the ECI on April 2 had transferred nine IAS and IPS officers and put them away from election-related duties. Incidentally, the poll panel had transferred AB Venkateswara Rao, the then intelligence chief, before the 2019 general elections following a series of complaints by the YSRC, who was at the time the Opposition party in the State.

Andhra Pradesh: CEO & his team keep a close watch on MCC violations, seizures reach Rs 141 crore

VIJAYAWADA : Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Mukesh Kumar Meena and his team are keeping a close watch on electioneering in the State from the Integrated Command Control Centre (CCC) set up at the CEO office to ensure the conduct of the general elections in a free and fair manner in the State on May 13. This has resulted in seizure of more than Rs141 crore worth cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals, freebies and other articles in the State after the announcement of the election schedule. The seizure so far is almost double the value of cash and other election inducements seized in the last elections, and it is a record in the history of State elections. From the CCC equipped with sophisticated gadgets, movement of vehicles passing through 358 checkposts out of the total 424 in the State is being monitored via webcasting. The violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and illegal transportation of liquor and other material are being checked effectively. The Election Commission has taken several measures to curb the illegal flow of liquor during the elections. By installing web cameras at the entry and exit points of the godowns of distilleries in the State, the movement of vehicles transporting liquor is being monitored through GPS tracking from the CCC. Similarly, the movement of 1,680 vehicles used by flying squad teams, sectoral officers and DGT vehicles used for transportation of EVMs are being tracked from the CCC.

'Electorate not so weak to be coerced by resigned volunteers': Andhra Pradesh HC

VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court observed that voters are not so weak as to be coerced by the volunteers to vote in favour of someone. Hearing a petition filed by Bode Ramachandra Yadhav seeking court directions to the government not to accept the resignations of the volunteers till elections are over, as they might influence the voters, Justice B Krishnamohan said once volunteers resign, the relationship between him and the people is disconnected. In that case, how would the people be influenced, he questioned. Further, the court pointed out that volunteers are not giving money from their pockets, hence where is the question of the people listening to them? Voters will cast their vote as per their discretion when they reach the polling booth, it observed. The court also asked the petitioner, whether there were any incidents of volunteers participating in election campaigns after resignation. It directed the Election Commission to submit the details of volunteers, the number of those who resigned, and how many are presently working. Appearing for the government, Advocate General S Sriram said that after volunteers resign, the government has no power over what they do. He said they are not government employees and if they do not work for three continuous days, they can be removed. Further, he said they have replaced the Janamabhoomi committee that existed in the previous government. Even civil servants are resigning and contesting elections, he pointed out and added that after resignation from jobs, no one can be controlled. Election Commission counsel too has expressed similar argument. The case hearing was adjourned to Wednesday.

Indian Railways introduces Economy Meals at Rs 20 for general passengers

VIJAYAWADA: To provide quality, affordable and hygienic meals to rail passengers, Indian Railways in collaboration with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has introduced the concept of Economy Meals. Anticipating the surge in passenger traffic during summer, rail passengers, particularly for those travelling in general coaches, are provided with two types of meals at an affordable cost. These meal counters are now operational at over 100 stations across Indian Railways. On South Central Railway, economy meals are being served at 23 counters in 12 railway stations. These stations include Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Renigunta, Guntakal, Tirupati, Rajahmundry, Vikarabad, Pakala, Dhone, Nandyal, Purna and Aurangabad railway stations. Over Vijayawada Division, the meals are being sold at Vijayawada and Rajahmundry Station Refreshment Rooms and Jan Ahaar units. The initiative offers a two-pronged approach. One can avail Economy Meals, which is priced at Rs 20, providing a satisfying and affordable for passengers on the go. If one seeks a lighter bite, one can opt for Snack Meals priced at Rs 50. Vijayawada DRM Narendra A Patil said these meals are available at counters conveniently located near general second-class (GS) coaches on platforms. He said that the initiative aims to cater to passengers dietary needs while ensuring convenience and affordability during their journey. Earlier, this service was successfully piloted at about 51 stations last year across Indian Railways.

NDA government will abolish Land Titling Act: Chandrababu Naidu

VIJAYAWADA : Stating that people will not have any security to their lands if the Land Titling Act comes into force, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu has promised to abolish it soon after the tripartite alliance comes to power in the State. Addressing public meetings at Pathapatnam and Amadalavalasa in Srikakulam district on Tuesday as part of Praja Galam, Naidu vowed to abolish garbage tax and regulate property tax. Observing that the middle-class and lower-middle-class people are suffering a lot due to the rising prices of essential commodities, the TDP chief said steps will be taken to control the prices. The TDP supremo called upon the youth to carry the flags of all the three partners of NDA to bring awareness among the people on the need to support the tripartite alliance. You (people) all got carried away by the false promises made by YSRC leaders, including its president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in the last elections, and voted for that party. But Jagan, after becoming the Chief Minister without utilising the opportunity given to him, has destroyed the State, Naidu remarked. Jagan laid the foundation for devastation with the demolition of Praja Vedika and even ruined Capital Amaravati, besides causing a huge damage to Polavaram, he alleged and added that Jagan and co is ruling the roost only to loot the State. People eager to defeat Jagan: Chandrababu Naidu Naidu made it clear that the alliance of the three parties is only for the welfare and development of the State and termed Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan a hero even in real life. If youth want jobs Babu should be back in power and if people want ganja Jagan should continue, he observed. Earlier in the day, during his interaction with women at Gajapathinagaram in Vizianagaram district, Naidu promised to give equal importance to women on par with men in all the legislative bodies after the NDA comes to power. Interest-free loan of Rs 10 lakh will be provided to all Dwcra groups. I will personally take the responsibility of making all women in the State rich, he vowed.

'Will fulfil peoples dreams with schemes,' says Jagan Mohan Reddy

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday said that his governments schemes were aimed at fulfilling the dreams of the people of the State, particularly women and elderly people. Speaking at the Memanta Siddham public meeting in Vizianagaram district, Jagan said for him, the dreams of the people are his schemes. In the last 58 months, I have transferred Rs 3.75 lakh crore into the accounts of the people through various DBT and non-DBT initiatives. People from all walks of life have different dreams. I will fulfil everyones dreams through my schemes, he asserted. Jagan added that he had understood the dreams of the poor and introduced nearly 40 schemes. To fulfil these dreams, I pressed the button 130 times, distributing Rs 2.70 lakh crore into their bank accounts through various welfare schemes. I am proud to say that I could deliver the dreams of my sisters directly into their bank accounts through my schemes, he said. Explaining the initiatives he has introduced to fulfil the dreams of the people, he said YSR Aasara and the YSR Zero Interest were implemented to empower women. The YSR Cheyutha scheme was crafted to support SC, ST, BC, and Minority sisters aged between 45 and 60 years. For my Kapu sisters, we initiated the Kapu Nestham scheme, he pointed out. Jagan said women dream of owning homes. To fulfil this dream, we have issued 31 lakh house titles in the name of my sisters, with 21 lakh houses already under construction. The dream belongs to you, but the scheme is mine, he asserted. During the previous TDP regime, such schemes were non-existent. We witnessed a government which focused solely on monetary gains, a regime that cheated the women, left them stranded, and exploited them, Jagan alleged. On prioritising the education sector in the State, Jagan said he saw children unable to attend school due to poverty during his padayatra. I had understood the aspirations of the poor mother who dreams of a bright future for her children. To fulfil them, we established English medium schools, introducing IB in government education. We introduced various measures such as TOEFL training in government schools starting from the third grade, Byjus content, and digital teaching from the sixth grade, and providing tablets to students in the eighth grade. We have extended educational and accommodation benefits to 93 per cent of children pursuing higher education. These are the dreams of the children and we have fulfilled them, he said. He questioned whether TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu had done anything for the poor during his regime. How come Chandrababu Naidu did not come up with any such initiatives? It is because Chandrababu signifies Chandramukhi, not someone who works for the welfare of the poor, but someone who preys on them, Jagan quipped. Jagan likely to release YSRC manifesto on Friday After concluding his bus yatra on Wednesday, Jagan is likely to release the YSRC manifesto on April 26. The YSRC president held a meeting with senior leaders, MLAs and candidates who are in the poll fray from north Andhra region on Tuesday when he took a break from campaigning. He reportedly discussed with them issues that need to be included in the agenda, specifically with respect to development of Visakhapatnam, which is touted as the executive capital of the State. Jagan reportedly told the leaders that he would not promise any scheme that cannot be implemented. We shall come out with a manifesto that promises what we can deliver, he told his leaders. According to sources, all the welfare schemes that are being implemented will be continued. The Chief Minister will reach Vijayawada on Wednesday after completing his Memanta Siddham yatra in Srikakulam. On April 25, he will file his nomination in Pulivendula and address the public. Subsequently, party leaders are chalking out a schedule of public meetings to be addressed by Jagan as part of the third phase of campaigning. Jagan is likely to address two public meetings in a day one each in a region, sources said.

Andhra Pradesh: Poll officials keep vigil on code violations

Vijayawada: The state election authorities are keeping a close tab especially on violation of model code of conduct, illegal transportation of liquor and seizure of cash, precious metals and inducements, nicknamed as triple C from the integrated command and control centre. The authorities monitoring the movement of the vehicles at 358 inter-state checkposts out of a total of 423 checkposts set up in the state. According to officials, cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals, freebies worth Rs 141 crore were seized so far since the commencement of model code of conduct in the state. They said that the quantum of seizures was double when compared to the seizures made ahead of the 2019 polls. The election authorities maintained that in order to control illegal transport of liquor, they had set up web cameras at entry and exist points of liquor manufacturing companies' godowns and GPS tracking was provided to vehicles transporting liquor from godowns to shops, bars and other agencies. In addition, vehicles being used by the election authorities for transporting EVMs were fixed with GPS tracking system. The officials were also keeping a tab on content being telecast by TVs during the elections. The chief electoral officer Mukesh Kumar Meena said that they were making all requisite arrangements in an unprecedented manner for the smooth conduct of the polls in the state on May 13.

TD VP Ramakrishna Reddy joins BJP

Kakinada: Telugu Desam state vice president Nallamilli Ramakrishna Reddy joined the Bharatiya Janata Party at the central office at Vijayawada in the presence of the party observer Siddharth Nath Singh and the party state president Daggubati Purandeswari on Tuesday night. This evening, Ramakrishana Reddy invited nearly 50 families belonging to YSRC in Anaparthi constituency into Telugu Desam. Later, he resigned as the TD vice president and went to Vijayawada BJP office. After joining the party, the BJP leaders have given B.Form to Ramakrishna Reddy to contest from Anaparthi constituency. Initially the TD president N.Chandrababu Naidu declared his candidature to Anaparthi. But, after alliance, the BJP took the seat and declared M.S.Krishnam Raju for the party candidate. Ramakrishna Reddys followers were up in arms against the TD high command. As per the advice of Naidu, Ramakrishna Reddy joined the BJP to contest from Anaparthi constituency. The BJP withdrew its candidate Krishnam Raju from the contest. Meanwhile, Ramakrishna Reddys son Manoj Reddy has been appointed as incharge of Telugu Desam to the constituency.

SCR Announces Cancellation, diversion and Rescheduling of Trains

Visakhapatnam : The South Central Railway has announced the cancellation, diversion and rescheduling of trains due to non-interlocking works for the commissioning of the 3rd line between Bona Kalu-Chinta Kani-Pandillapalli and Errupalem-Tondalagopavaram-Madhira stations over the Kazipet-Vijayawada section. Diversion of trains: Diversion via Vijayawada-Duvvada-Vizianagaram-Rayagada-Raipur-Nagpur: Train No. 20805 (Visakhapatnam-New Delhi) and Train No. 20806 (New Delhi-Visakhapatnam) will be diverted from their existing routes to pass through Vizianagaram, Rayagada, Titlagarh, Raipur, and Nagpur. Stoppages will be eliminated at Anakapalle, Samalkot, Rajahmundry, Tadepalligudem, Eluru, Vijayawada, Khammam, Warangal, Peddapalli, Ramagundam, Sirpur Kagaznagar, Balharshah, and Chandrapur stations. Train No. 20803 (Visakhapatnam-Gandhidham) and Train No. 20804 (Gandhidham-Visakhapatnam) will also follow this diverted route, with Stoppages were eliminated at certain stations. Diversion via Vijayawada-Duvvada-Vizianagaram-Rayagada-Raipur-Nagpur: Train No. 18519 (Visakhapatnam-LTT) and Train No. 18520 (LTT-Visakhapatnam) will be diverted through Vijayawada-Guntur-Pagidipalli-Secunderabad route instead of the existing route via Kazipet. Stoppages will be eliminated at Kazipet station. Similarly, other trains like Train No. 18045 (Shalimar-Hyderabad), Train No. 18046 (Hyderabad-Shalimar), Train No. 11019 (CSMT-Bhubaneswar), and Train No. 11020 (Bhubaneswar-CSMT) will be diverted via this route, with specific stoppages eliminated. Diversion via Vijayawada-Guntur-Nandyal-Guntakal-Ballari: Train No. 18112 (Yeshvantpur-Tata) will follow this diverted route with stoppages eliminated at Raichur, Yadgir, Chittapur, Tandur, Vikarabad, Lingampalli, Secunderabad, Moula Ali, Warangal, and Khammam stations. Elimination of stoppages: Stoppages at Madhira Station for certain trains, including Train No. 11020 (Bhubaneswar-CSMT Konark Exp), Train No. 12861 (Visakhapatnam-Mahbubnagar Exp), and Train No. 12862 (Mahbubnagar-Visakhapatnam Exp) will be eliminated on specific days. Rescheduling of trains: Additionally, there will be rescheduling of trains, including Train No. 20833 (Visakhapatnam-Secunderabad Vande Bharat) and Train No. 20834 (Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat) with varying reschedule times at Visakhapatnam and Secunderabad stations on specific dates. The South Central Railway advises passengers to check updated schedules and plan their travel accordingly, considering the diversions and rescheduling of train services due to the ongoing non-interlocking works.

AP: Jagan Regularised Contract Staff in AP

Vijayawada: YSRC-affiliated YSR Trade Union state president P. Gowtham Reddy has criticised TD chief N. Chandrababu for spreading a bunch of lies against the state government with regard to government staff. Addressing a press conference at the YSRC central office in Tadepalli on Tuesday, Gowtham Reddy said after YSRC has come to power, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has regularised contract and outsourced employees in the state. The state government has also supported auto drivers, weavers, fishermen and other professional workers by providing financial assistance every year, he pointed out. The trade union leader said government employees, labourers, contract and outsourcing employees are with the YSRC. They would vote for the ruling party in the upcoming elections, he maintained.

SCR and IRCTC launch affordable meal counters across key stations

HYDERABAD: As a part of an Indian Railways initiative, the SCR, along with IRCTC, is providing meals at affordable prices across 23 counters at 12 stations, including Hyderabad and Vikarabad stations. The meals have been named economy and snack meals. While the former is priced at Rs 20, the latter costs Rs 50. These meals, along with water facilities, are available at counters located near general second-class (GS) coaches on platforms. The zone is also providing the meals at Vijayawada, Renigunta, Guntakal, Tirupati, Rajahmundry, Pakala, Dhone, Nandyal, Purna, and Aurangabad railway stations. Based on the success of a pilot project across around 51 stations last year, the Indian Railways decided to expand the programme, with counters operational at over 100 stations and nearly 150 counters in total. The initiative is slated for further growth, encompassing even more stations in the near future.

Karnataka: Cook flees with Rs 50 lakh loot from employers home, caught

BENGALURU: The Mahadevapura police arrested a cook who had fled with valuables worth Rs 50 lakh from the house of his employer. The police identified the accused as Surendra Kumar Kamat (36), a native of Bihar, who was working at the residence of Amit Jain, the CEO of a private firm, for over three-and-a-half years. He was given accommodation in the same house, located at Doddanekkundi. Police said Jain and his family members were away attending a function in Mumbai on April 12, and the theft came to light when they returned on April 15. Kamat, who was given care of the house, was absconding, after allegedly stealing gold jewellery and diamonds worth over Rs 50 lakh, along with Rs 12,000 cash. Jain had filed a complaint suspecting Kamats role, following which the police launched a manhunt to trace the accused. A team was dispatched to Bihar where they gathered information from his family members, leading them to Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, where Kamat was reportedly hiding. On April 18, the police team nabbed Kamat at the railway station, the police added.

APCC woman leader refuses assembly ticket

VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) working president Sunkara Padmasree has refused to accept Congress high commands offer to contest from the Vijayawada East assembly constituency. She maintained that instead, she will work for the win of Congress candidates. Padmasree clarified that she had no interest in contesting as an MLA candidate. She said she had wished to contest from the Vijayawada Lok Sabha constituency. The party has finalised the name of Valluru Bhargav as MP candidate from the Vijayawada parliament seat. He will be contesting against TD candidate Kesineni Sivanath alias Chinni and YSRC candidate Kesineni Srinivas alias Nani.

TD Distances Itself from Modis Remarks against Muslims

Vijayawada: The Telugu Desam has distanced itself from the anti-Muslim remarks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Rajasthan on Sunday. We are committed to safeguard Muslim interests in AP, the party said on Tuesday. The Prime Minister, in a controversial speech at an election rally, called Muslims as infiltrators and outsiders having large families and said they were the cause of unequal distribution of wealth in the country. Criticism is sharp against Modis hate speech and many observers stressed that Muslims are an integral part of the population and they mostly upheld the cause of secularism. In AP, the Telugu Desam allied with the BJP and Jana Sena to contest the present elections with a common objective to unseat the ruling YSRC from power. TD has a sizeable Muslim support base. Telugu Desam president Nara Chandrababu Naidu has been trying to woo Muslims in this polls and even made a promise that the four per cent reservation to them would be restored. In this context, some indications were that a section of the Muslims would support the TD. However, the statement of the PM has caused embarrassment to the TD. A senior TD leader said, We will not accept Modis remarks on Muslims but we will check the context in which he remarked. The BJP government brought in a law against Triple Talaq and this provided considerable relief to Muslim women. Political analysts say that though Muslims are a traditional vote bank for Congress, they switched their loyalty to the YSRC after the 2014 state bifurcation. However, some sections of Muslims are supporting the TD. But, with the revival of the state Congress led by Y.S. Sharmila, they appear to be in a mood to back the tricolour party in the Rayalaseema region, the analysts note. President of the Muslim Personal Law Board of India (AP), Moulana Mohammad Ali, said, We do not accept Modis remarks against us. However, we understand that such remarks were made by him in certain local contests in Rajasthan, with a view to deriving political mileage for the BJP there.

VMC Mobile Court Fines Violators of Rules Rs 17,010

Vijayawada: Judge B. Vijay Kumar Reddy on Tuesday heard 35 cases of littering roads, doing business without a licence, obstructing the flow of sewage, keeping pets on roads, and running businesses without a license at a mobile court in Circle 2 of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC). He imposed on various violators a total fine of Rs 17,010. The cases had been booked by sanitary inspectors of the corporation. VMC commissioner Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar said the mobile court will hear cases every Tuesday against those who litter roads and violate various other rules of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation. Swapnil warned that if the same person is found violating the corporation rules a second time, stricter action will be taken against them, including revocation of the licence.

EC transfers Andhra Pradesh intelligence chief, Vijayawada Police Commissioner

Vijayawada : The Election Commission transferred two senior IPS officers with immediate effect in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday. They are intelligence DGP, P. Sitaramanjaneyulu and Vijayawada police commissioner Kanthi Rana Tata. The ECI stated that the two officers should not be assigned any election-related work. The two senior IPS officers were blamed for the security lapse during the tour of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy under the Memantha Siddham programme, wherein he suffered injury above his left eyebrow when a resident of Vaddera Colony pelted a cement-concrete stone on him on April 13. The intelligence chief failed to gather requisite intelligence about the impending danger to the VVIP while the CP too failed in providing foolproof security cover. Notably, a report titled AP Intelligence failure leaves VIP lives in danger, appeared in Deccan Chronicle on April 19, 2024, highlighting the failure of the intelligence wing of AP police when the campaign was progressing for the assembly and Lok Sabha polls, slated for May 13.

EC transfers Andhra Pradesh intelligence chief, Vijayawada police Commissioner after stone pelting attack on CM | Mint - Mint

EC transfers Andhra Pradesh intelligence chief, Vijayawada police Commissioner after stone pelting attack on CM | Mint Mint

EC transfers AP intelligence chief, Vijayawada police Commissioner

Amaravati: The Election Commission on Tuesday transferred Andhra Pradesh intelligence chief P Sitaramanjaneyulu and Vijayawada police Commissioner Kanthi Rana Tata with immediate effect. Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Mukesh Kumar Meena confirmed to PTI that the poll panel has transferred the two senior police officers. Also ReadTwo Telugu NRIs emerge Indias richest candidates in Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

Lok Sabha Polls 2024: Senior Andhra Cops Transferred Days After Stones Thrown At Jagan Reddy

The Election Commission on Tuesday transferred Andhra Pradesh intelligence chief P Sitaramanjaneyulu and Vijayawada police Commissioner Kanthi Rana Tata with immediate effect.

Indian Railways Introduces Affordable Economy Meals at Select Stations

Hyderabad: The railways will provideeconomymeals at affordable pricesto rail passengersin the summer. The facility will be available at 12stationsnear the general coaches, a statement said. There are two categories, the economy meal which costs `20 and thesnackmeal which comes at `50. Passengers can buy their refreshments directly from these counters, eliminating the need to search for vendors or venture outside the station In the South Central Railway (SCR) zone, the facility will be available atHyderabadandVikarabad in Telangana; Vijayawada, Renigunta, Guntakal, Tirupati, Pakala, Rajahmundry, Dhone and Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh and Purna and Aurangabadin Maharashtra. SCR General ManagerArun Kumar Jainsaid a pilot project of the servicewasrunsuccessfully at 51 stations last year acrosstheIndian Railways. Overall, these meal counters are operational at over 100 stations and nearly 150 counters across Indian Railways, and the facility will be expanded further.

AP: Pawan Kalyans assets up by 215 percent, owns 11 vehicles

Vijayawada: Actor-politician Konidala Pawan Kalyans assets grew by over 215 percent during the last five years as he declared family assets of Rs 164.52 crore on Tuesday, April 23, while filing nomination for the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections. The Jana Sena leader had declared assets worth over Rs 52 crore in 2019. This time, he Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

KLH Hyderabad Campus Affirms Commitment to Students Success with Placement Triumphs

Hyderabad: KLH Hyderabad of KL Deemed to be University vibrantly celebrated its Placement Success Meet 2024 at the Aziz Nagar campus. This esteemed event celebrated the remarkable professional achievements and outstanding academic success of all registered and eligible graduating students from diverse programs. The meet highlighted the culmination of this year's intensive efforts that successfully secured a wide array of national, international placements and internships with prestigious companies. Distinguished industry leaders such as Sri Debashish Ghosh, Senior Vice President & Country HR Head at Berkadia; Sri Kiran Kuchimanchi, President- Digital at Cigniti; Sri Hari Kunadharaju, Executive Director at Wells Fargo; and Sri Pavan Kadiyala, Director of Software Engineering at JPMorgan Chase graced the occasion. Their insights and presence significantly motivated the students gearing up to enter the competitive professional world. During the 2024 placement drive, KL Deemed to be University successfully facilitated over 3,700 job opportunities for all registered and eligible students, including 20 international placements and 29 international internships, with more than 400 esteemed companies worldwide. The highest package recorded was an impressive Rs. 50.57 Lakhs by Nutanix. Prominent recruiters this season included global giants such as Google, Microsoft, Cisco, JP Morgan, and Intel, among others. Renowned companies such as Microsoft Corporation, Service Now, System Metrix, C_Net Corporation, Nakasha Creative Corp., Koshin Ltd., Human Resocia, Hitachi KE Systems, Asian Industry, and Showa Co. Ltd. extended lucrative job and internship offers to students. Additionally, esteemed organizations like Google, Microsoft, Cisco, JP Morgan, Service Now, Silicon Labs, Optum, Amazon, Philips, Siemens, and Intel graced our campuses, providing ample placement opportunities for them. Moreover, industry giants such as TCS, HCL, Nokia, Cognizant, Infosys, L & T Mindtree, Accenture, and Capgemini also actively recruited from a pool of talented individuals. Among others, Mahindra Finance, Mondelez India Foods, Bank of America, Laurus Labs, DevTown, Motorola Solutions, British petroleum, Oplus India software R&D center, Hexagon and many more companies recruited students, reaffirming our commitment to promoting successful career pathways for our students. Dr. G. Pardha Saradhi Varma, Vice-Chancellor, articulated his pride in the university's placement success, stating, This season reflects the hard work and perseverance of our students and the robust support from our faculty and placement team. We are thrilled to launch the next generation of leaders and innovators into significant career paths. Sharing her exhilarating experience, Harika Nethi, a student of B. Tech CSE 2020 batch from KLH Hyderabad Campus said, Landing a job at my dream company has been surreal. The university's preparatory workshops and the robust support from the faculty, staff and different departments were pivotal in securing this opportunity. The skills I acquired here not only helped me secure a position at Nutanix but also led to multiple offers from prestigious companies like L&T and Accenture. Similarly, the success meet was also organized at KL Deemed to be University, Vijayawada campus which witnessed the Chief Guests such as Sri. Naveen Macharla, CTO of Acko General Insurance Pvt. Ltd; Sri. Kiran Chalasani, Software Development Manager at Amazon Global Mile; and Sir. P. B. Ramachandran, Associate Director of Learning and Development, Global Learning Delivery Lead at Cognizant, who graced the occasion with their presence. Under the leadership of Chancellor Er. Koneru Satyanarayana, and Vice President Er. Koneru Lakshman Havish, the university is committed to academic excellence. Dean of Placements and Internships, Dr. N B V Prasad, Dr. A Ramakrishna, Principal and Director, KLH Hyderabad campus along with the universitys senior officials, faculty members and staff diligently ensure that students achieve both success and professional readiness. This collaborative effort consistently encourages an environment where academic achievements and career preparedness are paramount.

Telangana officials skip KRMB meeting

HYDERABAD: Telangana officials skipped Monday meeting of Krishna River Management Board, conducted in a virtual mode. The Andhra Pradesh engineer-in-chief, C Narayana Reddy, was the only official who attended the meeting from Vijayawada. The Board officials did not conduct the meeting till 3 pm, expecting TS officials would come to the meeting. However, they skipped the meeting due to a court case. The Board convened the meeting to discuss the release of funds by the sibling states to run the board and also to install telemetry system at some key points. Since the inception of the board, the AP paid Rs 28.26 crore and Telangana Rs 19.71 crore to the Board from 2014-15 to 203-24. However, both the states did not release any funds to the board in 2024-25. Though, the TS lodged a complaint with the Board that the AP emptied the water in Nagarjuna Sagar project tail pond, the officials did not come to the meeting to highlight the same. Around 6.737 tmcft available water in the tail pond was drawn by AP from April 13 onwards. Normally, the TS would use the water in tail pond to generate hydel power using reversible pumping system. This would help the state to protect the power gird during critical times.

'Kidnappers' drag bride away, attack guests with chilli powder

In Vijayawada, a bride's family forcibly removes her from the wedding venue, leading to chaos and injuries. The incident, captured on video, shocks attendees as the bride is dragged away despite their efforts to intervene.

AP: 22 Chaitanya pupils score above 595 in SSC exam

VIJAYAWADA: Three students of Sri Chaitanya School achieved the top marks of 598. The Director of Sri Chaitanya School Seema announced the results on Monday. She also stated that six students secured the second top marks of 597, 15 students with 596, 31 students gets 595 marks, 524 students with more than 590 marks and 2,353 students with more than 580 marks. As many as 3,370 students secured 100 out of 100 in Maths, 945 students got 100 out of 100 in Science, 1,745 students achieved 100 out of 100 in Telugu and 7,394 students secured 100 out of 100 in all the subjects in total. The overall average marks of Sri Chaitanya School is 509 out of 600 with overall pass percentage of 98.9%. Around 132 branches of the school achieved a 100% pass percentage. Seema said no other school in the State is nowhere close to this result. She said individual attention to each student, research-oriented teaching methodology, academic programmes like C-IPL, IPL, MPL, ICON, C-Batch, Medicon, S-Batch and Techno, Micro-Level Teaching System and Teaching Staff with commitment are the reasons for such kind of results.

Sandeep takes charge as new president of NAREDCO

VIJAYAWADA: National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) acts as a bridge between the real estate and industry as well as the government, said NAREDCO National President G Haribabu. The swearing-in-ceremony of the new executive committee of the NAREDCO Central Zone was organised here on Monday. Malaxmi Group CEO Sandeep Mandava took charge as the new president of the Central Zone. NAREDCO is a self-regulatory organisation under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs of the Union Government, providing services in the field of real estate development. Speaking on the occasion, Haribabu said that the council is to create an environment that promotes the growth of the real estate industry. He stated that the NAREDCO is trying to reduce the gap between the industry and the government through advisory and consultation processes. NAREDCO plays an active role in designing key policies with reforms affecting the sector through coordination and cooperation among the members of the sector. It will be able to take fast steps only when job opportunities are improved. The sector is growing like sky is the limit in other States, while there are different conditions prevailed in AP, he added. Sandeep said steps will be taken to strengthen the sector. NAREDCO will try to progress with the coordination of the Central and State governments. All necessary steps will be taken to protect the interests of consumers, he added.

Andhra Pradesh: Last date to apply for Inter supply exam is April 24

VIJAYAWADA : The Board of Intermediate Education of Andhra Pradesh (BIEAP) on Monday announced the due dates for private students to apply for grant of attendance exemption for the Intermediate Public Advanced Supplementary Examinations (IPASE) scheduled to take place from May 24 to June 1, 2024. According to the department, the last date for the submission of the application form, of the students without college study (private students) and wanting to appear for the IPASE, is April 24. It stated that the students must adhere to the last date for the payment of the exemption fee. Eligibility conditions have also been outlined for candidates, including those with a gap of one year after passing the qualifying examination (SSC or its equivalent), allowing them to appear for only the first year of IPASE May 2024. Students with a gap period of two years or more are eligible to appear for both first and second years in IPASE May 2024 concurrently. Additionally, students who previously appeared for second-year Intermediate Public Examinations (failed candidates) and hope to change their optional subjects from Sciences to Arts/Humanities or vice versa must apply for exemption from attendance by specified due date. BIEAP Controller of Examination VV Subbarao emphasised, The due dates announced are crucial for private students intending to appear for the IPASE. Students granted exemption from attendance and intending to appear for the first or second year of IPASE for the first time should answer papers according to the syllabus prescribed for regular students. Students enrolled in APSSDC skilling programmes are exempted from paying the exemption or penal fee upon providing their Skill ID and details of training undertaken.

Jagan playing havoc with health of people by selling substandard liquor: Naidu

VIJAYAWADA : Accusing that the YSRC government has caused irreparable damage to the State, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu said that the Chief Minister, who promised to impose total prohibition on liquor, is now playing havoc with the health of the people by selling substandard liquor. Participating in a public meeting as part of Praja Galam at Jaggampeta of Kakinada district and at Srungavarapukota of Vizianagaram district on Monday, Naidu accused Jagan of failing in keeping up several promises like abolition of the Contributory Pension Scheme. Alleging that Jagan is popularly known for arrogance, destruction and looting, the TDP chief called upon the people to get ready and come together to dethrone Jagan and his party. Stating that government advisor Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy does not have the stature to criticise a tall personality like Mega Star Chiranjeevi, Naidu criticised the YSRC leaders for stooping so low by resorting to personal attacks on leaders of rival parties. He said that a woman Lakshmi from the State has cut her thumb in New Delhi condemning the ongoing atrocities in the State. Dont cut your (people) fingers and instead use them to press the button in the coming elections to dethrone the Jagan government, he appealed to the public. The TDP chief asserted that the State has the future only if the National democratic Alliance (NDA) comes to power in the State. Further stating that the elections are only nominal since the future has been decided by the people to elect the NDA both at the Centre and in the State, Naidu felt that the change among the people is clearly visible and this will turn into a wave in which YSRC will be washed out. The people have the weapon to hit hard the ego of the YSRC leaders, he said, adding that these ruling party leaders are using highly objectionable language against Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan, which the respected society feels shameful. Like the YSRC leaders, either the TDP or any other party leaders never spoke about the family members of any leader on the floor of the Assembly, he pointed out. Regretting that all the systems in the State have collapsed, Naidu said that he too is a victim in the hands of Jagan. If you want jobs for the youth in the State, the NDA should come to power and I am promising you that 20 lakh jobs will be created in the coming five years by inviting industries to the State, Naidu said and urged the people to elect the NDA candidates in the coming polls.

AP HC directs State govt to correct errors in SSC and Inter certificates

VIJAYAWADA : The Andhra Pradesh High Court directed the State government to correct the mistakes in the SSC and Intermediate certificates regarding the details such as names of students, parents and date of birth. The court said, Rejecting to make changes on the pretext of passing the deadline, missing records, and other reasons were not allowed. Justice G Ramakrishna Prasad in a recent judgement said, The State government has to follow the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court in this regard. The court also stated that the application for correcting the errors in the certificates cannot be rejected on the pretext such an opportunity will be misused. It is a clear violation of civilian rights, the court added. Such errors in the certificate will prove costly to the students. Correcting them should be allowed, the court said and pointed out that besides academic pursuits, these certificates are also used for job applications and as identity. The School Education Commissioner was directed to take necessary measures in this direction. The verdict was given followed by the petition filed by Kundeti Venkata Narasaiah of Kalidindi village in Krishna district. He first approached Gudivda DEO for correction of the mistake in his records. The DEO responded positively and recommended changes to the higher authorities. However, the same was rejected in 2016, stating that it was a mistake of the parents to give the wrong details. Further, it was pointed out that corrections will be entertained only within three years of passing out of the student. Venkata Narasaiah filed a petition in the High Court in 2022.

43 AP mandals likely to face severe heatwave today

VIJAYAWADA: As many as 43 mandals in the State are likely to witness severe heatwave, while 104 mandals are likely to record heatwave conditions on Tuesday. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted hot, humid, and discomfort weather likely at isolated places across the State for the next four days. On Monday, the State largely experienced hot and humid conditions with daytime temperatures being above 40 degrees Celsius at most places. As many as 65 mandals experienced severe heatwaves, and 98 mandals recorded heatwave.The APSDMA advised people not to venture during the daytime between 11 am and 3 pm. 680 out of 1,046 summer storage tanks filled so far: CS To fill the summer storage tanks, water will be released from Prakasam Barrage to the right main canal of Nagarjuna Sagar till April 25 to overcome the drinking water scarcity during the summer, said Chief Secretary KS Jawahar Reddy. Charing a meeting with the officials at the State Secretariat on Monday, the Chief Secretary took stock over the supply of drinking water and the works being taken up under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS).

Andhra Pradesh: 86.69 per cent clear SSC exam, Manyam stands first

VIJAYAWADA: Results for SSC exams were released on Monday with 86.69% students clearing the test. As many as 6,16,615 regular candidates appeared for the exam and 534,574 passed. Girls outperformed boys once again as they recorded 89.17% pass rate, while 84.32% boys cleared the exam. Nearly 20,000 teaching and non-teaching staff participated in the valuation process that began on April 1. The process went on till April 8, leading to early declaration of results before the last working day (April 23) of schools. Of the total 11,645 schools, a remarkable 2,803 achieved a 100% pass rate, up from 933 last year, Commissioner of School Education S Suresh Kumar pointed out. Private schools dominated with 1,988 securing a perfect 100% pass rate followed by 436 Zilla Parishad schools and 75 KGBVs (Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas). Notably, institutions such as AP Residential Schools and AP BC Welfare Schools reported exceptional pass rates of 98.43%. While 1,61,881 candidates appeared for the exam in Telugu medium, 71.08% successfully cleared it. Of the 4,50,304 students who opted for English medium, 92.32% passed. Suresh Kumar urged parents and educators to stand by students who did not pass and encourage them to appear for the Advanced Supplementary Examinations, scheduled to be held from May 24 to June 3. Candidates seeking to apply for the betterment test were advised to pay the exam fee remittance between April 23 and 30. 13 visually-impaired pupils clear exam without help of scribes As many as 13 visually-impaired students appeared for the Class X SSC examinationa without the support of scribes and successfully passed. They wrote the exam on specially-equipped computers

Kesineni Nani files nomination amid huge fanfare

VIJAYAWADA: Vijayawada YSRC MP candidate Kesineni Srinivas (Nani) asserted that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddys development initiatives surpassed those of former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, claiming a threefold advancement for the State. Speaking to reporters after submitting his nomination papers on Monday, Nani cited increased GDP and per capita income during Jagans tenure, despite the pandemics challenges. He also pointed out a 7 per cent reduction in State poverty according to a NITI Aayog report. Expressing confidence in his partys victory in the Vijayawada Parliamentary seat and all associated Assembly segments, he accused Naidu of deceiving Vijayawada and Guntur with promises regarding the new capital, Amaravati. Alleging neglect, Nani stated that Naidu failed to allocate even Rs 100 crores for Vijayawadas development during his five-year term. Nanis nomination rally commenced at Ganesh Temple in One Town, winding through crowded city streets for nearly three hours before concluding with the submission of his nomination to District Election Officer S Dilli Rao at the NTR District Collectors office. The rally saw enthusiastic participation from YSRC leaders, youth, women, and supporters from across the constituency. YSRC MLAs Samineni Udayabhanu and Vellampalli Srinivas, along with YSRC MLA candidates Sheikh Asif and Swamidas, S Thitupathirao, and Devineni Avinash, also attended Nanis nomination ceremony.

AP: BJP State unit leaders unhappy over Nallamilli joining party to contest Anaparthi seat

VIJAYAWADA: There is growing dissidence within the State BJP unit after it was decided on Sunday that TDP rebel leader Nallamilli Ramakrishna Reddy would join the saffron party and contest the Anaparthi Assembly seat under the Rajamahendravam MP segment. Though the BJP does not have much significance in the constituency, Anaparthi seat was allocated to it by the TDP as part of the tripartite alliance. The party had even announced M Shiva Krishnam Raju as its candidate. However, former MLA Ramakrishna Reddy was aspiring to contest from there and raised a banner of revolt. Considering that it would be impossible to win the seat without the support of Ramakrishna Reddy and the same might impact the result of Rajamahendravaram Lok Sabha seat, the BJP negotiated with its alliance partner. The BJP wanted the TDP to contest from Anaparthi and allocate Denduluru instead. The TDP has now come up with a formula where Ramakrishna Reddy will join the BJP and contest from Anaparthi. This, however, has led to a debate in the party. Senior leaders are of the view that the party leadership has bargained for an alternative seat rather than contesting the same with a TDP candidate. Since Anaparthi falls under Rajamahendravaram Lok Sabha segment and Anaparthi is a crucial Assembly constituency, we have to compromise and take Ramakrishna Reddy into the party fold, a senior leader said. It is said that former chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy personally called Ramakrishna Reddy and invited him to join the BJP. We were given seats which we were not expecting and where we cannot win. We dont have a base in Badvel and we were asked to contest from there. We have to take a TDP leader into our fold and make him contest. Senior leaders are unhappy over the developments, another leader maintained. Senior leader Lakshmipathi Raja said such a move would bring down the morale of the cadre and it would show an adverse effect on the survival of the party in the State. The TDP should have contested the Anaparthi seat and given Denduluru to the BJP, he opined. Retired IAS officer and BJP leader IYR Krishna Rao took to X and said the development is an example of how directionless the AP BJP is. There is more anti-incumbency against Jagan in urban areas and the BJP has more chances of winning there. However, the seats allocated to BJP and the seats it has accepted are more in rural areas only, he noted. He added that taking a leader from another party into BJP and making him contest the seat is detrimental to the partys very existence. The seat should have been left to the TDP and the BJP should have contested from Rajamahendravarm Urban. Senior leader Somu Veerraju might have been asked to contest from there, but this would have been a problem to the TDP, Krishna Rao said and tagged BJP national president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Making fun of the alliance, YSRC general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy said TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu was sending his men into other parties and making them contest the polls. Earlier, it happened with JSP. TDP leaders who joined JSP are contesting from Bhimavaram and Avanigadda. Now, in Anaparthi, Naidu is sending his man into the BJP and making him contest the elections, he said.