Vijayawada VRO Assaults Flood Victim, Faces Disciplinary Action

An incident in Vijayawada where a female Village Revenue Officer (VRO), Vijayalakshmi, physically assaulted a flood victim. The Chief Minister had repeatedly urged officials to treat flood victims with compassion. However, Vijayalakshmi lost her temper when flood victims questioned the lack of food and water supplies. This led to an altercation during which she slapped a victim named M.D. Yasin in the presence of police officers.

Following the incident, the District Collector Srujana issued a show-cause notice to the VRO for her irresponsible behavior and demanded an explanation within two days. Additionally, the victim alleged that Vijayalakshmi's husband threatened them afterward. The government is focusing on providing relief to flood-affected areas and ensuring officials carry out their duties responsibly.

Read More

జగనన్న ప్రాజెక్టులనే తమరు చెప్పుకుంటారేమిటి సార్!

దాదాపు ఏడాది రోజుల కిందట అప్పటి ముఖ్యమంత్రి వైఎస్ జగన్మోహన్ రెడ్డి శంకుస్థాపన చేసిన ప్రాజెక్టులు అవి. ఇప్పుడు తమ ప్రభుత్వంలో వాటిని సాధించి తీసుకువచ్చిన స్థాయిలో మంత్రులు చెప్పుకుంటూ ఉండడం తమాషాగా ధ్వనిస్తోంది. ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ రాష్ట్రంలో ఓబెరాయ్ గ్రూపు హోటళ్ల నిర్మాణానికి సంబంధించి.. పర్యటక శాఖ మంత్రి కందుల దుర్గేష్ చెబుతున్న మాటలు చిత్రంగా ఉన్నాయి.

ప్రజలకు అందరికీ బహిరంగంగా తెలిసిన వ్యవహారమే గనుక.. జగన్మోహన్ రెడ్డి హయాంలోనే శంకుస్థాపనలు చేశారు గాని, అప్పట్లో పనులు ముందుకు సాగలేదు.. అంటూ సన్నాయి నొక్కులు నొక్కుతున్నారు కందుల దుర్గేష్. ఆ పనులు ఇప్పుడు మొదలవుతున్నాయి కనుక దానిని తన ఘనత గాను, ముఖ్యమంత్రి చంద్రబాబునాయుడు ఘనత గాను గుర్తించాలని కోరుకుంటున్నారు.

జగన్మోహన్ రెడ్డి పరిపాలన కాలంలోనే ఓబెరాయ్ గ్రూప్ తో సుధీర్ఘ మంతనాల తర్వాత రాష్ట్రంలో విశాఖపట్నం సమీపంలో భోగాపురం అన్నవరం వద్ద, తిరుపతిలో, కడప జిల్లా గండికోట వద్ద మూడు సెవెన్ స్టార్ హోటళ్ల నిర్మాణానికి ఆ గ్రూపు ఆసక్తి చూపించింది. పోయిన ఏడాది జూలైలో ఈ మూడింటికి గండికోట నుంచి వర్చువల్ గా సీఎం జగన్మోహన్ రెడ్డి శంకుస్థాపన కూడా చేశారు.

సాధారణంగా భారీ హోటల్ నిర్మించే సమయం నిర్మాణ పనులు ప్రారంభం కావడానికి ఎక్కువ వ్యవధి తీసుకుంటారు. వాస్తవంగా పనులు ప్రారంభమయ్యేలాగా రాష్ట్రంలో ప్రభుత్వం మారడం జరిగింది. ఇప్పుడు పర్యాటక శాఖ మంత్రిగా బాధ్యతలు తీసుకున్న కందుల దుర్గేష్ ఈ హోటల్స్ నిర్మాణం దిశగా గత ప్రభుత్వ హయాంలో అడుగులు పడనే లేదని.. ఈ సెప్టెంబర్ 30లోగా భోగాపురం వద్ద నిర్మాణ పనులు మొదలవుతాయని అంటున్నారు. మిగిలిన తిరుపతి, గండికోట ప్రాజెక్టుల విషయం ఆయన మాట్లాడడం లేదు.

జగనన్న జమానాలో శంకుస్థాపన జరిగిన ప్రాజెక్టులలో రెండింటి నాటక ఎక్కించి ఒక్కటి మాత్రం ముందుకు తీసుకు వెళుతూ అది కూడా తమ ఘనత లాగా చెప్పుకోవడం దుర్గేష్ కు మాత్రమే చెల్లింది.

ప్రజలకు స్పష్టంగా అర్థమయ్యే విషయాలలో కూడా జగన్మోహన్ రెడ్డి చేసిన పనులకు తాము క్రెడిట్ తీసుకోవాలనుకోవడం సరైన ఆలోచన కాదు. ఆ విషయం నాయకులు తెలుసుకుంటే మంచిదని ప్రజలు అనుకుంటున్నారు.

Read More

World Bank to give Rs 15k cr to Amaravati development

A delegation of the World Bank met Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu at Amaravati on Tuesday. The delegation had the discussions on the development of Amaravati in the next five years. The Central government had allocated Rs 15,000 crore to Amaravati construction. This was mentioned in the 2024-25 Central budget. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman had promised financial support to the Andhra Pradesh government for the development of Amaravati.The present government is firm on completing the development of Amaravati. It is also getting building fitness reports done by the teams from IITs in Hyderabad and Chennai.

 The jungle clearance is over and the officials are getting ready for the formation of internal roads.The seed access road from Venkatayapalem is also being given a facelift now. The road connects Thullur on the other side passing through Mandadam, Velagapudi and Rayapudi. It connects the Assembly, Secretariat and High Court. The road was designed by the TDP government between 2016 and 2019. Also Read : AP to have seven more airports, says Union Minister Now, the present NDA government wants to restore the work on roads. The electricity, telephone and drainage lines will go underground.

 The officials have a package for this work, which was earlier given to the L&T. The contractor is coming back to Amaravati now to renew the work.Meanwhile, the chief minister is closeted with the team from the World Bank. Members of the Asian Development Bank have also joined the World Bank team. They are touring Amaravati now. They will be here till August 27, meeting the officials, holding talks and also visiting the sites. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is firm on making Amaravati as the permanent capital of Andhra Pradesh. He doesn’t want to give a chance to the next government to think of changing the capital as was done by the previous YSR Congress government. 

The YSR Congress had proposed Amaravati as the legislative capital while moving Visakhapatnam as the executive capital and Kurnool as judicial capital. Chandrababu Naidu is not interested in such a plan any more and wants to make Amaravati the permanent capital of the state. Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com. The post World Bank to give Rs 15k cr to Amaravati development appeared first on Telugu360.com.

Read More

8 Congress LS AP MPs suspended over Telangana

The ruling Congress on Tuesday had eight of its own members from Telangana region hangs down from the Lok Sabha for four days for repeat disrupt the work of the house over the requirement for a separate state, the first time in parliamentary history that the ruling party members have been suspended in a group.

The action came on the first day of the second part of the Budget Session. The last week of the first phase, which ended March 30 vanished over the same issue. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal moved the motion seeking their suspension, which was adopted by a voice vote. Previously warned Francisco Sardinha, who was in the chair, agitating MPs of action if they do not return to their seats. Ponnam Prabhakar, Goud Yaskhi Madhu, M. Jagannadham, Komatreddy Rajagopal Reddy, G. Viveknanda, Balram Naik, gutta Sukhender and S. Reddy Rajaiah was suspended MPs.

Read More

Another youth commits suicide for Telangana cause

Karimnagar: Barely a week after an MBA student from Warangal in Andhra Pradesh ended his life over separate Telangana state, a 23-year-old youth from the district has allegedly committed suicide over "inaction" on part of politicians from the region in pursuing the cause, sources said on Sunday.

L Nagaraju of Seethampet village under Mutharam police station limits, jumped to death before a moving train from a railway overbridge last night at Peddapalli, 35km from Karimnagar, family members said.

"Nagaraju was upset over the inaction on part of political leaders from Telangana region in carving out the separate state. He had expressed his anguish on many occasions. Last morning he left the house in a huff. We got a call from his mobile phone in the night, saying he was going to end his life for Telangana," they said.

Meanwhile, Government Railway Police (GRP) has registered a case of suicide into the incident.

"We have registered a case of suicide and are investigating the matter," Ramkundam Station House Officer (SHO) Sambaiah told PTI without elaborating further.

According to sources, the FIR registered by the GRP is silent on the cause of Nagaraju's death.

Read More

Osmania University students want beef in hostel mess

HYDERABAD: The politics of food is now breaking out on the 'T' struck Osmania University campus. Asserting their food culture, a large bunch of Dalit students have asked the administration to serve beef in their hostel mess. In a petition submitted to university's vice chancellor, S Satyanarayana, the students have stated that their food habits were ridiculed and insulted on the campus as members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) disrupted an attempt to cook beef in New Research Scholars' Hostel on March 11.

Challenging the 'casteist food culture', the students will also hold a beef festival in front of Osmania University (OU) Arts College in April. During the festival, cooked beef will be served and is being conducted as part of the birth anniversary celebrations of national leaders like B R Ambedakar (April 14), Jyotiba Phule (April 11) and Babu Jagjivan Ram (April 5), who were anti-caste ideologues. The university administration, though aware of the petition has not given permission to conduct such a festival.

The Dalit students form the second largest caste group with 2,000 members on OU campus. The campus which has a total student strength of 8,000 has about 4,000 OBC and 1,000 tribal students. "We decided to conduct such a public meeting as there have been several instances in the past where we were humiliated because of our food habits. Dalit PG students were rebuked and even roughed up by others when they cooked any non-vegetarian food in hostels during certain festival days," said Sudarshan, a research scholar enrolled in Arts College. Observers said that this is the second time that the Dalit students of OU have come together to assert their identity. In 2011, students had organised a unique Dasara celebration on campus, where Ravana, the mythical character symbolising Dalit identity, was glorified.

When asked whether the OU administration will give permission for beef festival, OU vice chancellor said that the matter is sensitive and hence a decision cannot be taken in haste. "We have asked some faculty members to talk to the students. We are trying to get things under control," said S Satyanarayana, vice chancellor, OU. He said that the issue came to his notice when some sections of the student community on campus complained about the same. "On March 11, I requested some senior teachers to get in touch with them and asked them to stop the exercise as this would create tension on campus," said Satyanarayana. Experts said the beef festival will face serious opposition on campus.

Read More

Jaganmohan's assets case: SC notice to 6 Andhra ministers, 8 IAS officers

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to 6 Andhra Pradesh ministers and 8 IAS officers on a plea alleging that the CBI was not proceeding against them despite having sufficient evidence that they helped former Congress leader Y Jaganmohan Reddy accumulate massive illegal assets.

A bench headed by Justice Dalveer Bhandari issued the notices to the ministers and the IAS officers and sought their stands on the petition filed by an advocate, Sudhakar Reddy.

The petitioner alleged that these six ministers and eight IAS officers were also holding ministerial and other key positions under the then chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, during whose tenure his son Jaganmohan accumulated huge wealth, disproportionate to his legal income.

Reddy, in his petition, said even though the CBI had registered a number of cases against several others in the disproportionate assets case against Jagan Mohan Reddy, but it failed to register any case against these 14 persons.

The notice was issued to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), six Andhra Pradesh ministers and eleven IAS officers serving in the state at the time.

An apex court bench headed by Justice Dalveer Bhandari issued notice on a petition by Nellore-based advocate Sudhakar Reddy seeking a probe into the government orders favouring Jaganmohan Reddy, a Lok Sabha MP.

The petitione has challenged a Andhra Pradesh high court order rejecting a probe. A special CBI court in Hyderabad had also rejected the plea.

Sudhakar Reddy contended that the investigation into the disproportionate assets could not be confined to Jaganmohan Reddy, but should also include the role of the ministers and bureaucrats in facilitating his business dealings.

Read More

Two hour power cut in Hyderabad from March 8

Read More

Ramesh appeals to Maoists to join mainstream politics

Visakhapatnam:  Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh appealed to Maoists to shun violence and join mainstream politics.

"The Naxalites should abandon path of violence and come forward to join active politics to contest (elections)... India is the country of Mahatma Gandhi and Gautham Buddha and every Indian should follow their path of peace," Ramesh said.

He was addressing a public meeting at Chintapalli in the Vizag agency area.

Ramesh along with his ministerial colleague and Panchayat Raj Minister V Kishore Chandra Deo inaugurated as many as 59 multipurpose halls constructed across eleven tribal mandals in the district under the MPLADS.

Read More

Andhra speaker disqualifies 16 Jagan loyalists

Hyderabad: Ending the long suspense, the Andhra Pradesh assembly speaker on Friday disqualified 16 rebel lawmakers belonging to the ruling Congress party who were loyal to YS Jaganmohan Reddy.

The speaker has also accepted the resignation of another Jagan loyalist Shoba Nagi Reddy of Praja Rajyam Party (PRP).

A statement about the disqualification was released from the office of speaker Nandendla Manohar on Friday night.

Congress had sought the disqualification of the legislators for violating the party whip and voting in favor of opposition Telugu Desam Party's no-confidence motion against the government in the assembly last December.

With the speaker's move, 17 seats in 294-member house have fallen vacant. The election commission will now initiate the process to fill the vacancies by holding by-elections within six months.

Read More

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has asked for a status report on the probe into the liquor racket in the state to be submitted in three weeks from now. This has come after CNN-IBN reported that there was a nexus between the excise officials, the police and the accused in the racket.

Meanwhile, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders met Governor ESL Narasimhan on Monday demanding resignation of all the ministers who are alleged to have stakes in the scam.

The developments come almost a week after top Congress leaders in the state were probed by the police in connection with the issue.

Andhra Pradesh Excise Minister M Venkata Ramana, four MLAs and several excise officials have already been named in case for receiving bribes.

Sources have further said that state Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayana and Roads Minister Dharmana Prasad are also known to have a stake in the liquor business.

Notably, Satyanarayana had publicly admitted that he owns 31 liquor shops.

Read More

Andhra opposition disrupts governor's address

HYDERABAD: The budget session of the Andhra Pradesh state legislature began on Monday on a stormy note with the opposition disrupting the governor's address to the joint sitting of the assembly and the council and staging a noisy walkout. 

Legislators of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) tore copies of governor E S L Narasimhan's address and threw the pieces at him. Security personnel surrounding Narasimhan had a tough time protecting him. 

Raising slogans of " Jai Telangana", the TRSmembers tried to advance towards the governor and disrupt his speech. Amid pandemonium, the governor rushed through his address. 

The legislators of the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) also disrupted the governor's address, raising slogans against the government's failure to tackle problems of farmers and other sections of people. 

Normalcy returned after 15 minutes as the entire opposition walked out of the house. This provided a respite to the governor, who completed his 30-minute address without any further disruptions. 

The TDP, TRS, the CPI and the BJP staged protests at media point in the assembly premises. They alleged that people's issues were ignored in the governor's address. 

The TRS legislators said they walked out on the governor's address as there was no mention of Telangana. "We will not allow the house to run unless a resolution for formation of a Telangana state is passed in the house," TRS leader E.Rajender said. 

Tight security arrangements were made inside the house in view of last year's unprecedented incidents during the governor's address when members of the TRS and the TDP had stormed the podium, heckled the governor and uprooted the mikes. 

The assembly and the governor's security personnel formed a strong cordon around him this time to keep the protesting legislators at bay. 

Earlier, TRS legislators and also those of the TDP from the Telangana region separately paid their respects to the martyrs of Telangana at the memorial in front of the assembly building.

Read More

Eight petrol pumps run by prison inmates to come up in Andhra

Hyderabad, Feb 12 (PTI) Buoyed by the success of a petrol pump run by reformed jail inmates, the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to set up eight more such filling stations in different parts of the state. Located in the premises of Kadappa Central jail in the south-central part of Andhra Pradesh, Kadappa jail petrol pump is the only petrol station in the state which is run by prison inmates. The monthly turnover amounts to nearly Rs 1.8 crore which is the highest sale in comparison to all the 48 petrol stations in the district, said Sunil Kumar, Additional Inspector general of Prisons of the Andhra Pradesh Prisons Department.
"Yesterday we had a turnover of Rs 6.18 lakh... Though this petrol station is four months old only, it has the highest sale in comparison to all the 48 petrol stations in Kadappa district. Since the turnover is huge it has been decided upon to set up similar petrol stations in the remaining eight central jails across the state," Kumar said. The petrol stations are likely to be set up in the districts including Hyderabad, Cherlapalli (R R District), Warangal, Rajahmundry, Adavivaram (Visakhapatnam District), Nellore among others. Kumar said it took them two years to convince Indian Oil Corporation to allow them establish a petrol pump in the jail premises. The Kadappa petrol pump is run by 21 inmates who have shown good conduct over a period of time and eligible for the semi-open jail facility. 


These inmates work on shift basis and earn Rs 70 per day. The petrol pump was started as part of the jail rehabilitation programme. Once they learn work here, they will be able to work in other petrol stations when released, he said. The success story of this petrol station has encouraged other states to replicate the same in their jails too, the senior police official said. "Gujarat jail authorities have asked us to share details as to how to establish a similar facility in their jails too," Kumar said. 

Read More

Aakash 2 to go expensive with better features?

New Delhi: This news might disappoint a lot of Aakash tablet enthusiasts. The much hyped tab may now come with enhanced features but it may pinch on your wallet.

According to a newspaper report the price of water and shock proof Aakash 2 with four time faster processor and better battery life will cost USD 100 (Rs 4900 approx) double than its inaugural price.

Aakash tablet was launched in last October by HRD minister Kapil Sibal.

Reportedly, technology companies have told the government that it is impossible to supply a million Aakash 2 tablets at the original cost. Datawind, a Canadian company, had got the order to supply the government one lakh tablets at USD 50.

The price hike debate started after Indian Institute of Technology, Rajasthan had specified some test criterions for the tablet and if the government has to follow the criterions than it will not be able to provide the tab in the USD 50 price tag.

The specifications given by IIT Rajasthan are that the tablet should function at 20 degree and up to 50 degree Celsius, withstand steep and sudden fall and waterproof.

It has specified a 1.2 Gega Hertz (Ghz) microprocessor as against 366 mega hertz (Mhz) in Aakash and 700 RAM megabytes, double of the original. The battery specified can run up to eight hours.

Read More

Medaram jatara ends

MEDARAM (WARANGAL): The Sammakka Saralamma tribal jamboree at Medaram village of Tadwai mandal came to an end here on Saturday. Thousands of tribal families sent off their goddesses with traditional drum beats and Gussadi dances.

The tribal priests brought back the deities to their respective places of Kannepally (Saralamma), and Chilukalagutta hillock (Sammakka) and performed the Vanapravesham (back to forest) ceremony that signalled the end of the jatara.

A huge crowd thronged the venue to worship the deities on Saturday, the fourth and final day of the jatara.

Warangal collector B Rahul and SP Rajesh Kumar said 80 lakh devotees from across the country, particularly tribals from Maharashtra , Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh, came to the jatara this time. Both the officials expressed their satisfaction over the smooth completion of the jatara. The festival remained crime-free , the SP said.

The district authorities on Saturday, decided to begin sanitation works postjatara , on a war footing. Personnel from the departments of RWS, panchayat raj, medical and health, and animal husbandry will carry out the clean up operation .

Read More

Andhra widow, unable to pay bills, seeks euthanasia for paralysed son

A 64-year-old widow in Andhra Pradesh has sought euthanasia for her son -- a 36-year-old graduate in aeronautical science who has been paralyzed for 15 years.

C Janardhan was offered a job in Australia in 1997.  He was hit by a truck while he was on his way to Bangalore to get a visa. The accident also caused brain damage. He was in a coma for five years, but recovered from that. He cannot speak.

His mother, Lakshmamma, has filed a petition in a local court in Chittoor, asking for permission for a mercy killing.

She has told the court that her earnings are restricted to what she makes by working on a farm all day. Coupled with her widow's pension of Rs.500, that's nowhere near enough to  pay for her son's medical expenses.
Her husband died eight years ago.  "I don't know who will take care of him after my death. I can't see him suffer any longer. If my son gets mercy killing, I can die in peace," she said in the petition.

The court on Monday admitted her petition for hearing and has issued notices to the district collector and health department, asking them why the government can't extend medical help to Janardhan.

But the judge also said that  the plea for mercy killing was unacceptable. She said nobody has a right to take another's life. The next hearing will be held on March 3.

Lakshmamma and her husband Chandrappa spent all their savings and sold their one-acre plot to pay their son's hospital bills.

In 2004, a woman had moved the Andhra Pradesh High Court seeking mercy killing for her son K. Venkatesh, who had debilitating muscular dystrophy, so that his wish of donating his vital organs could be fulfilled.

The court rejected her petition on the ground that the present laws did not permit euthanasia and human organs could be harvested only from a brain dead patient.

Venkatesh died the same year. His mother Sujatha now works to help muscular dystrophy patients.

If you wish to help the family, please send your contributions/ cheques to the joint account of K Lakshmamma and son C Janardhan.

Andhra Bank a/c no 037010011024577
Madanapalle, Chittoor district

Read More

Samakka Saralamma Jathra 2012 ,Medaaram .Warangal

Samakka Saralamma Jathra

A little festival of tribal origin in Andhra Pradesh has become a major pilgrimage in the last six years. The Samakka festival is held every two years at in Medaram Village of Tadvai Mandal deep in the heart of the thick forests of Warangal district. The population of the little forest village at Medaram in normal times never exceeds 300. Suddenly, during the month of February it rises to over 3500000! Millions of devotees come from all over Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring states like Orissa, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. This festival is held in memory of a Koya tribal queen called Samakka who fought against the kedieval dynasty of the Kakatiyas who ruled from Warangal between 1000 A.D.-1380 A.D. approximately. Among the traditional deities of the Koyas and other forest tribes is the Tiger Goddess of whom there is an interesting legend. As the story goes, around 600 years ago, a band of Koyas walking through the thick forest came upon a little girl playing with full grown tigers. They retrieved the infant and the headman adopted her. She was named Samakka. She grew up into fine young woman and married the headman of a neighbouring village. Among her children was a daughter named Saralama. Both mother and daughter were reputed for their kind and helpful nature. The Koyas were tributary to the Kakatiyas. Once their assistance on the battle field had saved the Kakatiyas. The king, pleased with them, told them to ask for any boon. The Koyas replied that they were content with their peaceful forest life and lacked nothing. When the king insisted the Koyas said in case of need they would ask for some boon later. It so happened that there was a severe drought lasting for years. The Godavari dried up and food stocks were exhausted. At this precise time the Kakatiyas came to collect taxes from the Koyas who were unable to pay up. The king flew into a range. He sent his forces to teach the Koyas a lesson. The Koyas were aghast. The troops discovering the Koyas had hardly enough to eat themselves returned empty-handed reporting that there were no taxes to be collected. This angered the king further. He sent a large force and they committed all sorts of atrocities. The Koyas had no option but to resist. Finally the minister of the king decided to take a look. By then most of the Koya chiefs had fallen in battle. The minister proposed peace and offered Samakka a place in the king’s harem as chief queen. Samakka turned down the offer saying she had no faith in the promises of kings. Besides so many Koyas had been killed and she resolved to continue the fight. Again the battle raged and Samakka received a spear wound. “Now we will capture the heroic Samakka,” thought the king’s forces. They never captured her. She fled into the deep forest solemnly calling the elements saying “If the Koyas are blameless, may the dynasty of Warangal perish.” The grieving Koyas searched for their queen al they found were a red ochre box, bangles … and the pug marks of a huge full grown tigress. The Warangal dynasty was extinguished very soon. While escaping Samakka had also told here people “So long as you remember me, I shall be there with you always.” The Koyas and Waddaras regularly hold festivals in memory of Samakka. Every two years Koya a priest ceremonially bring the ochre box and standards of Samakka and place them at the food of a tree symbolizing Saralama, her daughter besides other Koyas warriors. It is said that during the festival a huge tiger prowls around peacefully. The mammoth crowd that descends on Medaram pitch their makeshift tents under the trees. Colourful bedsheets and sarees serve as tent cloth. The crowd treks to a nearby rivulet called Jampana Vaagu, named after a son of Samakka, to take a dip in the waters. Among the pilgrims are childless women. They are put through a ritual conducted by elderly women. On the banks of the river one sees several children getting their first ceremonial haircut. Apparently some pilgrims have had prayers answered. While the festival has tribal roots, today the bulk of the pilgrims are non-tribals. There are elements of very ancient rites reminiscent of old matriarchal societies. Some men dress in women’s garb for the duration of the festival. Some women behave as though they are ‘possessed’. The official Koya oracle forecasts the general future of the people. The trees signifying the Koya martyrs are in an enclosure where pilgrims file past. When the priests bring out the ochre box and other relics from a hidden forest location, there is great tumult with frenzied beating of drums, blowing of trumpets and full throated yells. Earlier cocks and sheep were ritually slaughtered. Now offerings are coconuts and jaggery. They are piled at the foot of the trees. By nightfall, the exodus starts. In two days Medaram is deserted. The crowd vanishes as suddenly as it arrived. The long line of buses raise clouds of red dust. Medaram goes to sleep for the next two years .

Read More

DSC exam on May 2 for 21,000 posts

The state government has announced that DSC-2012 examination will be conducted to fill as many as 21,343 teacher posts. The written test will be held from May 2 to 4. Speaking to reporters Monday, minister for seconda r y educ a t ion K Parthasarathy said vacancies of 21,343 teacher posts had been notified and would be filled up though DSC-2012.

The notified vacancies include 11,602 Secondary Grade Teachers, 2,000 Language Pandits, 365 Physical Education Teachers, 5,703 School Assistants and 1,673 posts in municipal schools.
The 314 Urdu teacher posts, which could not be filled through DSC-2008 because of non-availability of SC, ST candidates, will be filled. The written test for the Secondary Grade Teachers, Language Pandits and Physical Education Teachers will be held on May 2, for School Assistants on May 3 and for SGTs, PETs and SAs in special schools on May 4. This time, applications can be submitted online. The pro forma application will be available on apdsc.cgg.gov.

in from Feb 15 and applications can be submitted from Feb 16 to March 17. The last date for payment of fee of `250 for each post is March 16.Details of posts, requisite qualification, scheme of examination, etc are available on the web sites http://apdsc. cgg.gov.in and www. dseap.gov.in. Holders of open university degrees are also eligible to appear for the DSC-2012 test, the minister said. The state government will issue a notification to recruit 7,100 posts including teachers and administrative staff for to be set up 355 model schools from coming academic year soon. An additional 4,970 personnel will be recruited on outsourcing in to these schools. The 1,002 DSC-2008 candidates, who have been waiting for posting orders, have been given posting orders.

Read More

Warangal emerges as narcotics hub

Warangal district stands first and Hyderabad fourth in the number of cases registered in the last five years relating to tarnsport and sale of narcotics. The total number of cases registered stands at 1,029. According to the records of the Crime Investigation Department, 242 cases have been registered in Warangal, 231 in Kurnool, 224 in Visakhapatnam, 167 in Hyderabad and 165 in Medak for offences committed under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985 in the past five years. “The sale and transport of narcotics is more in Telangana, particularly in Warangal and its surrounding areas where ganja cultivation is rampant,’’ said BL Sujatha Rao, deputy inspector- general of police (CID).

The ganja cultivated in Warangal is transported to other states as well,’’ he said.
The DIG said they had conducted a series of raids on ganja cultivation in the villages of Warangal and other districts in Telangana. Wherever raids wer e conducted, the ganja plants in the fields were set ablaze.
“Though the Narcotics Control Bureau has been advising people of the area to give up ganja cultivation, but farmers are defiant,” said an officer of the CID.

Narcotics, particularly ganja which is sold in Hyderabad and other cities in the state, are usually transported from Warangal and its surrounding districts areas, he added.
Hyderabad is a hub for foreign narcotics.

Apart from 128 cases of sale of local ganja, 17 cases of sale of foreign narcotics were registered in the the state capital and its surrounding areas in the last two years. African students were caught selling cocaine at several universities including the English and Foreign Languages University, Osmania University and University of Hyderabad, and at hangouts such as pubs, IT hub Hitec City and the posh Sainikpuri area. “In Hyderabad the sale of narcotics has been controlled. The decline in the number of cases is proof of it,” claimed Sujatha Rao. He said the narotics users were mainly youngsters aged between 20 and 30 years from universities and those who frequent pubs. Opium, heroin and brown sugar find their way to pubs where many users were caught, he said.

Read More

Andhra Pradesh's Home Secretary arrested in Emaar scandal; CBI gets custody till Feb 1

One of Andhra Pradesh's most senior bureaucrats, IAS officer BP Acharya, has been arrested in Hyderabad on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption. Mr Acharya is the Principal Home Secretary.

The case involves Emaar Properties, a real estate giant headquartered in Dubai, which was planning to build a high-end hotel, golf course and luxury villas on 535 acres in Gachibawli.

The township was to be built as a joint venture with the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) which was forged when Mr Acharya was the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the APIIC. The agreement was later revised, reducing the share of the APIIC, and the decision was approved by its board instead of the cabinet. Emaar-MGF is said to have benefitted by upto 2500 crore rupees. APIIC says the developer has cheated it of crores of profit by siphoning money to Dubai.

The villas, which were bought by politicians, film stars and A-list entrepreneurs were reportedly under-valued in documents, costing the government thousands of crores. Land was reportedly sold at Rs. 6,000 per square yard when the market rate was at least Rs. 60, 000 per square yard.

Mr Acharya is the fourth person arrested so far for this case; he will remain in the CBI's custody till February 1. In recent days, an industrialist named Koneru Prasad and Sunil Reddy, who is a close aide of politician Jagan Mohan Reddy, have also been jailed. Also arrested on Saturday was Vijay Raghavan, south India finance head of Emaar-MGF.

Jagan's father, YSR, was Chief Minister when the state's controversial partnership with Emaar was forged. YSR died in 2009 in a helicopter crash. It is alleged that people who benefitted from the land deal had invested in Sakshi publications, which is Jagan's newspaper. Those close to Jagan claim the case exemplifies political vendetta. They believe the Congress government is using it to undermine the popularity that Jagan enjoys among voters who swear allegiance to his father even today.  Jagan's mother, YS Vijayamma, has written today to the Prime Minister formally complaining that the CBI is being misused against her son.
The CBI's investigation has focused heavily on the role of Congress MP KVP Ramachandra Rao, who was known to be close to YSR.  Mr Rao's wife bought one of the plots in the controversial township; his brother-in-law, Parthasarathi, was a director of APIIC and has also been named in the FIR filed by the CBI.

The CBI probe in to the case was ordered on August 10 last year by the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Source:NDTV

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/andhra-pradeshs-home-secretary-arrested-in-emaar-scandal-cbi-gets-custody-till-feb-1-171664&cp

Read More