downloaded from · 4 august 2018 ap has done it again.for the third year in a row, the sunrise...

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The no-trust motion moved on behalf of five crore Andhrapeople in Parliament against the Central Government’srefusal to accord Special Category Status attracted massivepublic response in AP. In solidarity with the MPs’ move, thepeople, along with local representatives including Ministers tookout torch and candle rallies across the state, expressing their angerand disappointment.Rallies were taken out at every nook and corner of the Statedemanding fulfillment of AP Reorganisation Act promises. Publictook part voluntarily in these protests for according Special Cate-gory Status to the region as assured in the Act. In the picture above, Minister for Major Irrigation Devenineni UmaMaheswara Rao, MLAs Bonda Uma Maheswara Rao, Jaleel Khan,Bode Prasad, MLC Budha Venkanna among others led the proteststhat took place in Vijayawada.

The March ofSolidarity


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C O N T E N T SA Fight BetweenMorality And Majority

60 Anna Canteensinaugurated across State

Skill development forin Cloud AccountingSoftware

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E-Pragati core 20

1500 Days of Good Governance

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Entire Andhra Pradesh waited forjustice, only to be disappointedtime and again. They have majoritybut they breached "neeti". We willkeep fighting till we get what is ourdue, thundered Chief MinisterChandrababu Naidu on the eve ofno-confidence motion against theCentre.

Plans forVizag tourism

Happening Andhra

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Snapshot27

TheReturnOfSpyDramas

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12An affair with Uppada

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Various developments across thestate of Andhra Pradesh.

CM’sSocial Network24

Unkept Promises, Dayin and Day Out!

Vindictive Centre ShelvesMajor Projects to AP

CM inaugurates 3 lakhhouses for the poor

Project Gandiva togroom capable sports-men from the State

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3-Day Singapore Tour


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AUGUST 20184

AP has done it again. For the third year in a row, the Sunrise State hasoccupied the number one position in Ease of Doing Business (EoDB)

rankings in the country. It is creditable that the State topped the list for thethird consecutive year with the highest score of 98.42 per cent. For a newState still struggling with the pangs of its caesarean birth, this achievementis remarkable and is a testament to the visionary leadership that AP has beenblessed with.

These rankings are credible and highly valued because they are prepared bythe Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) of theGovernment of India based on World Bank guidelines. What qualitativelydifferentiates this year’s score is the introduction of feedback garnered fromactual users of the business services provided by the governmentdepartments. The listings – an elaborate exercise carried out over a periodof many months – have further enhanced the image of the State in its questfor emerging as the most sought after investment destination.

Kudos must go to Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu who made this extra-ordinary accomplishment possible. From day one, he had set the goals, fixedtime-frames, fired up the officials and spurred various departments intoactionable programmes. At the same time, he went around various countriesto attract businesses and explore investment opportunities in the fledglingState. As a result, AP has signed 2,284 MoUs for investment of about Rs 16lakh crore paving the way for generating 34 lakh jobs in the days to come.

The CM now wants the State to compete with the top 15 countries in theworld in Ease of Doing Business. That is the mark of a leader who is barelycontent with resting on laurels.

Even as the Government is committed to achieving its development targets,the Chief Minister has ensured there was no let up in pressing for the rightfulentitlements due and unfulfilled promises made to Andhra Pradesh. Thelatest no-confidence motion against the Centre was successful in its primaryobjective of creating awareness across the country over the denial of justiceto the State. Young MPs Galla Jayadev and Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidudeserve special mention for articulating the angst of the people of the Statewith great passion and anguish.

It is all the more admirable that the State has been performing at the top invarious areas despite the legacy issues that it had to contend with. The latestproof of this positive mindset is EoDB rankings. It is this spirit of lookingahead that will drive us into an exciting future.

Ramesh KandulaEditor

EDITORIAL

CommissionerS Venkateswar IISEditorRamesh Babu KandulaExecutive EditorNaresh NunnaAssistant EditorCh Sowmya SruthiCover PageCM at Dharmaporata Deeksha

Second Cover Torch Rallies for SCS

Third CoverMonth In Pictures

Fourth CoverEase of Doing Business

Published by:Information & Public Relations DepartmentGovernment of Andhra PradeshHyderabad - 500 028Ph: 040-23300258Views expressed by various authors in this issue reflect theirpersonal opinions.

DesignKarthik Beesu

Photos:T.Srinivasa Reddy, VijayawadaPrinted atCaxton Offset Pvt. Ltd.HyderabadEach Issue : Rs 20/-Annual Subscription : Rs 220/-Email: [email protected]

ANDHRA PRADESHPublished Monthly In English & Telugu

August 2018Volume:14 Issue:3Salivahana Era 1940

Printed and Published by Ramesh Babu Kandula on behalf of Director/Commissioner, Information and Public Relations Dept.;Printed at M/s Caxton Offset Pvt. Ltd., 11.5.416/3, Red Hills, Hyderabad - 500 004; Published at Office of Director/Commissioner ,I&PR Dept, Govt of Andhra Pradesh, Samachar Bhavan, AC Guards, Hyderabad - 500028. Editor: Ramesh Babu Kandula.Ph: 040-23300258.

A Proud Moment


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AUGUST 2018 5

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Grama Darshini is a new programme of the StateGovernment that does not let the people to re-main mere spectators, but be the participantsof the governance. The 75-day long ‘GramaDarshini’ programme launched on July 16, coincidingwith Chandrababu government completing 1,500 days inoffice, was, in other words, another effort to bring peoplecloser to the administration to have their voices heardand their needs met more efficiently and effectively. ‘Grama Darshini- Grama Vikasam’ Programme, launchedby the Chief Minister, Nara Chandrababu Naidu, will beorganised in every Assembly constituency every week,till January 10. The staff of the local governance wasinstructed to mingle with the people and visit everyhousehold and interact with every family to createawareness among the people on the developmentalefforts, the welfare programmes of the government. Adetailed note on the problems faced by the people in thevicinity must be prepared for the redressal in GramaSabhas. The grama sabhas, under Grama Darsini pro-gramme, will be conducted in every village, to solve the

problems and also to highlight the achievements of thegovernment during the last four years. The aim of high-lighting many welfare schemes such as ChandrannaBima, Chandranna Bharosa- the social security pensions,the fee reimbursement and enhanced salaries of theemployees etc, is intended to create awareness amongthe eligible to make use of the schemes. The objective ofthe 75- day programme is to take the administration tothe doorsteps of people and resolve their grievancesthere and then. The programme has already kick-startedon July 16 and the officials started visiting the SC and STcolonies and local government offices and institutions,besides dining with school children to have a taste of themid-day meal being served to them.Setting ExampleChief Minister Chandrababu Naidu himself set an exam-ple to the officials in eliciting feedback on implementa-tion of government schemes in ‘Grama Darshini’.Marking the launch of the programme in a Dalit hamlet,which was part of the Vemuru Assembly constituency,Guntur district, he engaged the women in a discussionon implementation of welfare schemes such as Chan-dranna Bima (accidental insurance), ChandrannaBharosa (monthly pension) and provision of rationthrough fair price shops. Before the interactive session, the CM walked throughthe lanes of the Dalit colony to have first-hand experi-ence of the difficulties most families were facing in theconstruction of houses. A tenant farmer complained thathe was not getting loan from the bank to take up farm-ing. During the interface with villagers, the CM soughtthe list of pensioners in the village from village secretaryand crosschecked with the list available with his COREDashboard. He summoned the three fair price dealersand engaged one of his accompanying officers to checkthe satisfaction levels of the public distribution system.Much to the relief of the dealers, the figures in the datamatched with their words. “This is why I encourage technology in a big way. Sittingin my office, I know what exactly is happening at theground level. I know the number of people getting pen-sion, the exact delivery of ration, and the number ofstreet lights functioning in each village,” the CM said. He was touched by the poignant story of a young widow,a beneficiary of Chandranna Bima, Vemula Sireesha, wholost her only companion- her mother - recently. The CMappreciated her for re-couping to become communityresource person for the Zero Based Natural Farming.Ministers Nakka Ananda Babu, and Pattipati Pulla Rao,Collector Kona Sasidhar, Bapatla MP Malyadri and MLAsA. Rajendra Prasad (Tenali) and A. Satya Prasad(Repalle) were present along with the CM.

1500 Daysof Good Governance

CM Launches 75-day Grama DarshiniAn Interface Between Public and Government


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Representing the angst of 50 million people ofdisgruntled Andhra Pradesh, the ChiefMinister Nara Chandrababu Naidu madeVijayawada MP Kesineni Srinivas (Nani) moveno-confidence motion in Lok Sabha against

the Union government for its ‘lack of fairness, lack oftrust, lack of priority and the lack of an unbiased ap-proach’ towards the residuary Andhra Pradesh. The out-come was predictable- the motion was defeated. But, theCM, through his brigade of MPs, proved the so-called ma-jority was merely a number that could technically indulgein empty posturing for the public. The no-confidence motion gave Andhra Pradesh a podium

to present its case before the nation. Chandrababu madethe political spectrum of the country enunciate what itthinks of four years of Modi regime, with regional partiesattacking the BJP over AP-specific, as well as national con-cerns. The MPs from the State, representing TDP, GallaJayadev, Kesineni Nani and K Ram-mohan Naidu took the opportunity toexplain to the country at large on theCentre's refusal to honour its prom-ise to accord special category status(SCS) to Andhra Pradesh. The debate,which lasted for 12 hours, involvedthe entire political spectrum repre-sented in the two Houses, which wasalso present in 2013 when the bifurcation of AP was dis-cussed and SCS for residuary AP was promised. It was forall these to see how the promise has not been kept, andhow Andhra was betrayed.We reproduce the speeches made in Parliament by MPs GJayadev and K Ram Mohan Naidu exposing the failure ofthe Centre to honour promises made in the same augustHouse.6 AUGUST 2018

A Fight Between Morality And Majority

No CoNFiDeNCe MotioN

Entire AndhraPradesh waited forjustice, only to be dis-appointed again, saidChief Minister Chan-drababu Naidu on theoutcome of no-confi-dence motion. Theyhave majority butthey breached"neeti". But the fightwill go on, he said.


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Madam Speaker, Non-implementation of an Act of Parliament is a nationalissue. Non-implementation of assurances given by noneother than the PM on the floor of Parliament, during con-sideration of the AP Reorganization Bill, without whichthis Bill would not have been passed, is also a nationalissue. So, it is not prudent to say that the issues of AP arenot national issues; they are certainly national issues andalso emotional issues for the people of AP and today it is alitmus test to Parliament how it ensures implementationof these and similar other issues.It is not a war between BJP and TDP; it is a war betweenthe Modi Regime and the 5 Cr people of AP. This No Confi-dence Motion has been brought by the TDP because of 4reasons – Fairness, Trust, Priority and Bias.Or rather, lackof Fairness, lack of Trust, lack of Priority, and lack of anunbiased approach.I will be focusing on my speech which reflects the voice of5 Cr people of AP and it will be focusing on these four as-pects. It has been 4 years since the bill is passed and 2new States were formed. Telangana is not a new State, APis a new State. All the challenges and burdens are to befaced by AP. We are the ones who have to build infrastruc-ture, capital, industrial base etc., where Telangana has allof them. When AP was divided

w AP was burdened with huge revenue deficit of 16,000crores.w 1.3 lakh crores of loan burden was put on AP;w 24,000 crores undivided loan burden put on AP for

which interest is being paid by GoAP which shatteredour FRBM limits;wPower allocation was made on consumption basis -- APis the loser;wRefund of tax liability made on the basis of populationat 58% for AP and 42% for Telangana -- AP is losersince it has very, very limited revenue generationsources.;w Assets have been given on the basis of their location --AP lost 3,800 crores;w Singareni Collieries -- a Schedule IX Co., -- given toTelangana with 51% equity. But, similar dispensationfor its subsidy APHMEL in AP which is also a ScheduleIX Co., has not been given to AP. Is it equal justice?w Pension liabilities from the combined State divided onthe basis of population i.e., 58:42 thereby burdened AP.Is it equal justice?Bifurcation impact on economyAP is a Southern State. It was one of four Southern Statesand now is one of five. The undivided AP was competingon all parameters with other Southern neighbours. Now,after asymmetrical bifurcation, Telangana with less popu-lation, has been given more resources and AP with morepopulation has been given less resources. AssurancesThen-PM, MMS, has given 6 assurances on 20-02-2014 onthe floor of RS. They are:w Special Category Status for 5 years.w Industrial incentives on the lines of 11 States.w Assistance to backward districts on the lines of Bun-delkhand and KBK districts.w Amendment for Polavaram i.e., to bring back 7 Mandalsto AP.w Distribution of assets and liabilities to be completedsatisfactorily.w Revenue deficit between the appointed day and accept-ance of 14 FC recommendations to be compensated in2014-15. It is 10 months from June, 2014, to March,2015.On Special Category StatusCongress Party, in 2014, sliced ‘Telugu Talli’ into twopieces in crude, unscientific and irrational way and ShriNarendra Modi, while campaigning in AP, had rightly saidand I quote: “Congress killed the mother and saved the child. Had Ibeen there, I would have saved the mother too.”People of AP fell flat for this statement and determined intheir heart and soul that, come what may, we will be withMr. Modi. We have waited; people of AP waited for fourlong years that Mr. Modi would save the mother. Insteadof saving AP, Mr. Modi, through the FM, through his pressconference on 7th March, 2018, announced that no SCS

Mr PM, it's not athreat... a curse!

Excerpts From Galla Speech:Downloaded from http://SmartPrep.in

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AUGUST 20188

would be given to AP.Industrial incentivesFM said that industrial incentives given to other SCSs willno longer exist post-GST implementation which is com-pletely a misleading statement. Even then, we insistedthat whatever industrial incentives that these States getpost-GST implementation should be given to AP as well onthe lines of assurance given by PM. But, what AP given is15% additional depreciation on new plant & machineryand 15% additional investment allowance. But, they aregiven only to backward areas, not to the entire State. Secondly, it is not exclusively for 7 districts of AP. It is forall the 150 backward districts in the country. What is spe-cial for AP? There is nothing special. Whereas, even post-GST implementation, the SCSs continue to get industrialincentives in line with what they were getting earlier. Asper the Notification issued in July, 2017, in pursuance ofBudgetary support of Rs. 27,000 crores to the existing4,324 units in SCS, till sunset period of March, 2027.

And, again, on 21st March, 2018, the Ministry of Com-merce & Industry approved the North-East Industrial De-velopment Scheme with a financial outlay of Rs. 3,000crores to North-East States up to March, 2020. Backward districtsSection 46(3) of AP Reorganisation Act talks about specialdevelopment package for backward districts in AP. Thisemanates from the assurance given by PM. But, this assur-ance has been diluted in the Act. The assurance was toprovide package on the lines of KBK districts in Odishaand Bundelkhand in MP and UP. If you look at all eco-nomic and human development indicators, it reveals thatall 7 backward districts are closer to SCSs rather thanother Southern States. But, Modi Regime has given just1050 crores for 7 districts for 3 years. It is not in line withwhat has been given to KBK and Bundelkhandunder spe-cial package. KBK was given 5,500 crores and Bundelk-hand was given 7,200 crores each to UP and MP. And, ifyou calculate per capita allocation, it is mindboggling toknow. Under Bundelkhand package per head allocation of

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu took seriousexception to PM's ‘misleading’ speech during no-confidence motion debate on July 20 in LokSabha. He went all the way to Delhi fromVijayawada to explain to the nation why his party, on thebehalf of 5 crore people, moved no-confidence motion onNDA government, besides exposing the lies of the PM. Speaking at a press conference, convened in Delhi, the CMridiculed Modi for accusing him of taking a “U-turn” bywithdrawing support from the NDA government.

“I have not taken U-turn on special category status. In fact,you have taken the U-turn on the promise," CM said.Giving a point-by-point rebuttal to Modi accusations,Chandrababu explained how the PM broke all the prom-ises that he had made to Andhra Pradesh when he cameto power.“Because of the bifurcation, AP lost out on many things.So we had thought that we would need the support of anational party to get the state back into shape. The BJPhad assured us that all promises made to AP in thebifurcation Act will be fulfilled. And that special cate-gory status will also be accorded to the state. In thelast four years, I came to Delhi 29 times to meet thePrime Minister but all my appeals went unheard,” hesaid.He said that the Prime Minister was “misleading” thepeople by saying that it could not grant a Special Cate-gory Status to AP on the basis of the 14th FinanceCommission’s recommendations. “Nowhere in theFinance Commission recommendations is it mentionedthat SCS cannot be granted. The Centre now says that it(Special Status) can be granted only to northeasternand hilly states, but the government is misleading. It(the decision to accord Special Status) is entirely anexecutive decision. The Special Status is our right. Wewill not accept the betrayal,” he said.He also refuted Modi’s claim that the Centre was ready togive a special assistance package that would be commen-surate to Special Category. The TDP chief listed severalprojects for which Central funds were owed to the statebut had not been disbursed in the last four years."Entire Andhra Pradesh waited for justice, only to be dis-appointed again. They have majority but they breached"neeti". The Prime Minister's speech has caused muchpain. As part of our continuous fight, we introduced thisno-confidence motion,” he added.

Modithe King Liar!


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AUGUST 2018 9

Rs. 4,115 was made. Whereas, for AP, per head allocationis just Rs. 428.57. So, what GOI given to AP is pittance! Secondly, BJP is crying foul that we have not spent eventhis small amount of money. We have spent 946 croresout of 1050 crores which is 92% of allocation, not 12% asclaimed by them. We have UCs to prove that.Thirdly, Finance Ministry proposed additional 350 croresand RBI released it on 9th February, 2018. But, PMOstopped giving clearance to it on 15th February, 2018. So,funds have gone back to RBI. Now, GOI has given Defenceindustrial corridor worth Rs. 20,000 crores for Bundelk-hand. But, in case of releasing a paltry 350 crores, the fileis languishing in the PMO for the last 6 months. Why this bias and partisan attitude, Mr. PM? Is this theway you wanted to help backward districts in AP? It is ashame. Therefore, this promise also remains unfulfilled.Distribution of assets/Taxation anomaliesWe are even deprived in distribution of assets. If you lookat Sections 50, 51 & 56, there is a huge discrepancy inright to recover tax arrears and sharing of liability of re-fund of tax arrears. This has resulted 3820 crores loss toAP. There is a great delay in apportionment of institutionsunder Section 68 of the Act. AP Bhawan is yet to be di-vided between the two.On Revenue DeficitThere is a dispute with regard to the quantum of amountbetween GoAP and GOI. Revenue deficit for 10 months i.e.,from 2nd June, 2014, to 31st March, 2015, as per GoAP, isRs. 16,078.76 crores. GOI released Rs. 3,979.50 crores.Unilaterally taking ‘standardized expenditure’, GOI quali-fied it at Rs.4117 crores making the balance to be paid as138.39 crores only. But, the bone of contention is:w CAG put the figure at 16,078 crores andeven approvedit.w Ministry of Finance made its own valuation and put thefigure at 7,500 crores;w PMO reduced it to 4,117 crores without any explana-tion;w FM now says he can give only 138 crores. How is it justified, Mr. PM?Secondly, as I said earlier, GOI has increased devolution offunds from 32 to 42%. But, there are Cesses such as Kr-ishi Kalyan Cess, Swachh Cess, Higher Education Cess, etc.If you look at how much GOI collected through aboveCesses and other surcharges under direct and indirecttaxes in 2016-17, it is mindboggling. Rs. 2.35 lakh crorescollected. But, there is no share for States in these Cesses.So, effectively, it is not 42%, but it is somewhere around36-37%.BJP is saying that 22,113 crores have been given to APalone as Revenue Deficit. It is wrong. 14 FC has also rec-ommended revenue deficit of 4519 crores to Kerala; Rs.11716 crores to West Bengal. They are all statutory allo-cations. But, the tragedy is that even after 5 years ofAward period of 14 FC, AP is the only State which will re-main revenue deficit, except SCSs. So, BJP wanted to

equate AP with North-Eastern States and not willing tobring it at par with other Southern States! How is it justi-fied?EAP projectsGOI says that 8,800 crore worth of EAP projects approvedfor AP. But, GOI has not issued any guidelines. Whenguidelines are not issued, nothing can be spent. So, GoAPis paying the interest of Rs. 5 crores on approved loans.Since guidelines have not been framed, GoAP asked forrouting them through NABARD. But, again, here, you areputting FRBM on AP. Finally, Finance Ministry agreed thatthey could not issue guidelines for EAP projects. So, wehave asked for NABARD. Then, they said to set up an SPV.Whether there is any history in the country to set up SPVfor EAPs, to route funds through SPV and FRBM will alsobe borne by the State? So, it is totally a delay tactics of theFinance Minister.On Rs. 13,472 crores given to APFM and President of AP BJP unit have been trumpetingthrough press conferences that they have given Rs. 13,472crores to AP and they have also said that they have nevergiven such huge amount to any other State. But, what you have given is this. Out of 16,078crores revenue deficit, you have given 3,979crores.For Polavaram, project cost is 58,000 crores, but you havegiven 6,764 crores.You have given 576 crores for 11 institutions whereas therequired amount is 11,672 crores.For new capital, we need 43,000 crores, but you havegiven 1550 crores.We should get 23,000 crores for backward districts, butyou have given 1050 crores.So, GoAP is asking for 1.54 lakh crores, whereas, you havegiven just 13,472 crores. Government is saying that it is fulfilling all the promises.merely giving 2-3% of funds, is it fulfillment?! Mr. PM, isthis justified?!AmaravatiSection 94(3) says that financial support for creation ofessential facilities in the new capital of AP would be pro-vided by GOI. The estimates were made. Rs. 43,000crores is required over a period of 5 years to construct es-sential infrastructure in Amaravati. But, GOI has given just1,500 crores and now screaming, instead of releasingmore money, that GoAP has not submitted UCs in spite ofsubmitting the same. Out of 1,500 crores given by GOI,GoAP submitted UCs for 1,583 crores. PM is constructing Dholera city in Gujarat. It is 80 kmsaway from Ahmedabad. Dholera would be twice the sizeof Delhi, which took 1000 years to grow to what it is now.Dholera proposed to be six times bigger than Shanghai. Isit wrong for the enterprising people of Andhra Pradesh todream of having a world class capital?

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AUGUST 201810

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Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, late Yerran Naidu'sson, is junior among the lot of MPs, but has takenthe House by storm with his genuine outpouringof hurt feelings in an anguished speech, deliveredin impeccable Hindi. The first time Parliamentarian in hishard-hitting speech on the no-trust motion, posed pointedquestions to the PM Narendra Modi and Home MinisterRajnath Singh, about the unfulfilled promises made to AP.He exposed the double-speak of the central authorities,while dealing with the Infrastructure and Institutions-related issues of the AP Reorganisation Act.Questioning on the delaying tactics being adopted onVisakhapatnam Railway Zone, which is part of the AP Re-organisation Act, RammohanNaidu referred to the sevennew Railway zones created since the Chief Minister of APstarted pursuing the same since 8th December, 2014.Rammohan Naidu also referred to the promise made onPolavaram project, the lifeline of AP, detailing the statisticswith updated DPR with an estimated cost of Rs. 58,000crores including rehabilitation and resettlement. He ques-tioned the half-hearted manner in which the 11 Centralinstitutions, promised in the Act, were meagerly funded.As only Rs. 638 crores were given against the requirementof Rs. 11673 crores, these institutions might take yearsbefore they could function to their full capacity.He said one more instance of ignoring the needs of APwas related to Visakhapatnam–Chennai Industrial Corri-dor (VCIC) that is progressing at snail’s pace. Referring tothe release of a whopping Rs. 17,500 crores as equity toDelhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and initiation of Mum-bai-Gurgaon Expressway with Rs.60,000 crores, he askedthe PM why VCIC was not a priority for the Centre.

Excerpts from Ram Mohan Naidu speech:What happened to the Visakhapatnam Railway Zone? Whyis there a delay?When the debate on bifurcation was on, the very sameVenkaiah Naidu and Arun Jaitley said the SCS should bethere for AP for 10 years and not five years. Why don'tthey do it now? You keep changing the word once a yearand are we not supposed to ask you about the same?You say you have given institutions but how much haveyou released. Only 5 per cent of the total funds? When willyou give the rest? In the next 80 years? Who will study inthem and who will see them?You construct your party headquarters in Delhi in twoyears with 70 rooms, digital library and latest facilities butnot establish universities promised to us?What happened to the petro chemical complex promisedto us? What happens in Gujarat where ONGC etc spendthousands of crores but similar projects would not hap-pen in AP just because you don’t keep your word.What happened to the Metro?Where would we go if we don't talk here and demandhere. This is the biggest temple of democracy in the coun-try.Here is where the Act was made and here is where wedemand the same. We did not know the Congress wouldsupport it today. Just the 15 members, all of us, startedthis. Allow us to demand and ask the PM to answer. It isnot my promise. It is the PM's promise. He repeatedly toldus that he would give the status for 10 years. We are onlyseeking the same.

APR Act 2014 – 19 items

w Special Category Status, including tax incentivesw Bridging the Resource Gapw Polavaram Projectw Formation of a RailwayZonew Establishment of Greenfield Crude Oil Refinery& Petrochemical Complexw Financial Assistance to Amaravatiw Institutes of NationalImportancew Formation of Duggirajupatnam port at Nellorew Increase of Seats in AP State Legislative Assemblyw Anomalies in Taxation Mattersw Steel Plant at YSR Kadapa Districtw Establishment of Vizag-Chennai IndustrialCorridorw Vishakhapatnam and Vijayawada Metrow Rapid Rail and Road Connectivity to Amaravatiw Development Assistance to Backward Districtsw Payment of Power Dues by Discomw Apportionment of Schedule IX Institutionsw Apportionment of Schedule X Institutionsw Formation of Greyhound Training Centre

Unkept Promises,Day in and Day Out!


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Following the new sports policy announced forthe period 2017-22 with a mission to groomsports talent, the State government initiated aunique programme ‘Project Gandiva’ that helpsnurture the young talent by training them as competi-tive sportsmen. The project was formally launched on July 24 at Vidyad-harapuram in Vijayawada where Chief Minister

Chandrababu Naidu also laid foundation stone for theconstruction of prestigious ‘Amaravati InternationalSports Complex’, in the presence of some top sportstalent in the State. The sports complex is designed to bebuilt in 8.9 acres with a budget of Rs 60 crore. Thecomplex would feature world-class infrastructure withhigh-end equipment for sportsmen.Renowned sports personalities Karanam Malleswari,Ashwini Nachappa, Anil Kumble, Koneru Humpy, Navysailor lieutenant commander P Swati, Ram SinghShekawat among others were present during the projectlaunch. The Chief Minister felicitated the sports person-alities who came down to take part in the launch ofProject Gandiva. Special Chief Secretary L V Subra-manyam, Minister for Sports, Kollu Ravindra, DistrictSports Development Authority, members of SAAP andpublic representatives were present on the occasion.Speaking on the occasion, the CM said, “Andhra Pradeshis launching ‘Project Gandiva’ to revolutionise sportsculture in the State. Under this project, State govern-

ment will select students of age between 10-16 yearsfrom village to State level, and provide them with inter-national level facilities, infrastructure and coaching.”“Project Gandiva will ensure that every talent in theState of Andhra Pradesh is identified, nurtured andtrained by international coaches. We will see Olympiansrise from this sunrise State,” the CM said. ProjectGandiva is a long-term athletic developmentprogramme designed by the State. As part of the policy,the talented sportspersons will be picked up andgroomed to compete at national and internationalevents so that they win medals and bring laurels to theState in particular.For 2018-19, a long-term athletic development schemeunder the programme was launched. The objective is toensure that AP excels in sports in a span of 10 yearsfrom now. The project envisages that by 2021, the Stateshould become number one in national athletics and bynext year, the State should secure medals in Asian andCommonwealth Games. By 2024, State should representOlympics and by 2028 Olympics, they should winmedals.Accordingly, in pursuit of the target, government hasalready identified about 300 government schools andwelfare educational institutions. Among them, 100schools having a 200 meters track and play fields willfunction as hub and model to the Centre of Excellence atAcharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur. Besides, thegovernment is establishing state sports academies,sports schools and sports nurseries. Selections will beheld according to the Sports Authority of AndhraPradesh (SAAP) guidelines to identify about 90 youngstudents through seven simple tests. Then a team com-prising SAAP coaches and members of the State AthleticAssociation will conduct final selections in every dis-trict. In selected 100 schools coaching will be providedby top class coaches and the trained athletes will besponsored for Indian and international exposures.Reputed international coaches from Jamaica, SouthAfrica and Europe will be positioned at centre ofexcellence at Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, whowill train 100 physical literacy teachers of the State sothat they can impart training in their respective institu-tions. All the children, parents, NGOs and youth clubswill be involved in identifying talented children.

ProjeCt GANDivAto GrooM CAPABle

sPortsMeN from the stAte

Amaravati InternationalSports Complex inVidyadharapuram

11AUGUST 2018

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AUGUST 201812

Capitalising on AmaravatiCM’s singapore visit

NEC authorities Mervyn Cheah (Third from right), and Katsumi Emura with CM’s team in NEC Labs


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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chan-drababu Naidu proved again to be both Brandand also Brand Ambassador of AndhraPradesh, during his 3- day whirlwind tour toSingapore. Singapore with which he struck a tremen-dous rapport to attract that nation into lending a help-ing hand for the development of the residuary state ofAndhra Pradesh in general and the new capital of Ama-ravati in particular, is a familiar ground and no wonderhe was all over during this tour, participating in global-level meetings to not only convince Singapore to pro-vide expertise to help develop Amaravati as a worldclass city, but also make technology giants queue up forinvestments in Andhra Pradesh. Chandrababu Naidu was the special guest along withSri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wikramasinghe duringthe meet- World Cities Summit Mayors Forum, in which120 city mayors from all over the world took part.While addressing Mayors Forum, he showcased Amara-vati as investors’ destination. Impressed over the pres-entation of Chief Minister Asian InfrastructureInvestment Bank (AIIB) director general of investmentoperations Pang Yee Ean said that they are willing towork with AP to develop roads, water supply, irrigationand electricity sectors. Lodha group CEO AbhishekMangal Prabhat Lodha came forward to invest in mallsand entertainment sectors in Amaravati. The ChiefMinister invited Fotescue Metals Group of Australia toset up steel plant in Kadapa. It may be noted that Fotes-cue has come forward to set up a floating storage de-gasification unit and lithium battery manufacturing unitin AP. Metro rail unit in APIn addition, the SMH Rail of Malaysia and Royal Hold-ings of Singapore expressed readiness to invest inmetro rail manufacturing, infrastructure, entertainmentand housing sectors. Its Group Project Director JaheenJaman said that his group was making efforts to estab-lish metro rail manufacturing units in India and foundAndhra Pradesh very conducive to set up one.He also briefed the Chief Minister on the group’sacclaim in manufacturing new locomotives, making theold ones anew, and wheels and axles, besides electricalcomponents. Jaman also revealed that the Group was

working with major groups like the GE, Siemens, andHyundai. Aero HubThe Managing Direcor of Eli Hajaj Group from Israel,Offer Gyabinett expressed interest to set up aero hub inAP to produce 75 per cent of aircraft components andsought land allotment. The group promised to startproduction within six months after allotment of land,and said that it had the technical capabilities for settingup 30 to 40 units at one go. It already has a productionunit in Bangalore and bagged many orders so far, hestated. The Chief Minister suggested him to meet hisofficers in Amaravati.Affordable housing usingmodern technologyAddressing plenary session of World Cities summit inSingapore on the second day, the CM said the capitalcity of Amaravati would be developed protecting itsancient glory and providing modern infrastructure.Stating that Amaravati has a special place in the historyof the country, he said the capital would reflect thewishes and hopes of five crore people. The ChiefMinister also stressed on affordable housing withmodern amenities in capital city. The Chief Minister said priority would be given toprotect water and environment while developing thecapital city with modern technology. He said usinginternet of things the ground water, water sources,climate and air quality would be analysed to providebetter living conditions in the city. Steps have been taken for proper use of urban and ruralgarbage and encouraging people to switch over to natu-ral farming to prevent usage of dangerous pesticides.Earlier, the Chief Minister had a glance at Singapore citysolutions exhibition and directed the officials to studythe housing pattern adopted by Singapore to provideaffordable housing with modern amenities inAmaravati.Stating that Amaravti is a major point of investmentsdue to its blue green nature, 30 km water front, socialinfrastructure and trained manpower, the ChiefMinister said to ensure sustainable ecology ``we are in-

The three-day Singapore tour of the Chief Minister helped brandingAmaravati capital in World Cities Summit and attracted large number ofcompanies to invest in Amaravati. Impressed by the vision and administrativeability of Chief Minister, World technology giants expressed their interest toenter into a tie up with Andhra Pradesh and set up their units.


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creasing green cover and promoting Zero based naturalfarming in a big way’’. He said Amaravati is going toemerge as a major economic hub and appealed to worldgiants to look at AP for investments. Another welcome development was the willingness ofthe Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), whichcame forward to provide financial assistance to AndhraPradesh in highways, irrigation and energy sectors.Pang Yee Ean, AIIB Director General, said that alreadythe AIIB representatives were working with AndhraPradesh teams in the areas like rural roads and sanita-tion.When Chandrababu Naidu wanted assistance in capac-ity funding, Pang Yee Ean responded positively andsought details of the project proposals. He also said thatsince he was involved in several projects of the State, hespent most of his time in Andhra Pradesh. Therefore, heconsidered himself a citizen of AP, Pang Yee Ean, who isalso working with the Singapore Government for settingup the Amaravati Urban Management Centre of Excel-lence, said. He also brought to the notice of the ChiefMinister how he was personally involved in designing ofthe master plans for Amaravati, and assured the CM of apartnership in the AP housing projects.The Dassaults Third Experience Laboratory CEOBernard Charles said that they were working in collabo-ration with China, Seoul and Singapore and with this ex-perience, Dassaults Systems would be able to acquitbetter in Amaravati. He explained about its plans to re-

duce day temperature in Amaravati capital region whichwould in turn help water conservation and greeneryprojects. Aussies invited to KadapaAustralia’s chief representative in Europe, India andSouth Asia Gautam Verma of Fortex Metals also metChandrababu Naidu during the tour and explained tohim the company’s expertise in mining of iron ore andexploration of natural gas in coastal areas. The ChiefMinister said he should come forward to set up the steelplant in Kadapa upon which he assured that he wouldget back to him after consulting his partner companies.Verma also revealed that they were making efforts toestablish a lithium ion battery unit with the assistanceof ISRO in India. He said that they were ready to set up aFloating Gas Storage regassification unit in AndhraPradesh. Chief Secretary Infrastructure Ajay Jainassured him on making available the necessaryinfrastructure and early clearances to the project.Pact with AgribusinessThe Agribusiness team from Germany met the ChiefMinister during his Singapore tour. Discussions wereheld under the aegis of APEDB with Chief Customer So-lutions Officer of the company Ilwin Tan. Already thecompany has an understanding for MoU with APEDBwhich will focus on ten products. Agribusiness wasleader in raw material, food production and exports,Tan said. Chandrababu sought his cooperation for valueaddition to agriculture which has already recorded de-velopment due to several measures he had taken.Meeting with Singapore envoySingapore envoy Gopinath Pillai explained to Chan-drababu Naidu that a review meeting was being heldonce in three months on India-Singapore relations andother aspects. This step paved way for attracting invest-ments. Success of agriculture and allied industrieswould be useful to the farming community, he opined.Chandrababu told him that Andhra Pradesh topped inagri yields in the country with the highest rate of devel-opment. Shrimp exportsDuring the tour Chandrababu successfully explainedhow 60 per cent of shrimp exports of India were fromAndhra Pradesh which contributed to development of

CM sharing a word with Minister Lawrence Wong


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the country. A single window ensured all clearancesto new industries within 21 days and AndhraPradesh followed Singapore example in most of theadministrative aspects, he stated. AP stood in no. 1position with regard to creation of infrastructure, lib-eralized economy and concession to industries, headded.Honour for ChandrababuOn the second day of tour, an MoU was signedbetween Asia Competitiveness Institute-Lee KuanYew School of Public policy and Government ofAndhra Pradesh in capacity building. Participating ina panel discussion on `Urbanisation-water, environ-ment and Transport management’ Chief Minister saidthat Amaravati capital would be developed as a blendof technology, innovation and culture. On the con-cluding day, in a meeting with Singapore FinanceMinister Hung Swee Keat, the Chief Minister said thatthey are planning to increase usage of technology toserve the people better. He said that Singapore has adeep financial strength and AP has skilled manpower.The Chief Minister said that AP is ready to associatewith Singapore in skill development initiative. Show-ering praises on Chief Minister as an able administra-tor, the Singapore finance minister compared himwith the architect of modern Singapore Lee KuanYew, the founding father and first prime minister ofSingapore, and said that they were happy to enterinto tie up with AP.

To skill 20 million people in 15 years by meet-ing skilled human power demands of all mis-sions and shape AP as the skilled-workforceand Knowledge Hub for the world, theGovernment of Andhra Pradesh has taken up multipleinitiatives.The Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corpora-tion (APSSDC) has joined hands with ‘Zoho’ and InstaEmi’s to impart training in ‘Cloud Accounting Soft-ware’ to the Commerce graduates. An agreement hasbeen signed by the APSSDC Managing Director M Vara-prasad and Director of Zoho, Narayanan, CEO of InstaEmi, Hanumanthu.Under the guidance of APSSDC, 391 EmployabilitySkills Centers across the state will be available to thestudents through Zoho and Insta Emi. Students whopursued Bachelors and Masters in Commerce, andstudied Business Administration will be eligible to un-dergo training in Cloud Accounting Software.Speaking on the occasion, Director of Zoho, Narayanansaid, “Future cloud accounting software would havegood demand in the market. Through its organization,B.COM second and third year students will be providedwith skill training and they will get better job opportu-nities in the market. As per Chief Minister Chan-drababu Naidu instructions we have already startedour office in Tirupati and we are recognizing AndhraPradesh as a special state.” Hanumanthu said, “Skill training in accordance withthe opportunities offered in the financial marketwould help students get better self-employment andjob opportunities. The event was attended by APSSDCMD and CEO M Varaprasad, Executive Directors of theAPSSDC Anil Kumar and Balasubrahmanyam.”

Skill development forCommerce grads in CloudAccounting Software

CM felicitates Abhishek Prabhat Lodha of Lodha Developers


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Resembling Gurudwara's langar,the food at the new eatery isserved among people of diversebackgrounds, while fostering aspirit of togetherness. The eatery is -Anna Canteen, a new community kitchenby Government of Andhra Pradesh.Entrenched in the welfare tradition of theChief Minister, N Chandrababu Naidu,Anna Canteens across the State werelaunched to serve the destitute and theworking class of informal sector at of costof Rs 5 a meal.On July 11, Chief Minister ChandrababuNaidu inaugurated an ‘Anna Canteen’ atBhavanipuram, Vijayawada kick-startingthe services of affordable food foreconomically backward population of theState. He savoured food that wasprepared in the kitchen, thus marking thelaunch of the programme. In the firstphase, about 60 such canteens wereinaugurated across State.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Ministersaid that the main objective of thesecanteens is to provide food security to thepoor. “These 203 hygienic Anna canteenswere planned to be constructed withadvanced infrastructure that can competewith the commercial food giants. Out ofthis, 100 canteens have been inaugu-rated. Feedback will be taken about thequality and maintenance regularly. Thesupply of food will be monitored on thereal-time basis in a transparent manner,”he added.After completion of setting up 203 can-teens, they will be able to provide 2.15lakh meals every day. Each canteen is ex-pected to serve at least 350 plates of foodfor breakfast, lunch and dinner. The ca-pacity could be extended up to 500 plateswhen needed. “This is a record and an ex-ample of the government’s commitmentto the welfare of the poor.,” added CM.CM said that Anna Canteens accept dona-tions made in the name of their near anddear ones. They can sponsor food for afew plates or for the entire segment of forthe entire canteens. However, properguidelines will be framed for the samebefore enthusiasts can make bookings fordonations.Spread across 35 cities in 11 districts,these Anna Canteens will provide over2.15 Lakh plates of hygienic food forbreakfast, lunch and dinner. With an aimof making healthy food affordable for all,the government of AP has decided tobring these canteens to all urban localbodies bearing population of 50,000 andmore. These canteens offer a uniformmenu that includes idly on all days, puri,upma and pongal on select days forbreakfast. A portion of rice with a curry,pickle, dal or sambar and curd are servedfor lunch and dinner.As many as 203 Anna Canteens wereplanned to be built in 2 phases in 110Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in the Statewith a budget demarcation of Rs 200crore per year. Akshaya Patra Foundationwill work in collaboration with the State16 AUGUST 2018

60 Anna CanteensInaugurated across State

Quality food for Rs 5 at Anna Canteens

Spread across 35 citiesin 11 districts, theseAnna Canteens willprovide over 2.15 Lakhplates of hygienic foodfor breakfast, lunchand dinner. With anaim of making healthyfood affordable for all,the Government of APhas decided to bringthese canteens to allurban local bodiesbearing populationof 50,000 and more.


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government’s Civil Supplies and Municipal Administra-tion departments for Anna canteens. The second phaseof the canteens will be completed by August in which103 canteens are expected to be built.Surveillance and facial recognitionThe State Government has taken up this programmeprestigiously and had put in place state-of-art facilitiesin technically equipping the canteens with CCTVsurveillance cameras and gadgets. The display moni-tors, token issuing, feedback system and the distribu-tion will help in hassle-free experience for the visitors.Every canteen sports decent interiors and a uniformelevation and design. Once a person enters, his fingerprint or Iris is captured for facial recognition. This will

prevent entry of fraudulent people, said ChandrababuNaidu.Salient Features of Anna Canteensw Uniform infrastructure and designw Standardised menu and quality of foodw CCTV surveillance in both canteens and kitchensw Pleasant and green surroundingsw IVRS based feedback from stakeholdersw Audiovisual display and electronic token systemw RFID tracking of cooking vessels and vehiclesw Canteen-wise management information systemw Analytics for effective Monitoring.

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18 AUGUST 2018

The Andhra Pradesh Stategovernment has set a newrecord in housing byformally handing over thehouses built for the people belowpoverty line under the NTR Hous-ing scheme. As many as 3 lakhhouses built for the beneficiariesin the second phase were inaugu-rated virtually by Chief MinisterChandrababu Naidu on July 5. CM launched the programme-‘Gruhamasthu’, at an elaborateevent arranged at Indira GandhiMunicipal Stadium (IGMC) inVijayawada. The beneficiariesentered their allocated houses(housewarming) simultaneouslyas the local representatives haveparticipated in the programme intheir respective districts andconstituencies, as CM viewed themthrough video conferencing. Toprevent discrepancies in allocationof houses, government ensuredthat they all are geo-tagged. Speaking on the occasion, Chan-drababu Naidu said, “The govern-ment has inaugurated houses with

geo-tagging to provide shelter tothe needy in the State throughNTR Housing Scheme. Inaugurat-ing 3 Lakh houses in a single day isnot only historic for people inAndhra Pradesh, but also to thewhole country. Bringing happinessto these families is a majorachievement for our government.There is a festive atmospherethroughout the State.”We aim to build 19 lakh houseswith an investment of Rs 50,000crore by the end of 2019. Despitefinancial crisis, the State govern-ment is committed to TDP’s pollpromises and has succeeded so farin building houses with Rs 6205crore. We are working to extendthe target by building an addi-tional 5 Lakh houses. We will soonannounce the construction of60,000 houses to women. Another2 lakh houses will be inauguratedon October 2,” added CM.He recollected that houses built inthe first phase under the schemewere inaugurated in 9,835 villagesand 884 Wards in the year 2017.

“Inaugurating 1 Lakh houses inone day was a record then, andtoday that record has been brokenby inaugurating 3 Lakh houses byus. We are going ahead with a clearand transparent policy especiallywhen it comes to citizen welfare.All the details of the beneficiariesare registered and photos of theirhouses have been uploaded online.Anyone can check their detailsanytime and this is how we areinto transparency,” he added.District wise allocationtable follows..

CM inaugurates 3 lakh houses for the poor


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The recent no-trust motion against NDA govern-ment in Lok Sabha helped expose the denial ofjustice to Andhra Pradesh. The MPs from theState, Galla Jayadev and Kinjarapu RammohanNaidu, ripped apart the NDA Government's claims of ful-filling 85 per cent of the bifurcation assurances. It is notmerely the big promises that were broken; several projectsin the pipeline were also given a go-by.Here are a few vindictive instances of shelving major proj-ects to AP that supplement the facts. Hostile Centre put atleast five mega projects on hold, after everything seemedokay.The first of them is the NTPC 4000 MW power project pro-posed to be set up at Pudimadaka in Visakhapatnam dis-trict. Acclaimed to be biggest of its kind in the State withall modern machinery estimated to cost over Rs.30,000crore, the Centre put spokes into it by directing the projectto use only domestic coal instead of imported coal whichwas originally planned.The NTPC had already acquired 1200 acres for the projectfrom the APIIC. Though the decision to shelve the project isnot yet taken, it would be difficult to implement due to thenew directive from the Centre as it requires a total changein the entire design and structure.Similarly, the LNG terminal of Petronet LNG Ltd at Gan-gavaram port, which was set up as a joint venture by manymajor oil-making companies. The terminal with a capacityof 10 million tones and investment of nearly Rs.10,000crore has not moved an inch though the public hearing for

the project was held in the year 2013 itself.Though the entire state knows thatVisakhapatnam will be the major IT hub inAndhra Pradesh the Central governmentcame with a decision to do away with theInformation Technology Investment Re-gion (ITIR) policy. The State governmenteven identified nearly 6000 acres of non-processing area and over 4000 acres ofprocessing land for the ITIR to be set up ata cost of nearly Rs.60,000 crore.A consultancy firm conducted the surveyand its proposal was sent to Centre's ap-proval which turned out to be a point of noreturn. The Centre has also come in the way of the petro-chemical project near Kakinada demanding that the statepay the Rs.5,500 crore in advance. Due to paucity of funds,and the Centre also not releasing the funds which it is dueto the State, the project may not be implemented as of now.To rub salt into wounds, curbs are being imposed on civilairlines operations at Visakhapatnam international airportfrom November this year with the Navy deciding to intro-duce flying slot for military aircraft, which is seen as a bigblow to the development of the port-cum-steel city.Visakhapatnam is the biggest tourist destination in theSunrise state of Andhra Pradesh and a lot of investment fornight-landing and other facilities has gone into the airportwhich is under the control of the Navy. Now, the Navywants the airport for military aircraft training from 9.30a.m. to 12.30 p.m. from Monday to Friday, during whichtime the civilian aircraft operations will not be allowed. Oflate, the air-travellers at Visakhapatnam airport has in-creased by leaps and bounds and any curbs will severelyinconvenience the passengers and thereby the develop-ment of the city, observers opine. The Chief Minister N.Chandrababu Naidu has said he had already written to theCentre and talked to the Navy officials to defer the decisionby a few days till the Centre's orders are issued. It is hopedthat the restrictions at the airport are lifted to pave way forimproved flight operations from the fast growing city.- B Prabhakara Sarma

vindictive Centreshelves MAjorProjeCts to AP

The Centre has also come in the wayof the petrochemical project nearKakinada demanding that the statepay the Rs.5,500 crore in advance.


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20 AUGUST 2018

Andhra Pradesh State Government’s pres-tigious initiative ‘e-Pragati Core’ has beenlaunched by Chief Minister ChandrababuNaidu at the grievance cell in his resi-dence near Undavalli on July 19. With an objectiveof offering document-less government services,e-pragati core is a one-stop access point to all ofthe 750 government services in the State. The motto behind the initiative is - ‘invisiblegovernment, visible governance’. E- Pragati core iseasily the world’s largest and most complex gov-ernment digital transformation project.Speaking on the occasion, Chandrababu Naidusaid, “We believe in data and it is wealth. Theobjective is to use data to create solutions so thatwe can move towards data-driven policy formula-tion. Efficient governance will eventually result inpublic happiness.”“We have launched the first of its kind online gov-ernment portal e-Pragathi, with a goal of takingtechnology to the masses. By integrating 34 de-partments, this portal will provide citizens with asingle access to all government services. The e-Pragathi Core will provide 750 services to over 30million citizens by integrating 34 departments on

a single platform. The citizens will have a seamlessservice experience as they no longer have to go togovernment offices and can access the servicesfrom anywhere in the world,” he said.As of now, there are about 20 services that e-Pra-gati offers and more services shall be includedwithin the end of 2018. “Over 100 services will beadded shortly. But, I asked the officials to offerover 300 services. You will see a complete trans-formation in the governance in the coming twoyears,” Naidu said.To help determine the socio-economic trends at amicro level, e- Pragati relies on Aadhaar identifica-tion, opined CM adding that, “Earlier, people usedto feel harassed as they were asked for unneces-sary certificates/documents for availing most ofthe government services. They used to run frompillar to post for three months. Now, it is entirelydifferent. People don’t need to go anywhere; thegovernment will go to them.”Elaborating on the services and upgradation of theinitiative, CM said, “I want to go beyond the appsand use voice commands to do the business. I amcertain that day is not far when we use voice toavail services.”

E-Pragathi Core

TECHNOLOGY TO THE MASSESk k k


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Meanwhile, IT minister Nara Lokesh and CEO of e-Pra-gati N Balasubramanyam gave a presentation on thefive frameworks of the service- a single portal for allcitizen services, APP store which would have apps ofall departments, certificate-less governance system, li-cense management system and e-Highway.Explaining about government initiatives to move to-wards paperless government, IT Minister Nara Lokeshsaid certificate-less admissions were introduced in theState. “This initiative is the “mother of all digital plat-forms”. The certificate-less governance system willhelp the government in doing away with physical cer-tificates and curbing fake certificates menace.“The democratization of data would help to know theground level problems of people. The taxation systemat grass root level is also digitalised,” Lokesh said.To realize the vision of ‘Sunrise State 2022’, the gov-ernment has intended to introduce e- Pragati, whichconnects citizens to 34 departments, 336 autonomousorganizations and more than 745 services that are in-cluded within them. The concerned authority willachieve its goals by supporting seven developmentmissions launched in the areas of e-governance, skilldevelopment, social empowerment, infrastructure, in-dustrial development, urban development and serv-ices sector. E-Pragati would be a unique platform toconnect all departments and stand alone to resolve theissues. Co-ordination between government and peoplewill yield great results in the coming days, opined CM.Wonders could be done with IT and internet of things(IoT). The IT and IoT have been helping in a big way toimprove performance of the government, stated Chan-drababu referring to Andhra Pradesh which stood firstin regard to Information Technology.CEO of e-Pragati N Balasubrahmanyam explained thee-Pragati journey right from its beginning while IT ad-viser to the State government J Satyanarayana ex-plained about IT revolution in AP.The salient features of the meta-model of ePragatiCore Platform are:w At the heart of ePragati lies the ePragati Core Plat-form, which provides program level services, citi-

zen related services rendered by each department,services internal to the department, provides APIinterface for applications external to the platform.w The services of the ePragati Core Platform are criti-cal for achieving the vision of ePragati Authorityand GoAP, represented by the following goals:w One Government- ‘Citizen-centric’ service deliverywith a citizen-life-cycle approach. The paradigm forservice delivery is ‘Velocity, Access and Trans-parency’.w Single point of entry to government services pro-vided through ePragati Portal.w Progress towards zero touch points in servicesthrough simplification, standardization and au-tomation of services. - Ensure best experience“Minimum Interaction with citizen and DeliverMaximum Outcomes”.w Accessibility through multiple channels.w Integrated interface for communicating by and tothe government of Andhra Pradesh, inter /intra de-partmental business functions and services.w ePragati Core Platform intends to deliver a provenand technological -foundation for digital transfor-mation of particular services, by enabling depart-ments/organizations to streamline operations,deliver consistent service, and modernize opera-tions without interruption.w ePragati Core Platform enables line departments ofgovernment to deploy highly automated applica-tions without extensive configuration, which canprecisely meet evolving policy needs and real timegovernance requirements.w ePragati Core Platform enables development ofcommon applications which are agnostic of the de-partment and relate to horizontal functions of thegovernment, like performance management, pro-ductivity tools, workflow management and coredata management, open API, messaging, user man-agement, system administration and security. Thesecommon applications are built centrally and used incommon by all the line departments, with appropri-ate configuration required by each department.

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The e-Pragathi Core will provide 750 services to over 30 million citizens by inte-grating 34 departments on a single platform. The citizens will have a seamlessservice experience as they no longer have to go to govt offices and can accessthe services from anywhere in the world.


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22 AUGUST 2018

According to All India rankingsin 2014, Andhra Pradesh hasbeen visited by 9.3 Croretourists at 5th place. In thelatest rankings of 2017-18, with a foot-fall of 16.57 Crore tourists, AndhraPradesh has secured third position inthe country. The aim is to become num-ber one tourist destination in the coun-try by 2025 for which the state hastaken up several initiatives. This was revealed during a press tourinitiated by the Andhra PradeshTourism Development Corporation(APTDC) to Vizag and Araku in themonth of July.Inhabited by fascinating indigenoustribes, the Eastern Ghats located inVisakhapatnam of Andhra Pradeshneed a special mention for their mar-

velous landscapes, mesmerizing localesand mysterious caves. Araku Valley is apopular hill station in India for its ex-quisiteness and verdant green envi-rons.With fantastic connectivity fromaround the country, the unique sellingpoint of the region is a drive throughsome of the scenic and vibrant touristattractions. As the region demands formore active and recreational tourisminfrastructure, the VishakhapatnamTourism Council of Andhra Pradeshgovernment has come up with a de-tailed project report for ‘Developmentof Araku Eco Tourism Circuit in Vizag’under the ‘Swadesh Darshan Scheme’of Ministry of Tourism, Government ofIndia. With an estimated project cost of Rs

THUMBS UP TO VIZAG TOURISM

Araku Valley is apopular hill stationin India for itsexquisiteness andverdant green envi-rons. With fantasticconnectivity fromaround the country,the unique sellingpoint of the regionis a drive throughsome of the scenicand vibrant touristattractions.

Vast expansion and development plans


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183.06 crore; Central government bearing Rs 159.06crore and State government spending the rest of Rs 24crore, the project is something that excites travelers andtourists across the country and world alike.Speaking at the press conference held at Vishakhapat-nam, Secretary for government of AP Tourism, MukeshKumar Meena elaborated on the plans for improvisingthe quality of tourism at Vizag region.The progress plans include sprucing up accommodationand catering, transportation, tourist amenities, watersports, wayside amenities among others.He explained that vast plans were made to be carried outat Srungavarapukota, Ananthagiri, Borra caves, Patha-baluguda, Vajralakonda, Chaparai waterfalls, Paderu, Dal-lapalli, Lambasingi, Erramatti Dibbalu, amenities forYarada beach, Thotapalli reservoir, Kondakarla Ava, SivaNagar beach (Uddaanam), Hill view resorts constructionat Jagathipalli, Pudimadaka offshore area, Thotlakondabeach, Yendada and Mangamaripeta and Dallapalli.. As part of the progress works, tourists amenities center,souvenir shops, parking lots, beautification, power, water,signage facilities, food kiosks, craft villages, adventuresports, elevated view points, sports arena, nursery, con-ference halls, cottages, renovation of shops, wooden sus-pension bridge, Open air theatre and its renovation,installation of sculptures, cycle tracks, public conveniencefacilities, solar lighting system shall be equipped at theabovementioned destinations. The development plans also include upgradation of Tribalmuseum, eat street, Araku Tribal Haat, Coffee tourism atKollaput among others, in association with DistrictTourism Council of Vishakhapatnam and IntegratedTribal Development Agency (ITDA), said he.In addition to them, the State government proposed tocome up with elevated view points at three locations anddevelop Highway amenities along Ghat road for every 50kilometers. The project shall be operated and maintainedthrough professional hospitality agencies under manage-ment contract. The council also extends handholding sup-port to the local tribal youth in providing skilldevelopment, added Mukesh.Upgradation of accommodation and catering will takeplace at Yatrinivas, Haritha beach resort, Haritha Valleyresort, Mayuri Complex Araku, Jungle Bells, Borra Caves,restaurant in Anantagiri, Haritha hill resort, Haritha

beach resort in Baruva, Haritha hotel in kalingapatnam,Beach shacks at Thotlakonda. AP Tourism Development Corporation is operating pack-age tours:w Local sightseeing heritage tourw Leisure tour-Night local package tourw Araky Rail-cum- Road tourw Araku-Tyda-Borra Caves by roadw Araky 2 days package tourw Vizag- Bhadrachalam tourw Bhubaneswar Tourw Vizag-Araku-Jagdhalpurw Arasavalli tourw Vizag-Rajahmundry-Papikondalu

Araku Wellness TourismResponding to a query about developing Araku as a cen-tre for Wellness, Tourism Secretary said, “We do haveample scope for introducing wellness and spa resorts inAraku but there isn’t a chance for any private enthusiaststo take up anything in Araku (Tribal areas) until and un-less the government is involved. We are negotiating withsome private operators who can provide services in gov-ernment constructed buildings. An ayurvedic spa, medici-nal plants park will likely come up in the region verysoon.”Tie-ups with private playersMeena further explained, “We have a target of making1000 hotel rooms available in the next few years and by2020, there shall be one lakh hotels rooms available inthe region, as the vision set by Chief Minister. The Stategovernment has made arrangements with private start-ups like OYO, FAB Hotels to upgrade the rooms and focuson hotel rooms that have close proximity to the temple.The private players will look into the marketing andupgradation facilities.”He emphasized on the need for budget hotel rooms aswell as five-star category hotels in the region. “Whencompared to other States, we do not have five-star prop-erties and resorts other than government operated. Weare looking into developing the facilities,” said he.

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For the second time again, Andhra Pradesh has out-performed the other 28 States and seven UnionTerritories (UTs) to become the best in the countryto do business in, according to latest rankingsreleased by the central government on July 10. States have

been ranked on how wellthey have implemented405 business reforms ini-tiatives identified by thecentre and the feedbackfrom businesses.As said by Business ReformAction Plan (BRAP) thirdedition annual ratings of allStates and UTs, AndhraPradesh pushed behind therest of them all, again witha score of 98.42 per centand topped the Ease ofDoing Business(EoDB) listprepared by the WorldBank and the Departmentof Industrial Policy andPromotion (DIPP). Feed-back score of AndhraPradesh from the industri-alists was 86.50 per cent,which is the highest of allthe States, and helpedAndhra Pradesh to top thelist. In addition, the capacity to tweak the policies gave theState a winning edge. AP secured 99.73 per cent score inreform evidence and 86.50 per cent in feedback score.Developmental reforms made in the past few years havemade AP the most investor-friendly State. With companies

Developmentalreforms made in thepast few years havemade AP the mostinvestor-friendlyState. With compa-nies like Kia Motorsand Hero Motorsalready setting -upbase in the State, itwon't be long beforeAndhra Pradesh be-comes the industrialhub of the country.

AP tops again in

Ease of Doing Business


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AUGUST 2018 25

like Kia Motors and Hero Motors already setting -up base in the State, it won't be long beforeAndhra Pradesh becomes the industrial hub ofthe country. Accordingly, the government adoptedindustrial reforms to simplify the process of in-vesting on businesses in the State. The policy andframework has attracted several internationaland national companies, start-ups and MSMEs toventure into AP. Besides, initiatives such as singlewindow system, single desk bureau, environmen-tal registration, plenty of land availability, accessto information, online processing of industrial in-centives, grievance redressal, and easy processinghave helped Andhra Pradesh achieve the uniquehonor.On the occasion, Chief Minister ChandrababuNaidu said, “Proud to inform that our efforts inimproving the business scenario in AndhraPradesh have paid off, as it has been declared thenumber one State in ‘Ease of Doing Business’ forthe second time in a row. Developmental reformsmade in the past few years have made AP themost investor-friendly State.” “Being ranked on top in Ease of Doing Businessbrings us great joy. With State government’s ef-forts to ensure the trust of investors and busi-nesses, we have claimed the top spot once again.

We will make more reforms and work towardsachieving the distant number 1,” he added.The latest ranking is based on 372 action pointsor reforms undertaken to ease regulation. It isaimed at triggering competition among states toattract investments and improve business cli-mate. Andhra Pradesh Planning Board vice-chairmanKutumba Rao opined, “We are putting in effortsto bring in a timeline for all clearances less thanseven days through single window system inte-grated with the Chief Minister’s CORE dashboardin a transparent manner.” Feedback ScoreOut of the 372 recommendations, 78 actionpoints will have feedback from the actual users orbusinesses. The feedback was collected from over50,000 of the services professionals such as ar-chitects, lawyers and electrical contractors. Meanwhile, Information Technology (IT) andPanchayat Raj Minister Nara Lokesh tweeted,“We’ve done it again! Andhra Pradesh is No. 1 inEase of Doing Business. Reason why some of thebest companies in the world are looking here toinvest!! Kudos to NCBN.”

Rank State Reforms Feedback Total

1 Andhra Pradesh 99.78% 86.50% 98.42%

2 Telangana 100.00% 83.95% 98.33%

3 Haryana 99.78% 82.90% 98.07%

4 Jharkhand 100.00% 81.67% 97.99%

5 Gujarat 99.78% 88.64% 97.96%

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CM Chandrababu Naidu is an active social mediauser. Many of you have been actively followinghis activities with admiration. Here are a fewsnapshots from his Twitter account and thoseon him.

chief minister’ssocial network


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Snapshot

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The State government has released aprogress card on the irrigation projectsthat were taken up during the ‘1500 daysof good governance’ in Andhra Pradesh.The recent review of Union Minister Nitin Gadkarifound 56.34 per cent of the prestigeous Polavaram-works were completed. Expressing satisfaction,Gadkari said, “Completion of a large-scale projectlike Polavaram at this impressive rate is very diffi-cult. I appreciate the determination and hard-workwith which the government officials, engineers,contractors and workers are working.” The Central

Minister’s words are an affirmation of the StateGovernment’s commitment.In an effort to prioritise farmers' welfare in AndhraPradesh, the State government has taken up vari-ous irrigation projects that will enrich agriculturein the State. The State government has undertaken54 Irrigation projects in the last 4 years and about31.4 lakh acres of land was enriched through them.A whopping amount of Rs 54,607 Crore was spenton irrigation and water conservation projects. Oncompletion of Polavaram, 7.20 lakh acres of landwill be irrigated in the State.


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Spy thrillers are somewhat of a rarity thesedays in Telugu cinema, despite their popular-ity in the mid ’60s and ’70s. Several decadesago, it was Superstar Krishna, who was in-strumental in popularising this genre of films withhis James Bond-inspired films like Gudachari 116,James Bond 777, Agent Gopi, Rahasya Gudachari,and Gudachari 117. Although the genre continued tobe popular till the late ’80s, the influx of Hollywoodfilms slowly altered the way people consumed thesefilms. Telugu films were no longer preferred to get adose of adrenaline rush, especially in the wake ofMission Impossible, James Bond, and Bourne seriesin the 2000s. However, in the past few years, a hand-ful of films like Kamal Haasan’s Vishwaroopam andPSV Garuda Vega, apart from a few Hindi films likeBaby, Phantom, and Naam Shabana, have turned thespotlight on home-grown spy dramas. Truth be told, unlike the USA and UK, which havereams of published material about the operations oftheir respective intelligence agencies like CIA andMI6, there’s very little that people know about RAW(Research and Analysis Wing), India’s intelligenceagency. Since 1968, RAW had played a key role inseveral significant events including the liberation ofBangladesh, amalgamation of Sikkim in India, SriLanka, gathering intelligence from neighbouringcountries, and also provide security to important na-tional events like nuclear testing. Despite all this,RAW’s operations hadn’t captured public imagina-tion and thus, even the film industry didn’t make aconscious attempt to highlight their achievementsand secret operations. All this began to changeslowly in post 9/11 era and the deadly bombings inMumbai in 2008 when there was a lot more empha-sis on the work being done by the intelligenceagency. And then, words like counter-terrorism andcovert operations were firmly cemented in ourminds in the wake of the Indian army’s surgicalstrike in 2016. In this context, where a precedent has already beenAUGUST 2018

the return of spy Dramas:

The two films, which tackle globalissues like terrorism, covert opera-tions, and work done by intelligenceagencies, have revived public interest

in spy thrillers after a long gap.

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vishwaroopam 2 And Goodachari revive interest in epic stories


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set, the time is right for home-grown spy dramas to maketheir presence felt amidst the clutter of family dramas andromantic comedies. Adivi Sesh, writer and lead actor ofGoodachari, says, “Although I had written the story ofGoodachari several years ago, I was waiting for an appro-priate time to make the film. It’s the original story of a spyand narrates how a common man can get sucked into theworld of spies, counter-terrorism etc. Superstar Krishnahad introduced Telugu audiences to this genre severaldecades ago and he’s truly a pioneer in every sense.Goodachari wouldn’t have been possible if Krishna garuhadn’t made Goodachari 116 back in the mid ’60s. Today,when I want to introduce people to this world, I don’t haveto start from the basics. Moreover, there’s lot more publicawareness about covert operations and intelligence gath-ering by RAW and its likes.” Directed by Sashi Kiran Tikka,Goodachari stars Adivi Sesh, Sobhita Dhulipala in leadroles, along with Prakash Raj, Anish Kuruvilla, and SupriyaYarlagadda essaying crucial roles. Of late, most action dramas have stuck to a template,where a hero goes on a mission to put an end to feudalism,capitalism, unite families, or avenge the death of his familymembers. The landscapes in which these stories are usu-ally set have become all too familiar to movie-goers, andthe characters too aren’t inventive, so to speak. In such ascenario, a spy drama sets itself right from the beginning.A case in point is 2017’s smash hit PSV Garuda Vega. Al-though it had a protagonist who works with NIA, the film,directed by Praveen Sattaru, used a lot of tropes that arequite common in spy dramas. Whether it’s a covert opera-tion, or the hero going on a mission to crack a series ofclues to stop a villain or a terrorist organisation’s biggerplan, PSV Garuda Vega had all that and more. “In the pastfew years, NIA had played an active role in solving a lot ofcases in India. The idea of an Indian officer, whether he’sfrom NIA or RAW, doing heroic deeds for the safety of ournation,doesn’t seem alien anymore. Some people mightwonder what’s the relevance of such concepts for Telugu-speaking audience; however, once you begin watching afilm, all those doubts go out of the window because that’show the script was written,” Praveen Sattaru said in an in-terview. In Tamil cinema, Ajith starrer Vivegam too dabbled in thesame genre; however, the film’s lacklustre performance atthe box-office didn’t quite inspire a trend. But all thatmight change with Kamal Haasan’s Vishwaroopam 2, a se-quel to the superhit film of the same name which releasedback in 2013. The plot of the original film revolved aroundWisam Ahmad Kashmiri, an Indian secret agent living inthe US, who gathers intelligence about Al-Qaeda terroristsin Afghan-Pak border, and tries to foil their plan to deto-nate a bomb in New York. It’s quite evident that the stakesare higher in the sequel with the principal cast from the

original film - Kamal Haasan, Andreah Jeremiah, PoojaKumar, Sekhar Kapur - coming together once again in yetanother secret mission. The film has been in the makingfor a while, and finally, Kamal Haasan is releasing the filmon August 10. While it’s quite early to conclude whether our home-grown spies will make a mark in a cinematic world whereeveryone looks up to James Bond, Ethan Hawke, or JasonBourne, the fact that our filmmakers are even attemptingto make a spy drama needs to be applauded. Sometimes,all it takes is a step in the right direction. With the team ofGoodachari hoping to build a franchise around their film ifthe origin story gets a thumbs up from the audience, it’s amatter of time before we get to know whether the genrewill sustain people’s interest or if it’s going to fizzle outquickly.- Hemanth Kumar C R


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30 AUGUST 2018

Amazing Andhra Pradesh

An affair with UppadaUppada


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AUGUST 2018 31

when in uppadaUppada is not just about the exciting shoreline and tantalizing sa-rees. Try the famous Godavari special delicacies and pay a visit to• Adurru (Buddhist Site)• Kolleru Lake• Draksharamam getting thereReaching Kakinada is quite easy if you are traveling from Vi-jayawada. There are several buses run by government and plentyof trains. From Vijayawada, Kakinada is 212 kilometers and willtake approximately 5 to 6 hours. From Kakinada, Uppada is 16kilometers and you will get onto the beach road within 5 kilome-ters of Samalkot- Kakinada Bypass road.accommodationAP Tourism’s Haritha Beach Resorts near Kakinada Lighthouse isa good option while there are also several private hotel operators.However, there isn’t any facility at the beach for you to walkstraight into it from your balcony. Haritha resorts have boating fa-cility right at their campus.uppada jamdani sareesThe sarees weaved on handlooms from this region definitelyrequire a great deal of mention when we are talking about Up-pada. Without exaggeration, the sarees weaved in cotton and silkvarieties are super comfortable, soft and are light-weight. Theauthentic sarees are recognized with geographical indication tag.Uppada Jamdani saree weaving takes nearly 10-60 days time forwhich at least 2-3 weavers has to spend 10 hours of their day.Also, they are available from Rs 2000 for a Silk based saree.

Located at a distance of 16 kmfrom Kakinada, there is a quietlittle popular town called Up-pada. The place is otherwiseknown for production of Uppada silk.Not withstanding the fact that Uppadasarees are known across the world fortheir finest quality; we always felt thatits beach is something that has beenunderrated so far.Uppada has a beautiful beach roadflanked by rocks. The passage makes asoothing sight for the visitors acrossKakinada-Uppada Road. With cleanwaters and wide sea shore, the beachmakes for a quick getaway for peoplebitten by travel bugs. The place offersprivacy, tranquility with their sereneenvirons that adequately paint a perfectholiday picture. Peace is what has to be on top when itcomes to talking about Uppada beachand its distinctiveness. Unlike otherbeaches in our State, Uppada beach is astunning beauty that looks like as ifstraight out of a fairytale. For those whowant to steer away from the hustle andbustle, Uppada beach is a charming loca-tion and is not commercialized.The pristine shoreline of the beach withsun-kissed sand is perfect for you to getdown to business in the clean and clearwaters of Bay of Bengal. The wide shore-line and the gradual slope into the watermake it a safe beach. The scenic beach isa favorite family holiday spot.Hope IslandHope Island is a small island of about1000 hectares, 7 kms off the Kakinadacoast, which is one of the most beautifultourist places in the State. Found in the18th century, you need to enquire withthe locals or APTDC guides for the avail-ability of motor boats to reach the is-land. Once you get into a boat, you willreach the island in 45 minutes with pic-turesque sceneries throughout thethrilling ride. It is advisable to be pre-pared with necessary refreshments,plenty of water and insect repellents asthe island doesn’t have any habitat.Lounge around and chill, do nothing atthe island but relax and breathe-in the

nature. If you feel like camping atthe island, carry along the neces-sary gear. Click some good picturesand take a stroll around the shipsat the artificial harbor.Coringa Wildlife SanctuaryEstablished in 1978, CoringaWildlife Sanctuary is the secondlargest stretch of mangrove forestsin India with 35 tree species andmore than 120 bird species. It is

home to the critically endangeredwhite-backed vulture and the longbilled vulture along with crowpheasant, flamingos, painted stork,and oriented white ibis amongothers. The sanctuary is located ata distance of 18 kilometers fromKakinada. With rich mangrovevegetation and varied flora andfauna, the sanctuary makes a per-fect nature-nestled home for theseexotic birds.

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32 AUGUST 2018

Pension for Dappu artistesUnder the SC component, State government has intro-duced pension scheme for ‘Dappu’ artistes in the State.Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has announced thesame at ‘Dalita Tejam-Telugu Desam’ meeting held atNellore. Accordingly, State government issued guide-lines for providing Rs 1500 as social security pension tothe beneficiaries on a monthly basis under DappuArtistes scheme.

AP NREDCAP wins awardAP’s New and Renewable Energy Development Corpora-tion (NREDCAP) is awarded the most ‘Progressive StateAgency of the Year 2018’ award. AP has generatednearly 7,000 mw of power through solar and wind en-ergy in 2018. Government has been making the most ofalternative energy resources and has put in practice sev-eral energy conservation methods. AP reaped everyavailable award in the power and energy sector, includ-ing the National Energy Conservation Award-2017.

AP is the only State with 3 cleanest cities Andhra Pradesh has achieved the unique distinction ofbeing named as the only State in India to have threecleanest cities, in the Swachh Survekshan 2018 rank-ings. AP is the only State to have achieved this honor inthe country. Due to State government’s initiatives for ef-fective solid waste management, Andhra Pradesh be-came home to 3 of the Top 7 cleanest cities. As theState government has now achieved Open DefecationFree (ODF) status and is campaigning for ODF plus, sev-eral challenges are up for maintaining the Swachh rank-ings. Door-to-door garbage collection in urban areaswas a great success and innovative and efficient RFIDtags are used for the same.

CM launches Vanam –ManamAP CM Chandrababu Naidu launched the massive tree

plantation programme, ‘Vanam Manam’ on July 16 atthe campus of Indian Institute of Industrial Training(IIIT), at Nuzvid, in Krishna district. As part of the greendrive, saplings were planted to inculcate green con-sciousness among public. Chief Minister announcedthat through the programme, the government aims toplant 26 crore saplings in the duration of 127 days.

SV Ranga Rao’s bronze statue unveiled The Chief Minister unveiled the bronze statue of thes-pain SV Ranga Rao at Gogulapadu village on his 100thbirth anniversary celebrations held on July 6. “SVR isone of the few people who are world-renowned in theirrespective fields. He brought international recognitionto Telugu cinema through his work. Generations havepassed by, but legends like him will never fade away. Hewas remarkable as an actor, writer, director and aphilanthropist,” said CM in the public meeting.

RP Thakur is the DGP of APAndhra Pradesh government appointed Ram PraveshThakur (RP Thakur) as the new Director General of Po-lice, Head of Police Force (DGP, HoPF). Chief Secretaryof the AP government has appointed 1986 batch IPS RPThakur as the DGP. Before being appointed as the DGP,Thakur was heading the department of Anti-CorruptionBureau (ACB). He took over after former DGP MMalakondaiah retired from service. Thakur assumedcharge as the new Police boss on June 30 after meetingthe Chief Minister.

Vijayawada has a new CPFollowing the transfer of D Gautam Sawang, Ch DwarakaTirumala Rao took charge as the new Commissioner ofPolice at the Commissioner’s office in Vijayawada on July19. After assuming charge, the new Commissioner saidthat focus has been laid on protecting human rights andstrictly following the law. He assured that a strong teamwould be formed to tackle the problems in the city and

HAPPENING AP

CM Chandrababu Naidu felicitated close to 300 governmentofficials and officers who were recognized for their services andbagged several national and international awards for the State.The event took place on July 26 at the Grievance hall at his resi-dence in Undavalli. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Ministermentioned that the services, schemes and programs introducedby government of Andhra Pradesh won appreciations fromUnited Nations Organisation. He congratulated the officials fortheir team spirit and opined that this team is most effective andis best for taking Andhra Pradesh to further heights. “I appreci-ate everyone behind the success, from the bottom of my heart.The performance of AP government employees is being recog-nised and appreciated by many great persons around the world.Recognising our hard work and ability we have been invited togive a lecture at United Nations Organisation” he added.

CM felicitated award winning officers


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preserve peace and harmony while a separate wing willexclusively look into security and safety of women andgirl children.

CM congratulates sprinter Hima DasHima Das is an Indian sprinter from the state of Assam.The 18 years old sprinter has become the first Indian towin a Gold medal in a track event at the World JuniorAthletics Championships in 2018. CM tweeted, “Con-gratulating athlete Hima Das for becoming India's firstever track and field gold medalist, and acing thewomen's 400 meters event at the World U-20 Champi-onships in Tampere, Finland.”

Migrant Resource Centre for NRIs in AmaravatiAndhra Pradesh Migrant Resource Centre was inaugu-rated in Tadepalli, Guntur district on July 9 by NRI Em-powerment and Relations Minister Kollu Ravindra. Thecentre will offer a range of support services to the mi-grants, migrant workers and their families including in-formation, pre-departure orientation and counselingreferral. The resource centre is the initiative of APNRTsin association with State government. “The governmentof AP has been doing a tremendous job by building up anetwork with NRIs,” said Ravindra.

‘Mahila Raksha Scheme’ from AugustThe ‘Mahila Raksha’ scheme initiated by the State gov-ernment for supporting women and girl children duringtheir menstrual cycle is going to be launched in August.Under this programme, government will provide sani-tary napkins through ration shops at a subsidized price.A pack of 8 pads is priced at Rs 36 in the marketwhereas in the ration shops, government will be givingit at a 50 per cent subsidy price, thus making them avail-able for Rs 18. This move has been initiated to encour-age women and girl children in adapting to hygienicpractices; preventing spread of infections.

Open side drains in villagesThe State government has decided to construct openside drains in village panchayats with population lessthan 5000. The Finance Commission, Swachh BharatMission and Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme willbe integrated for funding this experimental project.Every mandal will have an open side drain constructed

in the first phase. The government ordered the con-cerned officials to come up with a detailed project re-port.

Nutri-Gardens in Schools and CollegesNutri-gardens will be developed in schools and collegesacross the State in a bid to address the challenge ofmalnutrition among children. The district administrationhas launched this program in 527 schools. Addressingthe concerned department officials, Chief Ministerasked them to make better use of the vacant space onthe premises of government schools.

CM appreciates AnganwadisThe Chief Minister heaped praises on the Anganwadiworkers for their dedication and hard- work. He inter-acted with Anganwadi teachers and workers at the In-dira Gandhi Municipal Stadium in the city on July 12.Speaking on the occasion, “I appreciate the hard-workof 1 Lac Anganwadi workers, 600 Integrated Child Devel-opment Services (ICDS) supervisors, and 400 Child De-velopment Officers working in 55,607 centres across theState. The whole team is nurturing over 34 Lac childrenall over the State,” he added. Focusing on malnutrition,he said, “Anganwadi workers along with 250 welfareprograms launched by the State government willachieve the well-being of women and children inAndhra Pradesh. The focus is on entirely defeating mal-nutrition in the State.”

UNESCO Digital hub at VizagA delegation from UNESCO met Chief Minister Chan-drababu Naidu at the Secretariat on July 4 to explaintheir proposal -to build a Gaming and Digital LearningHub at Vishakhapatnam. The zone dubbed as ‘Intelli-gent Hub’ will be the first of its kind in the country andwill focus primarily on Edutech Gaming. Gaming indus-try giants such as Microsoft, UB Soft and Samsung willbe setting up their centres of development at this Intel-ligent Hub. The proposal includes plans of establishingthe first global research centre for the science of learn-ing by bringing in some of the best faculty in the world.The officials emphasised on the need to push the edu-cation sector towards advancement with the introduc-tion of digital platforms.

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National Women’s Commission Chairperson Rekha Sharmamet up with Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu recently atSecretariat, Amaravati. Rekha Sharma congratulated Chief Min-ister for his initiatives in empowering women and girl children.She opined that involving women in welfare and health im-proving schemes has led to greater results and Andhra Pradeshis relatively doing best in terms of Women’s welfare. She ex-pressed satisfaction over the involvement of Sadhikara Mitras’,DWACRA and Self Help Group members in promoting the pro-grammes for their development. State Women’s CommissionChairperson Nannapaneni Rajakumari was also present.

Women’s Commission Chairperson calls on CM


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Bamboo chicken biryani or bongulo chickenbiryani from the famous hill station Araku valleytops the list when we talk of authentic Andhracuisine. With distinctive procedure and use oftechnique in its preparation, the dish is savoured acrossthe Telugu States for its rich taste in low- calorie whencompared to that of the regular chicken biryani that isabundantly prepared in other places.Now, the State government has decided to name Bamboobiryani as the brand delicacy of the true Andhra cuisinethat has a great mix of sweets, snacks, hand-churned chut-neys, and some real deal of mouth-watering spicy maincourse. Preparing Bamboo biryaniAs the name suggests, the biryani is prepared using a bam-boo log. The delectable dish is made by stuffing rice,chicken, and handful of spices with a bit of oil in the bam-boo log which is then sealed with leaves preventing thesteam to escape. The log is then placed on fire and is leftuntil the outer layer turns into charcoal. It is turnedaround every now and then to ensure that heat is spreaduniformly on all the sides for better cooking of the ingredi-ents inside. The whole process takes a good 40 to 50 min-utes before the log is emptied into plates; resulting in burst

of unique flavors.The essence that bamboo distributes to the ingredientsinside, cooking them slowly gives it a flavour that is suregoing to linger around for a very long time. One has totaste it to believe and soon, the dish is going to be mas-sively available across the State.AP Tourism initiative Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation(APTDC) CEO Himanshu Shukla asked the officials to popu-larise the dish and familiarize its recipe/ preparation sothat it becomes one of the key brands of Andhra Pradesh.The key is to promote Bamboo biryani as a dish of AndhraPradesh like what is a chicken biryani for Hyderabad.Popularising the dishPlans are afoot to promote this tribal delicacy to the worldby conducting workshops and food festivals across AP.Chefs and hotel management students around the Statewill be imparted training in preparing the biryani. It isthen made available abundantly at food joints, hotels andfood festivals. Meanwhile, the Tourism officials are alsoexercising to get geographical indication (GI) to KakinadaKaja, Putharekulu and Ulavacharu.

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Signature of authentic Andhra cuisine:

Andhra Pradesh brands ‘Bamboo Biryani’ as the delicacy of AP

BAMBoo BiryANi


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IN PICS

Pic 1: The Chief Minister in Awareness programme for Anganwadi workers conducted by the department ofWomen and Child Welfare in IG Municipal Stadium, Vijayawada.

Pic 2: CM at the unveiling the bronze statue of SV Ranga Rao at Kalaparru village, West Godavari, marking his100th birth anniversary celebrations.

Pic 3: CM and his wife Nara Bhuvaneswari, along with their grandson Devansh, taking part in Vanam- Manamprogramme at IIIT premises, Nezvid.

Pic 4: Miss India 2018 second runner-up Shreya Rao Kamavarapu, native of Krishna district, with CM in Secre-tariat.

Pic 5: Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari with CM during their visit to Polavaram project.

Subscription Details: Yearly Subscription rate is Rs 220 for Andhra Pradesh (Eng) Magazine. Readers may send MO or DD in the nameof Accounts Officer, I&PR Department, Vijayawada. Mention your full postal address in your letter and send to Accounts Officer, I&PRDepartment, II floor, NTR Administrative Block, Pandit Nehru Bus Station, Krishnalanka, Vijayawada - 520013 Ph: +91 91212 15246

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Regd. No. H-HD-1082/2016-18 APENG/2007/20679Published on: 01/08/2018 Posting Dt: 6th


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