The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Briefly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 20, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Briefly

Nominated for Ugadi Puraskar

KARIMNAGAR: G. Sarasija, a class IV student of Gayathri Vidyalayam, has been nominated for the prestigious Silver Jubilee Samaikya Bharathi Gaurav Satkar-2005 (Ugadi Puraskar) of the Madras Telugu Academy for her meritorious performance in martial arts at a tender age. The Madras Telugu Academy had also allocated six minutes' for the girl to display her talent. She had secured black belt in Juko-kai karate and participated in international level karate championships.

Diploma courses

KARIMNAGAR: KIMS Degree and PG College has announced the launch of PG diploma courses in bio-informatics and biotechnology of Nagarjuna University in the distance education mode from this year. Details can be obtained at the college during office hours or on telephone numbers 0878-2249449 and 0878-2263520. The last date for enrolment is March 5, according to a press note issued by the study centre director, P. Devender Rao.

Chalo Assembly

KARIMNAGAR: The Joint Action Committee of employees, teachers and workers, Karimnagar district unit has said Chalo Assembly would be organised on February 24 with a charter of 40 demands. The demands include sanction of LTC to teachers of mandal and ZP schools, provision of house sites to teachers and employees, stopping of privatisation and contract system in the Government sector and filling of all vacant posts.

SIM cards

WARANGAL: The General Manager of BSNL, K.K. Thakur, has urged customers to give in their applications for prepaid SIM cards, which would be cleared in a fortnight. Following the increased demand for SIM cards, BSNL was not able to supply them on time and they were securing the cards from headquarters, he said. "The applications may be submitted at the Customer Service Centres and BSNL will provide connections within 15 days,'' Mr. Thakur said.

Ph.D awarded

ANANTAPUR: Sri Krishnadevaraya University has awarded a degree in Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) to P. Sreedevi, a schoolteacher, for her thesis on `Organisation and working of Life Insurance Corporation - A study of Cuddapah division.' S. Khalandar Basha, a junior lecturer in the district, has also been awarded a Ph.D by Sri Venkateswara University for his thesis on `Shatothar Hindi kahaani mein dampatya jeevan.'

4 huts gutted

Cuddapah: Four thatched houses were gutted in Kattakindapalle village in Mydukur mandal on Friday night. Fire spread from Basireddy Subbamma's house while she was cooking food and engulfed three more houses. Thirty bags of paddy was destroyed.

Plea for water

KURNOOL: The former MLA, Masala Eeranna, urged the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, to provide irrigation to 12,000 acres in Aluru constituency from Hundri-Neeva project. Provision should be made for irrigation to Aspari, Johrapuram, Pedda Hothur, Hulebeedu, Tummalabeedu, Harikera, Nagaradona and Hathibelagal, he said in a representation.

Exposure visit

Cuddapah: Twenty ZPTC members and five ZP officials of Cuddapah district will visit Myrada watershed in Karnataka from February 20 to 23, on an exposure visit, the CEO of ZP, P. Durga Prasad, said on Saturday. The ZP Chairman, K. Suresh Babu, will flag off the tour on Sunday.

Special buses

NELLORE: The RTC authorities have decided to ply additional buses for the convenience of devotees attending the `Rottela Panduga' (Festival of Bread) at Nellore, starting from February 21. More than 70 buses will ply from different destinations, including Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore.

Paddy crop hit

NELLORE: Farmers of Atmakur area of Nellore district are facing a crisis due to brown plant hopper disease (domapotu) in paddy. This comes immediately after the four years of drought. The farmers' joy at the rainfall at the fag end of last year and release of Somasila water was short-lived due to the incidence of plant hopper disease in 1,500 acres of paddy, which has so far proven resistant to pesticides.

Mala Mahanadu plans rally

HYDERABAD: Mala Mahanadu will organise a `Chalo Assembly' rally in March and take up a drive to send at least 100 postcards from each of the 1,100 mandals demanding withdrawal of the resolution passed in the Assembly favouring categorisation of Scheduled Castes.

At a press conference on Saturday, the Mala Mahanadu president, P.V. Rao, said that on February 21, 22 and 23, postcards would be sent to the UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, seeking her support. The "Chalo Assembly" would also seek to highlight the need for distribution of land to the poor and for generating employment to stop migration of labour from the rural areas.

MSR non-committal on SRC

ANANTAPUR: The Minister for Endowments, M. Satyanarayana Rao, has refused to comment on the issue raised by the party senior leader, Gade Venkat Reddy, in the Assembly on the second SRC. Mr. Venkat Reddy had said that the Government was in favour of the second SRC.

Talking to newsmen during his visit to Laxumpalli in Pedda Vadugur mandal on Saturday, Mr. Satyanarayana Rao said he was a Minister in the united Andhra Pradesh Government and he did not want to join the issue.

BCs allege raw deal

HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh Backward Classes Welfare Association on Saturday alleged that injustice was done to Backward Classes in the budget.

In a statement issued here, R. Krishnaiah, president of the association, said that only Rs. 300 crores was allocated for the BC welfare, which would be insufficient to meet various needs of students and employees. This was contrary to the expectations that the Government would increase the allocation and introduce new schemes.

He alleged that the Congress after coming to power had cut the allocation for the BC welfare from Rs.403 crores, made by the Telugu Desam regime, to Rs. 263 crores. This was raised to Rs. 283 crores by the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, following representation. The fund allocation was increased to Rs.300 crores this year.

Naxalite arrested

NIZAMABAD: A Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist)-Janasakti naxalite, Parvati Malla Goud alias Bheemanna, was arrested on Saturday. He was nabbed by a special police party when it was combing the forest in Bheemgal and Kamareddy area on a specific information that Janasakti naxalites were moving there. Bheemanna is a member of Bhaskar dalam, according to the Sirikonda SI, D. Krishna.

Malla Goud earlier served jail sentence and now is wanted in a couple of cases.

Trade delegation for Taiwan

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh Industrial and Technical Consultancy Organisation (APITCO) is organising a business delegation of Indian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to Taiwan from March 14 to 21.

S. Srinivasa Rao, Managing Director, APITCO, said in a press release here on Saturday that the organisation had identified potential for business collaboration between Indian and Taiwanese SMEs in the areas of textiles, chemicals, medical appliances, auto components, building material, IT software, banking and financial services, chip design, fashion accessories, sporting goods and agri products. The visit was being planned to enable participants to also visit the Taipei International Machine Tools Show (TMTOS). The selection of the participants would be finalised by February 25. Those interested can contact I.D. Prasad, Chief Consultant, APITCO, on 2323 7333 or 2323 7981.

PR staff not to take part in rally

HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh Panchayat Raj Services Association, consisting of about two lakh employees, will not participate in the `chalo Assembly' rally proposed by the Joint Action Committee of Employees, Teachers and Workers on February 24.

S. Anil Kumar, chairman, S.D. Munavar, co-chairman, and T.M.B. Butchiraju, convener, said in a statement on Saturday that the association was not taking part in the rally as the JAC had not invited it.

Revise police pay scales: CPI(M)

HYDERABAD: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) secretary, B.V. Raghavulu, on Saturday suggested to the Home Minister, K. Jana Reddy, to recommend the same pay scale to the police personnel as that paid to the Government staff.

In a letter addressed to Mr. Reddy, he said the salaries being paid to the State police personnel were less than those being given to the State employees. This was also endorsed by several commissions appointed to go into the issue.

He said the salaries of constables, head constables, ASIs, SIs should be similar to those drawn by junior assistants, senior assistants, superintendents and MROs respectively. This should be recommended to the Wage Revision Commission, he said.

CPI's plea to BC panel

HYDERABAD: The CPI State Council on Saturday represented to the Andhra Pradesh Backward Classes Commission seeking 5 per cent reservation for Muslims citing `various socio-economic' reasons.

S. Sudhakar Reddy, MP and party secretary, and Syed Azeez Pasha, executive member, in a memorandum submitted to D. Subramanyam, Chairman of the commission, said there was a wide economic gap between Muslims and others, particularly in education, employment, literacy.

They quoted the sample surveys conducted by Central and several State Governments and NGOs during the last two decades to show the economic conditions of Muslims.

Naidu attends Abu Dhabi meet

HYDERABAD: The TDP president, N. Chandrababu Naidu, addressed the third biennial international students conference on `e-ducation without borders' at Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Mr. Naidu made a half-an-hour presentation about IT initiatives of the TDP during its regime, a press release here said. The workshop was attended by participants from 80 countries.

He later addressed the Indian business community at Abu Dhabi. The Indian Ambassador, Sudhir Vyas, and the local Finance Minister were present.

AITUC demand

HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh Council of the All India Trade Union Congress has urged the State Government to take steps and settle the demands of the Employees' Union of the RTC.

In a press release, its general secretary, P.J. Chandrasekhara Rao, reminded the Congress Government of its promises made before it came to power. He urged the Government to call for a joint meeting of the management and union leaders for a mutual settlement in the best interests of the corporation and its employees.

The pending demands of the employees included reimbursement of concessions to various sections of society, curbing illicit operations, doing away with sales tax on purchase of fuel and reducing the Motor Vehicle Tax.

Cuddapah records 41.1 degree C

Hyderabad: Cuddapah remained hot on Saturday also. The day temperature shot up to 41.1 degree Celsius the highest in the State for the day.

Weather was dry in the State with the minimum temperature changing a little. The lowest night temperature was accounted by Arogyavaram at 16 degree Celsius.

Weather is likely to be dry in the State on Sunday, according to a forecast by the State Met Office.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh