Andhra food festival begins

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy
Tourism Secretary Mukesh Kumar Meena and CEO A.P. Tourism Authority Himanshu Shukla at the food festival in Guntur on Tuesday.
Tourism Secretary Mukesh Kumar Meena and CEO A.P. Tourism Authority Himanshu Shukla at the food festival in Guntur on Tuesday.

Food festival being organised by AP Tourism at Capital Hotel

A delectable aroma wafts across the ballroom at the Capital Hotel. The array of traditional Andhra cuisine spread across the platter is a sight to behold. The carved vegetables and the sight of men and women dressed in dhoti and saree adds a native touch.

The delights of authentic Andhra cuisine are now up for grabs at the food festival being organised by Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority in association with Capital Hotels. A lavish spread of dishes prepared in typical Andhra style with the right mix of spices awaits food connoisseurs.

The starters include, fresh veggies and sprouts in vegetarian menu and Kodi Vepudu (Chicken Fry), Bamboo Chicken, fish fry. The main course includes, Kodi Pulav (Chicken Pulav), Lemon Rice, Tomato Rice, jeera rice. The main course in vegetarian menu has Tomota Pappu (dal), mudda pappu, Potato fry, and a variety of pickles.

The lavish spread of sweets include ariselu, kobbari burelu and cashew nut.

Push for local dishes

“AP Tourism Authority is organising food festivals to popularise the local dishes. Guntur is a land of spices and chilli, so we have included a lot of pickles including Gongura. Andhra cuisine is known for its variety and tingy taste. We have already created a brand for Bamboo Chicken,’’ said Secretary, Tourism, Mukesh Kumar Meena. Chief Executive Officer, AP Tourism, Himanshu Shukla said that food festivals are being patronised widely by people here and added that more such food festivals should be organised in the future.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Guntur – September 05th, 2018

State bags 10 national MGNREGA awards

Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Records, All

Vizag, Prakasam districts, Kotabylu in Chittoor hog limelight

The State has won 10 awards in nine categories at the national level in the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). West Bengal got seven awards.

A.P. stood in the No. 1 position in ‘transparency and accountability’ category followed by Telangana, Sikkim and Odisha and in the second position in ‘convergence and livelihood augmentation’ led by West Bengal. Visakhapatnam and Prakasam districts were placed first and secondrespectively among 18 high-performing districts in ‘effective implementation of MGNREGA by district teams’. A.P. stood in the 4th and 3rd places in ‘implementation of good governance initiative’ and ‘highest work completion’.

It was adjudged the third best in ‘implementation of barefoot technicians project’. Kotabylu in Chittoor district was recognised as the ‘best-performing gram panchayat in the implementation of MGNREGA’.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Vijayawada – September 03rd, 2018

Bodybuilders vie for Bahubali honour

Records, All, Sports
The participants at the Mr. Krishna District Bodybuilding Championship in Vijayawda on Sunday.
The participants at the Mr. Krishna District Bodybuilding Championship in Vijayawda on Sunday.

Appalaswamy Naidu bags the overall championship; Indian Physique gym awarded for most number of medals

Sweat drips from greasy bodies criss-crossed with veins and buffed with taut muscles, on a makeshift stage nestled in a street here. As gym partners cheer for 91 bodybuilders, Santhi Nagar residents lean in doorways, perch on railings and squat on pavements, watching agape the Bahubali – Mr. Krishna District Bodybuilding Championship, 2018.

The Bodyline gym and the Golden Fitness gym in association with the Krishna Bodybuilding Association, Gudivada, organised the contest on Sunday. Participants in nine weight categories, from 50kg to 85kg in multiples of five, posed their front-double biceps, side-chest with calf muscles and front abdomen with thigh, in the first round, even as a cut-out of Arnold Schwarzenegger stared at them from a poster in the backdrop. The second round was a free posing session for 30 seconds on a Pawan Kalyan song from Thammudu. Each time the song played, a pack of skittish children broke into a wild dance amid an audience of 150 people. While winners in each category got a cash prize of ₹800, a box of protein supplement, a medal and a certificate, runners-up got ₹600, a medal and a certificate and second runners-up ₹500, a medal and a certificate. The overall winner, V. Appalaswamy Naidu, got ₹2,000 and a trophy. The Indian Physique gym, Ramavarappadu, bagged a trophy for the most number of medallists.

Amaravati sports village

Exhorting youngsters to take up bodybuilding, City Central MLA Bonda Uma Maheswara Rao, the chief guest, said, “The Chief Minister is committed to the development of a sports village in Amaravati.” APSRTC Chairman Varla Ramaiah said, “Fitness is all about making right decisions. A sportperson has no religion, no caste and no language. One’s spirit for a sport is all that matters.” SAAP Director Ravindra Babu said the authority had two targets, to ensure every student was fit and healthy and to get more medals for the State and the country.

Winners

The category-wise winners are: G. Durga Satyanarayana (50kg), P. Raja (55kg), Y. Lashamikanth (60kg), N. Ganesh (65kg), V. Appalaswamy Naidu (70kg), G. Gopalakrishna (75kg), B. Maniprakash (80kg), B. Surendra (85kg) and R. Narendra Nadh.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Sidharth Yadav / Vijayawada – September 03rd, 2018