Category Archives: Records, All

Vizianagaram foot over bridge set to create record

Business & Economy, Records, All

Even the FoB at Elphinstone Road station in Mumbai by the Army comes second.

FootoverbridgeANDHRA11mar2019

Visakhapatnam :

With the ongoing construction of 20-foot wide and 205-foot-long Foot over Bridge (FoB) at Vizianagaram railway station, the Waltair division in East Coast Railway will be first ever division in Indian Railways to complete the project in record time of 90 days.

Even the FoB at Elphinstone Road station in Mumbai by the Army comes second. With four CCTV cameras, the works are monitored by Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) M S Mathur and the agents are given rewards for early completion of the works.  The Vizianagaram railway station with a passenger footfall of 2,000 and 150 passenger trains passing through it daily has one FoB towards Palasa side connecting all platforms. The second FoB, under construction at a cost of Rs 2.95 crore, will be connecting all the platforms and circulating area. Keeping the 90-day timeline for the FoB, the officials have set up a workshop which will work for 16-20 hours a day.

The project, started on Dec 24, 2018, was divided into various stages and set to be completed on March 23. “It is not just the division of works, we have given incentives and collect penalty from the contractor depending on the completion. Delay in every stage of works will invite penalty and if it is completed on time, they will get 4 per cent of the contract agreement value as incentive,” said M S Mathur.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / March 11th, 2019

CII-AP chapter gets new chief for 2019-20

Business & Economy, Leaders, Records, All

Vijay Naidu Galla, completed his M Tech in Industrial Engineering from SV University, Tirupati and General Management Programme from IIM- Bengaluru.

Visakhapatnam  :

Vijay Naidu Galla, President of  Mangal Industries Ltd, an Amara Raja Group company, has been elected the new Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) Andhra Pradesh Chapter for the year 2019-20. D Rama Krishna, Managing Director, Efftronics Systems Pvt Ltd, is the Vice-Chairman. The CII-AP Chapter Annual Meeting was held here in the Port City on Saturday. The annual meeting focused on the theme of “Unlocking economic potential of AP.”

Vijay Naidu Galla, completed his M Tech in Industrial Engineering from SV University, Tirupati and General Management Programme from IIM- Bengaluru. He was the Vice-Chairman of CII AP.
D Rama Krishna, Managing Director, Efftronics Systems Pvt Ltd, is an active State Council member of CII-AP. He did his M.Tech (Electrical Engineering) in IIT- Madras.

On the occasion of annual meeting, CII organised the AP Economic Conclave focusing on the theme of ‘Unlocking Economic Potential of AP’, chief guest Rear Admiral Kiran Deshmukh, Admiral Superintendent, Naval Dockyard, stressed on the importance of indigenisation creating a shared ecosystem. He made a point that the skill set needs to be enhanced and made to meet global standards.

He urged MSMEs to focus on long-term sustainable rather than short-term gain. J Krishna Kishore, CEO, AP Economic Development Board, mentioned that the State is emerging as a major electronics manufacturing hub and automobile hub and the work is in progress to make Vizag the Maritime Capital of India.

Efftronics chief is Vice-Chairman  

D Rama Krishna, Managing Director, Efftronics Systems Pvt Ltd, is the Vice-Chairman.
J Krishna Kishore, CEO, APEDB says the State is emerging as a major electronics and automobile manufacturing hub.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / March 11th, 2019

New Jersey-based IT major plans to expand operations at Visakhapatnam facility

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Conduent, a New-Jersey based technology-led business process services company, has plans to expand its operations in  Visakhapatnam.

ConduentANDHRA07mar2019

Visakhapatnam :

Conduent, a New-Jersey based technology-led business process services company, has plans to expand its operations in  Visakhapatnam. The company, which has 1,600 employees at Vizag office, wants to increase it by five times in near future.

Inaugurating the company’s new facility at the iconic millennium tower at Rushikonda on Wednesday, Conduent chief executive, financial services and healthcare Pratap Sarker and Conduent CEO-APAC (Asia-Pacific) Lokesh Prasad said the  State government’s focus on Visakhapatnam as a technology, science, and knowledge hub in India is giving a boost to local  economy and creating more job opportunities for youth of the city.

Conduent started operations in Visakhapatnam in March 2018 and since then it has significantly expanded its footprint creating  more than 1,500 jobs across its service delivery and operational teams.
Its new office building is designed using techniques adopted to enhance performance, reduce energy consumption, and  provide a healthy working environment. He said availability of good talent pool, excellent ecosystem and helping government machinery were some of the reasons for locating office in Vizag.

“India continues to play a vital role in Conduent’s strategic growth in the APAC region,” said Pratap Sarker.“As a  technology-driven digital interactions company, we are focused on regions that have the right talent for the work. Being a part of  this dynamic geography is the right move for our clients and our people.”

He said Vizag will be one of the company’s important hubs in India. He said India is crucial to the company’s global growth developing the latest technology for mobile and IoT, human-computer interaction, machine learning, text and multimedia analytics.

Referring to security of client information, Pratap said they have an exhaustive set up to ensure security of the clients data. Their strict protocols ensure that data is secure since their clients belong to sensitive areas, he added.

New millennium IT tower

New iconic millennium tower, inaugurated by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu last month, at Rushikonda witnessed a hub of activity with the inauguration of the new facility of NYSE-CNDT company, Conduent on Wednesday.
With more than 105,000 square feet of floor space and four times more seating capacity than its first incubation space, the new office  is one of the company’s key business locations in India, aimed at delivering key innovations in technology, transportation,  health care, public safety, human resources, process automation and operational excellence to its global clients.
Special Chief Secretary and IT advisor to CM JA Chowdary said the new iconic tower will hasten development of IT in Vizag.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / Express News Service / March 07th, 2019

City kid to represent India at international competition

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All, World Opinion

A three-day grooming session for children by D’La Valentina at Hotel Aira in city concluded here on Sunday.

Vijayawada :

A three-day grooming session for children by D’La Valentina at Hotel Aira in city concluded here on Sunday.

On the occasion, various competitions were conducted in which kids, trained by Valentina Mishra ( who is the national director of International Kids Pageants) took part. Along with training on personality development and communication skills, the children were introduced to concepts of oral care and hygiene by Dr Kavya and Dr Madhu.

In an audition conducted in February, eight students–Parineeta Sinha (8), Darsh Joshi (7), Taufiq Mansoor Ansari (9), Sanvi Kongra, (11), Gagana K (6), N Yashasvi Sai (8), Safin (10), Aditya Vasudev (12)–were selected for this three-day grooming session. Among them, Yashasvi Sai from Vijayawada was selected to represent India in the ‘little category’ at the ‘Little Miss Galaxy Contest’ to be held from March 16 to 23 in Bulgaria. Aditya Vasudev from Visakhapatnam was selected to represent the country in the ‘pre-teen’ category at the ‘Best Prince of the World’ contest in Georgia from April 23 to 28.

A photo shoot was organised for them to showcase their style quotient, and mementoes and participation certificates were distributed.

Speaking on the occasion, Mishra said: “Learning to groom oneself at such a tender age will help a child improve his/her self-confidence. It also boosts public speaking and leadership skills.”

Recently,  Yamini Patibandla (6), who was groomed by the organisation, won the World Rising Stars contest in Georgia.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Vijayawada / by Express News Service / March 04th, 2019

AP college wins prize at hackathon

Education, Records, All, Science & Technology

Each team consisted six students out of which one was a girl.

Hyderabad :

Siddartha Institute of Science and Technology, in Puttur, Andhra Pradesh, emerged as one of the winners of the Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon conducted at NIT Warangal from March 2-3.
The other winners included Indian Institute of Technology, Pune, National Institute of Technology Raipur, Rodgrigues Institute of Technology, Mumbai, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida,Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology Rohini, New Delhi, Indira College of Engineering and Management, Pune and Vivekananda Education Society’s Institute of Technology, Mumbai.

Each team consisted six students out of which one was a girl.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Express News Service / March 05th, 2019

Alumni walk through familiar corridors as college turns 50

Education, Leaders, Records, All
A view of the Sri Govindaraja Swamy (SGS) Arts College in Tirupati
A view of the Sri Govindaraja Swamy (SGS) Arts College in Tirupati

Association to come out with database of graduates soon

What do A.P. Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) Chairman V. Jayarami Reddy, litterateur ‘Sahasravadhani’ Medasani Mohan, former Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, Progressive Writers Association president Sakam Nagaraja and bureaucrat K. Dhananjaya Reddy have in common? They graduated from the Sri Govindaraja Swamy (SGS) Arts College here.

As the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD)-run institute entered its golden jubilee year on Wednesday, its old students went down the memory lane by recalling the “golden moments” of their lives.

After opening arts colleges for men and women in the name of Sri Venkateswara and Sri Padmavathi respectively, the TTD opened another arts college to cater to a growing demand for higher education in Tirupati. Besides students from the Rayalaseema districts, many from Nellore, Prakasam and Guntur districts have studied at the college, known for its value-based education.

Many alumni at the golden jubilee event took selfies with their old classmates, related anecdotes to one another and walked with a heavy air of nostalgia through the institution’s corridors and rooms.

“The values ingrained in the curriculum made us what we are today,” says Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State general secretary G. Bhanuprakash Reddy, an alumnus. “Compared to corporate colleges, TTD institutions have better infrastructure, faculty members and foster spaces to encourage creativity among students,” says TTD Public Relations Officer T. Ravi, an alumnus.

Meanwhile, the alumni association of the institution has begun collecting details of its alumni through WhatsApp groups and Facebook profiles to come out with a database at the end of the year-long celebrations.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Special Correspondent / Tirupati – February 28th, 2019

Oldest Waltair railway division will now be history

Business & Economy, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

Waltair will now be history as the division was bifurcated and part of it was merged with Vijayawada division and rest will be a new railway division.

Visakhaptanam :

Announcement of South Coastal Railway Zone with Visakhapatnam as headquarters by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday brought cheers to the people of the Port City. However, in the process, one of the oldest divisions in the country, Waltair, will now be history as the division was bifurcated and part of it was merged with Vijayawada division and rest will be a new railway division with Rayagada (Odisha) as headquarters.

Uttarandhra Charcha Vedika convener Konathala Ramakrishna said, “We have mooted the idea of creating a  zone with Odisha areas to facilitate new zone in Visakhapatnam. However, the merger of part of Waltair division with Vijayawada was unwarranted. It will have bearing on employment opportunities for the local youth.” He said Kolkata has two divisions and in SCR zone there are two divisions. Maybe this is for the first time that a zone without a division, he said,  adding that the BJP government at the Centre had to concede to the demand in view of growing resentment among the people.

Waltair Divisional Railway Manager MS Mathur said South Coastal Zone, created with  Visakhapatnam as headquarters, will have three divisions — Vijayawada, Guntur and Guntakal — and it has a fair chance to become a premiere zone in the country. Addition of Visakhapatnam into Vijayawada division will add up to its revenue and will become one of the top divisions in the country.

 WaltairZoneANDHRA01stmar2019He said the zone can start functioning immediately with minimum disruption as the city has all necessary infrastructure facilities and employees. Modalities and geographical jurisdiction are being worked out and will be announced in a day or two, he said. Waltair division has 1106 km and it is bifurcated between Rayagada and Visakhapatnam. The new zone will facilitate redressal of the employees grievances and passenger-related issues which were hitherto looked after by zones in the neighbhouring States. Stating that holy places Tirupati and Tirumala will be under the new zone, he said new trains are likely to be introduced on the route.

Railway Zone Sadhana Samiti convener JV Satyanarayana Murthy said the BJP, at last, announced the zone, but there is a big question mark over jurisdiction of north Andhra areas — will they come under the new zone or East Coast Railway?

He said there is little to cheer for the people from the region and emphasised the need to merge the entire Waltair division leaving Odisha areas in the new zone by retaining Waltair division.

Uttarandhra Rakshana Vedika convener SS Shiva Sankar said the KK line, which is now under a single section, will face operational problems, if bifurcated. The control of two different zonal railways on a single section will result in administrative problems. So, Waltair division should not have been bifurcated while creating the new zone.

BJP MP Haribabu said the BJP government gave the zone though technical committee felt that the zone is not feasible. “The BJP had to convince its alliance partners and took a political decision, for which it took four years. All is well that ends well,”  Haribabu said, summing up the mood of the BJP cadre.

The move will be a morale booster for the BJP rank and file ahead of the general elections and it will help the party get a foothold in the coastal areas.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by G. Janardhana Rao / Express News Service / February 28th, 2019

On a high, literally

Education, Records, All
Vijja Reddy Raja Sree being congratulated by her parents in Anantapur on Wednesday.
Vijja Reddy Raja Sree being congratulated by her parents in Anantapur on Wednesday.

It was a proud moment for Vijja Reddy Raja Sree, daughter of a Kuppam-based polytechnic lecturer. The girl received six gold medals at the 10th convocation of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Anantapur, on Wednesday. She got the gold medal for securing the highest marks in JNTUA examination in 2018 and five endowment gold medals for standing first in all the branches of engineering and other categories.

An elated and smiling Raja Sree was the centre of attraction at the convocation hall with hundreds of her classmates, professors and parents of other students congratulating her on the achievement. And the icing on the cake was State government presenting ‘Pratibha Puraskar’ of ₹20,000 for her excellent performance in the B.Tech Civil Engineering.

Currently pursuing her M.Tech in Structural Engineering at S.V. University in Tirupati, she secured 88.89% in her graduation in 2018 from JNTU Anantapur Engineering College. She got through the GATE examination and received a stipend of ₹12,500 to pursue her post-graduation.

While she prepares for civils, she wishes to join the government service to be closer to her family. She gives credit for her success to hard work and encouragement from parents.

Her father Rajasekharaiah and mother S. Chandrakala, headmistress of MPUP School at Chowdepalli near Madanapalle, told The Hindu that they would encourage their daughter to do whatever she likes in future.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Special Correspondent / Anantapur – February 28th, 2019

Railways Minister announces new railway zone for Andhra Pradesh

Business & Economy, Records, All
A view of Visakhapatnam Railway Station. File | Photo Credit: C.V.Subrahmanyam
A view of Visakhapatnam Railway Station. File | Photo Credit: C.V.Subrahmanyam

Piyush Goyal announces that Southern Coast Railway will be headquartered in Visakhapatnam

Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday announced a new railway zone for Andhra Pradesh.

The new railway zone — Southern Coast Railway — will be headquartered in Visakhapatnam, Mr. Goyal said.

The decision comes four days after a BJP delegation from the State met Goyal in the national capital demanding the formation of a railway zone.

In a memorandum submitted to Mr. Goyal, they had said the north Andhra region, comprising Srikaulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts, is “very backward and needs impetus for development”.

The Andhra Pradesh BJP leaders had said that during the 2014 general elections, they had assured the public that a railway zone would come up at Visakhapatnam.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by PTI / New Delhi – February 27th, 2019

Centre presents award to AP Capital Region Development Authority for promoting digital payments

Business & Economy, Records, All

The APCRDA will soon roll out a One Digital Card for all payments in Amaravati City.

Shan Mohan, CEO Amaravati Smart City and Team received the Digital Payment Award from Hardeep Singh Puri. (Photo| Twitter/ Amravati)
Shan Mohan, CEO Amaravati Smart City and Team received the Digital Payment Award from Hardeep Singh Puri. (Photo| Twitter/ Amravati)

Vijaywada  :

The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs conferred the Digital Payment Award on Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) at an event in New Delhi on Tuesday. CEO of Amaravati Smart City S Shan Mohan received the award from Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri.

The Smart Cities Digital Payments Awards 2018 ‘100 days Challenge in 100 Smart Cities’ is part of the ministry’s endeavour to guide, motivate, recognise and reward the Smart Cities for promoting digital payments and carrying out innovative payment initiatives.

Under this initiative, the APCRDA received the award for its Amaravati First Resident Card. The initiative taken by Amaravati to launch its Amaravati First Resident Card was selected as a case study in the Best Practices in Digital Payments by Smart Cities Mission.

The APCRDA has planned for a rollout of a virtual card, which brings an essence of Digital City, One Digital Card for all the payments in Amaravati City. “Amaravati First Resident Card” is an Account-based open loop system, which is QR-enabled for third-party services and generated by seeding with Aadhaar Number. The first resident card usage is planned for about 1,10,000 citizens in the first phase and shall be scaled with reference to the Household Survey, which takes place periodically.

The ‘Amaravati First Resident Card’ can be generated through a citizen portal, mobile app and a kiosk with a single click. This card is envisaged to have an integration with one of the leading payment bank for all the cashless transactions, for all G2G, G2C and G2B services, municipality services (high-valued services such as layout approval, building permissions, development permissions, annuity under land pooling scheme, EPC contracts, property tax, water tax, trade license fee, sewerage charges, property mutation fee and advertisement tax among others), retail services, cashless multimode transport, tourism services, toll payments and public restaurants.

Amaravati First Resident Card soon

APCRDA will soon roll out a One Digital Card for all payments in Amaravati City. Amaravati First Resident Card is an account-based open loop system, which is also QR-enabled.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Vijayawada / by Express News Service / February 27th, 2019