Category Archives: Amazing Feats

In A.P., affordable bungalows at ₹6.5 lakh

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House beautiful: Proud owners at one of the houses at Gorantla. | Photo Credit: The Hindu
House beautiful: Proud owners at one of the houses at Gorantla. | Photo Credit: The Hindu

Three lakh subsidised homes are handed over in a single day, in a record of sorts

In what is said to be the largest such event to take place on a single day, 3,00,346 families in Andhra Pradesh performed house-warming for their new homes on Thursday. The 3 lakh-plus beneficiaries got their new homes under the Andhra Pradesh government’s NTR Housing Scheme.

The owners set foot in their new homes around 11 a.m., the appointed time on a day regarded as auspicious, in the presence of Ministers, elected representatives, and District Collectors. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated the ceremonies remotely from Vijayawada.

The previous occasion when the A.P. government did something similar was on October 2, 2017, when one lakh units were handed over to beneficiaries. A typical house under the scheme, built on an individual plot, is a single-bedroom unit of 750 sq. ft. carpet area, with a living room, kitchen and a bathroom. Where land was not available, apartment complexes of up to four floors were built. The beneficiaries were chosen through a Smart Pulse Survey.

G. Tirupattama of Mulapadu in Krishna district said, “Owning a pucca house has been a long-cherished dream.” A. Venkatapadma from Machilipatnam echoed similar feelings.

No stopping now

Mr. Naidu said the State would go ahead with the housing project even if the Centre did not support it. Beneficiaries put in ₹2.5 lakh towards the cost, and got State subsidy of ₹1.50 lakh in villages and ₹2.50 lakh in cities. The Central subsidy was ₹1.50 lakh.

The government planned to build 20 lakh houses by 2019, at an estimated cost of around ₹50,000 crore. The scope for corruption in such a large scale construction project was eliminated by ensuring that all payments were made via the NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India) gateway and through regular monitoring of the projects’ progress through geo-tagging, he added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by V. Raghavendra / Vijayawada – July 05th, 2018

1st in south, tiles to be made from plastic waste

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Scientists believe that the plastic tiles could be commercially viable as they are unbreakable and water-proof.

Visakhapatnam:

For the first time in South India, plastic waste will be recycled to manufacture tiles in Vizag.  The National Research Development Corporation’s Intellectual Property Facilitation Centre at Visakhapatnam and National Physical Laboratory of New Delhi has transferred the technology to the Vizag-based Vyzag Bio-Energy Fuel Private Limited, according to the centre’s Vizag head B.K Sahu.

Scientists believe that the plastic tiles could be commercially viable as they are unbreakable and water-proof. Promoting them would help combat the threat posed by plastic waste.  The technology was developed by scientist S.K. Dhawan and his team at the NPL, The technology was selected in the Smart Fifty innovations by the department of science and technology and IIM-Kolkata.   Speaking to this newspaper, Mr Dhawan said: “The idea was to evolve a solution to the huge threat looming on the environment due to plastic waste. Only 20 per cent of plastic waste is recycled and the rest is dumped, causing a huge impact all over including marine life. There is a huge scope to recycle these wastes.”

About 600 plastic bags are used to manufacture one tile and 42,000 plastic bags for a slab measuring seven foot by four foot. The plastic tiles cost Rs 50-60 per sq feet and could be used for pavements, jogger paths. Tiles are being manufactured with different designs and are commercially viable. “When plastic wastes are being recycled to lay roads, why we should not use them for tiles,” Mr Dhawan asked. “Plastic recycling is growing in India and the market is huge. We should focus more on how to get wealth from wastes,” said the scientist.

Waste plastic bags and bottles are shredded into small pieces. This is mixed with fillers and moulded into water-proof decorative colourful tiles. 600 plastic bags are used to make one standard size tile 42,000 plastic bags are used for a slab measuring seven foot by four foot. Plastic tiles cost Rs 50-60 per sq feet and could be used for pavements, jogger paths.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Lifestyle> Viral & Trending / by Sumit Onka, Deccan Chronicle / June 29th, 2018

Chittoor youth who scaled Mt. Everest felicitated

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On cloud nine: N. Varaprasad successfully completed his expedition to Mount Everest on May 22.
On cloud nine: N. Varaprasad successfully completed his expedition to Mount Everest on May 22.

N. Varaprasad, a youngster from N.R. Peta of Chittoor rural mandal, who successfully scaled the Mount Everest, was felicitated by Chittoor District Collector P.S. Pradyumna here on Wednesday.

According to a press release issued by SETVEN, Mr. Varaprasad was the only finalist from among the 12 participants selected from the district for undergoing training at various stages.

In the first stage, the participants underwent rigorous training in November last year. The number reduced to seven and then to four. They underwent training in Darjeeling and Jammu & Kashmir in last November and this January respectively.

Beyond this, Mr. Varaprasad was the only person from the district who was selected for further training in Ladakh in February, followed by another camp in April and May. He achieved the feat on May 22.

Zilla Parishad Chairperson Geervani Chandraprakash, Chittoor SP S.V. Rajasekhar Babu, SETVEN CEO – District Youth Welfare and Sports Officer Lakshmi and others were present at the felicitation ceremony.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Tirupati – June 14th, 2018

Youth who scaled Mt. Everest feted

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Proud moment: Joint Collector Md.Imtiyaz Ahmed felicitating K. Raja who scaled Mount Everest
Proud moment: Joint Collector Md.Imtiyaz Ahmed felicitating K. Raja who scaled Mount Everest

I felt I was on top of the world for a few minutes, says Raja

They dared to dream and their soaring dreams are being given shape thanks to Mission Everest programme of the State government. The programme launched in 2016 gives opportunity to young men and women to scale Mount Everest.

K. Raja, a 23-year-old youngster from Tadepalli, is among a group of six youngsters from the State who scaled the Mount Everest in April, 2018.

Dream come true

Conquering the highest peak in the world in the most gruelling weather conditions is no mean achievement for Raja, who had lost his father at a young age. His mother used to look after the family of three sons, until the elder brother secured a job in an automobile retail store in Gannavaram. Raja is now studying M.Com. in Tirupati.

“I have never dreamt that I would scale Mount Everest and I felt that I am on top of the world for a few minutes. The experience was also humbling as I leant to respect nature,” Raja told The Hindu.

He was felicitated by Joint Collector Md. Imtiyaz Ahmed during the Grievance Day held on Monday.

It was in November, 2017, when Raja saw an advertisement in a local newspaper about the Mount Everest programme.

A passion for sports and fitness motivated him and he applied and was selected as part of a group of 130 boys and girls. After a five-day physical training session at Ketanakonda in Krishna district, the group was screened and 40 boys and girls who passed the endurance test were sent to train in icy conditions at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. Another gruelling stint at Jawarhalal Institute of Mountaineering for 20 days hardened his skills, followed by advanced training programme in Ladakh. Finally, the batch was cut short to six persons.

Finally, the six-member troupe set out to scale the Mount Everest peak on April 9. After reaching Kathmandu in Nepal on the same day, they stayed at Lhasa and Tingri and finally started the trek at the base camp at an altitude of 13,000 feet. They reached advanced base camp at a further distance of 6,200 metres.

Icy winds

“The trek from camp 1 to camp 2 is the most gruelling test of endurance. With the guidance of Sherpa, I trudged up the snowy mountain braving icy winds touching a speed of 200 km per hour. Finally, I was able to scale the summit at 3 a.m. on April 16. This was the most thrilling moment in my life,” said Raja.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by P. Samuel Jonathan / Guntur – June 12th, 2018

Bengaluru: Hearing impaired woman covers 8,300km on bike

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DRIVEN BY PASSION: Archana Timmaraju embarked on the tour to motivate the hearing impaired
DRIVEN BY PASSION: Archana Timmaraju embarked on the tour to motivate the hearing impaired

______________________________

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Hearing impaired Archana Timmaraju is back in Bengaluru after completing a 8,300km bike ride to Ladakh.
  • Born with 40% hearing ability, Archana has been facing difficulties and disabilities in her speech

______________________________

Bengaluru :

She may be hearing impaired but that hasn’t stopped her from being adventurous. Archana Timmaraju, 33, is back in the city after completing a 8,300km bike ride to Ladakh .

Hailing from Andhra Pradesh, Archana studied in St John’s School, Bengaluru, and later did her masters in metal sculpting from Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath. Other than sculpting, Archana also teaches art at Mallya Aditi International School.

“I started riding at 21 and haven’t looked back since. The aim of this tour — Journey to Inspire — was to motivate the hearing impaired and encourage more women to ride bikes,” she said.

Archana was accompanied by her friend and colleague Daniel Sundaram, a geography teacher, on the journey that began on April 29 and culminated at Freedom Park on May 29. She rode a Royal Enfield, while Daniel was on a KTM bike.

When asked about Archana’s feat, her mother Sita Mahalakshmi said: “We were not scared at all.Archana made video calls to us every day and shared her location live so we knew where she was. I am extremely proud of her.”

Born with 40% hearing ability, Archana has been facing difficulties and disabilities in her speech. She can hear to a certain extent with help of an aid. Archana, with Daniel, has also founded a community, Silent Expedition, for bikers,withspecialemphasison those with disabilities.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City> Bangalore / TNN / June 02nd, 2018

The hotstepper

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Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh 10-05-2018: Commander (Retd) Vallabhajosyula Sriramulu ,a walker who won gold medals in the XXII World Masters Athletics Championships under the age group 90-95 years with his wife Satyavathi in Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh 10-05-2018: Commander (Retd) Vallabhajosyula Sriramulu ,a walker who won gold medals in the XXII World Masters Athletics Championships under the age group 90-95 years with his wife Satyavathi in Visakhapatnam

Meet Commander Sriramulu Vallabhajosyula (retd.), who at 94, is preparing for the 2018 World Masters Athletics Championships to be held in Spain

If you see an aged man brisk walking before dawn at the Beach Road, try not to ask him ‘Why are you angry so early in the morning?’ It’s most likely Sriramulu Vallabhajosyula, a 94-year-old currently preparing for the 2018 World Masters Athletics Championships (WMAC) in Malaga, Spain in September.

As a young officer in the Indian Navy, every day after work, Vallabhajosyula would go sailing. But after retirement, he found it difficult to continue sailing since there weren’t any sailing clubs in Visakhapatnam back then. Far from confining himself at home, he took to brisk-walking instead. Since then, he has won several national and international competitions.

The nonagenarian is in splits as he shares incidents from morning walks. As if being perceived as angry wasn’t enough, Sriramulu deals with questioning looks, when he tells people how old he is. “Why would I lie about my age? Nowadays, when someone asks me how old I am, I simply smile and continue walking,” he says, laughing again.

Vallabhajosyula knows these question are well spirited but it breaks the rhythm of the training. Hence, he starts as early as 3.45 am, so that he can beat the heat, the traffic and the questions, all at once. But not all situations allow him to dodge the questions. Some early mornings, a senior citizen walks up to him and asks, ‘What do you eat?’ to which he responds sincerely. Raising his eyebrows, Vallabhajosyula sighs and adds, “Over the years, my diet has reduced.’’ He wonders if his dinky diet would be reasonable for others. He continues, “More than what one eats, one must pay attention to what they do after eating.” Vallabhajosyula sees walking not only as a hobby but also a great way to stay fit and uses weights only to strengthen his muscles, as he feels building the upper body will increase the weight on knees.

During his training, he doesn’t like to wear a watch or carry a phone. This is a cause of concern for Satyavati, his wife, because he fell down few times while walking. “One time he fell and got a severe bruise on his nose. But he managed to come back home. Of course, I get worried. But once he puts his mind to something, it’s hard to talk him out of it. He gives his 100%”, says 86-year-old , expressing her daily joy when she sees Vallabhajosyula return after the walk.

It’s been over 40 years since Vallabhajosyula settled down in Visakhapatnam. He took this decision keeping in mind the city’s strong association with the Indian Navy and the proximity to Machilipatnam, his hometown. Apart from race walking, Vallabhajosyula is immersed in non-fiction and books on astronomy.

His passion for astronomy made him a Navigation Officer in the Indian Navy. He has also stayed in Mumbai, Kochi and Visakhapatnam. But passionately recommends this city for it’s easy-going lifestyle, and credits the friendly people of Visakhapatnam. who know how to communicate effectively. Apart from the Beach Road, he recommends walkers of Visakhapatnam to walk up Kailasagiri Giri and enjoy the satisfying sea breeze after a challenging climb.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style / by Archit Mehta / May 11th, 2018

300 free heart surgeries completed

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Surgeons of Healing Little Hearts, UK, who are in the team that completed 300 free operations, in Vijayawada. | Photo Credit: ARRANGED
Surgeons of Healing Little Hearts, UK, who are in the team that completed 300 free operations, in Vijayawada. | Photo Credit: ARRANGED

Initiative by Healing Little Hearts in association with Andhra Hospitals

Healing Little Hearts, UK, in association with the Andhra Hospitals, has completed free heart surgeries on 300 children with various complex heart ailments including transposition of great arteries, Tetralogy of Fallot, absent pulmonary valve, double outlet right ventricle, Tricuspid Atresia, Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection (TAPVC) and Atrioventricular Septal Defect (AVSD).

Andhra Hospitals Children’s Services chief P.V. Rama Rao told media that the number touched the 300 mark with the completion of 14 heart surgeries performed by a 10-member expert team from from different hospitals in the UK and Italy this week.

Dr. Rama Rao said that the success rate of the Healing Little Hearts teams that have been performing surgeries was “nearly” 100%. He said that teams from UK had come to perform surgeries at the Andhra Hospitals 14 times.

He said that cardiac surgeons, specialist nurses from the Great Ormond Street Hospital, (London), Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Leicester Royal Infirmary, of the UK, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital and Azienda Ospedaliera dei Colli Ospendale Mondaldi of Italy performed the surgeries free of cost.

Andhra Hospital surgeons Dilip, Sreemannarayana and Ramesh performed the surgeries along with doctors from UK and Italy, Dr Rama Rao said.

Film star Mahesh Babu who was extending support to Andhra Hospitals visited the children who underwent surgery and at the earlier camps in the Heart and Brain Institute and interacted with them and their parents. Mr. Mahesh Babu was in the city to promote his new film on Friday.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Special Correspondent / Vijayawada – April 28th, 2018

E. Godavari achieves milestone

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Shining example: Chief Minister says it will now be replicated in other districts of the State. | Photo Credit: CH_VIJAYA BHASKAR
Shining example: Chief Minister says it will now be replicated in other districts of the State. | Photo Credit: CH_VIJAYA BHASKAR

CM to declare it the first district with 100% LED street lights in country

East Godavari district of the State has achieved the milestone of being the first LED street lighting district in the country.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will declare it tentatively on April 24 on the occasion of Panchayat Raj Divas. By installing around 3.1 lakh LED street lights in the rural areas of the district, around 34 Million Units (MUs) of energy could be saved annually.

Andhra Pradesh has been identified as the best State in the country in implementation of energy efficiency and conservation programmes by the World Bank.

Role model

In a tele-conference with Minister for IT and Panchayat Raj Nara Lokesh and Principal Secretary Jawahar Reddy, Mr. Naidu said the State’s quest to enhance people’s quality of life in cities as well as villages had made it a role model for others.

‘Happy lives’

Mr. Naidu appreciated the Minister’s efforts with the support of the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) in completing the street-lighting project in a record period of over five months and said it will now be replicated in other districts across the State by installing 28 lakh to 30 lakh LED lights which would save around 333 MUs of energy annually.

“My idea is to pay equal attention to basic amenities for the people in urban as well as rural segments like water, roads, housing and street-lighting. I want people of the State to lead happy lives,” he said.

Mr. Lokesh said of the total number of 50 lakh LED street lights installed across the country, Andhra Pradesh’s share was 11.61 lakh street lights, covering 20 % of the total number, leaving behind big States like Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. He said coordination between many wings of the government had resulted in the achievement.

He asked Mr. Jawahar Reddy to prepare a comprehensive report on the overall impact of LED street lighting programme in East Godavari comparing it with other rural areas across the globe.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Special Correspondent / Vijayawada – April 16th, 2018

A shero shows the way with a vision!

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A file photo of the students of Dwarakamaye School participating in yoga competition in Vizianagaram. | Photo Credit: arrangement
A file photo of the students of Dwarakamaye School participating in yoga competition in Vizianagaram. | Photo Credit: arrangement

Mother of a visually and mentally-challenged boy is hope for the differently-abled

“I am blind, but trained,” is a famous dialogue from a recent Telugu movie, Raja The Great. Raviteja, the hero, played the role of a visually challenged, but a multi-talented person proving that the visually impaired are second to none. However, there are little heroes unfettered by their visual impairment and excelling in their chosen areas, and they can be found in a quiet institution here — studying in Dwarakamayee School for the Visually Impaired, founded by M. Asha Jyothi.

They are competing with students without any impairment and winning prizes and awards in areas such as quiz, essay- writing, dance, music, sports, yoga, fashion shows, etc., leaving everyone stunned, including VIPs, when they come to attend the school’s cultural programmes. S. Parameswara Rao stood first in ‘Paaduta Teeyaga’, a popular singing competition aired by a Telugu channel.

Now, he is globetrotting, including the U.K., to give musical performances with top singers. He had passed his 10th class from the school in 2017, and is pursuing Intermediate in Visakhapatnam.

Another student, P. Ganesh, who did his 10th class in 2017, won the first prize continuously in the State-level chess competitions organised for the differently-abled. He is now pursuing Intermediate privately under the supervision of the school.

Dwarakamaye’s students also got prizes in the fashion, fancy dress, and mime shows organised by the government’s Youth Services Department as part of the Yuva Mahotsav in December last year.

Such has been their overall performance that Dwarakamaye got the State’s Best Visually Impaired School for the year 2017.

Six visually challenged children had passed 10th class examination with a 9.2 grade in 2017, considered good for normal students too.

Turning point

Ms. Jyothi’s smile belies a double tragedy — her visually and mentally challenged son Hari Smaran. Parenting became a major challenge with little improvement in his health. She could not find a proper school for the visually and mentally challenged children in Vizianagaram. To exacerbate, the only school with little infrastructure was also shifted to Bhimili, near Visakhapatnam, souring her dream to ensure normalcy to her child.

But Ms. Jyothi turned her frustration into a challenge and established the school in year 2013 in Poolbaugh Road of Vizianagaram.

Help came in from her brother, K. Narayana, a hardware engineer in Bengaluru, and husband M. Ravi Kumar, a builder in Vizianagaram.

However, it was not a smooth journey. The family could generate ₹10 lakh initially for establishment of the school. It needs ₹1.6 lakh per month for its maintenance, including payment of salaries to 10 teachers and three other staff. In spite of many difficulties, she did not lose confidence. Her willpower and talent of the children caught the attention of many philanthropists to extend help to the institution. Though the donations were insufficient, they boosted Ms. Jyothi’s morale in making the institution the best one among the schools run for special kids in Andhra Pradesh, though she herself is a college dropout.

Aiming big

Currently, 50 special children are studying from classes 1 to 10 in the school. Around 10 well-trained teachers are taking special care for their overall development.

“My only aim is to create awareness among people that the visually challenged can also lead a happy life if they are given proper support at the right age. Parents should not feel disappointed about their deformity. They can also do wonders when trained and motivated,” she told The Hindu. Ms. Jyothis’s aim is to establish Intermediate and degree colleges exclusively for visually challenged.

She was bestowed with many awards for her relentless work for the last five years, including the Youth Icon award and Visista Seva Pratibha Puraskaram from Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2017.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by K. Srinivasa Rao / Vizianagaram – April 13th, 2018

Sunday samaritans run an anti-hunger project

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Street saviours: Members of the ‘Railway Team-Food for Poor’ distributing food packets to the destitute near the Vizianagaram railway station.
Street saviours: Members of the ‘Railway Team-Food for Poor’ distributing food packets to the destitute near the Vizianagaram railway station.

A.P. government employee starts a project to feed the poor, and draws a team of 130 volunteers

For government employees, Sunday is a time to relax and spend time with family members, but not for Visakh C.

Even before dawn breaks in Vizianagaram, this government employee gets busy with cooking. He finishes well ahead of the lunch hour, packs the food in packets and sets out on his mission: to distribute them among the destitute, including persons with mental disabilities.

Started in Kerala

“I prepare food for 50 people every Sunday. It gives me satisfaction. I started the initiative, along with my wife Vaishnavi when I was in Kerala. She taught me to easily prepare food for a big group,” Mr. Visakh said.

What he started solo has become a movement now, as 130 railways employees have joined hands to use their free time to feed orphans and run a dedicated team called ‘Railway Team-Food for Poor.’

The railway officials, M. Kanakaraju, N. Jayasankar, A. Omkar Murthy, S. Dixit, and others, chalk out the action plan a week ahead.

Blood donation

Apart from distribution of food packets, the team also extends a helping hand to the needy in many other ways — be it supply of blankets to the people who sleep rough, on the pavement, setting up water purifiers at orphanages and so on. The team members also donate blood to patients in need. They maintain a WhatsApp group to ensure a quick response when patients need blood urgently.

“I never thought that my initiative would get such support from many top officials and colleagues. Their active participation is motivating many to come forward and spare their free time for charitable activities,” said Mr. Visakh.

Mr. Kanakaraju said that the association now was planning to extend health care support to the needy.

Every Sunday, the inmates of many orphanages and old-age homes eagerly wait for the team, as the members arrive to share happiness and offer some hours of companionship, apart from food packets.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by K. Srinivasa Rao / Vizianagaram – April 2th, 2018