Monthly Archives: March 2013

Karimnagar’s Lions Clubs achieve a milestone

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Uncategorized

The ten Lions Clubs in Karimnagar have achieved a distinction in the country by collecting a record number of 207 pairs of eyeballs during this lionistic year from July 2012 to till date.

Similarly, the Lions Club of Karimnagar Manair had set another milestone by collecting 100 eyeballs in Karimnagar town during the year.

Disclosing this to newsmen here on Monday, Lions Clubs international region chairperson B Madhusudhan Reddy said that the Lions Club of Karimnagar have also collected four unclaimed bodies and donated the same to the Chalmeda Ananda Rao Institute of Medical Sciences (CAIMS) in Karimnagar. He said that they would continue their mission of educating the people to donate their eyes after death to provide eye-sight to the visionless people.

source:  http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Karimnagar, March 12th, 2013

Seminar begins on natural resources

Education, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Science & Technology
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Anantapur: 
A two-day national-level seminar on ‘Rural Women and Natural Resources Management Opportunities, Policies and Challenges’ was began at the Department of Rural Development and Social Work of Srikrishnadevaraya University here on Friday.
Principal Prof K. Buddanna inaugurated the seminar sponsored under the UGC-SAP programme.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Sreedhar of rural development said that about 90 research scholars from eight states in the country will participate in the seminar and presenting their research papers on rural women and natural resource management.
Interactive sessions with eminent social scientists were being conducted oversuccess and failures of natural resources management. Prof.Galib said that natural resource management was not properly done because of discrimination against the rural women.
source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home>News> Current Affairs / DC / Anantapur, March 16th, 2013

Hyderabad’s faithful rejoice new Pope’s election

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion

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Hyderabad:

Roman Catholics in the city have hailed the election of the new Pope, Francis I, from Argentina, the first non-European pontiff in nearly 1,300 years. Special prayers will be held for the man who will lead over 1.2 billion Roman Catholics in the modern world.

Archbishop of Hyderabad Rev. Thumma Bala said, “I am very pleased to express my joy on the election of the new pontiff, Pope Francis I. I extend our cordial congratulations and felicitation to the most holy man.”

Jayasudha, the MLA from Secunderabad, said, “I am glad that this time something different has taken place. After so many years they have elected a Pope from outside Europe. We can only hope for the best and pray for the Pope to continue God’s work and bring about peace in the world, which is most important.”

Father Valentine D’Mello of Holy Trinity Church, Begumpet, said there would be special celebrations and a mass dedicated to Pope Francis.

“We will have special ringing of the bells and we will have our celebrations in the mass. We will be praying for him and there will be a thanksgiving chant after the mass. One of these days, we will be dedicating the whole celebration to the Pope,” he said.

Kevin Michael, a parishioner of John the Baptist Church said, “We are happy since we received the news this morning that we have got a new Pope who is simple, polite and a religious person. We pray for him so that he can lead the church of over 1.5 billion Catholics all over the world, and that he can lead the church forward in the modern world.”

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> News> Current Affairs / DC / by Coreena Suares / March 15th, 2013

500 acres for AP’s ‘Brindavan Gardens’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment

The Guntur district administration has decided to allocate 500 acres of land for the mega tourism project proposed by the AP Tourism Development Corporation  proposed a Rs 650-crore Mega Tourism project at Nagulavaram in Macherla mandal on the lines of the Brindavan Gardens of Mysore.

The APTDC sought 640 acres but the district administration has decided to allot 500 acres. Collector S Suresh Kumar sent the land allocation papers to APTDC on Tuesday.

The APTDC expects that the proposed project, in addition to the existing Nagarjunakonda, Nagarjunasagar Dam and Buddhavanam,  will boost tourism in the region.

The APTDC proposes to develop the Ettipotala Waterfalls, lay a ropeway at Ettipotala between two hills, build a five-star hotel, resorts, motels, develop water falls, water fountains, etc as part of the Mega Tourism Project, TGV Krishna Reddy, MLC, told Express.

The number of foreign tourists visiting the district has been growing in the last few years. About 6,400 tourists visited the district in 2008, 8,250 in 2009, more than  12,000 in 2010, 13,450 in 2011 and 15,540 in 2012. The number of domestic tourists was 9.9 lakh in 2008, 15.23 lakh in 2009, 17.6 lakh in 2010, 19.33 lakh in 2011 and 20.45 lakh in 2012, according to tourism officials.

source: http://www. newindianexpress.com / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Ch. Rama Gopala Sastry / ENS – Nagarjunasagar (Guntur) / March 14th, 2013

From shepherd to scholar, Ramana goes places

Education, Inspiration /Positive News and Features

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A file photo of  C.V. Ramana (right) with his parents. / The Hindu

Now a doctoral student at the UoH, Ramana has always refused to be pinned down by crises. He will now present a paper at Oxford University

While there is no dearth of stories that exemplify the strength of the human spirit, of that irrepressible drive to make it beyond all odds, this one is definitely is a stand-out. From being a shepherd and a child who missed school often, to presenting a research paper at the prestigious Oxford University, life has been an unbelievable dream journey for C.V. Ramana.

Spark within

For this doctoral scholar from the University of Hyderabad, who hails from a small village in Chittoor district, the trigger for his achievements were the repeated instances of humiliation he faced from landlords of his village and the injustice meted out to his family from his own caste chieftains. Education, he thought, and has ever since proved, would be the liberator. He credits The Hindu for being an able enabler.

At Oxford, Ramana will present a paper titled ‘Higher Education as Capability in Enhancing Opportunities: A Study on Fee Reimbursement Policy in Andhra Pradesh, India’.

Story of struggle

As a ten-year-old, Ramana was forced to drop out of school and raise sheep in his village Bathalavari Palli. When a landlord, and later legal hurdles, denied his family the rights to purchase assigned land, he resolved to make it big in life.

Amid financial crises, Ramana completed Class 10 and Intermediate through the National Open School after a few failed attempts. The renewed confidence led him to completing graduation from the Government Degree College in Piler, Chittoor.

English embarrasses

“Gaining admission to the University of Hyderabad for my post graduation and accessing The Hinduchanged the course of my life,” he reveals. With a background in the Telugu medium of education, Ramana said he scored a blank in his first semester exams.

“Realising the need to improve English language skills, I took up reading The Hindu in the hostel and the passion for English just multiplied,” says Ramana, who also attributes his success to Internet access.

In fact, he made friends only with students from Nagaland so that he had no option but to speak in English. He completed his M. Phil in a year. For his Ph.D., he chose a topic close to his heart – the fee reimbursement scheme.

“Since I am a beneficiary of such schemes from the University Grants Commission, I chose it and my guide Prof. Ramabrahmam encouraged my idea. Our society needs such schemes,” Ramana feels.

After his presentation at Oxford, Ramana will be travelling to Harvard in May where he will speak on “Significance of Scholarships in Segregated Societies: New Directions in Indian Welfare Policies.” He had earlier presented a paper at Berlin, Germany.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by R. Ravikanth Reddy / Maerch 14th, 2013

Fisherfolk witness unexpectedly large catch of prawn in Machilipatnam

Business & Economy, Nature

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As the breeding season of prawn is likely to start by mid April, fishermen venturing into sea along the Machilipatnam coast of Bay of Bengal have been getting unexpectedly large catch of prawns, mostly Tiger prawn, for the past one week. Tiger prawns were caught in the nets of a few boats just 15-25 km. away from the Manginapudi beach in Krishna district on Tuesday.

The fisherfolk fishing on engine boats or trawlers are receiving good catch of prawn varieties, locally known as ‘Narn’ and ‘Pavulla’ prawn. “The catch of the Tiger prawn and other varieties of shrimp has been increasing day-by-day between Machilipatnam and Kakinada coast due to changes in climate. Huge catch of the prawn is expected in coming weeks before the fishing ban comes into force,” said Ch. Chinni.

He accompanied by his four colleagues went 15 km. off Manginapudi beach on Monday and returned on Tuesday with a lot of prawns largely Tiger prawn. “Middlemen offering us Rs. 400 to Rs. 500 for 20 Tiger prawns while price for other varieties is being offered around Rs. 400 per Kg,” added fisherfolk of Manginapudi that the profit of the whole catch of a trip now depended on the catch of prawn.

Though the present catch was not much to export to other parts of the State, Tiger prawn was fetching above Rs. 600 per kg in the open market in Vijayawada city and surrounding areas. The catch of prawn depends on the climatic conditions, wind direction and mercury levels.

The fisheries authorities all set to impose and implement scheduled ban on fishing on the sea from mid April in order to promise safe breeding season for many fish species including prawn.

The post-ban period is normally an idle time to experience the handsome fish catch for engine boats and trawlers those can go a long distance for fishing. However, barely few weeks are ahead to catch the highly demanding varieties of prawn in the market.

  • The huge catch is because of the changes in climate, says a fisherman
  • Middlemen are offering us Rs. 400 to Rs. 500 for 20 Tiger prawns, he says
  • ______________________________________________
  • source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Machilipatnam, March 13th, 2013

Flurys to serve tea, pastries beyond Bengal

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

Kolkata :

Flurys, the city’s iconic tea room that has been serving exotic cakes, creamy pastries and rich puddings for nearly 90 years, is now ready to spread the platter across the country. After launching its first restaurant outside Bengal at a mall in Hyderabad earlier this month, the Apeejay group company is now ready to put up its unmistakable pink signboard in other major cities.

The response to the store at Hyderabad’s GVK One Mall has been overwhelming, both from expatriates from Kolkata as well as local residents, a Flurys official told TOI.

“Since a culture of baking and pastry consumption exists in the city, we had expected to do well but the way in which Hyderabadis have taken to the brand as their own is a pleasant surprise. Those who hail from Kolkata and now reside in Hyderabad have become sentimental about Flurys coming to town. It just goes to show the enormous opportunity for the brand across the country,” the official said.

In the next two years, the Apeejay group is eyeing at least 20 stores outside Bengal, 13 of them outside the state. Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai are next on the list, followed by Pune, Jaipur and Goa. “Initially, we will expand in cities with ‘The Park’ hotels  because these locations will offer logistics support in terms of bakery. Later, the brand can expand to nearby towns and cities,” he explained. In Bengal, Durgapur and Howrah are among the chosen cities.

While 70% of the products will be the same as the ones available in the flagship store on Park Street – including rum ball, baba cake , chicken patty and horse shoe – they will be subtly tweaked to suit local palate. In addition, more contemporary pastries will be added to the menu.

“City centric menu optimization will happen. Since Hyderabad has a large IT and ITeS population, there is huge potential for quick sandwiches and rolls. We will introduce them in the days ahead,” the official said, adding that home and office delivery services are also in the pipeline. “Now that Flurys is in a business expansion mode, we will do whatever it takes to grow.” A franchisee model may also be adopted to supplement the company-owned, company-operated outlets, he added. Flurys has identified three formats for growth outside Kolkata – flagship stores (1,500-2,000 sq ft), quick service restaurant (250-500 sq ft) and kiosks (150-200 sq ft). Incubics Consultants has designed the stores that will have a uniform look and feel across the country.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Kolkata / by Subhro Niyogi, TNN / March 13th 2013

Herbs hold key to tribal medicare

Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Science & Technology

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Visakhapatnam:

Andhra University researchers, who did an ethno-medicinal study on the use of medicinal plants by the tribals of Kotia Hills on the Andhra-Odisha border, Vizianagaram district, found that they were treating a range of illnesses — from rheumatoid arthritis and fractures to asthma, diabetes and malaria — with 62 such species.

The researchers observed that the usage was appropriate for curing the disease and that they had inherited the knowledge of traditional medicines over successive generations.

“The knowledge they have is precious and needs to be recorded. The studies done have also to be substantiated by phytochemical analysis and pharmacological screening for their active principles,” said Prof. M. Venkaiah, department of Botany of the univesity.

The tribals of these areas belong mainly to the Mannedora, Kondadora, Jatapu and Savara communities and the most cited plant family they used was the Lamiaceae or mint, with its widely used culinary herbs, such as basil (tulsi), mint (pudina), rosemary (kumkuma puvvu), sage and others. They used plants growing on the ground, rather than below, for medicinal purposes, the study found. They were also combining this with small quantities of milk, ghee or honey to make the taste palatable.

Another survey shows that more than 80 per cent of tribal populations maintain their animals’ health too through traditional medicines largely of plant origin.
A total of 108 plant species belonging to 99 genera and 51 families have been identified as a potential source for treating 47 types of ailments.

Eight species calling under the Solanaceae family are the most in use followed by Caesalpiniaceae with seven. The first consists of plants such as mirapa, ummettha, tomato, pogaku and others.
Medicinal plants have been playing an important role in the survival and wellness of the ethnic communities who live in remote villages in the Agency areas.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> News> Current Affairs / DC /by P. V. Prasad / March 11th, 2013

School notes from Hyderabad

Education

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Glendale Edufun

Jain Toddlers play school chain celebrated its fourth Graduation Day for all its five branches at the NIFT Auditorium, HITEC City. Dr. Kedareshwari, Keeper and Head – Education, Training and PR, Salar Jung Museum, was the chief guest and the guest of honour was Micheal Latham, Regional Director South Asia – CFBT Educational Trust. COO of Jain Group Schools Mr. Chandrashekar and Academic Director Mrs. Lakshmi Rao were present.

Kinder Wonder”, a musical extravaganza by pre-primary and Std. I marked the Graduation Ceremony held at Glendale Edufun. The theme this year was “Tell Tales”. The event began with the lighting of the “Story Candle” by the chief guest, theatre personality Mohammad Ali Baig. A cultural programme followed. The show culminated with the graduation of the UKG – Class of 2011-2012.

Global Techno School celebrated its first annual day. Feroz Khan, Congress Party leader, was the chief guest. The children from play group section of school presented the introductory speech. A cultural programme followed.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> Features> Young World / April 16th, 2012

Lifetime achievement award for Guntur doctor

Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technology

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A Guntur-based phonosurgeon V. Phaniendra Kumar has been presented the Lifetime Achievement Award for his services to the speciality in medicine.

At the 9 National Conference of the Association of Phonosurgeons of India ‘PHONOCON – 2013’ organised at Pinnamaneni Siddhardha Medical College, Vijayawada, he was given away the award, Dr. Phanineindra said in a release on Monday.

Phonosurgery is voice restorative surgery for victims of voice disorder.

The origin of the speciality in India is from Guntur. The national conference was organised on March 8, 9 and 10. Registrar of Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences S. Babulal, chief guest of the inaugural function, gave away the award.

About 100 ENT surgeons from different parts of the country attended as delegates.

International faculty members from the USA and New Zealand, national experts from the State, Kerala, Mumbai and New Delhi conducted technical sessions.

Dr. Phaniendra is the founder of the APSI and developed it over the years.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada /by Special Correspondent / March 12th, 2013