Monthly Archives: August 2015

Here’s a golden chance for aquaculturists to revive ponds

A grower sprinkling feed in an aqua pond at Ravivaripalem of Prakasam district.- PHOTO: KOMMURI SRINIVAS
A grower sprinkling feed in an aqua pond at Ravivaripalem of Prakasam district.- PHOTO: KOMMURI SRINIVAS

Vannamei shrimp culture has come as a boon for aquaculturists in Prakasam district who were hit hard following the outbreak of the White Spot Disease in tiger shrimp farms, leading to abandoning of ponds in large tracts.

The growers are a worried lot now, with the price of Vannamei for 30-count plummeting to around Rs. 400 a kg after touching a high of Rs. 750 in 2013 in the wake of the outbreak of the Early Mortality Syndrome in China.

In this scenario, the Fisheries Department had chalked out an action plan to fully tap the potential of the district by focusing on revival of brackish water aquaculture in abandoned ponds on the one hand and cutting costs through supply of subsidised seed and feed.

Estimating that aquaculture is currently in vogue in around 3,000 hectares, the district administration has fixed an ambitious target of doubling it to 6,000 hectares in the district over a period.

Speaking to The Hindu , Fisheries Assistant Director said the State government had identified aquaculture as a growth engine and had come out with schemes for the revival of abandoned ponds, besides those for providing subsidy for inputs and mechanisation of aqua ponds to ensure sustainable shrimp farming.

Aquacutlurists, according to an estimate, have abandoned aqua-ponds in over 500 hectares in the district.

“We want to see that aquaculture is revived in at least 100 hectares during the year, he said, adding that selected players would be offered a subsidy of Rs. 2 lakh per hectare for specific pathogen-free seed, feed and chemicals.

Subsidy scheme

The department has also come out with a scheme to provide Rs. 5 lakh as subsidy for the Rs. 10-lakh mobile lab to test soil, water and shrimps right at aqua ponds for disease surveillance, Fisheries Development Officer K. Lakshminarayana said. The growers can also avail 50 per cent subsidy on purchase of solar pump-sets, iron rods, fans, paddle and aerators to ensure sustainable shrimp farming.

Farmers going for Tilapia culture in ponds are eligible for 50 per cent subsidy for a two-hectare unit costing Rs. 2 lakh to grow exotic species imported from Africa to augment their income, they add.

Growers are worried lot with the price of Vannamei for 30-count plummeting to around Rs. 400 a kg after touching a high of Rs. 750 in 2013

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by S. Murali / Ongole – August 25th, 2015

Tata Trust Pact to Make Villages Smart

TATA Trust chairman Ratan Tata (right) interacts with Vijayawada MP Kesineni Srinivas at a press conference in Vijayawada on Monday as executive trustee R Venkataramanan looks on | Express Photo
TATA Trust chairman Ratan Tata (right) interacts with Vijayawada MP Kesineni Srinivas at a press conference in Vijayawada on Monday as executive trustee R Venkataramanan looks on | Express Photo

Vijayawada : 

Taking another step in the direction of developing Andhra Pradesh as a smart state by developing villages as smart villages, the state government entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tata Trust here on Sunday.

Though the MoU is for the development of 264 villages in the Vijayawada Parliamentary Constituency with focus on human resources development and employment generation avenues, the State Government sees it as a cornerstone for the development of the state as ‘the best state’ by 2029. The MoU was signed by R Venkataraman, CEO of Tata Trust, on its behalf and Shanti Priya Pandey, Additional Secretary (Planning), on behalf of the government.

Launching the Village Development Plans and the website for the Vijayawada Bamboo Mission, along with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Tata Trust Chairman Ratan Tata said he looked forward to a great partnership between the state government and Tata Trust. He said it would be a step in the direction of helping the betterment of quality of life in villages. Recalling his past interaction with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, the Tata Trust Chairman said he held the former in great esteem. He wished the CM and the state all successes in the coming years.

Speaking on the occasion, Naidu said it was a start in the direction of Smart AP’ and called upon people of the state settled across the world to chip in with their knowledge and other contributions to make the state a smart one and help in improving the lives of people in the rural areas.

Hailing the initiative of Vijayawada MP Kesineni Srinivas, which saw the Tata Trust becoming a partner in the development of 264 villages of his constituency like never before, the CM said many companies and individuals were also coming forward to partner with the state in its development.

“However, to make such initiatives successful, people’s cooperation and active participation are of paramount importance”, he maintained.

Pointing out at the technologies like geo tagging, GAP analysis to do baseline survey of 10 lakh families in 264 villages in Vijayawada Parliamentary Constituency which was made possible with people’s cooperation, the CM said the government would be launching Pulse Smart Survey in the state to get details of all the people in the state and that the job had been entrusted to Special Chief Secretary S P Tucker.

Stating that technology had become cost-effective, the CM said that using the tablets being provided by the government, VROs and sarpanches in the villages could identify the needs of the people and the gaps in implementation of schemes / programmes and initiate corrective measures. He cited ePOS in the PDS, distribution of pensions using hand-held tabs at the doorsteps of the beneficiaries to emphasis that usage of technology not only ensured transparency but also saved lots of money.

Assuring the villages of the government’s help with regard to matching grants and gap solutions for different programmes to be taken up at the village level, he said the villages doing well in development and the implementation of welfare schemes would be given ‘Best Village’ awards and their sarpanches and officials would be felicitated during Sankranti.

On the occasion, he cited the government initiatives like seven missions and five grids for the overall development of the state.

Earlier, Venkataraman and Vijayawada MP Kesineni Srinivas (Nani) explained the objectives of the Village Development Plans, which were basically focused at nutrition, health, fisheries,  skill development and related aspects.

On the occasion, the students of the city-based Siddharta Mahila Kalasala presented a cultural programme and the same was appreciated by one and all.

source : http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / August 25th, 2015

GB Syndrome clinic opened at Apollo Hospitals

Neuro physician Bindu Menon says moments after a paralytic stroke, immediate treatment should be given so as to bring the patient back to normalcy. —Photo: K. Ravikumar
Neuro physician Bindu Menon says moments after a paralytic stroke, immediate treatment should be given so as to bring the patient back to normalcy. —Photo: K. Ravikumar

The treatment for the Guillain Barre Syndrome, a muscle weakening neurological disorder, was started for the first time at the Apollo Specialty Hospitals here in Nellore city on Wednesday.

The GB syndrome is a disorder which occurs when the body’s immune system starts attacking the healthy cells of peripheral systems. It often leads to paralysis and even death at times.

“With some awareness on the part of the patients, the disease can be controlled. It can be prevented from causing severe illness,” said neuro physician Dr. Bindu Menon. To effectively handle neuro disorders, preventive measures should be taken much ahead, she said. Speaking on the awareness aspects on the occasion, Dr. Menon said that moments after a paralytic stroke, immediate treatment should be given so as to bring the patient back to normalcy. This would yield better results or else this would cause serious side effects, she added.

The neurology wing in the hospitals has been sufficiently strengthened with special clinics opened to treat Parkinson’s disease, memory disorders and back pain related complaints.

To provide advanced neuro care, a neuro physician, neuro surgeon, neuro physiotherapist, intensive neuro trained nurses, dieticians and other technicians are made available at the Apollo Specialty Hospitals.

source: http: //www.thehindu.com /  Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Nellore – August 27th, 2015

A.P. major contributor to marine exports

A major player in the aquaculture sector, Andhra Pradesh contributed 46 per cent of marine exports, valued at around Rs. 35,000 crore, during 2014-15.

The contribution of the fisheries sector to the country’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) is 6.04 per cent, and the total fish and prawn production in brackish and fresh water in the State was 19.78 lakh tonnes, and it was worth around Rs. 21,325 crore.

However, aqua farmers fear a dip in production owing to the prevailing drought situation.

Price fluctuations

“Aqua farmers invest Rs. 5 lakh on an average in an acre of pond for raising shrimp. But, the benefit is marginal, thanks to price fluctuation in the international market and adverse weather,” said V. Sathibabu, a farmer from Gudivada.

Another aqua farmer, G. Venkanna from Undi in West Godavari district, said canals, which were the principal sources of water for aquaculture, had dried up, and that a few tanks were dependent on bore wells.

“Aqua farmers spend lakhs of rupees every season on procurement of seed strock, feed and medicine, not to mention labour and power charges.

Apart from that the lease value is between Rs. 40,000 and Rs. 50,000 per acre a year,” he added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Gudivada (Krishna) – August 24th, 2015

Sweet-jelly a hit

There is an increasing demand for palm-based products. Keeping this in view, we experimented with an innovative sweet-jelly made of palm fruit and the product is really catching up, explains Y. Surya Kumari, an entrepreneur displaying food products manufactured under Krushi Products, West Godavari, at one of the stalls.

Another entrepreneur D. Gayathri Devi, who runs Gayathri Papads, says, “It has been two years since I availed subsidy under PMEGP. Today, my unit employs more than 15 persons. The business is fast growing and gives an annual turnover of not less than Rs.7 lakh.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / August 23rd, 2015

472 tribal youth clear physical tests for paramilitary wings

Visakhapatnam :

As many as 472 of the 538 tribal youths trained by the Visakha Rural and CRPF cops passed the rigorous physical tests during the recruitment camp conducted for the paramilitary wings in July. The police bosses in the district are now planning to train the youth for written tests as well. The Visakha Rural cops consider this achievement to be a milestone in their ongoing efforts to prevent tribal youth from joining the Maoists.

The men’s selection tests were conducted in Hyderabad, while the women underwent the tests at the Visakha Steel Plant in the city. As many as 378 out of the 422 men and 94 of the 116 women qualified for the written test.

The Union ministry of home affairs has reportedly asked the Visakha Rural cops to furnish the details of the training programme to extend the same to various other Maoist-infested areas in the country, sources said.

According to sources, the cops, in an attempt to stop recruitments by naxals from tribal areas, began training the youth for various paramilitary posts. “The police bosses analysed the situation and found that a majority of the youth were attracted towards the Maoist ideology due to unemployment,” a senior police officer said, adding that Rural SP Koya Praveen, in coordination with Paderu ASP Attada Bapuji, started the ‘Spoorthy’ programme to check naxal recruitments in tribal areas.

Around 1,000 youth were screened as part of the final selection for physical training by the cops at Paderu in April, of which nearly 538 candidates were selected for the fitness training. More than 75 security personnel from the District Training Centre, CRPF and Rural Police were assigned the responsibility to provide training.

“The programme is aimed at extending a helping hand to tribal youth as they don’t have the resources to get trained like their urban counterparts. The programme will help the youth get jobs in various central government wings. I had conducted one such session in Parvathipuram with cooperation from the ITDA when I was the officer on special duty there. Some of the youth were selected for the state police wing, but some failed due to height,” the Rural SP told TOI.

The Paderu ASP said that all the youth were trained at the Youth Training Centre at Paderu and the ITDA provided them with a nutritious diet. “We divided the candidates into three batches and trained them for 15 days each,” he added.

The Rural SP said they are now planning to provide a four-week training for the written tests with the help of the faculty members of various coaching centres. The material for the training has also been prepared, he said, adding that such training programmes will be continued in the future as well.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Visakhapatnam / by Siva G / August 20th, 2015

A mission for coastal resource conservation

The Sorlagondi Reserve Forest in Nagayalanka mandal of Krishna district.- Photo: T. Appala Naidu
The Sorlagondi Reserve Forest in Nagayalanka mandal of Krishna district.- Photo: T. Appala Naidu

UN body joins Swaminathan Foundation to restore Sorlagondi mangrove forest. The UNFCCC will release the adaptation fund through the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard).

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Chennai-based M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) will work together for the conservation of coastal resources, with focus on the restoration of the Sorlagondi mangrove forest cover in Krishna district.

“The UNFCCC has sanctioned Rs. 3.8 crore for the potential adaptation strategy of MSSRF in Krishna district through an ‘adaptation fund’. A roadmap to improve the mangrove forest cover in 200 acres and fish cultivation in around 50 acres of mangrove forest has been prepared, and it will be executed in August,” MSRRF Project Co-ordinator Rama Subrahmanyam said.

“The abandoned land will be brought under fish cultivation, while landless families will be involved in cage cultivation in three villages – Sorlagondi and Nali in Nagayalanka mandal and Basavanipalem in Koduru mandal,” he added.

Mr. Subrahmanyam said cage cultivation would be encouraged in brackish water by setting up as many as 10 cages in the three villages, which had been adopted by MSSRF.

The UNFCCC will release the adaptation fund through the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard). According to NABARD sources, the objective of the adaptation initiative is to overcome the consequences of sea level rise and seawater inundation following cyclonic storms.

An official release by Nabard reads: “Restoration of degraded mangroves will be undertaken with native multiple mangrove species, which in turn would avoid ingression of seawater”.

The conservation of the mangrove forest becomes significant, as a portion of it has been spared for the proposed Missile Test Launch Facility project of the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by T. Appala Naidu / Sorlagondi (Krishna) – August 21st, 2015

Vizag’s tree-temple, a heritage lover’s delight

Though nobody knows the exact date of the temple's construction, tribals believe that it came into existence naturally. (Representative photo)
Though nobody knows the exact date of the temple’s construction, tribals believe that it came into existence naturally. (Representative photo)

We’ve all heard about tree houses, but what about tree-temples? Well, such a rare heritage tree-temple does exist in our very own Visakhapatnam district in the tribal village of Kasipatnam near Tyda, enroute Araku Valley.

Encapsulated within the centuries old roots of a banyan tree, an even more ancient Shiva temple stands erect, its ageing bricks and tales of locals bearing testimony to it dating back to at least 300-400 years.

Located nearly 110 km from the city amid serene and verdant hills and near a little river, the Kasipatnam Ramalingeshwara Temple draws around 15-20 people daily from nearby villages. According to locals, on festive occasions such as Nagulachavithi, Karthikamasam and Mahasivaratri, hundreds turn up to offer prayers to the siva lingam. Strangely, the thick roots of an ancient banyan tree have locked within it the little temple that has a conical-shaped dome and structure made of small bricks.

The nearly 85-year-old Doddi Ramulamma, who has been looking after the temple since childhood, said, “My family has been serving the temple since it was discovered. My forefathers served the temple and this tradition was passed on from generation to generation. To fulfill the basic requirements of the temple and my family, I sell printed entry tickets (priced Rs 10 per visitor) provided by villagers. My husband, two sons and one daughter are all dead but I have two grandchildren. During Shivaratri and Nagaulachavithi, lots of people from various places come to visit the temple.”

People living here believe that prayers of devotees who visit the temple never go in vain. A popular instance being that of Pitala Govindraju from Gajuwaka. The childless man offered prayers to the temple and soon was blessed with two children. As an act of gratitude, he added new structures to the temple, such as steps and tiles on the interior walls of the sanctum sanctorum.

Though nobody knows the exact date of the temple’s construction, tribals believe that it came into existence naturally. However, some of the little educated among them say it was built more than 400 years ago going by the bricks used in construction and the aged banyan tree, which grew around the temple, pointed out another local Doddi Dharma.

Prior to cyclone Hudhud, the tree was huge and even more sprawling but due to the impact of the cyclone, most of its branches were broken. Though the structure of the ancient temple was resilient enough to withstand the ravages of time and that of the cyclone, it deserves conservation as an archaeological and natural heritage site.

However, the state department of archaeology is clueless about this temple. AP State Department of Archaeology and Museums assistant director K Chitti Babu said, “Such a rare tree-temple deserves protection but we haven’t seen it yet. We will visit the temple at Kasipatnam and try to ascertain its age from statues, deities and inscriptions.”

Meanwhile, Intach (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) member and environment activist Sohan Hatangadi, who had earlier visited the tree-temple, suggested the involvement of APTDC (AP Tourism Development Corporation) and state archaeology department along with locals for preservation of the temple and tree.

“It’s a unique example of a combined natural and manmade heritage site, which is easily 300-400 years old or even more. APTDC should put up signages at the site, while Intach can document the temple. Since it’s a religious place, locals should also be involved in the form of a cooperative to take care of the temple and generate revenue for the family looking after the temple. Also, some cleaning, light fencing around the tree-temple, garbage disposal and parking provisions away from the temple should be made. The side road through the village leading to the temple should also be repaired. One should ensure that the centuries-old heritage site doesn’t turn into a picnic spot for revelers in the name of tourism. Rather, the archaeological and natural heritage site needs to be preserved the best way possible,” suggested Hatangadi.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Visakhapatnam / TNN / August 16th, 2015

Carpooling with a difference

Visakhapatnam :

Having been forced to shell out higher fares on buses, especially during weekends and holidays between Hyderabad and Vizag, a group of youngsters decided to launch an online portal – CoYatri – to facilitate inter-city carpooling.

While the company is currently based out of Hyderabad due to the geographical advantage that it offers, CoYatri is soon planning to open an office in Vizag due to the increasing demand from the city. While the founder of the company Pradeep Reddy Enugala hails from Hyderabad, its other co-founders, lead technology Krishna Vedula and lead business development Bhaskar Saragadam, hail from Visakhapatnam.

“People frequently face the problem of bus fares skyrocketing especially during weekends. A ticket, which usually goes between Rs 600-800, shoots up to Rs 1400 during weekends. And if there is a three-day holiday it even goes up to Rs 1700-2000 per ticket,” said founder of CoYatri, Pradeep Reddy Enugala.

“I realised that people are having to shell out more for buses and at the same time are not getting trains because of the huge demand. On the other hand, there are a large number of people who have cars, but are not using them because of high costs. So, if we can properly organise a community, then a car owner, by opting for inter-city carpooling, can easily accommodate two to three people or more and not only make up his travel expenses but also make a profit by travelling in his car,” he added.

So far, CoYatri has more than 5,000 registered users and has been able to offer around 600 plus rides and around 1800 people have been able to travel using the portal. “It is roughly around Rs 9 lakh worth of seats that we have been able to garner during the last 10 months,” Enugala added. Having launched the company in October end last year, Enugala said the target is to reach a position of over one million customers in the next 12 months.

Explaining the revenue model, CoYatri co-founder and lead business development Bhaskar Saragadam said, “As of now we are not charging any fee to users as we want the carpooling culture to gain traction in India. We will charge a percentage of the ride fare once the inter-city carpooling culture becomes popular.”

As of now, a majority of the inter-city rides registered on the website are from AP and Telangana with the more popular routes being from Hyderabad to Vizag, Bengaluru, Chennai, Vijayawada and even Rajahmundry, Anantapur and Kadapa.

Explaining the security safeguards, co-founder and lead technology Krishna Vedula said, “We don’t provide any security per se, but we will make sure that the person who is travelling is genuine and an identified person. We collect original photograph along with their email ID, mobile number and government approved ID card. We activate their profile by verifying the company email and mobile and also check the car numbers by crosschecking with the AP government. If a customer is not comfortable travelling at the last moment, they can still pull out of the ride.”

CoYatri has already received a seed funding of Rs 60 lakh from Sudheer Gaddam, who is president of US IT company Neumeric Technologies Corporation, and is now looking for investments to the tune of USD 1 million in order to promote the portal aggressively in the coming days.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City/ by Manish / August 20th, 2015

Gouthu Latchanna Remembered

Visakhapatnam  : 

Rich tributes were paid to freedom fighter Sardar Gouthu Latchanna on his 107th birth anniversary Sunday. State ministers Ganta Srinivasa Rao, Ch Ayyannapatrudu, MLC MVVS Murthi, MLA Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar and several others paid floral tributes to the statue of Latchanna near Green Park hotel.

HRD minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao said that the government would include Latchanna’s biography in school curriculum. Latchanna brought an identity to coastal Andhra Pradesh, he added. Ayyannapatrudu said that Latchanna fought for the uplift of backward classes. “He was a people’s leader and an inspiration for the Gen-Y politicians. The government has been working towards realising his goals,” he added. Ayyannapatrudu also said that Gouthu Latchanna was the only person who earned the title ‘Sardar’.

MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu, AU vice-chancellor GSN Raju, BC union leaders, AU students and others took part.

Thotapalle Project After Latchanna

Srikakulam: The birth anniversary of Sardar Gouthu Latchanna was celebrated across the district. Labour and Employment minister K Atchannaidu garlanded Latchanna’s statue at Day and Night junction here.

Atchannaidu said that the distinction of putting Srikakulam district on the Indian map belonged to Latchanna. He was responsible for bringing national parties to power in the district.

MP K Rammohan Naidu, ZP chairman Ch Dhanalakshmi, MLA G Lakshmi Devi and TD district president G Sirisha participated.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / August 17th, 2015