ANU student designs baby rescue unit

August 23, 2014Education, Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technologyadmin

Hassan, an M.Sc (Biochemistry) student, explains working of a baby rescue unit designed by him to ANU Vice-Chancellor K. Viyanna Rao at the academic exhibition held in Guntur on Friday. Photo: T. Vijaya Kuma / The Hindu

An indigenous baby rescue unit to extricate children who accidentally fall into borewells in countryside has been designed by a student of Acharya Nagarjuna University (ANU) here.

Hassan, a first year student of M.Sc. (Biochemistry), has designed a simple baby rescue unit, which he says, can be used to safely extricate babies from borewell pits, which sometimes are well over 100 ft deep.

His exhibit at the ongoing academic exhibition being held on Civil & Mechanical Engineering block has been catching the attention of viewers. ANU Vice-Chancellor K. Viyanna Rao asked the student to further modify the design and added that the university would support further research and development of the model.

Consisting of a cylindrical iron netted structure, the rescue unit has a bulb, a web camera and an oxygen cylinder tube attached to it. The structure is funnelled through the earth soil through extra pipes till it reaches the spot where the baby is located. Using the pictures beamed by the camera, the operator can use the trays at the bottom of the structure to extricate the baby with the soil. The continuous supply of oxygen with the tube helps the baby in staying alive during the operation.

“Conventional method of digging a parallel pit along with borewell consumes a lot of time and poses a risk to the life of baby. With the baby rescue unit designed by me, the whole operation gets completed within 2-3 hours and the precious lives of children can be saved,’’ Hassan told The Hindu.

Dean, College Development Council and Coordinator of academic exhibition, G.V. Chalam said that the exhibition featured innovative solutions including, solar based appliances, national disaster prevention mechanisms, NSS extension activities etc. The 10 science departments, professional colleges and University college of Pharmaceutical Sciences took part in the exhibition.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by P. Samuel Jonathan / Guntur – August 23rd, 2014

Lalith creates history in Norway

August 23, 2014Records, All, Sports, World Opinionadmin

Lalith in Norway with Indian flag / The Hindu

India defeats Uzbekistan to clinch the bronze medal, the first-ever medal in the format

What former world champion Viswanathan Anand could not attain, young Grandmaster from Vijayawada M.R. Lalith Babu achieved at Tromso, Norway by becoming part of the medal winning Indian team at the prestigious Chess Olympiad.

India defeated Uzbekistan to clinch the bronze medal, the first-ever medal in the format and the achievement was possible owing to the on-board exploits of Adhibhan, Sethuraman, Parimarjan Negi, Lalith Babu and Sasikiran Krishnan.

India just lost two games in the 44 games played, which showed the consistency exhibited by the team members.

Lalith played three rounds – against Syria, Cuba and Moldova – and later he was rested by the team management to give a chance for others to perform.

Says Grandmaster B. Ramesh, Indian team’s coach in his blog: “I must apologise to Lalith Babu for not letting him play more than he did. It was just that no one lost any games and I didn’t want to spoil the momentum with frequent changes. Lalith is a great team player and he supported our decisions wholeheartedly. He was helping other players in their preparations.”

Mr. Ramesh in his blog praised Lalith Babu and said he was always positive and affirmative. “He is like liquid. He will take the shape of the role which you put him into. Lalith did not only sit outside but also helped his friends in their preparation. He is truly a team player.”

“India finishing third among 171 countries is a sparkling achievement. The medal is all the more important as we won it for the first time without star players – Anand and Hari,” said Sk. Khasim, chairman of Global Chess Academy.

The medal is crucial for Lalith, who is keen on settling down with a job and his efforts are already on to join one of the oil companies. “Andhra Cricket Association has always been every supportive of Lalith. He needs a job to take care of his chess expenses. This victory will give him the necessary fillip to achieve more laurels,” said Lalith’s mother Padma.

Lalith will come down to Vijayawada on August 17 and would leave for Abu Dhabi to take part in a tough Grandmaster tournament beginning from August 18.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by J. R. Sridharan / Vijayawada – August 16th, 2014

Manisha Koirala finds peace in Andhra Pradesh

August 21, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Educationadmin

Hyderabad:

Manisha Koirala, who regularly visits the Oneness University in Chittoor for meditation, says that one of the main reasons that she and her family managed to deal with her cancer was the university and its teaching.

“I have been coming here since 2006,” adding, “I feel one of the main reasons we could deal with my illness was due to the teachings of this place. I came back here as I learned how important it was to lead a balanced, happy life… one must be well in mind, body and spirit.

“I am thankful to God for giving me a second chance. This life is a gift and I will honour it and help others know it,” she adds.

Talking about others who are fighting cancer, Manisha has the following advice: “It’s not only me, there are many (who have survived cancer) and I learned from them. It’s important to stick to a good doctor’s advice. Instead of taking too much advice from different people. Also exercise as much as your body allows.

“Pray to whichever divine form you believe in. This is a good time to connect with the divine. I was asked to do japa and I would do it three times a day,” she says, adding, “Be in the company of positive and happy people.”

When asked about her adoption plans, she says, “Yes, I will adopt a girl child. As and when the Lord thinks that I can do justice to the child, I will adopt. But for now, please let us not make it another issue to talk about. I am a bit superstitious about talking before acting on things.”

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC / Lipika Varma / August 20th, 2014

Philately exhibition from Sept. 5 in Guntur

August 21, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainmentadmin

The Guntur Numismatic and Philatelic Society, is organising a State-level competitive exhibition of stamps, coins and currency notes during September 5-7.

Society secretary M.V.S Prasad said that the Stamps and Coins Fest-2014 would be held at Balaji Mandapam on the premises of Sri Venkateswaraswamy Devalayam, Brundavan Gardens, to mark the 20th anniversary of the society.

The other highlights include, inter school quiz, letter writing, drawing and elocution competitions, competitive exhibition for beginners in juniors and seniors category, exhibition of rare stamps, coins and currency notes, release of special philatelic covers on Telugu literature and culture, and workshops on philately and numismatics. The last date for submitting entries is August 30. For details, contact 98667-10379, 98495-31955 and e-mail address is gnpsguntur@gmail.com

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / Staff Reporter / Guntur – August 21st, 2014

Tent capital built in Kurnool in just 40 days

August 21, 2014Amazing Feats, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, Alladmin

Tents those were used at official quarters in Kurnool in 1953. - Photo: By Arrangement — Tents those were used at official quarters in Kurnool in 1953. – Photo: By Arrangement

The capital of Andhra State after its separation from Composite Madras State in 1953 was built in 40 days. The land required for the purpose was acquired in a single day and tents were put up in a week.

The planning and dedication of officers and staff helped the administration secure all records intact and shift them to Kurnool. Kurnool was a sleepy town when the Madras Assembly voted it to be the next capital of Andhra State. Despite the caution by C. Rajagopalachari to Tamil MLAs not to join the voting, five MLAs had voted in support of Kurnool. The most difficult task was accomplished by a team of dedicated officials headed by then Special Collector C. Narasimham, Collector P.V. Madhava Rao, SP B. Kalyan Rao, Chief Engineer Frederic and Superintending Engineer Coil Pillai, while Chief Secretary O. Pulla Reddy monitored the shifting operations from Madras. After deliberations, the officials decided to vacate all district offices suitable for State offices in three to five days and shift them to Nandyal and Banaganapalli. The Collector’s office and District Board (Zilla Parishad) were found suitable for secretariat, District Court for Assembly, SP Office for the office of Inspector General of Police, Secondary Grade School hostel for Legislators residence and executive engineer’s office for Raj Bhavan. For staff quarters, the team decided to acquire land on the city outskirts, which was named as ABC camps later. Within a day, the Special Collector’s team conducted a meeting with the land owners and decided a compensation of Rs 150 per acre for the crop loss. The team put up 600 military tents in the layout after constructing dust-free roads, water lines and toilets. The government placed an order for the tents with the Military stores and sourced them from Pune. A team of 200 Malabar workers were deployed to erect tents. The government also made available Rs 50 lakh from the treasury for meeting the emergency expenditure and carrying out repairs to the Old Buildings.

The government took over Tungabhadra Industries Rest House and one retiring room at the railway station to accommodate the VIPS. A special train was run from Chennai for shifting the furniture, records and another to bring people for the inaugural function on October 2.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by D. Sreenivasulu / Kurnool – August 16th, 2014

Vijayawadians Welcome Temporary Capital, to Offer Office Space to Govt

August 19, 2014About Seemandhra / Andhra Pradeshadmin

Vijayawada :

With the state government deciding to shift its base to Vijayawada, making it a temporary capital of Andhra Pradesh, an upbeat mood prevailed in the city Tuesday. Though Vijayawada is regarded as the frontrunner in the capital race, in the absence of any official communication from politicians, businessmen have adopted a ‘wait and watch’ policy.

Now that an official announcement has been made by the AP cabinet Tuesday, people from all walks of life were visibly elated. “Vijayawada being announced as the temporary capital will be seen as a giant stride in the process of becoming permanent capital. This will surely give the city a lot of elevation,” expressed RV Subba Rao, a city-based entrepreneur.

With the government offices likely to be shifted to the city soon, all eyes are now on the office space available. Medha IT Park near Gannavaram, Government Polytechnic College, DRDA and DWMA campus at Gollapudi and the newly constructed irrigation office complex, among others may be used to accommodate the offices, to be shifted from Hyderabad. For instance, there is about two lakh square feet of office space available at Medha IT Park, but 20,000 sq ft has already been occupied.

Despite irrigation minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao is conducting all the activities from the newly constructed irrigation office in Vijayawada and the chief engineers having shifted their offices here, the new office can house the other departments as well. “Vijayawada has been denied its rightful share for the past six decades. But the announcement of the city as temporary capital will give it at an opportunity to emerge as golden Vijayawada. Even our builders have decided to help the government in shifting the base and are ready to allocate the available office space here to the government offices,” informed Greater Vijayawada Builders Association president Gadde Rajling.

Though it is just a temporary capital, there is a notion prevalent among everyone that this is just a step further in the process of making Vijayawada a permanent capital. With this, even the realty sector is poised to grow. As a result, land, office and residential spaces, which were quite far from common man’s reach in almost all places, will be corrected.

Not just realty and businesses, but all the other sectors are expecting a bright future ahead because of the move. Vijayawada will witness an altogether different growth following the announcement of it becoming the temporary capital, which will go down as an important land mark in the history of city.

“Vijayawada is located centrally and has all facilities like sufficient space, infrastructure, connectivity and water. Selecting the city as a temporary capital will help the denizens from all the 13 districts in finding some sort of work. Though Hyderabad is the common capital for 10 years, there is no way that we stay there for long now that even the IAS officers are being humiliated. In this milieu, shifting the government offices to Vijayawada, by announcing it as temporary capital, will not just send positive signals to the AP public, but also helps the administration machinery to settle in the state and development will take off soon,” Vijayawada Central MLA Bonda Umamaheshwara Rao exuded confidence.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / August 13th, 2014

Book on Telugu Food History Released

August 17, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainmentadmin

Vijayawada :

Justice Chalameswar of the Supreme Court released a book entitled ‘Aahara Vedam’ at Hotel IV Palace here Saturday. The book was authored by ayurvedic physician and writer GV Purnachand.

‘Aahara Vedam’ traces the history of Telugu people’s food habits from 1,500 BC to the present day. The book gives many useful tips which can be practised in daily life for cooking healthy food.

“By keeping our mouth in control, diseases can be avoided and life span can be increased. ‘Aahara Vedam’ book will act as a guide to the people who are completely neglecting good food habits. Besides being a guide on tasty and healthy food, ‘Aahara Vedam’ also records the rich history of Telugu people’s food,” said Justice Chalameswar after releasing the book.

Purnachand is also involved in research on Telugu people’s heritage and history and had earlier written books on Telugu heritage and food habits which included detailed chapters about vegetables, staple foods, cereals, spices, ancient Telugu dishes, food to cure diseases and discussed the merits and demerits of the present-day food habits. “Food history of Telugu people was ignored for ages but ‘Aahara Vedam’ will fill that void,” Assembly deputy speaker Mandali Buddha Prasad, who was present on the occasion, said.

Kendriya Hindi Sansthan vice-chairman Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad, MLC Ilapuram Venkaiah and Krishna District Writers’ Association president Guttikonda Subba Rao were also present.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / August 17th, 2014

Former Minister Kolla Appala Naidu passes away

August 17, 2014Leaders, Records, Alladmin

Minister in the N.T. Rama Rao’s Çabinet and seven-time MLA Kolla Appala Naidu died at a corporate hospital here on Saturday midnight. He was 84 and is survived by his wife, a son and five daughters.

The former Minister’s health took a setback after death of his younger son some time ago. He was first treated in a private hospital and then shifted to a corporate hospital a few days ago.

Appala Naidu was born at Kasapeta in Vizianagaram district. He was elected to the Assembly from Revidi in 1962 and from S. Kota in 1967 as an independent candidate. He joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) when it was formed by N.T. Rama Rao and won the polls for five times from 1983 to 1999 from Uttarapalli Assembly constituency in Vizianagaram district, which was a part of Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha constituency The segment ceased to exist after 2004 elections due to delimitation of constituencies. He also discharged his responsibility as the Minister for Endowments for some time in 1985.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / Special Correspondent / Visakhapatnam -August 11th, 2014

CM’s Proposal on Integrated Botanical Garden Hailed

August 16, 2014Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Science & Technologyadmin

Visakhapatnam :

Chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s new proposal to set up an integrated botanical garden (IBG) in Araku Valley in the district has drawn good response. Experts on Ayurveda medicine and pharmaceutical sectors lauded the state government’s initiative and expressed confidence that the IBG would generate good revenue and employment opportunities.

Chandrababu Naidu, during his two-day visit recently, directed Visakhapatnam collector N Yuvaraj to study and plan to set up the IBG at Araku in association with the Ayurvedic Board. There are a large number of medicinal plants, shrubs, barks, roots and creepers in and around North Andhra region, especially in the agency and forest pockets.

Some of the Ayurveda medicine manufacturing companies pay the tribals and deploy their staff to collect some rare medicinal plants and leaves from the agency areas. The Andhra University pharmaceutical department, on its own, had conducted a study on the medicinal plants and their history in North Andhra region, and found that a large number of tribals still use Ayurvedic medicines, prepared by themselves, for curing several diseases.

“There are a huge number of medicinal plants in the region. There are plants which have commercial value. For example there is ‘Bixa Orrellana’ from which a powder ‘Bixin’ compound is prepared. The compound is used in the textile industry for colour combinations. The chief minister’s proposal is a very good idea,” said S Ganapathy, former professor of Andhra University and current principal of GITAM Institute of Pharmacy.

Meanwhile, during the past one decade, the usage of Ayurvedic medicines has increased. Ayurvedic medical shops have also registered good sales.

“Ayurveda is seeing a rise not only in health-related medicines, but also in beauty parlour products, dental care and hair fall etc., Special medicines for alcoholic addiction are also manufactured from several medicinal plants and herbs. The Araku and Paderu dense forest areas are the best places to set up an integrated botanical garden. The IBG should be set up with an aim to promote academic research and commercial sales of the products,” K Yamuna, an Ayurvedic doctor and owner of an Ayurvedic medicine shop, opined.

An integrated medicinal plant is a welcome move by the government and there is good scope for developing the existing botanical garden at Araku as the nearby areas are suitable for cultivation of medicinal plants, Prof Ganapathy said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indina Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by VKL Gayatri / August 12th, 2014

Rock shelters at Chintakunta get national stature

August 16, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Nature, Records, Alladmin

Ancient art on a wall of the Chintakuta rock shelter in Kadapa.

Hyderabad:

The Union government has declared megalithic painted Rock shelters at Chintakunta Village in Kadapa in AP as the monument of national importance.

Chintakunta site belongs to the period of 8,000 BC-1,500 BC. It has 200 rock art paintings including figures of wild animals, geometric designs and human figures.

Rock shelters at Chintakunta are among the 19 sites in the country being taken up by the Archaeological Survey of India for conservation, preservation and maintenance on priority basis.

The site was explored and analysed by Dr Erwin Neumayer of Austria, Dr N. Chandramouli of Pondicherry Central University and P.C. Venkatasubbaiah, Dravidian University, Kuppam.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC Correspondent / August 12th, 2014

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