Farm operations pick up after rain

Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

With the met officials predicting a good monsoon this kharif season, farmers in the district are all set to begin agricultural operations.

The normal cultivable area covers 5.61 lakh hectares in the district and by June end, cultivation began in 1.07 lakh hectares with the main crops being groundnut, cotton and red gram. The land has been tilled and made ready for the seedling stage.

Sowing of ground nut has begun in Kurnool and Adoni revenue divisions. Agriculture joint director D Thakur Naik said that cotton acreage could go up in the coming year as the prospects of an increase in price were bright. So far, cotton has been sown in 60,000 hectares as against the total available area of 1.7 lakh hectares in the district.

Groundnut has been sown in 50,000 hectares as against the total available area of 1.4 lakh hectares and red gram has been sown in 6,000 hectares as against the total available area of 35,000 hectares, he added. Though the cost of cultivation of commercial crops has been on the rise, farmers still prefer for them for the remunerative prices they fetch.

The normal rainfall in July is 117 mm and the rainfall recorded as on date is 77mm, raising hopes of a good Kharif output. Various agencies of the government have been involved in the distribution of seeds.

A wet spell may see a flurry of activity and once the water is released from KC Canal and Srisailam reservoir, agricultural operations are expected to pick up. Water is slated to be released from KC Canal on July 15.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service – Kurnool / July 14th, 2013

Vijayawada: Online seva services will be introduced at Kanakadurga temple

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Uncategorized

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Vijayawada:

Online seva services will be introduced at Kanakadurga temple from Friday. Executive officer K. Prabhakara Srinivas said that the online seva services would be inaugurated for the convenience of devotees.

He said devotees could book the seva tickets for pujas and send donations online. He said the online services would be extended to other services including reservation of choultries later.

The executive officer said Sakambari celebrations would be organised at Kanakadurga temple from July 20 to 22. He said the presiding deity would be decorated with vegetables on the three days and the temple would remain open from 4 am to 10 pm for the convenience of devotees.

The executive officer said over two lakh devotees would visit the temple during Sakambari celebrations. He said necessary arrangements have been made to meet the rush of devotees.

Temple Stanacharya Vishnubotla Sivaprasad said the presiding deity Goddess Kanakadurga incarnated in the form of Sakambari earlier as per Devi Bhagavatam, Markandeya Puranam and Durga Saptasati Puranam.

He said that Sakambari celebrations would lead to good rains and crops during Ashadam month. He said on July 20 Vigneswara puja would be performed at 8 am.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / DC / Vijayawada – July 19th, 2013

Indian Railway Gets Woman Guard For Goods Train

Business & Economy, Records, All, Uncategorized

Vijayawada :  (Bernama)

For the first time in the history of Indian Railway, a woman has been appointed as a guard for goods train, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.

Forty Three-year old D Mohini Kumari was appointed as the woman guard on freight trains by the South Central Railway (SCR) on the other day.

Kumari, a graduate who was appointed a clerk in SCR on compassionate ground in 2006 after the death of her husband, took charge of her new assignment here Friday.

According to railway sources, she qualified for the post of guard in a departmental examination and later underwent training at Secunderabad.

Talking to PTI, Mohini said she is prepared to face any kind of challenge in her new job, where women are rarely appointed.

She advised women to break new grounds and be ready to face challenges in life.

— BERNAMA

source: http://www.bernama.com.my / National News Agency of Malaysia / Home> World> News / by Press Trust of India / Vijayawada – July 20th, 2013

Hyderabad hotel to bet big on online platform for business

Business & Economy, Science & Technology

Hyderabad :

With the completion of one year in the city, Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel is betting big on the online platform to corner business this year.

“At present we get around 25% of our business from the online platform but in the coming six months we are targeting about 30% of the business from the online platform. The idea is to attract the youth as they are increasingly using web based services for their day-to-day activities,” Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Hyderabad general manager Nishan Silva said, adding, the hotel will also be launching its food and beverage (F&B) app on the android and ios platforms in the next 15 days.

The hotel that was launched in July 2012 achieved breakeven in January this year, he said.

Stating that the hotel draws almost 45% of its business from the F&B segment and the rest from rooms, Silva said that the hotel will host two month long food festival to boost its revenues from the F&B segment.

“We will have a two month long food festivals that will have Maharaja, Bohri and Sizzling South food festival,” director of sales and marketing Pavan Kakar said.

The hotel that has a current occupancy level of about 55%, is also eyeing a good business in the third quarter of the year when major business conferences are set to kick off in the city.

Silva pointed out that the major challenge of running a hotel business in the city was the rising operational cost due to a steep hike in power tariff and shortage of water.

Source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Times of India / Home> Business> India Business / by Swati Rathor, TNN / July 17th, 2013

East Godavari boy, Khammam girl steal show

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy
B. Balagangadhar of Razole in East Godavari and M. Naga Aswini of Kothagudem in Khammam district with the awards.
B. Balagangadhar of Razole in East Godavari and M. Naga Aswini of Kothagudem in Khammam district with the awards.

Kalanta-2013, exhibition and fashion show of handloom varieties, which was held in Hyderabad recently attracted visitors and fashion lovers.. B. Balagangadhar of Razole in East Godavari district and M. Naga Aswini of Kothagudem in Khammam district won the ‘Best Collection of the Year’, ‘Best Embellished Collection’ and ‘Best Collection of Surface Interest’ awards.

Fashion designers Priya Katariyapuri and jewelry designer Suhani Pittie gave away the awards. Balagangadhar and Aswini said they were invited by Priya to Hawaii Islands, USA, to showcase their talent.

Neeta Lallu, popular fashion designer, and Ajitha Reddy of Hamstech have congratulated them.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Rajahmundry  – July 17th, 2013

Lanco Infratech leases 80,000 sq ft in IT SEZ to Sutherland

Business & Economy

Lanco Hills Technology Park Ltd has signed up with a BPO and technology management services Apollo Health Street.

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Lanco Infratech  today said its subsidiary has leased 80,000 sq ft of office space in its IT special economic zone (SEZ) at Hyderabad to BPO firm Apollo Health Street.

Lanco Hills Technology Park Ltd has signed up with a BPO and technology management services Apollo Health Street, a group company of US-based Sutherland Global  Services for 80,000 sq ft of SEZ space.
“We have entered into our first leasing agreement with Apollo Health Street for 80,000 sq ft of office space in our IT SEZ. Another 1.5 lakh sq ft will be leased in few days time,” Lanco Hills Technology Park CEO S Pochendar said.
The SEZ, with a leasable area of 4 million sq ft, is part of 100 acre project comprising 20 million sq ft area being developed at an investment of Rs 5,000 crore, he added.
Besides SEZ, he said the project comprises of six million sq ft of residential, three million sq ft of non-SEZ office space and seven million sq ft of retail and hospitality.
Commenting on the deal, Lanco Hills Technology Park Vice President D V Prasad said: “We have provided excellent infrastructure which is going to yield rich dividends to companies setting up their operations. It is in the IT hub of Hyderabad, Gachibowli, and will soon emerge as a destination of choice for most of the companies”.
Sutherland Global Services is a global provider of business process and technology management services offering an integrated portfolio of analytics-driven back-office and customer facing solutions that support the entire customer lifecycle.
Sutherland is one of the world’s largest independent BPO company employing over 30,000 professionals.
source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Companies> News / by Press Trust of India / New Delhi – July 02nd, 2013

It’s her racket that does the talking

Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Records, All, Sports
Tennis player Shaik Jafreen of Kurnool, who will be taking part in the Sofia Deaflympics this summer, at the Lal Bahadur Stadium. - / Photo: V.V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu
Tennis player Shaik Jafreen of Kurnool, who will be taking part in the Sofia Deaflympics this summer, at the Lal Bahadur Stadium. – / Photo: V.V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu

Hearing and speech impairment has done little to dilute Shaik Jafreen’s passion for tennis and the 15-year-old from Kurnool is set to represent India in the Sofia Deaflympics to be held in Bulgaria from July 26

In an era when innovations on the communications front are shrinking the world, she has a major handicap – cannot speak and comprehend properly what the others say. But, the indefatigable Shaik Jafreen is now keen to let her tennis racket do the talking with her selection to represent India in the Sofia Deaflympics to be held in Bulgaria from July 26.

“This is great news to me. I am really determined to prove a point or two,” gestures the 15-year-old hearing and speech-impaired tennis player from Kurnool. Her father S. Zakeer Ahmed is an advocate. For someone whose dreams of taking part in the 2012 London Paralympics were dashed because of the poor handling of entries for the event, Jafreen strongly believes that the Sofia edition can well be the turning point of her career.

“I badly need a big win and if I get that there, it should do a world of good to me,” she conveys her desire .

She underwent a one-month intensive training session under Anirudh at the KSLTA in Bangalore and also bagged a gold medal in the 2012 Punjab National championship in the hearing and speech-impaired category. Yet, it has been a real struggle for this girl from a relatively small town to be in the competitive circuit as she has little support outside her own family.

Her father even disposed of his plot to let Jafreen pursue her passion for the sport with costs often coming to about Rs. 3 lakh per annum. “She was so dejected when I once threw up my hands that she refused to touch food. I then decided to support her at any cost,” says the father. Jafreen, an Intermediate first year student in KRM Government Junior College, will be joining the national camp in Delhi from July 10.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> City> Hyderabad / by V. V. Subrahmanyam / July 07th, 2013

India owes its Table Tennis gold to Sreeja

Records, All, Sports
Akula Sreeja at the Global Table Tennis Academy in Hyderabad. / Photo: V.V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu
Akula Sreeja at the Global Table Tennis Academy in Hyderabad. / Photo: V.V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu

The 14-year-old clinched her maiden international gold, playing a key role in the Indian team’s win over Sri Lanka in the final of the South Asian Junior Table Tennis Championship in New Delhi

She was the only representative from the State in the Indian team for the South Asian Junior Table Tennis Championship in New Delhi. And, on Sunday, 14-year-old paddler Sreeja made it a memorable trip clinching her maiden international gold as she played a key role in India winning the team event defeating Sri Lanka in the final.

This victory also meant that India qualified for the Asian Junior Championship to be held in Doha later this year.

A product of Global Table Tennis Academy in Anandnagar Colony here, this class X student of Rosary Convent did her coach Somnath Gosh and the officials proud.

“I am delighted at this performance. Honestly, when I entered the meet, I just told myself to give my best. And, the end result is a dream come true. I dedicate this win to my coaches, parents and well-wishers,” an elated Sreeja told The Hindu from New Delhi.

The India No. 3 in the sub-junior girls category had been training really hard under the tutelage of Somnath and today’s performance in the team event (the other members being Sagorika Mukherjee (Bengal) and Harshavardhini (Tamil Nadu) – could well be the beginning of a new chapter for this gifted youngster.

Somnath said India was the clear favourite to win the title and the gold for Sreeja was important in the context of boosting her morale. “She will be a different player now,” he remarked.

“We are hoping that Sreeja’s achievement will lift the morale of the other trainees too,” feels GTTA president Ramdoss Bharatan.

And, the joy of her parents — Praveen and Sudha — was understandable.

“We were waiting for this big moment and hope that she will keep winning many more medals at the highest level,” they said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by V. V. Subrahmanyam / July 22nd, 2013

AP Board takes the IIT cake

Education

Nearly 1,800 students of the Board of Intermediate Education (BIE) have made it to the IITs, the highest number among State Boards

Despite parents and academics expressing their resentment over the new IIT admission procedure, students from Andhra Pradesh have eclipsed those from all other State Boards in the number of admissions to the prestigious institutes.

After the first round of counselling, nearly 1,800 students from the Board of Intermediate Education (BIE) have made it to different courses in the IITs. The Punjab board is a distant second with around 750 candidates.

CBSE takes honours

However, the CBSE, with its pan-India presence, pips all others with 5,500 students. Thirty different boa-rds in the country offer plus two-level education but only a few students have qualified from the remaining 27 boards while the CBSE, BIE and Punjab Board grabbed the major share.

Another interesting aspect is that despite the CSBE’s continued dominance, the performance of students of different boards has been on the rise.

Numbers fall

Numbers from Andhra Pradesh have fallen, partly owing to the 20 percentile factor, and also due to the three-layer entrance system from this year.

“The two-layer testing certainly affected preparations. Earlier, students concentrated only on the IIT-JEE and those interested in NITs used to prepare separately for the AIEEE exam,” says Srikanth, Director of Delta IIT Academy.

“The long gap of 50 days between JEE Main and JEE Advanced also had an effect [on the performance of the students].”

Several aspirants confident of clearing the JEE (Main) had their own doubts about being in the top 1.5 lakh candidates, and decided to concentrate on other entrance tests like BITS Pilani instead of the JEE (Adv).

Serious preparation began only after the Main results were out. While top students made it anyway, those on the fringes suffe-red due to the said aspects, agreed another trainer.

Many students also couldn’t adjust to the JEE (Adv) exam in such short time. Government Junior Lecturers Association (GJLA) president, P. Madhusudhan Reddy, also claims the “20 percentile norm” did them in.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bangalore / by R. Ravikanth Reddy / July 12th, 2013

‘Aam Aadmi’ scheme to benefit 3,000 auto drivers

Business & Economy
Deputy Commissioner of Labour Esuf Shaik and LIC Senior Branch Manager B. Gopi Prasad exchanging MoU papers on implementing insurance scheme for auto drivers, in Vijayawada on Saturday. / Photo: V. Raju / The Hindu
Deputy Commissioner of Labour Esuf Shaik and LIC Senior Branch Manager B. Gopi Prasad exchanging MoU papers on implementing insurance scheme for auto drivers, in Vijayawada on Saturday. / Photo: V. Raju / The Hindu

Labour Department inks MoU with LIC of India

For the first time in the State, the Labour Department has introduced insurance facility for auto drivers under ‘Aam Aadmi’ scheme. The Labour officials entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India in this regard on Saturday.

Krishna District In-charge Deputy Commissioner of Labour Esuf Shaik, LIC Senior Branch Manager B. Gopi Prasad and Pilot Project Nodal Officer K. Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy signed on the papers and exchanged them. A total of 3,015 auto drivers would be benefited under the scheme, which would be in force up to one year from June 29, 2013, said Assistant Commissioner of Labour (ACL) D. Anjaneya Reddy.

Speaking on the occasion, the Labour Department officials said about 92 per cent of the people are working in unorganised sectors in the State and the government has proposed to extend welfare schemes for these workers. As part, the State government is implementing insurance scheme for auto drivers, under pilot project in Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.

The beneficiary has to pay Rs. 100 and equal amount would be borne by the Unorganised Workers Social Security Board. Government will pay Rs. 30,000 for the beneficiaries in case of natural death, Rs. 75,000 for accidental death, Rs. 75,000 for permanent disability and Rs. 37,000 for partial disability.

A scholarship of Rs. 1,200 would be paid per annum to the children studying ninth and tenth classes and intermediate of the auto drivers, who registered under ‘Aam Aadmi’ scheme. Besides, the board is proposing to extend medical expenses, maternity and pension benefits to the members, said Mr. Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy.

The State government has identified about 47 professions, which come under unorganised sector. Plans are afoot to extend the scheme to drivers, mechanics and cleaners who are in transport department soon. The implementation of ‘Aam Aadmi’ Scheme in Vijayawada was a success, said Mr. Anjaneya Reddy.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Staff Reporter / June 30th, 2013