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Chinese Mobile Maker Xiaomi Gets Set to Drive Into AP for Make in India Push
Hyderabad :
Andhra Pradesh is expected to make strides globally through its ‘Make in India – Made in AP’ programme by manufacturing smartphones in the State.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will launch the first Xiaomi-manufactured phone in India in Visakhapatnam on Monday. The programme will also see Xiaomi making some key announcements about its India expansion plans.
Ahead of this event, a hoarding put up by Xiaomi with ‘Make in India’ logo at Visakhapatnam airport, followed by a Facebook post, led to speculation that the Chinese cellphone maker might set up its first India plant in the port city.
Xiaomi, a Chinese low-cost smartphone-manufacturer, is the third largest smartphone-maker in the world, following Samsung and Apple. “Following the Chief Minister Naidu’s visit to China earlier this year, Xiaomi has come to Visakhapatnam to launch its first made-in-India smartphone and announce its plans for the country. We are expecting a key announcement from the Chinese low-cost smartphone-manufacturer on Monday,” said a senior official.
Given that global smartphone sales are estimated to grow from 1.5 billion in 2015 to 1.7 billion by 2017 and India will become the second largest smartphone market by 2017, Xiaomi is looking to expand its presence and increase its market share in the country. During the programme in Visakhapatnam on Monday, Manu Jain, CEO Xiaomi India, will deliver the welcome address while Hugo Barra, Vice-President (Global) Xiaomi, will brief the audience on the ‘Journey of Xiaomi in India.’
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home>States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / August 10th, 2015
Port City to get tribal museum, research centre with central aid
Visakhapatnam :
A tribal museum and research centre is all set to come up on the city’s outskirts with the help of central aid very soon. The proposed museum and research center is proposed to be set up over five acres near Yendada at a cost of Rs 10 crore, of which Rs 1 crore has already been released by the central government.
According to sources, the tribal museum will showcase beliefs, customs, culture and lifestyle of various tribes in all the 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh, which comprise nearly 4% of the state’s population. The museum will display typical ornaments, dress, hunting artifacts, musical instruments, utensils and other apparatus used by tribals. The tribal research center will study the inscriptions of various tribes, their culture and way of life.
Currently, Hyderabad houses a tribal museum and research centre and Araku has a tribal museum showcasing their heritage and culture.
“This is a central government funded project. We will monitor the construction of the project and everything will be taken care by the tribal welfare department. Tribal welfare department higher ups are scouting for suitable land for the project,” ITDA project officer Hari Narayan said. AP tribal welfare director M Padma, who recently visited the Port City, visited two sites at Yendada and PM Palem.
According to sources in the revenue department, initially the department asked for two acres and later requested the district administration for five acres but now the director of the tribal welfare department has sent a letter to the district collector seeking 10 acres land. “Providing 10 acres of land in the city is not possible for the district administration because it does not have major chunks of land in the city,” a source pointed out.
“The central government funded project will be taken care of by the state government. We have already shown the department officials land at two places. We are ready to provide them five acres near the NIO site, where we have kept aside a piece of land for the science center,” district collector N Yuvaraj told TOI.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Visakhapatnam / by Siva G, TNN / April 04th, 2015
AP capital to come up in Guntur district
Decision emerges from marathon Cabinet meet; 30,000 acres identified across 17 villages. He said the 30,000 acres would be divided into six sectors and the farmers would be given 1,000 yards of fully developed land with infrastructure for every one acre they parted.
The new capital of Andhra Pradesh would come up in Guntur district with the government identifying 30,000 acres across 17 villages for building the required infrastructure for various public utilities, besides the Secretariat and the Assembly.
The issue was discussed at a marathon Cabinet meeting after which the Cabinet sub-committee on land pooling met and decided the modalities.
Briefing reporters later, Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Minister P. Pulla Rao said the farmers in 14 villages of Tullur and three villages of Managalgiri mandals would be convinced and a system of land pooling would be adopted for taking the land. He also announced that the Vijayawada-Guntur-Tenali-Mangalagiri urban body would be abolished and a new Capital Region Development Authority would be constituted.
He said that from Friday the process of convincing farmers would start and pooling would be completed in nine months. The government would pay Rs. 25,000 per acre per year for 10 years to each farmer who parted with his land. There would be a five per cent increase every year and by the end a decade the amount would be Rs. 37,500. Nearly 20 per cent of the 30,000 acres might be government land, he added.
‘Farmers stand to gain’
He said the 30,000 acres would be divided into six sectors and the farmers would be given 1,000 yards of fully developed land with infrastructure for every one acre they parted. He said the farmers would be allotted that land through lottery system.
Replying to a question, he said the value of those lands would further increase in future and benefit the farmers. The Minister said the cooperation of farmers and people was needed to build the new capital. He said that after developing the core area, other new areas would come up on a total of 60,000 acres or one lakh acres in the new capital.
He said the Chief Minister was keen that not a single tmcft should go waste into the sea and suggested that an action plan be drawn up for creating new ayacut in that region for another three lakh acres.
Irrigation Minister Devineni Uma Maheswar Rao said the people of that region were indebted selecting the region around the Krishna for locating the capital and appealed to everyone to cooperate.
The 14 villages in Tullur mandal are: Tullur, Borupalem, Nelapadu, Nekkalu, Shakamooru, Vangadam, Malkapuram, Velagapudi, Modalingapalem, Uddandarayapalem, Lingayapalem, Rayathuri, Apparaju Palem and Dondapadu. The three villages of Managlagiri are Neerukonda, Nidamarru and Kooragallu
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – October 30th, 2014
Get ready for a taste of Vizag apples!
Forget apples from Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, soon apples from Visakhapatnam district could give them a run for their money. Hilly areas of the district are emerging as a fertile ground for cultivation of apples, which have hitherto been restricted to orchards in the chilly climes of J&K, Uttarakhand, HP and Arunachal Pradesh.
The first seeds of apple cultivation were sown by chance by Bobbili Rambabu, a tribal from the Visakhapatnam Agency area, four years ago when he tossed a few apple seeds in the backyard of his house at Lambasingi, where temperatures are known to dip below 0 degree Celsius during winter. The trees have now borne fruit, alerting researchers to the possibility of growing this delicious fruit in Visakha Agency.
Dr. N Venugopala Rao, assistant director, Regional Agriculture Research Station (RARS) at Chintapalli, said apples generally grow in the Himalayan belt because of cold temperatures, which is why places such as Lambasingi in Chintapalli mandal are also ideal for apple cultivation. He said a team of scientists from the Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) visited Lambasingi in December last year to study the feasibility of growing apples. As part of the study, they planted 100 apple saplings, shipped in from the Himalayas, over nearly one acre on the RARS premises.
Another RARS scientist, Dr. B Uma Maheswara Rao, said select varieties of apples from Shimla have been planted on an experimental basis. “While the apple trees planted by tribal Rambabu have already yielded positive results, the plants cultivated at RARS are just 10 months old. We will start studying the potential when they reach three years of age,” Rao said.
According to him, mandals like Chintapalli, Pedabayalu, G Madugula and even the tourist hotspot of Araku are suitable for apple cultivation as they are all located at high altitudes and the temperature is always below 15 degree Celsius. “After studying the apples growing on Rambabu’s tree, we feel that Vizag is suitable for apple plantation. Tribal pockets that are already cultivating coffee and pepper are viable for apple trees too because of the favourable climatic conditions. At present, coffee is being cultivated in nearly 1.5 lakh acres in the tribal pockets. If the state government pays special attention, Vizag can emerge as a fertile ground for cultivating unique commercial crops like apples,” Rao added.
A horticulture department officer, who refused to be named, said if apple cultivation takes off in a big way in the district, they might think of including apples in the list of local crops, which also includes the globally renowned Araku coffee.
While G Prabhakara Rao, assistant director (horticulture), said the department would put its weight behind the endeavour once the RARS scientists issue a no-objection certificate for apple cultivation in the district, R Lakshmanudu, joint director, agriculture marketing, said they would provide marketing support for Vizag apples.
Meanwhile, tribal farmer Biddika Kamsu said that instead of proposing projects like the Tribal University for the Agency area, the government should focus on allocating funds for growing unique plants. “Visakha Agency is one of the biggest agencies in the state and is most viable for plants like pepper, coffee, pineapple, strawberry, turmeric, rajma, broccoli, ginger and carrot,” Kamsu said.
Apples in your backyard
* Apple cultivation started by chance by Bobbili Rambabu, a tribal farmer from Lambasingi in Chintapalli mandal of Vizag Agency area, four years ago when he tossed apple seeds in his backyard. The trees have now borne fruit
* Scientists from CCMB visited Lambasingi in December last year to study the feasibility of growing apples. They planted 100 saplings shipped in from the Himalayas
* Officials say mandals like Chintapalli, Pedabayalu, G Madugula and even Araku are suitable for apple cultivation as they are all located at high altitudes, with temperature always below 15 degree Celsius
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / October 09th, 2014
Jaggery traders switch to road from rail transport
Short supply of rakes and wagons forces the traders to take the decision
Around 40 lakh lumps of jaggery, each weighing 15 kg, are being exported from the second largest jaggery market in the country – Anakapalle – every year. About two decades ago, railways was the preferred mode for transportation of jaggery lumps, but the traders shifted to road transport despite high cost.
“The short supply of rakes and wagons often reaching the wrong destinations pushed the traders take the hard decision,” says Anakapalle Jaggery Merchants’ Association president Konathala Lakshminarayana (Peda Babu).
“Thousands of daily wage earners, employees and vegetable vendors shuttle from Anakapalle to Visakhapatnam every day. Trains are the preferred mode of transport in view of the convenience and also to avoid getting caught in the traffic jams on the roads.” “There is a long- pending demand for operation of a shuttle train from Tuni to Visakhapatnam. The Kakinada – Visakhapatnam passenger is overcrowded and a couple of more shuttle services are required to cater to the needs daily passengers,” says Mr. Lakshminarayana, a former member of the ZRUCC.
Anakapalle has been merged with the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) making it imperative that this station be included in the list of satellite stations like Duvvada, Simhachalam and Pendurthy for stopping of all important passenger trains.
Meeting today
The meeting convened by Anakapalle MP Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao with the Divisional Railway Managers of Waltair (Visakhapatnam) of East Coast Railway and Vijayawada of South Central Railway at Anakapalle on Wednesday against this backdrop assumes significance.
“Trains should be stopped at Anakapalle, Narsipatnam, Elamanchili and the railway stations have to be improved. We will also demand either re-routing of the AP Express via Visakhapatnam or making it start from Visakhapatnam,” Mr. Srinivasa Rao told The Hindu when contacted on Tuesday.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by B. Madhu Gopal / Visakhapatnam – September 24th, 2014
GVMC to run Sivaji Park in PPP mode
Visakhapatnam :
Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has mooted a proposal to hand over the Sivaji Park at Sivajipalem and MVP Road to a private company on a public private partnership (PPP) venture. On Saturday, two companies expressed interest in maintaining the park through open tenders.
Confirming this, GVMC commissioner MV Satyanarayana said that one of the companies was keen to offer Rs 20 lakh to the GVMC per annum in accordance to run the park spread over 16.52 acres. However, it would take some time to take a final decision on handing over the running of the park to a private party.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / TNN / September 07th, 2014
TDP MLA T Prabhakara Rao passes away
SUMMARY
TDP MLA from Nandigama Assembly constituency, Tangirala Prabhakara Rao, passed away late last night following a cardiac arrest. He was 62.
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The TDP leader was in 2009 elected as the legislator from Nandigama for the first time and won from the seat again in the recently-held elections.
Rao, who was a lawyer by profession, was associated with TDP since its formation.
On Sunday, he had accompanied AP Irrigation minister D Uma Maheswara Rao to the Pulichintala irrigation project to assess the ongoing work.
After his return, he suffered a cardiac arrest late night and was rushed to the hospital where he breathed his last.
Andhra Pradesh Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, the Irrigation Minister and other political leaders have expressed grief over his demise.
The funeral will be held this evening at Rao’s native Paritala village.
source: http://www.financialexpress.com / The Financial Express / Home> Miscellaneous / Press Trust of India / Vijayawada – June 16th, 2014
Veerulapadu residents get smokeless chulhas
Officials of the Krishna district branch of New & Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (NREDCAP) on Monday distributed fuel-efficient smokeless chulhas in Veerulapadu mandal headquarters and in Jujjur village under Veerlulapadu mandal.
“Conventional firewood stoves have only 8 per cent fuel efficiency against the smokeless chulhas with 30 per cent fuel-efficiency, developed by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University,” said NREDCAP Krishna district Manager K. Srinivasa Rao.
Allotted
He said of the 1,000 chulhas allotted to the Krishna district unit, 500 were given to beneficiaries in Veerulapadu mandal and another 500 in Jujjuru village.
Subsidy
The cost of each is Rs. 150. With the State extending a subsidy of Rs. 125, the beneficiaries paid only Rs. 25 per chulha, he said. MDO P. Srinivasulu, sarpanch B. Bikshali, ZPTC Sk. Md. Shahnaz Begum and MPTCs Sk. Nagul Meera and T. Veerababu were present.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Special Correspondent / Vijayawada – June 03rd, 2014
Name of site changed from ‘Hyderabad First’ to Andhra Pradesh First ‘
More details coming up>