Monthly Archives: April 2014

SPDCL to be largest Discom in State

April 6, 2014Business & Economy, Science & Technologyadmin

It is likely to be split into two companies post-bifurcation

The Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL) is all set to become the largest power distribution company in the State, with the number of its operational circles touching eight as a consequence of the bifurcation, according to sources in the government.

A provision to this effect has been made in the A.P. Reorganisation Act, but SPDCL has not yet received guidelines on reassigning two Rayalaseema districts to it.

However, the company may be eventually split into two. One of them will have Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and Nellore circles under it, and the other will have Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa and Kurnool.

At present, SPDCL manages Guntur, Kadapa, Nellore, Ongole, Tirupati and Vijayawada circles to which Anantapur and Kurnool (now in CPDCL) will be added as they come under Seemandhra. CPDCL will be left with Hyderabad, Mahabubnagar, Medak and Nalgonda and Ranga Reddy circles after the ‘reassignment’ (of Anantapur and Kurnool to SPDCL) is completed.

Except that the merger of Anantapur and Kurnool will expand the operational jurisdiction of SPDCL, it will be of no benefit as it does not involve creation of any additional infrastructure at the moment. However, there will be proportionate reallocation of manpower on the basis of numbers of operational circles and posts in the Southern and Central Discoms.

SPDCL currently caters to a population of more than 2.25 crore, and it has nearly 57.50 lakh domestic and 44 lakh non-domestic and commercial connections. The number of low tension services stands at about 71 lakh and high tension nearly 3,000. The existing State of Andhra Pradesh has four Discoms – SPDCL, CPDCL, NPDCL and EPDCL based in Tirupati, Hyderabad, Warangal and Visakhapatnam respectively. NPDCL covers Adilabad, Karimnagar, Kha-mmam, Nizamabad and Warangal circles and EPDCL caters to Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam and East and West Godavari circles.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by V. Raghavendra / Vijayawada – March 20th, 2014

Dr Nageshwar chased a killer, honored ‘Good Citizens Award’

April 5, 2014Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Records, All, World Opinionadmin

Allergy specialist Dr Nageshwar | File photo DC

Dr Vyakarnam Nageshwar has been named for this year’s Good Citizens Award by the Cyberabad Police.

The allergy expert from Warangal won the salute because last week, he chased a truck driver from the National Highway down into the fields and handed him over to the Ghatkesar police. The driver had been speeding away after knocking down a kid, who was crossing a road in Nalgonda.

Even after bagging the honour, Dr Nageshwar doesn’t underplay the laxity showed by the cops. “I held the driver hostage for 40 minutes. I dialled the control room so many times. But every single time, I had to repeat myself. Then I called up the Cyberabad police commissioner and they sprang into action.”

But this isn’t the first time that the owner of Aswini Hospitals in Warangal rose up to the occasion. Or, yelled at the authorities.

In 2006, when 300 medical students of the Pondicherry Central University, including himself, were not issued certificates after seven months of their results, he shot a letter to then President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. In two weeks, he got the certificate, had the Vice- Chancellor transferred and registrar sacked.

Four years later, he brought a Delhi-bound train to a halt mid-way. Because the AC in his bogey wasn’t working.

The 39-year-old, who also runs a clinic in Hyderabad and visits it every two weeks, has endless such tales to his credit. He says, “When we buy a car, we make every effort to keep it safe and running. Because we own it. Similarly, I am a citizen of India, I own my country. If there’s something wrong with my country, I will fight for it. Just saying ‘I love my nation’ isn’t enough.”

Besides honours from the state, Dr Nageshwar has also received a note of blessings sent personally by the Pope Benedict XVL from Vatican City for attending 5,000-plus cases of HIV+patients at St. Joseph’s Care Centre while he was still studying. He is also the first doctor in the state to enter the Guinness Book of Records for rendering medical services to 1.6 lakh patients for a philanthropic cause in the year 2009.

Quite naturally, political parties have been following his works. In the past, the vigilante doctor has had offers from many parties. But he’s refused them all. “I want people to know that power doesn’t come by joining a party. You can make a difference even as a common man,” says Dr Nageshwar.

source: http://www.decccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Crime / by DC / Barkha Kumari / March 25th, 2014

18 projects of RGUKT selected for NASA contest

April 5, 2014Education, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinionadmin

Students of RGUKT Nuzvid IIIT discussing on the space settlement projects, which were selected in NASA Contest. / The Hindu

Budding engineers prepare projects on journey to space, different modes of transportation, facilities and space settlement

Eighteen projects designed by students of Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT), Nuzvid International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), have been selected in the NASA Ames Space Settlement Design Contest – 2014.

The budding engineers prepared projects on journey to space, different modes of transportation, facilities and space settlement. About 57 students designed the projects, which would be presented at the 33rd Annual International Space Development Conference (ISDC), to be held in Log Angles, USA, from May 14 to 18, Nuzvid IIIT Director Ibrahim Khan told The Hindu on Tuesday.

Feather in the cap

“The achievement of the students reflects their interest in space technology and it is a feather in the cap of RGUKT. Last year 13 projects got selected, and this year 18 projects designed by IIIT students of Krishna district have been selected for ISDC,” said Prof. Ibrahim Khan.

Mentor in English and guide for the projects Saleem Babu said the projects selected were Al-Hasa, Aakasha, Minerva, Anthena, Ranimer, Eingana, Incredible Invaders, Ark, Tito, Prathisarga, Aarohi, Nithya, Chandrahas, Organo, Volos and Mapshn and others. The projects were designed by pre-university students, he said.

“We designed a project titled ‘Incredible Invaders’, which aims at creating a new society on space. I along with four other students – G. Lalitha, D. Malathi, M. Lahari and Sk. Rizwana – prepared the project, which bagged second prize in Grade-12,” said Sk. Ruksana, a native of Vijayawada.

Four other pre-university students prepared a project ‘Ark’, which got literary merit second prize. The mission explains how to make a successful journey despite facing hurdles and create a wonderful society in space.

“We created transportation to space by using solar energy, arranged communication between earth and space with tabs, and provided online shopping and banking in space,” said V. Pothana Kavya, who designed ‘Ark’, along with P. Anju, T. Suteja and V. Likitha Sirisha.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Staff Reporter / Guntur – March 25th, 2014

Eight acclaimed literary works set to see light

April 4, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, World Opinionadmin

The cover page of the commentary on Sri Krishna Devaraya’s work ‘Amuktamalyada’, brought out by SVU Oriental Research Institute, which is ready for release./ The Hindu

SVU Vice-Chancellor and others to release the books today

Exactly 15 months after the government gave nod to its publication at the 4th World Telugu Conference in Tirupati, the eight acclaimed literary works are set to see light.

It was with great pomp that the mammoth literary carnival was held in the temple city, where ambitious measures were announced by the government to promote Telugu not only in the literary realms, but also in official communication.

As part of this, the Department of Culture gave the Herculean task of publishing eight works to Sri Venkateswara University’s Oriental Research Institute (ORI).

“It was a prestigious offer and we did our best to make them attractive,” ORI director V. Venkataramana Reddy says with a grin.

‘Amuktamalyada’ authored by Sri Krishnadevaraya, emperor of Vijayanagara dynasty, is a mesmerising literary masterpiece on which there are two commentaries viz., ‘Thatparya Bodhini Vyakhya’ by Gudipati Venkata Kavi and ‘Mahateeka’ by Gattupalli Srinivasa Kavi.

The other publications ready for release are ‘Nrusimha Puranam’ by Kotikalapudi Kodandarama Kavi, ‘Pattabhirama Vilasam’ by Panditharadhya Nagalinga Kavi, ‘Narapingala Sakuna Sastram’ by Appana Siddhanti, ‘Kalyanaraja Charitramu’ by Krishtipati Venkatasubba Kavi, ‘Goulisastra Vishayamu’ by N.S. Sundareswara Rao and ‘Bhanu Kalyanamu’ by Chandrasekhara Kavi.

Though the books were very much ready for publishing some six months ago, the delay in release has been attributed to the Samaikyandhra agitation.

SVU vice-chancellor W. Rajendra, rector M.A.K. Sukumar and registrar K. Satyavelu Reddy will release the books after Ugadi celebrations to be held on the campus on Monday.

What can be a better occasion than the Telugu New Year’s day to release the literary gems!

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Tirupati – March 31st, 2014

National symposium held at MITS

April 4, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Science & Technologyadmin

A day-long national-level technical symposium Mechonance’14 was organised by Madanapalle Institute of Technology and Science (MITS) here on Saturday.

Interacting with students, JNTU Anantapur Vice-Chancellor K. Lal Kishore advised the participants to hone their technical skills along with interpersonal and interpretative skills. “Students are the future and they should work towards the development of the country. They should also be in touch with the latest technologies to keep a track of advancements in the field,” he added.

Prof. Kishore later visited the Project Expo organised by MITS mechanical department and appreciated their efforts. Principal K. Sreenivasa Reddy, Head C. Yuvaraj, programme convener G. Harinath Gowd, Deans M. Raja Reddy (Academics), B. Venkata Raman (R&D) and others took part.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Tirupati – March 29th, 2014

Tungabhadra ferry ride saves cost, time

April 4, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environmentadmin

Self-driven boats ferrying people across Tungabhadra river near Kurnool. / The Hindu

The driverless boat service across Tungabhadra River near Kurnool ferries around 2,000 people daily for a charge of Rs. 5 per head.

The residents of E. Tandrapadu, Pulatota, Gondiparla, Basavapuram, Bairapuram and Doddipadu arrive in the city every morning to attend to jobs or eke out a living as hawkers and vendors. Five families of traditional fishermen arranged the boat service. The boats are fastened to a rope so that basket boats do not drift away because of the current.

Majority of the commuters prefer a boat ride to save cost and travel time. By ferrying across the river, the public reach the city in 15 minutes while road journey for a distance of 15 km takes more than half an hour.

The commuters travel to the city for less than half the cost. A cash collection counter is established on the bank where a clerk allows riders into the boat after collecting Rs. 5 and after getting into the boat, one of the passengers rows it by pulling the rope.

The two-way boats transport nearly 40 passengers at a time. Most of the passengers said they were well-versed with driving the boat. However, the boat service is suspended during floods.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Special Correspondent / Kurnool – March 29th, 2014

GHIAL bags Assocham CSR excellence award

April 4, 2014Business & Economy, Records, Alladmin

GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), the operating company of Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, has bagged Assocham’s CSR excellence award.

The award for 2013-14 recognises “outstanding corporate social responsible” activities undertaken by the company. The selection jury is chaired by former chief justice of India V.N Khare, said a statement by GHIAL.

“The award is indeed an honour and reflects our best of efforts and spirit in giving back to the society. As a responsible corporate citizen, GHIAL has been displaying a committed endeavour and a concerted approach in taking CSR activities to the threshold of the target communities,” said GHIAL CEO S.G.K. Kishore.

“The award reaffirms our mission to become a sustainable and responsible organisation,” he added.

source: http://www.business-standarad.com / Business Standard / Home> News-IANS> Business-Economy / by IANS / Hyderabad – March 23rd, 2014

India must raise its knowledge capital, says economist R. Radhakrishna

April 4, 2014Business & Economy, Education, Records, Alladmin

R. Radhakrishna, economist and Chairman and Professor at the Centre for Economic and Social Studies. / The Hindu

“India’s contribution to world knowledge creation is about three per cent, while China’s share has risen from one per cent to over 10 per cent in the last few decades.”

New Delhi :

Since basic research is a public good, government funding for basic research is important, said R. Radhakrishna, economist and Chairman and Professor at the Centre for Economic and Social Studies, Hyderabad.

Radhakrishna was speaking during his inaugural address as chief guest at an international conference on Applied Econometrics. The conference was organised by Hyderabad-based ICFAI Business School (IBS) in collaboration with Delhi’s The Indian Econometric Society.

Citing the famous welfare economist Arthur Cecil Pigou, Radhakrishna said that all research is either fruit-bearing, as in the case of applied research, or light-bearing, as in the case of basic research.

Capital for growth

In his address on scientific and statistical methods, Radhakrishna, who is also former Chairman of the National Statistical Commission, spoke about how the accumulation of knowledge is as important as the accumulation of capital for economic growth and development.

He said that the share of India’s contribution to world knowledge creation is about three per cent today, while China’s share has risen from one per cent to over 10 per cent in the last few decades. This has important implications on economic growth and stability.

Thus, the country needs to focus on research and development even more.

Over seventy academicians and scholars from reputed institutes and universities across the country participated in the conference.

Technical sessions were conducted in Financial Economics, Industrial Economics, Development Economics, International Economics and Monetary Economics.

Session chairs and presenters of technical papers included researchers from International Food Policy Research Institute, New Delhi; Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune; Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani; Indian Institutes of Technology at Kanpur, Kharagpur and Hyderabad; Central Universities of Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu and Hyderabad; Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi; University of Mumbai; Institute of Public Enterprises, Hyderabad and many others.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home / by The Hindu Bureau / New Delhi – March 23rd, 2014

Sporting encounter for students

April 1, 2014Education, Sportsadmin

Finalists of The Hindu In School Sports Quiz with quiz master N. Soorya Prakash and Sashidhar of Duhita Multi-Speciality Dental and Implant Centre, in Vijayawada on Saturday. / PHOTO: V_RAJU. / The Hindu

Questions derived from soccer, cricket, football, tennis and Olympics had the contestants racking their brains to outsmart other teams. The questions were split into various categories.

Hundreds of students from 25 schools in the region (each team comprising two members) gathered at Manor Plaza here on Saturday to engage in a battle of brains as part of The Hindu In School organised its first ever sports quiz for schoolchildren

Following a preliminary test, six teams made it to the final round.

Questions derived from soccer, cricket, football, tennis and Olympics had the contestants racking their brains to outsmart other teams. The questions were split into various categories — General (two rounds), My Pick, Who Am I, Event Identification and Mera Bharat Mahan (one round each).

Quiz master N. Soorya Prakash was at his best egging on the students, saying, “Think different. These questions always have answers on unexpected lines.”

Besides multiple choices on the Hall of Fame greats, there were a few tough ones as well: “Who was the only Indian to participate in five winter Olympics?” and “Who won Independent India’s first Olympic medal?” The well-prepared contestants instantly replied – Siva Kesavan (Luge event) and K. D. Jadhav (wrestler).

Winners

E. Sai Nived and Md. Rayyan from V.P. Siddhartha Public School, Vijayawada emerged winners, Omkar Rath and Sri Harsha K. of DPS, Vijayawada were the first runners-up while Md. Azeez-ur-Rahman and P.M.S. Karthik of St. John’s Higher Secondary School, Gannavaram, were the second runner-up.

The remaining finalists were represented by Ramakrishna Public School, Repalli in Guntur district, Teja Talent School, Kodad, and Narayana IIT Olympiad School, Vijayawada.

Dr. Sashidhar of Duhita Multi-Speciality Dental & Implant Centre, the title sponsor, gave away the prizes. Hotel D.V. Manor was the hospitality sponsor while TWINS Sweets-Bakery Restaurant, New Modern Super Market, Attitude Accessories Arcade and North American Service Centre were the regional sponsors.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Special Correspondent / Vijayawada – March 22nd, 2014

For Indian bishop, Saint Joseph is a “glorious” example for priests and fathers

April 1, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainmentadmin

Saint Paul’s Cathedral in Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) celebrated its 40th anniversary on the liturgical memorial day of the “foster father of the Son of God.” Missionaries from the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) designed and built the church in 1973.

Vijayawada :

“Priests and fathers must view Saint Joseph as a glorious model and guide because of his actions as a righteous man,” said Mgr M D Prakasam, bishop of Nellore, as he spoke to hundreds of religious and lay Catholics who attended the Mass marking the 40^th anniversary of St Paul’s Cathedral in Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh).

The anniversary fell on 19 March, the liturgical Memorial Day of Saint Joseph, whom the bishop repeatedly mentioned in his homily.

Many of the priests who attended the service were themselves ordained on 19 March, and so experienced the celebrations with particular intensity.

“God,” said the Bishop of Nellore, “entrusted two sublime two missions to Saint Joseph, the greatest of all the saints: that of husband to the Queen of Angels and Saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary; and that of foster father to the Son of God, Jesus. Such a task is even more ineffable and inexpressible than human words can express.”

At the end of the Mass, the congregation paid tribute to Brother Gianni Davide of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME), who together with Fr Pozzoli designed and built the cathedral in 1973.

Once a small centre serving a few Catholics, the local parish is now the spiritual home to a “thriving, lively and self-sufficient community thanks to the efforts of PIME missionaries,” said Fr Stephen, its current priest.

source: http://www.asianews.it / AsiaNews.it / Home> India / by Benigna Menezes* / March 22nd, 2014

*Missionary Sister of the Immaculate Conception, the female order associated with the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME)

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