Andhra Pradesh Discussions

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SKS Microfinance posts Rs. 330 cr net loss in March quarter

Hyderabad: SKS Microfinance Ltd, India’s only listed micro-lender, on Monday reported a net loss of Rs. 330 crore for the quarter ended 31 March on account of a Rs. 272 crore write-off on its Andhra Pradesh loan portfolio.

With the latest write-off, the exposure of the lender in its home state declined from a high of Rs. 1,491 crore in October 2010 to Rs. 236 crore.

SKS’s non-Andhra Pradesh portfolio grew by 11% to Rs. 1,320 crore compared with the year-ago quarter.


The micro-lender said it obtained incremental credit of Rs. 1,360 crore in the January-March quarter, enabling it to end the financial year 2012 with a healthy cash and bank balance of Rs. 669 crore, net worth of Rs. 435 crore and capital adequacy of 35.4%
“Post the draw-down of Rs. 1,000 crore in Q4-FY12, which is 2.4 times larger than the sum of Rs. 417 crore obtained during nine months ended March 2011, the funding concerns are behind us,” chief financial officer S. Dilli Raj said.

“With cash and cash equivalent of Rs. 669 crore and capital adequacy of 35.4%, our non-AP portfolio will grow on quarter-on-quarter from now on,” Dilli Raj said.

Also See | Negative Terrain (PDF)

The company reduced its headcount to 16,194 from 22,733 in the year-ago period. Loan disbursement was Rs. 793 crore. Loan recovery rates are at 95% in 17 states it operates in, other than Andhra Pradesh, the firm said.

SKS was the worst hit by a law passed by Andhra Pradesh in October 2010 that tightened lending norms for MFIs. The recovery rates in Andhra Pradesh fell to 10% from 95%.

The law, passed after complaints that coercive loan recovery practices and usurious interest rates were responsible for a spate of suicides in the state, forbade micro-lenders from giving a second loan to the same borrower without government approval, barred weekly loan collection and prevented MFI officials from visiting customers at their homes.

Shares of SKS declined by 1.35% to Rs. 94.70 on BSE, while the benchmark Sensex rose 0.48% to 16,912.71 points.

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Rains in Mulbagal benefit Andhra

The rainfall in more than 10 villages of the taluk has been benefiting a tank in the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

The water collected in Bissanahalli forests and villages in a radius of about 10 km flows into Gokunte Hosakere, a low-lying area in the taluk.

Soon it flows to Punganur tank in Andhra Pradesh after passing through Kanagani, Seetharagangapalli, Chokkandlapalli, Bikkamanapalli, Gundlapalli and other villages.

In other words, the rain in the bordering villages of Karnataka is contributing to recharge of ground water in Andhra Pradesh.

Neighbour’s help

This is second such instance of Andhra Pradesh benefitting from the rain in the bordering taluk of Karnataka. The Kaundinya River which originates in Kurudumale of the taluk, flows to Andhra Pradesh during the rainy season.

“Water table in the taluk has depleted to alarming depths. One cannot strike water even at a depth of 1,000 feet. The authorities concerned should take up some measures to ensure that the rain water is retained in the villages,” said Gangulappa, a resident of Gokunti.

No benefit

“The rainfall in our village should benefit the local people. It is a pity that the benefit of occasional rains is being reaped by the neighbouring state,” lamented Venkatachalapathi, another resident.

The local residents had been witnesses to the water in their villages draining into the water bodies in Andhra Pradesh.

They ardently feel that water, if conserved, would benefit them a lot. Even desilting the Hosakere tank would tackle several of their problems, they feel.

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Telangana irrigation plan gathers steam

When completed, it will be India’s largest lift-irrigation project, boasting of the longest gravity canals, aqua-ducts and tunnel systems, spanning some 1,055 km. More than that, the Rs 40,000 crore Pranahita-Chevella project is being touted as the solution to all the problems of perennially parched Telangana: It is expected to irrigate nearly 17 lakh acres of cultivable land, which is currently at the mercy of monsoon, and provide drinking water to over a dozen towns and cities, including Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

The project, which has seen little construction so far, is likely to pick up pace now that Maharashtra has agreed to build it jointly with Andhra Pradesh. They signed an MoU on Saturday to build the most critical part of the project, the barrage on Pranahita river, and on Monday, engineers surveyed the site. Maharashtra had been stonewalling the project because the barrage would submerge nearly 5,000 hectares of its land, but has given in after being promised 41 thousand million cubic feet of water from the project. Half of the barrage will be built in Kautala Mandal in Adilabad in Telangana and the other half in Maharashtra.

The project, scheduled to be completed in 2018, will be be one of the costliest, not least because it will require about Rs 1,000 crore worth of power a year — 3,466 MW — to pump water. Lifting nearly 160 thousand million cubic feet of water — from Pranahita reservoir to channel it to Sripada Yellampalli reservoir in Karimnagar and then from there to link reservoirs and canals some 74 km downstream — will require 16 massive water-lifts.

Once water is lifted into seven main canals, gravity will channel it into 28 networks of smaller canals and tunnels slithering into the seven districts of Telangana.

The agreement, meanwhile, is seen by some as an attempt to contain the Telangana statehood movement. The TRS, which is leading the movement, welcomed it cautiously. “We welcome the development. However, we feel this project is not the answer to all Telangana problems. A separate state is still the only option,” said TRS MLA K T Rama Rao.

[Gudavalli]

Celebrating Buddhism Culture in Andhra Pradesh, India

Amaravati and Nagarjunakonda are two world famous Buddhist centers and both are located within the borders of Andhra Pradesh, which is known for its deep roots in the rich Buddhist culture. These are only two sites of 150, which have been identified and located in the state. Out of all the states in India, Andhra Pradesh is deeply enthralling in its homage to Buddhist settlements, which range from the 3rd century B.C. to the 12th century A.D.
The Buddhist culture that ignites the spiritual walls of the state has not only given birth to some of the most prominent Buddhist philosophers but it has also brought the attention of tourists. In addition, a large number of holy relics of Lord Buddha have been discovered throughout the landscape. Acharya Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Bhavaviveka, Dinnaga, Dharmakirthi and Buddharakshita are a few of the many Buddhist philosophers that are proud to claim A.P. as their home state. A number of caves, stupas, Chaityas and sculptures representing Buddhist spirit just add to the Buddhist influenced lifestyle in A.P. Many monuments and tourists sites depicting the Buddhist heritage have emerged as a result of the foreign interest in the religion.
The A.P. tourism department has injected funds into the Buddhist sites in the 3 prominent locations of Amaravathi, Visakhapatnam and Nagarjunakonda. A total of Rs.1146.00 Lakh has been invested into tourism into Buddhist areas especially due to the tremendous appeal to both domestic and foreign tourists from East and South East Asia.


A recent idea that is being taken up is a unique world class Buddhist theme park, which will be called Buddhavanam. It will be located in between Nagarjunakonda and Amaravati. A total of Rs. 16.36 crores will be used to create the facilities and attractions that will be built at the park. Not only is the rich Buddhist heritage a popular hot spot for tourists but Andhra Pradesh’s attractive diversity, friendly people, and natural environments also add to the perfect blend that calls for visitors.
His Holiness, The Dalai Lama was also a part of the Kalachakara that was hosted by A.P. in 2006. The biggest monolithic statue of the Lord Buddha carved out of a single large rock is in the state as well. All in all, this place of good spirit, good people, rich history and rich heritage invites everyone to make a visit a once in a life time experience.

[Gudavalli]

'The poor prefer private schools in India'

A study examining children's schooling in Andhra Pradesh has revealed a dramatic rise in the number of parents opting for fee-paying private schools over state-funded government schools.

Even low-income families are 'voting with their feet', according to new research led by the University of Oxford, a university statement today said.

Researchers tracked 3,000 children who were randomly selected from different social and economic backgrounds in Andhra Pradesh.

They found that in 2002 about one quarter (24 per cent) of seven and eight year olds attended private schools, but by 2009 the rate had almost doubled to 44 per cent.

The study suggests that the trend is fuelled by the availability of low fee-paying private schools, and the perception among parents that children will make better educational progress in private schools.

Parents said they valued English-medium teaching offered by private schools, whereas government schools mostly teach in the regional language, Telugu, the statement added.

The research is part of the Young Lives project, which is tracking the development of children in four countries, including India.

The research team compared two cohorts of children of different ages ¿ an older cohort born in 1994-5 and a younger cohort in 2001-2002.

The findings, published in the International Journal of Educational Development, finds that children in urban areas were more likely to be educated in private schools than government schools, and this was true even for the poorest groups.

This is partly due to availability of choice in urban centres, with children having less distance to travel than those in rural areas.

A child in the older cohort was 16 times more likely to have attended a private school between the age of five and eight years if they lived in an urban rather than a rural area.

However, the researchers found that this urban-rural gap is beginning to shrink: while 10 per cent of seven to eight year olds from rural areas were privately educated in 2002, by 2009 this had gone up to 31 per cent, the statement added.

Although access to private schools is increasing for relatively poorer families, the study points out that even 'low' fees are out of reach for the very poor.

It also highlights an emerging gender gap whereby sons are being given preferential treatment over daughters.

Lead author Martin Woodhead, Associate Research Director at Young Lives at Oxford University and Professor of Childhood Studies at the Open University, said: "The schooling of India's children has developed to become far more market-driven than in the past. Many more parents are opting out of free government schools to pay for a private education for their children, even if it means making sacrifices.

Those on a very limited budget are finding they have to grant privileges to one child over another. While private schooling may provide a short-term solution to the educational needs of children in India today, it is unlikely to be the best means of providing education for all children in the longer term as its benefits are not equally shared, but according to gender, location and income."

He added: "Our study suggests that there needs to be a reform programme for government schools to make sure they deliver quality education. Regulation of private schools is also essential, including increasing access to the most underprivileged, as well as those who can afford to pay.

India's Right to Education Act is a step in the right direction, and we wait to see how effective it will be."

The Young Lives project is tracking the development of 12,000 children in India, Ethiopia, Peru and Vietnam over a 15-year period to better understand the causes and consequences of childhood poverty.

Young Lives is core-funded from 2002 to 2017 by UK aid from the Department for International Development (DFID), and co-funded from 2010 to 2014 by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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Andhra Pradesh CM says state has best industrial policy in the country

Hyderabad: The Chief Minister Mr N Kiran Kumar Reddy today said that Andhra Pradesh has the best industrial policy in the country. However he said that long term planning is required. The Chief Minister said that the Partnership Summit held in January, 2012 in Hyderabad was very successful. He said MoU was signed for Rs.6.50 lakh crore worth investments in the State by various investors and the total employment likely to be created would be about 6,78,597. He said even before the summit, the SIPB chaired by him has cleared projects worth Rs.75,000 crs on a single day.

The Chief Minister was speaking at the session “Advantage Andhra Pradesh” of the National Executive Committee meeting of the FICCI being held here. Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy also released a Special Report that assesses the 12 key factors that influence the business environment and makes recommendations for improving business climate in the State. The Chief Minister said that the State Government is constantly pursuing these MoUs. He said skill upgradation and training have been taken up in a big way by the State Government through its various departments.

We would like to provide placements for all of them. He said that in the last few months, 1.60 lakh youth were trained and provided placements in different sectors. The Chief Minister said industry plays a key role in the successful implementation of the employment generation programme the ‘Rajiv Yuva Kiranaalu’. He underscored the need to recruit local people for the industries. He said Andhra Pradesh is not a power shortage State and power projects are lying idle because of non-supply of gas. Before last year, we were the least shortage State. It is also a fact that power grid is not connected from North to South, which is also one of the problems. By 2013, Power Grid Corporation promised to solve this problem. The Chief Minister told the industrialists “Don’t worry about power problem in future.

Though there are lots of apprehensions, we are supplying about free power to 30 lakh agricultural pumpsets and the power subsidy today is Rs.5,500 crs which includes farmers and low income households. The Chief Minister said the State Government, to increase the reliability of Gas supply, has entered in to an MoU for setting up an RLNG FSRU Terminal with GDF Suez LNG UK Ltd., a wholly owned company of GDF Suez, the world's leading LNG player has been selected.

The Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) will be first of its kind in India and will be established in the Kakinada Sea Port. The Chief Minister said that our focus is now on industries to come in and around rural areas, agricultural based industries, horticulture, dairy, poultry, fisheries, We have an income about Rs.11,000 crs from fisheries and budget outlay for it has been increased from Rs.20 crs to Rs.230 crs. He said dairy development is another sector to be developed and bulk milk cooling centres are being set up and we would like to provide value additions to the dairy products and most remunerative price to the farmer. He said we are also strong in horticulture and cold storage chains.

The Chief Minister added that about 1.35 crs SHG women have been provided Rs.11,500 crs as bank linkage at zero percent interest. The Chief Minister said we will have discussions and deliberations by senior State officials and industry representatives on the progress of Andhra Pradesh on two major parameters affecting industry, namely, Land Acquisition and Development of Industrial Clusters and single window mechanism. He said on the Land Acquisition front, the support to industry is provided by Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation which is the body that acquires and develops land for industrial use in the State.

There will be uniformity in allotments. The Chief Minister said Petroleum Chemical and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) in about 603.58 Sq.Km between Visakhapatnam to Kakinada is being developed in the State, which is now a leading destination for the investors on the east coast of the State. The State Government is requesting Government of India to reduce interest from 14% to 7% for women on par with farmers. It will generate employment to rural population. He said we are trying to encourage agricultural sector and godown capacity is being increased. We are also trying to create one crore additional ayacut in the next to 7 to 8 years. Major Industries Minister Geetha Reddy said that A.P. is one of the best power utility States in the South. She said lots of pro-active steps are being taken up to make A.P. a surplus power State. She also spoke about the successful Partnership summit held in Hyderabad. -

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Andhra Pradesh CM reviews sand issue

Hyderabad: The Chief Minister Sri N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has directed the Chief Secretary Sri Pankaj Dwivedi and other senior officials to expedite the process for obtaining the permissions from the competent authority of Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India for sand mining and supply on priority basis to the State Government departments like irrigation, Roads and Buildings etc. as per orders of Hon'ble Supreme Court orders.

The Chief Minister reviewed various issues related to sand in the state, in view of the Hon'ble Supreme Court orders, at a high-level meeting held this evening at Camp Office. Minister for Finance Sri Anam Ram Narayana Reddy, Minister for Roads and Buildings Sri Dharmana Prasada Rao, Chief Secretary Sri Pankaj Dwivedi, Principal Secretaries of Mines and Geology, Irrigation, Panchayat Raj and senior officials of concerned departments attended the meeting. The Officials explained about the orders of Hon'ble Supreme Court.

The Chief Minister instructed to initiate immediate process for mining and supply of sand as 70 to 80 lakh construction workers are suffering without any work due to non-supply of sand in the state. The modernisation of delta works may also be delayed, which may cause delay of supply of water to canals.

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Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation team showers praise on VMC

A team from Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) showered praises on Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) for its innovative concepts like play schools and e-learning centres.

“Nowhere in the country are there playschools for children of sanitary workers. The VMC's move is indeed laudable,” said NMMC Additional Commissioner S.V. Pattiwar. These initiatives would be guiding points for other municipal corporations, he said.

Dr. Pattiwar and his colleague Amrish Patingar visited play schools and e-learning centres in the city on Wednesday. On the occasion, they distributed milk and fruit to the children at the play schools in Rajiv Nagar and Ajithsingh Nagar. The NMMC has plans to replicate and adopt the concept in Navi Mumbai. It was also praiseworthy that e-learning centres were providing technical education to the school children.

The teaching methods at the e-learning centres were also good imitative, they said. The VMC officials told them the objective of the play schools was to provide nutritious food and day care. The Corporation was running the playschools with a view to provide kindergarten education, and baby care to the kids of public health workers. Many of the PH workers were found to be neglecting the education of their children. It was affecting the children's future.

The PH workers also find it difficult to leave their children back home while they were on duty. The children were deprived of education as none of them were available at home to take care of them when their parents were away at work. As a solution to it, the VMC is running playschools, they explained.

The team inquired about housing schemes implemented by the VMC under Jawarharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) programme. The Corporation officials said that Jakkampudi housing was first of its kind in the country. The farmers parted with their lands for the housing scheme. The Corporation developed their lands and shared it on 60:40 ratio.

Reacting to it, the NMMC officials said they would explore the possibility of implementing the model in Mumbai. Chief Medical Officer of Health M. Satyanarayana Raju, Additional Commissioner Venkata Ramana, Project Manager (Housing) K. Vijay Kumar, senior medical officer Dr. Lakshmi Kumari, Deputy Educational Officer K. Durga Prasad, Environmental Engineer T. Smitha Bhanu and others were present.

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Three former bureaucrats named Information Commissioners in Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Government has appointed three retired bureaucrats and a journalist as Information Commissioners (ICs) under the Right to Information Act, 2005.

Retired Indian Police Services officers M Ratan, S Prabhakar Reddy, ex- Indian Forest Service officer C Madhukar Raj and journalist P Vijaya Babu have been appointed to the posts. Governor E S L Narasimhan approved just these four names out of the eight recommended by the Government.

The State Information Commission has been functioning with only the Chief Information Commissioner for over 18 months, despite a sanction of 10 ICs.

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20:49
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In its meeting on January 31, the selection committee, comprising Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha, chose eight candidates for appointment as ICs.

Out of these, the Governor rejected the names of Lam Tantiya Kumar, S Imtiyaz Ahmed, M Vijaya Nirmala and V Venkateswarlu as they had political affiliations and approved the names of the retired bureaucrats and the lone journalist.

As the issue kicked up a political controversy, the Government chose not to send the entire file to the Governor for re-consideration and decided to appoint only those candidates approved by the Governor.

Since the model code of conduct is in force in view of the next month's by-elections, the state government had sought the permission of the Election Commission (EC) three days ago to go ahead with the appointments.

A formal order, appointing the ICs, was issued on Thursday after the EC gave its green signal on Wednesday.

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Number plates tender process jinxed

HYDERABAD: The State Road Transport Corporation has once again stopped the process of tenders for manufacture of high-security number plates for motor vehicles. According to officials sources, the process has been kept in abeyance for the third time under instructions of from the top.
As per the schedule, the financial bids were to be been opened on May 7 but the officials did not take up the work. The file on tenders sent to the chief minister was returned without his approval to transport minister Botcha Satyanarayana. It is cited as one of the reasons for stopping the tenders. It is learnt that transport ministry officials had issued the tender notification in haste without chief minister’s consent.
According to officials, the principal secretary (transport) had sent the file to the minister for permission to issue tender notification before April 25. After examining the file, the minister forwarded it to the chief minister for his approval but it was returned to the minister on May 2 without approval. Botcha instructed officials to send the file again to the chief minister and get his approval. The officials, without following the file movement, issued the tender notification on April 25.
There is also a rumour doing the rounds that the tender process was stopped to award someone close to a top leader with the contract.
When contacted, Botcha Satyanarayana admitted that the file was returned to him from the chief minister’s office and said he instructed his officials to send it again to the CMO but said he was not aware of the tender process being kept in abeyance.

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EC asks I-T to check cash flow through airports

HYDERABAD: The Election Commission of India has decided to initiate stringent action against parties or candidates offering inducements to voters.
Speaking to reporters in his chambers at the Secretariat here on Thursday, chief electoral officer Bhanwarlal said the Election Commission asked the income tax department to keep vigil at the airports at Tirupati, Vijayawada, Rajahmundry and Visakhapatnam to check transport of illegal money and costly valuables to districts� going to polls.
Directions have also been issued to the district election officers of 12 districts to keep vigil on bribe-givers and bribe-takers, and to register cases against them. Under Section 171 B of IPC, paying money or giving any article� or accepting either for himself or for any other person as reward for exercising electoral right is an offence of bribery and the person caught is punishable under Section 171 E of IPC.
The CEO appealed to people as well as political parties not to carry huge cash in districts where byelections will take place on June 12. If any person is carrying huge amount of cash for any emergency purpose, he should carry supporting documents to show the source and end-use of such cash in order to avoid seizure at check-posts or by flying squads.
Political parties should inform their candidates in advance to open separate bank accounts for election expenditure and communicate the account number in writing at the time of filing nominations. The DEOs should ask the bank managers to list out the electronic (RTGS) transfer of money to any bank account and any suspicious withdrawal of `1 lakh and above and such transactions should be submitted to the nodal officersDEOs who will have them fully verified.
An amount of `7 crore and a quantity of 87,000 litres of liquor had been seized in the Nellore Lok Sabha and 18 Assembly constituencies so far, the CEO said.
Marine and civil police personnel will be deployed in the coastal areas of the poll-going districts to curb illicit flow of liquor, money and articles.
The vigil will be made tighter during the 48-hour period before polling, and the forces deployed at check-posts, mobile squads and MCC teams will not be withdrawn even on the polling day.
A meeting with the representatives of national and state political parties would be held at 3 pm on May 16, Bhanwarlal said.

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Andhra Pradesh CM assured to sort out the sand issues within a week

Hyderabad: The Chief Minister Mr N Kiran Kumar Reddy assured to sort out the sand issues within a week. He said he understood the seriousness of the problem and assured the builders that the sand problem will be sorted out totally.

Speaking as the Chief Guest at the All India MC & GC meeting of the Builders Association of India at the National Academy of Construction (NAC) Campus at Madhapur, Hyderabad he said the State Government is evolving a new system wherein the sand problem will be sorted out totally. The Chief Minister said “Sand is a problem. Court has given an order. Lakhs of people are affected and many of them are without work. We are trying to sort it out. In the next week or so, we are getting in a new system where the sand problem will be sorted out totally. We have already sorted all the basic issues”.

To the request for setting up a cement plant by an entrepreneur, the Chief Minister said that the State Government should get a stake in it. Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy said that Hyderabad has become the destination of all world conferences and most of the global conferences when think of India, their destination is Hyderabad. He said the Global Biodiversity Conference (CoP-11), the biggest ever international conference in independent India will be held in Hyderabad in October this year. About 8,000 delegates from 194 countries will participate in the meet. In December this year, International Conference on allergy will be held here wherein doctors from all over the world will congregate. Then there is the World Agricultural Congress-2013 to be held here. “All these are the indication of the progress of Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh. The Chief Minister said just a few days ago Andhra Pradesh has been chosen for the ‘Investment Driven Economies Award' in the India's Most Competitive States Awards 2012 initiative. The award has been constituted by the Institute for Competitiveness (India), the Indian wing of the global network of Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard Business School. This is the finding of the most reputed Harvard Business School. The Chief Minister Andhra Pradesh was honoured to host the Global Partnership Summit 2012 in Hyderabad in January 2012, after a gap of 8 years.

The summit was attended by 1200 Delegates including 200 Overseas Delegates and 15 Overseas Ministers, Speakers from 42 Countries, and 37 Foreign Diplomats. During the Partnership Summit 2012, Andhra Pradesh received investment proposals worth of Rs.6.50 lakh crores which is a record of investment proposals received in any Summit of this nature. The total employment likely to be created would be about 6,78,597. The Chief Minister said this is the type of progress we are aiming at. He said when he became the CM, there were many problems like the Telangana movement etc. Besides there was also a financial crisis in the State. “But within 3 to 4 months, I could turn it around. We have paid over Rs.4,000 crs towards the pending bills of contractors. We have also paid Rs.5,250 crs towards pending scholarships and fee re-imbursements to students and colleges. Financial discipline is what I am trying to get into the system”.

He said there are of course resentment when taxes are hiked. But at the same time people want all facilities, they want all programmes to go on. Our Welfare programmes reach about 8.5 lakh families and costs about Rs.26,000 crs. No State in the country has these many welfare programmes. There are at least 3 to 4 welfare programmes for every household in the State”. The Chief Minister said “as far as building and construction activities are concerned, you are an important partner and we cannot neglect you. However there are lots of problems in the system itself. Work which is allotted are not properly destinated, not properly valued and in many cases there are losses to the State and in few cases there are losses to the contractors.

This is because correct estimates are not prepared for each work. We are now giving only clearance in principle for any project and only after details are furnished to the finance department, we sanction the project. Hence there would be no justification for any cost escalation in the work”. The Chief Minister said we are now experimenting a time-bound payment system wherein if the payment is delayed, we will pay interest. So also for all permissions and estimates third party evaluations will be done. We want the programmes to be completed on time. As far as Jalayagnam is concerned, the Chief Minister said his government has now prioritised the programme. He said 20 lakh acres are now brought under irrigation and in the next 3 years, another 30 lakh acres will also be brought under irrigation. The Chief Minister said he is releasing Rs.1,000 crs every month to the irrigation department but they are not bale to spend them.

The Chief Minister said that the Finance Department is now working in the right direction and financial discipline has been achieved. The Chief Minister said “when I am clear in what I want to do, I am not frightened of allegations by the Opposition or the Media”. “Let us work for the progress of the State, welfare of our people”, he said.

The Chief Minister appreciated the good gesture of the Builders Association of India towards skill upgradation and training. He said the State Government has allocated Rs.777 crs in this year’s budget for skill upgradation and training and assured to allot some amount for NAC towards training and skill upgradation. Minister for Panchayat Raj, K Jana Reddy, Minister for Housing Capt.N.Uttam Kumar Reddy, National President, Builders Association of India, B.Seenaiah, and State Chairman of BAI, P Mohan Reddy and others attended the meeting.

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Delay in NH works irks locals

Four-laning of Armoor-Kamareddy stretch of National Highway 44 (earlier NH-7) is delayed due to various reasons. Estimated to cost Rs.400 crore, the work had begun two years ago and was scheduled for completion by January 31, 2012.

Lack of coordination between government depa-rtments, land acquisition, railway clearances and other problems adversely affected the works on the 60.25 km stretch.

Except this stretch, remaining four laning works between Andhra Pradesh border of Penganga near Adilabad to Hyderabad, are complete.

The Navayuga Constru-ction Company has taken up the work of lane expansion, but failed to complete it as per schedule.

Reportedly, the railway department did not given clearances for construction of rail over bridges (ROB) at Nagpur gate in Dichpally and Armoor.

National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) had also got into dispute with the rural water supply (RWS) department on laying of pipes on the land in the jurisdiction of national highway. But finally district collector K. Sunita settled the issue.

Internal administrative changes in the construction company affected the works. The farmers also halted the highway expansion works, to protest land acquisition by the authorities.

Dismantling of houses in Jakranaplly mandal, and failure to provided suitable compensation to the victims, also resulted in project delay. NH-44 is connector of north and south India with high density of vehicular movement.

Delay in work is also causing frequent accidents on this road.

People of Nizamabad, Adilabad and parts of Karimnagar district expressed their displeasure as they have been paying toll taxes at different places between Adilabad to Hyderabad, but facing difficulties on the way.

Speaking to this newspaper, NHAI Nirmal division project director Srinivas said that four laning of NH-44 will be completed by June 30 this year, and added that they got the required clearances from railway department.

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Micro-finance bill is anti-poor, says Andhra Pradesh government official

Hyderabad: The micro finance bill, approved by the Union Cabinet last week, is anti-poor and will help microfinance institutions (MFIs) and not small borrowers, a senior official of the Andhra Pradesh Government said.

According to R Subrahmanyam, Principal Secretary, Rural Development, the Cabinet has passed the bill without considering the objections the state had raised.

"Whatever objections we raised earlier, we stick to that. The Bill is anti-poor and will help the micro finance institutions (MFIs) and is not in favour of small borrowers," he told PTI.

Mr Subrahmanyam was the main architect of The Andhra Pradesh Microfinance Institutions (Regulation of Moneylending) Act, 2010 that crippled the functioning of micro finance institutions in the state, hitherto considered a hot spot for the MFI industry.

The Union Cabinet on last Thursday had approved the Micro Financial Sector Development and Regulation Bill, 2011, to regulate the micro finance industry and bring the micro lenders under the purview of the Reserve Bank of India.

The Bill, which was drafted in the backdrop of problems faced by borrowers of MFIs in Andhra Pradesh and other states, would now be introduced in Parliament for consideration.

The State Government has raised several objections earlier on the MFI Bill, saying that MFI activity is purely money lending and comes under purview of the state government.

"Considering that MFIs are primarily involved in lending and recovering of money, and respective state government machinery has ground-level information on lending and recovery practices of the MFIs, the draft should have mandated MFIs to operate within the ambit of the money lending regulations," the State Government has said in its letters to the Centre.

On the other hand microfinance institutions welcomed the Bill saying that it would help them recover their outstanding that are due for the past one-and-a-half years in Andhra Pradesh.

The MFIs are not able to collect their dues as the AP MFI Act mandates every company to take government approval before extending fresh loans to borrowers besides making payment collection cycle to monthly instead of weekly.

According to Vijay Mahajan, president of industry body Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN), if the AP government helps, the MFIs would be able to collect more than 35 per cent of their outstanding which is estimated to be around Rs. 6,500 crore in the state.

"Once passed and notified the Bill supersedes AP Microfinance Act. If the State Government cooperates we will be able to collect at least 35 per cent of our outstanding," Mr Mahajan said.

According to SKS Microfinance, the company suffered Rs. 1,360 crore loss in FY 2012 due to non-collections which forced the micro lender to write of as much as Rs. 1,120 crore.

[Gudavalli]

Bird farm near Elagandal Fort draws visitors

KARIMNAGAR: The bird farm of a 32-year-old guy at Elagandal village, near here, is attracting visitors young and old.
Tourists visiting the historical Elagandal fort also make it a point to visit the house of Mohammed Nahed Ali, an SSC drop out, for the varieties of birds being reared by him. Ali’s house is nearby the fort. School students also visit Ali’s bird farm.� A bird lover, Ali began rearing doves, seven years ago, as a pastime but now it has turned out to be a livelihood. He is earning nearly Rs 15,000 per month by selling the birds to customers, who come from various parts of the district and neighbouring Nizamabad.
Currently, there are about 20 varieties of birds -- doves, hens, ducks, etc., and some animals like dogs, goats, buffaloes, cows and rabbits in his farm. Ali also raises fighting cocks, all in the backyard of his house.
“There is a good demand for wild doves,” Ali says, adding that he had gone to Bangalore, Hyderabad for purchasing different varieties of birds.
Doves are priced between Rs 250 and Rs 7,500 per pair basing on the variety. The major attraction in the farm is American ducks.� Nikhil Reddy, who is awaiting his SSC results, came to Ali’s farm, along with his father from Karimnagar on Sunday and played with the birds for sometime. “I am planning to develop my farm into a modern one by taking loan under Rajiv Yuvasakthi scheme,” Ali revealed.

[Gudavalli]

Students come up with e-voting systems

A bunch of engineering students have devised an electronic system that allows voting from mobile phones and laptops, thereby boosting polling in urban centres notoriously abstaining from voting booths.
The Wireless Multimode Electronic Voting – an engineering project of six final year


B Tech., students from Avanthi's Research and Technological Academy in remote Vizianagaram district in Andhra Pradesh is generating interest among public.
The technology would allow people to register, through their mobile number, with the election commission and vote from the mobile on the day of poll in response to a message they receive from the authorities. On Internet platform, voters are required to obtain a unique id and password and on the voting day cast their vote from their desk, laptops.

“The thought of such system came after reading about the low poll percentages and observation it is the educated urban class that abstain. Our system is intended to provide flexibility to such people to vote, contributing to a matured mandate,” Kari Soma Sekhar (21), project leader said.

Though the concept itself is not new, the team – Sekhar, Abhishek TS, M Mounika, KV Bhuvan, N Arun Teja and A Trimurty - has themselves devised and also exhibited the device at college events like the Institute for Electronics and Electrical Engineers event at Andhra University.

Prof V Ranga Rao, former Registrar of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University who guided the project said, “The kids have proved it is a fool proof system and they are eager to demonstrate it before the authorities.”

An attempt to allow e voting in Gujarat local body polls 2011, short of required awareness generation, did not meet big success. Though the election commission officials stated there is no plan or proposal to introduce mobile or e voting in the country, several parties with urban educated vote base are advocating the system.

“The effort of the kids is appreciative. With urban India growing and more people coming under the techno savvy class, the concept of electronic voting makes great sense. And there is no dearth of technology to provide safeguards. In Scandinavian countries the mode is already popular,” Jayaprakash Narayan, president, Lok Satta party, told HT.

[Gudavalli]

Ambanis to donate rare jumbo to Tirumala temple

Business tycoon Mukesh Ambani’s son Anant Ambani is all set to donate a “rare white elephant,” to be imported from either Myanmar or Thailand, to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD).

Sources said that chief priest of Tirumala Tirupati Desvasthanam (TTD) A V Ramana Dikshitulu has agreed to give a private blessing to Mukesh Ambani’s son Anant Ambani.
Anant, who visited the Tirumala temple thrice since May 6, decided to add another pachyderm to the existing six elephants in temple’s stable.

“When we were explaining about the elephants, he immediately decided to donate one,” said K S Srinivasa Raju, a temple official.
“Anant has already donated several milch cows, buffaloes, parrots and other animals,” he added.

Ramana Dikshitulu said Ambanis, annual pilgrims to Tirumala, were generous donors.

The 17-year-old Anant, according to sources, contributed lakhs of rupees for the Nitya Annadanam scheme, besides funding various schemes, including the programme to protect wild life in the Seven Hills.

Experts, however, pointed out that there is no such thing as white elephant. “A white elephant or albino is only a metaphor. Though records show that it is a rare type of elephant, technically, it is not completely white. The colour of the body is pale to brownish which turns light pink when the skin gets wet. Compared to a black elephant, albinos have fair eyelashes and toenails,” said Wahid, curator of Nehru Zoological Park.

Elephants in Tirumala are a common sight as they have to be taken to the temple seven times a day as part of the rituals. The elephants also participate in the regular fairs of the temple. The King of Nepal, President of Sri Lanka and President of Myanmar have shown similar gestures in the past and donated elephants, cows and horses.

While the wild species, except elephant, are let off in the forests of the Sri Venkateswara Wildlife sanctuary, the domestic animals are kept in the goshala and the animal stables on Tirumala hill.

[Gudavalli]

APTDCs economy south package

HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation has decided to introduce a South India tour by non-Air Conditioned coach to lure the not-so-affluent sections of society.
At present, the corporation is offering a package of journey by a Volvo climatizer coach and AC accommodation at destinations across south India.
The 14-day tour, organised twice a month on demand from Hyderabad, on 1st and 16th of every month, covers Bengaluru, Srirangapatanam, Mysore, Sravanabelagola, Halebidu, Belur, Guruvayoor, Kochi, Thiruvanantapuram, Suchindram, Kanyakumari, Madurai, Rameswaram, Tiruchi Srirangam, Tanjavur, Kumbakonam, Puducherry, Mahabalipuram, Kanchi, Star temple, Tiruttani and Tirupati. �
“This is a very successful package and we have been receiving requests for opening an economy package in the same tour. So we have plans to start the same tour in non-AC segment too,” said a� spokesman.
And when quizzed about the rising temperatures and the inconvenience that might be caused to the travellers, he said, “the summer is almost over and rains are expected by the first week of June. This should not be a concern.” �

[Gudavalli]

Brazil offers housing technology

India and Brazil will collaborate technically in taking up housing projects for slum-free urban development. The offer of technical collaboration was made by Chief of Staff and Planning Director, CDHU, Brazil, Eduardo Trani, at the two-day international conference on “Slum-free India – Policy and Practice and Lessons from International Experiences,” held here.

Andhra Pradesh Municipal Administration and Urban Development Secretary Vijay Kumar on the concluding day on Tuesday accepted the proposal, said an official release.

Thanking Mr. Trani and Project Director, Emplasa Metropolitan Planning Agency, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, Diana Motta, for sharing their policy details, practices and experiences, Mr. Vijay Kumar expressed the hope that the conference would be highly useful to municipal commissioners taking up the project implementation under Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY).

Describing slum development as a continuous process of social change, he said commissioners should guide the community participants leading to their active involvement. Mr. Trani gave details of various partnerships involved in the housing projects of Brazil to promote sustainability, building technologies that included solar water heating, energy efficiency, individual water supply systems, emergency laser energy lights in two and three-room units. Visiting Research Fellow, South Asia, Institute of Advance Studies, Kathmandu, Neelam Pradananga explained the participatory planning process in housing projects. Municipal Commissioner B. Ramanjaneyulu spoke on the complex challenges of slum- free urban development and relocations of slums.

[Gudavalli]

ASI mulls proposal on Tirupati as a protected monument

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is considering a proposal to recommend recognition of the famous Lord Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati as a monument of national importance in view of its archaeological, epigraphical and historical background and cultural significance.

The proposal is being considered by the ASI and it is likely to make the recommendation to the Union Ministry of Culture, K.K. Sharma, Deputy Superintending Archaeologist of ASI, told PTI.

He, however, said a timeframe cannot be put on when the proposal is likely to be made formally to the government as the process takes time.

Declaring the ancient temple, located atop the Tirumala hills, as a protected monument by the ASI would go a long way in conserving its archaeological value and heritage, Sharma said.

The matter could be expedited if the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), the governing body for the temple, agrees to the proposal for making the temple as a protected monument, he observed.

The ASI feels that dismantling of the historical thousand pillar mantapam at Tirumala and the gold-plating of the outer walls of the ‘garbha griha’, where inscriptions exist, as per the ‘Ananta Swarnamayam’ scheme are against archaeological norms.

Separately, the ASI, in an RTI reply to B.K.S.R. Ayyangar, a social activist based at Eluru in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, has favoured several steps to ensure the temple’s protection.

The petitioner had sought information over action initiated by the ASI regarding recognition of Lord Venkateswara Temple as a monument under ASI.

In the reply, the ASI said the temple may be considered for protection by ASI as a monument of national importance and also talked about dismantling of the thousand pillared mantapam as a violation.

Further, it favoured that any activity at the temple which is related to the archaeological aspect be informed to the Archaeological Survey of India and Department of Archaeology and Museums, Andhra Pradesh to review the pros and cons as well the archaeological norms thoroughly and recommend the necessary inputs for execution.

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) may provide a space for archaeology by nominating the Director General or representative of ASI and Department of Archaeology and Museums as a member in the Trust Board which takes policy decisions for the benefit of devotees and the temple to prevent any action violating archaeological/heritage norms at the policy level itself, the ASI said.

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam may provide the fund for protecting cultural heritage and monuments which are in need of attention, it said.

Observing that the temple is visited by about 50,000 devotees per day on an average and about four lakhs during festivities, the ASI commended the way TTD is dealing with all aspects of the temple administration.

It is necessary to have an archaeological wing to review and recommend suitable procedure in view of archaeological norms wherever necessary, ASI said.

“The archaeological wing is to be adequately equipped with technical team headed by a Director. The decision for betterment of the facilities for the devotees are to be reviewed there only to avoid delay. Since, a museum also exists behind the main temple all branches are to be brought under the archaeological wing. This may solve the problem of violating the laws to some extent,” it said.