Students Hospotalized: What Apollo Said?

Students Hospotalized: What Apollo Said?

It is known that the recent incident involving the medical students in Apollo Medical College, Chittoor where multiple students were admitted to hospital for food poisoning has caught the attention all over.

On this matter, Apollo management has issued a new communication and here’s what they had to say.

We want to express our sincere concern for those affected by the recent Gastro-enteritis Outbreak incident at Apollo Institute of Medical Sciences and Research. Your health and well-being are of utmost importance to us, and we are taking this matter very seriously.

We are relieved to inform you that all the students who were taken to the district government hospital, run by Apollo, have received proper care, recovered and have been discharged and are doing well.

As a responsible organization, we will take full responsibility for any health hazards that may arise due to this incident. Your safety is our priority, and we will ensure all necessary support is provided.

To prevent such incidents in the future, we have already initiated the following actions:

• A thorough investigation is underway to hold the responsible parties accountable.
• We are enhancing our food safety protocols and hygiene standards.
• Regular inspections by certified food safety experts will be enforced.

Doctors on strike, services unaffected

 The state wing of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) staged a protest at government hospitals across the State as part of the medical body’s nationwide strike against the Centre’s move to bring in a National Commission of Human Resources for Health (NCHRH) Act in place of the Medical Council of India (MCI).

Addressing the protestors at the Government Chest Hospital, Hyderabad, Dr N Appa Rao, chairman of the Special Action Committee of All India IMA Strike, said, “There is an ulterior motive to gain control of medical colleges in India by passing new laws to centralise the entire medical community.”

Elaborating on the reasons for opposing the Centre’s move, he said that the IMA was demanding restoration of autonomous status and conduct of elections in a democratic manner to the Medical Council of India, stopping of the proposed NCHRH Act, which would override the federal functioning of health care delivery and lead to centralisation and politicisation of health care management, if the Act is passed. He said the proposals would interfere with medical administration by reducing the role of medical professionals, which, he termed, could be a death blow to medical institutions.

The IMA was also strongly opposing the government’s proposed exit exam for doctors even after the respective university degrees. It suggested that this exam be implied to international medical graduates and to those who studied in unrecognised Indian institutions, he said.

The doctors also demanded the government begin All India National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) from the academic year 2014-15 in local languages only after instituting a uniform nation-wide intermediate curriculum. They also demanded payscales to state government doctors on par with Central staff, exemption of medical profession from Consumer Protection Act since the latter was crippling the medical fraternity and forcing the doctors to be defensive in discharging their duties resulting in denial of proper medical aid to needy patients.

Demonstrations were staged by doctors in front of their respective hospitals in the state from 9 a.m to 10 a.m. “We did a protest in front of the hospital in the morning for one hour without interruption of medical services for patients,” said Dr S Mahaboob, superintendent of Gandhi Hospital.

Osmania General Hospital and Medical College doctors took out a rally from the IMA building at Esamia Bazar to Osmania Medical College in Koti between 9 am and 10 am, said Dr D Ramesh, general secretary of the Telangana Government Doctors Association. “About 200 doctors of the twin cities participated in the rally. After the protest, the doctors continued with their work at respective hospitals from 10 a.m,” he said.

The protest is being supported by the Government Doctors’ Association, Andhra Pradesh Nursing Homes Association, Indian Dental Association and Medical Representatives’ Union, said Dr Ramesh.

Jagan’s bypoll win a major blow for Congress

A normally silent Chanchalguda Central Jail in Hyderabad is flooded with visitors who have come to congratulate a high-profile prisoner – whose party swept the bypolls held in Andhra Pradesh – by winning one Lok Sabha seat and 15 Assembly constituencies. 

This high-profile prisoner is YS Jaganmohan Reddy, the son of the State’s late former chief minister YS Rajashekhar Reddy and the head of YSR Congress party, who was recently arrested by the CBI for amassing huge unaccounted for wealth. 

By winning the high stake election in his native state, Jagan- as he is popularly known – has not only dealt a big blow to the ruling Congress but also increased his political weight in the Andhra politics. 

It is now beyond doubt that the spectacular win of the 15-month-old YSR Congress Part has given rise to the ‘Jagan phenomenon’ in Andhra Pradesh politics. 

The victory of young Kadapa MP, who managed his party’s hectic political campaign from within the Chanchalguda jail, has taught tough lessons to the ruling Congress, which had resorted to all sorts of tactics to keep him away from the elections, including the act of getting him arrested by the CBI. 

The political significance of YSR Congress’ victory could be understood by the fact that its leader is now being compared to stalwart NT Rama Rao, who once re-wrote the political history of the state by forming the Telugu Desam Party in 1982. 

Though it will be too early to draw any comparisons between the two leaders since Jagan is a novice and politically less experienced as compared to the late NTR, nonetheless it has catapulted him to the league of big guns in a state once ruled by his late father YSR. 

YSR Congress’ thumping victory is also a strong indicator of the fact that despite facing serious corruption charges, Jagan is still popular among the masses and enjoys huge support. 

80 per cent turnout in by-polls, Jagan on trial

 

The political fate of Jagan Mohan Reddy, in jail on corruption charges, has been sealed in electronic ballot machines by voters in 18 Andhra Pradesh assembly constituencies where by-elections were held today; a big 80% of the electorate voted. Voters have conventionally been seen to be galvanised enough to vote in large numbers when they want a change.
For example, Uttar Pradesh, which recorded the year’s biggest electoral surprise when the Samajwadi Party ousted Mayawati’s BSP, saw 59.5 per cent voting in Assembly elections held earlier this year; that was UP’s record voter turnout in many years. The entire Andhra Pradesh saw a 72.6% voter turnout in 2009.

In 16 of the 18 assembly seats that voted today, by-elections have been held because the sitting Congress MLAs were disqualified by the Assembly Speaker for switching loyalty to Mr Reddy’s YSR Congress and voting against the Congress government during a no-trust vote in December last year. If Jagan Reddy’s party wins these seats it will have bitten a neat chunk out of the 156 seats that the Congress had won in 2009 in the 294-member Assembly.
It will also prove that the 39-year-old Kadapa MP is indeed the X-factor that could change the dynamics of politics in Andhra Pradesh; the ruling Congress and the main Opposition Telugu Desam Party will be affected most. Jagan Reddy’s party believes it is ready to give the state a formidable third force. Jagan Reddy was plucked out of an intense campaign by the CBI, which first interrogated him for three days and then arrested him on May 27 in a disproportionate assets case.
Mr Reddy has been in jail since. He was told yesterday that he would spend two more weeks there. His mother Vijayalakshmi and sister Sharmila played the sympathy card to the hilt, making a martyr out of Mr Reddy and accusing the ruling Congress  of playing unfair.
Poll pundits say those factors are likely to help the cause of the YSR Congress. Also, most of the party’s candidates are the ex-Congressman who had won these seats and then switched loyalties when Jagan Mohan Reddy left the Congress. Jagan Reddy has also said that he expects more leaders from the Congress and even from the TDP to join him in the coming months.
In Rayachoti, a canny voter, 72-year-old Lakshmi, was out early to beat the heat and would not reveal who she just voted for. But she did say, “If the hand tries to stop a running fan then it will get cut.” The hand is the Congress’ election symbol; the fan is the symbol of Jagan Reddy’s YSR Congress.
One indicator of how important these by-elections are is the unaccounted cash and liquor seized ahead of voting – over Rs. 42 crore in cash and valuable items like gold and silver worth Rs. 12 crore were seized; this is more than that seized in the entire high-stakes Uttar Pradesh assembly elections earlier this year. And more than the entire amount seized when Andhra Pradesh voted for 294 assembly and 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2009.
Voting was also held for by-elections to the Lok Sabha seat of Nellore in Andhra Pradesh and for Nalchar Assembly constituency in Sipahijala district of Tripura, Pudukottai in Tamil Nadu, Kej assembly constituency in Beed district of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh’s Mant legislative assembly constituency and in Hatia in Jharkhand.

Jagan Mohan Reddy's remand extended, to stay in jail till June 25

 Jagan Mohan Reddy's judicial remand in a disproportionate assets case has been extended till June 25, which means the YSR Congress chief will be in jail for two more weeks. The CBI, which continues to seek his custody, has also sought that Mr Reddy undergo a narco test.

This morning, Mr Reddy appeared before the Nampally special CBI court, which informed him that his judicial remand, which ended today, had been extended. Mr Reddy asked in court why he had not been brought from jail in a bullet-proof vehicle despite having Z category security and the court ordered that he be given a bullet-proof car. His wife and mother were in court; his sister Sharmila has reportedly left for Bangalore where she lives. Jagan has sought permission from the court to speak to his wife and mother.

Tomorrow, crucial by-elections will be held to 18 Assembly seats and one Lok Sabha constituency in Andhra Pradesh. A high-decibel campaign ended on Sunday evening; the by-polls are being described as the semi-finals ahead of the 2014 Assembly elections and Mr Reddy's party expects to make its mark.
 The 39-year-old MP was plucked out of an intense election campaign and interrogated over three days before being arrested in a disproportionate assets case by the CBI on May 27. He has spent the last 15 days in jail and his mother Vijayalakshmi had to take over and led the party's campaign in his stead.
 
Ms Vijayalakshmi has followed up her first letter to the Prime Minister with another one requesting again that the CBI "act according to the law." The YSR Congress contends that Mr Reddy was strategically arrested to ensure that he could not continue his campaign. The party fancies its chances in the bye-elections and has accused both the ruling Congress and the main opposition Telugu Desam Party of being afraid of the rise of a third force in Andhra Pradesh.  
 
Mr Reddy's arrest became the dominant issue in the party's campaign. Mr Reddy's mother, who is also the party's honorary president, was helped by her daughter Sharmila.
 
Campaigning across the 12 districts where polls would be held, the mother-daughter duo raised questions about the death of Mr Reddy's father and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh YS Rajasekhara Reddy in the 2009 chopper crash and alleged that a conspiracy had been hatched against Mr Reddy.

Polling in the state will be held tomorrow, June 12 and votes will be counted on June 15.

Strawberry Moon eclipse on 4th of June:

The partial lunar eclipse will be visible in parts of South India, particularly the East Coast, between 5.36 pm and 6.48 pm on June 4. It will however, be not visible in North India.

he full moon in June is popular in folklore as 'Strawberry Moon'. A lunar eclipse during this period is called the eclipse of Strawberry Moon, as strawberries are generally harvested around June.

In AP, the partial eclipse will be visible in all coastal districts, Rayalaseema and parts of Telangana including Hyderabad. It may not appear in Medak and Adilabad.

On June 4, the moon will pass directly behind the earth. According to a Nasa press release, a broad stretch of lunar terrain around the southern crater Tycho will fall under the shadow of earth, producing the first lunar eclipse of 2012.

At maximum eclipse, only 37 per cent of the moon’s surface will be in the dark. “The moon will pass through the dark-red core of earth’s shadow on June 4. Because only a fraction of the Strawberry Moon is shadowed, astronomers call this a partial eclipse. But it is totally beautiful,” the release added.

Jagan Mohan Reddy applies for bail, as parties guesstimate impact of his arrest

In a jail in Chanchalguda in Hyderabad, Jagan Mohan Reddy, as of last evening, is prisoner no 6093. A court has ordered that he will stay here till June 11, one day before by-elections are held for 18 assembly and one Lok Sabha seat. Mr Reddy has applied for bail today, but both his party and his political opponents are busy calculating the impact that his arrest will have on their performance in the elections on June 12.

If he is refused bail, Mr Reddy will not be able to campaign for his party, the YSR Congress, named after his father, who died as chief minister of the state in 2009. The case against Mr Reddy, being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), says that YSR misused his office to pressure companies to invest in Mr Reddy's expansive businesses. Mr Reddy has been accused of cheating, conspiracy and breach of trust by a public servant.

Mr Reddy's mother, Vijayamma, has said she will lead the party's campaign, starting Wednesday. But the party cadres are worried - Mr Reddy has proved himself to be a tour-de-force as a campaigner, able to harness the massive popularity his father enjoyed in areas like Guntur. The YSR Congress has no real face other than Mr Reddy. (Poll: How will Jagan Mohan Reddy's arrest affect his career?) His mother will appeal to voters to support him - the party has positioned his arrest as the ruling Congress' way of preventing his victory in the election. Mr Reddy exited the Congress in 2010, 14 months after his father's death and after repeated appeals to be given a larger role in the party were ignored by its leaders.



So his confinement may help both his former party, the Congress, and the Telugu Desam Party or TDP, headed by Chandrababu Naidu. The latter acknowledged today that he expects to gain from Mr Reddy's arrest. "The people will teach Jagan a lesson," he said. The corruption case against Mr Reddy was passed on a petition filed by a Congressman and supported by TDP members. "The Jagan/YSR scam was bigger than the 2G or Commonwealth Games scams," Mr Naidu said, referencing two swindles that allegedly operated as public-private partnerships between politicians and entrepreneurs, and have created political storms in recent months.

For Mr Reddy's party, the elections next month present the opportunity to prove that he is a true third force in Andhra Pradesh politics. While the Congress has the most to lose, Mr Naidu must protect the TDP's turf as the main opposition party in the state. In 2004 and then 2009, it was YSR who brought the Congress to power, earning him much goodwill and public recognition from his party. The fact that YSR and his son are now accused of corruption adds upto contretemps for the party. Moreover, several ministers in the current government are being investigated, upon the Supreme Court's orders, for allegedly colluding with YSR. The Congress has not dismissed them. One minister, who was arrested last week in connection with the case, resigned on the same day.

As chief minister, Kiran Kumar Reddy has been the second Congress candidate to head the state government since YSR died. He was preceded by K Rosaiah, who proved incapable of managing the Congress' stubborn internal dissent, as well as Mr Reddy's ability to needle that rebellion to his advantage. Kiran Kumar Reddy has not managed to serve as the glue that the Congress needs to keep its act together ahead of the general elections in 2014. The by-elections will be as much a test of his leadership as of the party's popularity.

Evangelist KA Paul arrested for brother’s murder

International evangelist KA Paul was Monday arrested by the police in Andhra Pradesh's Prakasam district in connection with his brother’s murder.

The police took him into custody from a hotel in Ongole town early Monday. He was presented before a local court, which remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days. Two of his associates were also arrested.

His brother David Raj was found dead under suspicious circumstances in February 2010 in Mahabubnagar district. The dispute between two brothers over property led to the murder, police said.

Koteshwara Rao, Paul's aide, who allegedly played a key role in the murder of Raj, was reportedly trying to blackmail Paul. The evangelist decided to eliminate Rao and offered a huge bribe of Rs1 crore to police to kill him in an encounter.

He had even paid Rs3 lakh and this was secretly filmed by a police officer and based on this evidence, Paul was arrested, police said.



Paul, however, alleged that he was arrested under a conspiracy by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and YSR Congress Party leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy.

Paul, who recently floated Praja Shanti Party, is a well-known evangelist, and was once close to some top politicians and key officials in India and abroad.

The evangelist had made a sensational allegation in 2009 that then chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had demanded Rs 20 crore from him for the Congress Party's poll campaign.

Reiterating his allegation last month, Paul alleged that when he refused to oblige, Rajasekhara Reddy started harassing him by booking cases against him and seizing his bank accounts.

Paul called the shots when N Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party was the chief minister. He was also close to then Lok Sabha speaker GMC Balayogi and several other politicians.

8 Congress LS AP MPs suspended over Telangana

The ruling Congress on Tuesday had eight of its own members from Telangana region hangs down from the Lok Sabha for four days for repeat disrupt the work of the house over the requirement for a separate state, the first time in parliamentary history that the ruling party members have been suspended in a group.

The action came on the first day of the second part of the Budget Session. The last week of the first phase, which ended March 30 vanished over the same issue. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal moved the motion seeking their suspension, which was adopted by a voice vote. Previously warned Francisco Sardinha, who was in the chair, agitating MPs of action if they do not return to their seats. Ponnam Prabhakar, Goud Yaskhi Madhu, M. Jagannadham, Komatreddy Rajagopal Reddy, G. Viveknanda, Balram Naik, gutta Sukhender and S. Reddy Rajaiah was suspended MPs.

Another youth commits suicide for Telangana cause

Karimnagar: Barely a week after an MBA student from Warangal in Andhra Pradesh ended his life over separate Telangana state, a 23-year-old youth from the district has allegedly committed suicide over "inaction" on part of politicians from the region in pursuing the cause, sources said on Sunday.

L Nagaraju of Seethampet village under Mutharam police station limits, jumped to death before a moving train from a railway overbridge last night at Peddapalli, 35km from Karimnagar, family members said.

"Nagaraju was upset over the inaction on part of political leaders from Telangana region in carving out the separate state. He had expressed his anguish on many occasions. Last morning he left the house in a huff. We got a call from his mobile phone in the night, saying he was going to end his life for Telangana," they said.

Meanwhile, Government Railway Police (GRP) has registered a case of suicide into the incident.

"We have registered a case of suicide and are investigating the matter," Ramkundam Station House Officer (SHO) Sambaiah told PTI without elaborating further.

According to sources, the FIR registered by the GRP is silent on the cause of Nagaraju's death.

Osmania University students want beef in hostel mess

HYDERABAD: The politics of food is now breaking out on the 'T' struck Osmania University campus. Asserting their food culture, a large bunch of Dalit students have asked the administration to serve beef in their hostel mess. In a petition submitted to university's vice chancellor, S Satyanarayana, the students have stated that their food habits were ridiculed and insulted on the campus as members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) disrupted an attempt to cook beef in New Research Scholars' Hostel on March 11.

Challenging the 'casteist food culture', the students will also hold a beef festival in front of Osmania University (OU) Arts College in April. During the festival, cooked beef will be served and is being conducted as part of the birth anniversary celebrations of national leaders like B R Ambedakar (April 14), Jyotiba Phule (April 11) and Babu Jagjivan Ram (April 5), who were anti-caste ideologues. The university administration, though aware of the petition has not given permission to conduct such a festival.

The Dalit students form the second largest caste group with 2,000 members on OU campus. The campus which has a total student strength of 8,000 has about 4,000 OBC and 1,000 tribal students. "We decided to conduct such a public meeting as there have been several instances in the past where we were humiliated because of our food habits. Dalit PG students were rebuked and even roughed up by others when they cooked any non-vegetarian food in hostels during certain festival days," said Sudarshan, a research scholar enrolled in Arts College. Observers said that this is the second time that the Dalit students of OU have come together to assert their identity. In 2011, students had organised a unique Dasara celebration on campus, where Ravana, the mythical character symbolising Dalit identity, was glorified.

When asked whether the OU administration will give permission for beef festival, OU vice chancellor said that the matter is sensitive and hence a decision cannot be taken in haste. "We have asked some faculty members to talk to the students. We are trying to get things under control," said S Satyanarayana, vice chancellor, OU. He said that the issue came to his notice when some sections of the student community on campus complained about the same. "On March 11, I requested some senior teachers to get in touch with them and asked them to stop the exercise as this would create tension on campus," said Satyanarayana. Experts said the beef festival will face serious opposition on campus.

Jaganmohan's assets case: SC notice to 6 Andhra ministers, 8 IAS officers

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to 6 Andhra Pradesh ministers and 8 IAS officers on a plea alleging that the CBI was not proceeding against them despite having sufficient evidence that they helped former Congress leader Y Jaganmohan Reddy accumulate massive illegal assets.

A bench headed by Justice Dalveer Bhandari issued the notices to the ministers and the IAS officers and sought their stands on the petition filed by an advocate, Sudhakar Reddy.

The petitioner alleged that these six ministers and eight IAS officers were also holding ministerial and other key positions under the then chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, during whose tenure his son Jaganmohan accumulated huge wealth, disproportionate to his legal income.

Reddy, in his petition, said even though the CBI had registered a number of cases against several others in the disproportionate assets case against Jagan Mohan Reddy, but it failed to register any case against these 14 persons.

The notice was issued to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), six Andhra Pradesh ministers and eleven IAS officers serving in the state at the time.

An apex court bench headed by Justice Dalveer Bhandari issued notice on a petition by Nellore-based advocate Sudhakar Reddy seeking a probe into the government orders favouring Jaganmohan Reddy, a Lok Sabha MP.

The petitione has challenged a Andhra Pradesh high court order rejecting a probe. A special CBI court in Hyderabad had also rejected the plea.

Sudhakar Reddy contended that the investigation into the disproportionate assets could not be confined to Jaganmohan Reddy, but should also include the role of the ministers and bureaucrats in facilitating his business dealings.

Two hour power cut in Hyderabad from March 8

Ramesh appeals to Maoists to join mainstream politics

Visakhapatnam:  Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh appealed to Maoists to shun violence and join mainstream politics.

"The Naxalites should abandon path of violence and come forward to join active politics to contest (elections)... India is the country of Mahatma Gandhi and Gautham Buddha and every Indian should follow their path of peace," Ramesh said.

He was addressing a public meeting at Chintapalli in the Vizag agency area.

Ramesh along with his ministerial colleague and Panchayat Raj Minister V Kishore Chandra Deo inaugurated as many as 59 multipurpose halls constructed across eleven tribal mandals in the district under the MPLADS.

Andhra speaker disqualifies 16 Jagan loyalists

Hyderabad: Ending the long suspense, the Andhra Pradesh assembly speaker on Friday disqualified 16 rebel lawmakers belonging to the ruling Congress party who were loyal to YS Jaganmohan Reddy.

The speaker has also accepted the resignation of another Jagan loyalist Shoba Nagi Reddy of Praja Rajyam Party (PRP).

A statement about the disqualification was released from the office of speaker Nandendla Manohar on Friday night.

Congress had sought the disqualification of the legislators for violating the party whip and voting in favor of opposition Telugu Desam Party's no-confidence motion against the government in the assembly last December.

With the speaker's move, 17 seats in 294-member house have fallen vacant. The election commission will now initiate the process to fill the vacancies by holding by-elections within six months.

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has asked for a status report on the probe into the liquor racket in the state to be submitted in three weeks from now. This has come after CNN-IBN reported that there was a nexus between the excise officials, the police and the accused in the racket.

Meanwhile, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders met Governor ESL Narasimhan on Monday demanding resignation of all the ministers who are alleged to have stakes in the scam.

The developments come almost a week after top Congress leaders in the state were probed by the police in connection with the issue.

Andhra Pradesh Excise Minister M Venkata Ramana, four MLAs and several excise officials have already been named in case for receiving bribes.

Sources have further said that state Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayana and Roads Minister Dharmana Prasad are also known to have a stake in the liquor business.

Notably, Satyanarayana had publicly admitted that he owns 31 liquor shops.

Andhra opposition disrupts governor's address

HYDERABAD: The budget session of the Andhra Pradesh state legislature began on Monday on a stormy note with the opposition disrupting the governor's address to the joint sitting of the assembly and the council and staging a noisy walkout. 

Legislators of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) tore copies of governor E S L Narasimhan's address and threw the pieces at him. Security personnel surrounding Narasimhan had a tough time protecting him. 

Raising slogans of " Jai Telangana", the TRSmembers tried to advance towards the governor and disrupt his speech. Amid pandemonium, the governor rushed through his address. 

The legislators of the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) also disrupted the governor's address, raising slogans against the government's failure to tackle problems of farmers and other sections of people. 

Normalcy returned after 15 minutes as the entire opposition walked out of the house. This provided a respite to the governor, who completed his 30-minute address without any further disruptions. 

The TDP, TRS, the CPI and the BJP staged protests at media point in the assembly premises. They alleged that people's issues were ignored in the governor's address. 

The TRS legislators said they walked out on the governor's address as there was no mention of Telangana. "We will not allow the house to run unless a resolution for formation of a Telangana state is passed in the house," TRS leader E.Rajender said. 

Tight security arrangements were made inside the house in view of last year's unprecedented incidents during the governor's address when members of the TRS and the TDP had stormed the podium, heckled the governor and uprooted the mikes. 

The assembly and the governor's security personnel formed a strong cordon around him this time to keep the protesting legislators at bay. 

Earlier, TRS legislators and also those of the TDP from the Telangana region separately paid their respects to the martyrs of Telangana at the memorial in front of the assembly building.

Eight petrol pumps run by prison inmates to come up in Andhra

Hyderabad, Feb 12 (PTI) Buoyed by the success of a petrol pump run by reformed jail inmates, the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to set up eight more such filling stations in different parts of the state. Located in the premises of Kadappa Central jail in the south-central part of Andhra Pradesh, Kadappa jail petrol pump is the only petrol station in the state which is run by prison inmates. The monthly turnover amounts to nearly Rs 1.8 crore which is the highest sale in comparison to all the 48 petrol stations in the district, said Sunil Kumar, Additional Inspector general of Prisons of the Andhra Pradesh Prisons Department.
"Yesterday we had a turnover of Rs 6.18 lakh... Though this petrol station is four months old only, it has the highest sale in comparison to all the 48 petrol stations in Kadappa district. Since the turnover is huge it has been decided upon to set up similar petrol stations in the remaining eight central jails across the state," Kumar said. The petrol stations are likely to be set up in the districts including Hyderabad, Cherlapalli (R R District), Warangal, Rajahmundry, Adavivaram (Visakhapatnam District), Nellore among others. Kumar said it took them two years to convince Indian Oil Corporation to allow them establish a petrol pump in the jail premises. The Kadappa petrol pump is run by 21 inmates who have shown good conduct over a period of time and eligible for the semi-open jail facility. 


These inmates work on shift basis and earn Rs 70 per day. The petrol pump was started as part of the jail rehabilitation programme. Once they learn work here, they will be able to work in other petrol stations when released, he said. The success story of this petrol station has encouraged other states to replicate the same in their jails too, the senior police official said. "Gujarat jail authorities have asked us to share details as to how to establish a similar facility in their jails too," Kumar said. 

Aakash 2 to go expensive with better features?

New Delhi: This news might disappoint a lot of Aakash tablet enthusiasts. The much hyped tab may now come with enhanced features but it may pinch on your wallet.

According to a newspaper report the price of water and shock proof Aakash 2 with four time faster processor and better battery life will cost USD 100 (Rs 4900 approx) double than its inaugural price.

Aakash tablet was launched in last October by HRD minister Kapil Sibal.

Reportedly, technology companies have told the government that it is impossible to supply a million Aakash 2 tablets at the original cost. Datawind, a Canadian company, had got the order to supply the government one lakh tablets at USD 50.

The price hike debate started after Indian Institute of Technology, Rajasthan had specified some test criterions for the tablet and if the government has to follow the criterions than it will not be able to provide the tab in the USD 50 price tag.

The specifications given by IIT Rajasthan are that the tablet should function at 20 degree and up to 50 degree Celsius, withstand steep and sudden fall and waterproof.

It has specified a 1.2 Gega Hertz (Ghz) microprocessor as against 366 mega hertz (Mhz) in Aakash and 700 RAM megabytes, double of the original. The battery specified can run up to eight hours.

Medaram jatara ends

MEDARAM (WARANGAL): The Sammakka Saralamma tribal jamboree at Medaram village of Tadwai mandal came to an end here on Saturday. Thousands of tribal families sent off their goddesses with traditional drum beats and Gussadi dances.

The tribal priests brought back the deities to their respective places of Kannepally (Saralamma), and Chilukalagutta hillock (Sammakka) and performed the Vanapravesham (back to forest) ceremony that signalled the end of the jatara.

A huge crowd thronged the venue to worship the deities on Saturday, the fourth and final day of the jatara.

Warangal collector B Rahul and SP Rajesh Kumar said 80 lakh devotees from across the country, particularly tribals from Maharashtra , Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh, came to the jatara this time. Both the officials expressed their satisfaction over the smooth completion of the jatara. The festival remained crime-free , the SP said.

The district authorities on Saturday, decided to begin sanitation works postjatara , on a war footing. Personnel from the departments of RWS, panchayat raj, medical and health, and animal husbandry will carry out the clean up operation .