Class X Student Dies After Collapsing in Private School in Konaseema

Kakinada:A Class X girl student died suddenly after collapsing in a classroom at a private school in Ramachandrapuram town of Dr B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district on Friday.

According to sources, the student collapsed while classes were in progress. School authorities immediately shifted her to the Area Hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead. Preliminary observations by doctors suggest that she may have suffered a cardiac arrest.

Ramachandrapuram Circle Inspector M. Venkata Narayana said a case has been registered and the cause of death is being ascertained. He added that the student had reportedly been suffering from health issues.

Meanwhile, PDSU State associate secretary B. Siddhu expressed grief over the incident and visited the Area Hospital to console the bereaved parents. He said students were facing increasing psychological stress and strain under the present education system and urged school managements to pay greater attention to the physical and mental well-being of students.

Former Amalapuram MP Kusuma Krishna Murthy passes away

Kakinada:Former Amalapuram Lok Sabha member Kusuma Krishna Murthy (85) passed away at a hospital in New Delhi on Saturday morning.

Born on September 11, 1940, at Vilasa village in Ayinavilli mandal of Dr B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district, Krishna Murthy was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Amalapuram constituency three times in 1977–80, 1980–84 and 1989–91.

A senior Congress leader, he served as convener of the SC and ST Welfare Committee, AICC joint secretary and held several other organisational responsibilities. He completed his degree at SKBR College, Amalapuram, and pursued postgraduate studies at Andhra University and Nagpur University.

Krishna Murthy was also an author and penned the book “Dalit Vedam”, reflecting his lifelong commitment to social justice and the uplift of marginalised communities.

Several political leaders and academicians expressed condolences over his demise. Amalapuram MP Ganti Harish Mathur described him as a distinguished parliamentarian who worked tirelessly for the development of the Konaseema region and the welfare of the downtrodden.

BVC educational Institutions chairman Bonam Kanakaiah recalled Krishna Murthy’s support for technical education initiatives in Konaseema. MLCs Kudupudi Suryanarayana and Bommidi Israel, along with academicians M. Ramakrishna Rao and Dr Bandi Satyanarayana, also paid rich tributes.

Two YSRC corporators, city president join TD amid no-confidence move

Nellore:Political developments in Nellore took a fresh turn on Saturday as two YSRC (YSRC) corporators, including the party’s city unit president, joined the Telugu Desam (TD) in the presence of Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana.

The corporators who switched sides are 42nd division corporator Karimulla and 37th division corporator Bobbala Srinivas Yadav, who also serves as the YSRC Nellore City segment president. Their defection comes at a crucial juncture, with a no-confidence motion against the Nellore mayor expected shortly.

Speaking after joining the TD, the corporators said they were impressed by the development works initiated by minister P. Narayana and Nellore Rural MLA Sridhar Reddy. They claimed Narayana had extended support even when they were with the YSRC and had never exerted pressure to change parties.

They said the decision to join the TD was voluntary and aimed at contributing to the city’s development during the remaining 11 months of their term. They denied any coercion and expressed confidence that the proposed no-confidence motion against the mayor would succeed.

TD leaders said the developments reflected the party’s growing strength in Nellore. A party spokesperson alleged that the mayor had failed to function effectively and accused YSRC leaders of making irresponsible statements. Corporators, he said, were shifting allegiance in the interest of development and good governance.

Meanwhile, the TD shifted its corporators to a hotel in Tirupati as a precaution after four corporators briefly switched sides. Party sources said two of them were later brought back, and measures were being taken to prevent further defections.

Silence is not weakness; women must speak up: MoS Dr Chandrasekhar

Vijayawada:Union minister of state for rural development and communications Dr Pemmasani Chandrasekhar on Saturday said silence among women should never be mistaken for weakness, urging them to speak out against injustice and discrimination.

Addressing the Nayi Chetana 4.0 National Gender Equality Campaign, organised by the Ministry of Rural Development with the support of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) at Thulluru, he said the initiative aims to eliminate discrimination and social evils such as child marriage, domestic violence and gender bias.

As part of the programme, the ministers inaugurated a Gender Resource Centre (GRC) at the CRDA Skill Hub building. A public meeting and departmental exhibition stalls were later inaugurated at a nearby private school.

Chandrasekhar noted that although lakhs of domestic violence cases are reported every year across the country, many incidents remain unreported due to fear, social stigma and concerns over family prestige. To address this, the Nayi Chetana campaign was launched in 2021 to create awareness and empower women to seek support.

He said the Centre is establishing safe shelters for women facing violence, with a grant of ₹5 lakh for each facility, to be managed by trained Self-Help Group (SHG) members. In Andhra Pradesh, 200 such centres have been sanctioned, of which 100 are already operational. Women facing discrimination were advised to approach these centres or dial the women’s helpline 181.

Highlighting women’s economic role, the Union minister said Andhra Pradesh has nearly eight lakh SHGs with about 80 lakh women members. He urged women to utilise welfare schemes, achieve financial independence and contribute actively to the state’s development.

Home minister Vangalapudi Anitha said strong families and societies are built on empowered women, stressing that gender equality must begin at home. She referred to initiatives such as the Shakti App and One-Stop Centres to enhance women’s safety.

MSME, SERP and NRI affairs minister Kondapalli Srinivas reiterated the government’s commitment to strengthening SHGs through financial and institutional support, while MLA Tenali Sravan Kumar said respect and equality for women must start within households.

Expedite road widening, encroachment removal: Guntur mayor

Vijayawada:Guntur mayor Kovelamudi Ravindra on Saturday directed city planning and engineering officials to expedite the long-pending widening of Brundavan Gardens Main Road and ensure the removal of encroachments along the stretch. He issued the instructions while inspecting Brundavan Gardens and Lakshmipuram Main Roads along with Guntur Municipal Corporation commissioner Puli Srinivasulu.

The mayor said the Brundavan Gardens road widening project, delayed for years, had finally taken shape under the present coalition government and must now be completed strictly as per the approved plan and within the stipulated time. He stressed that clearing encroachments was crucial to ensure smooth execution of works and ease traffic congestion.

The commissioner said permissions had been accorded for constructing drains on both sides of the connectivity road linking Brundavan Gardens Centre with Vidya Nagar Main Road. He instructed officials to widen the road to 80 feet first, followed by drain works and road construction. He also directed the removal of encroachments along Lakshmipuram and Koretepadu Main Roads and adjoining drains.

Emphasising close monitoring, the commissioner asked the city planner to assign clear responsibilities and adhere to daily targets. Assistant city planner M. Rehman and officials from town planning, engineering and public health departments were present.

Lok Adalat settles over 2 lakh cases across AP

Visakhapatnam:The National Lok Adalat held across Andhra Pradesh on Saturday resolved as many as 2,00,746 cases, with compensation awards totalling `52.56 crore, according to a press release issued by B. S. V. Himabindu, Member Secretary of the Andhra Pradesh State Legal Services Authority (APSLSA).

The statewide Lok Adalat was organised under the guidance of Justice Dhraj Singh Thakur, Chief Justice of the High Court and Patron-in-Chief of APSLSA, along with Justice C. Manavendranath Roy, Executive Chairman of the Authority, and Justice Ravi Nath Tilhari, Chairman of the High Court Legal Services Committee.

At the Andhra Pradesh High Court, two benches presided over by Justice K. Maheshwara Rao and Justice Y. Lakshmana Rao disposed of 150 cases, awarding compensation of `2.81 crore.

Across the districts, 431 Lok Adalat benches were constituted, comprising judicial officers and other members. By 5 pm, the benches had settled 1,82,083 pending cases and 18,513 pre-litigation cases, significantly reducing the burden on courts.

Officials said the exercise highlighted the effectiveness of Lok Adalats in providing speedy, cost-effective and amicable resolution of disputes.

Cyber criminals loot ₹93.25 lakh from retired headmistress

Kakinada:Akiveedu police have arrested four inter-State cyber criminals who allegedly duped a retired headmistress of `93.25 lakh by threatening her with a fake “digital arrest”. The accused have been identified as Sabbi Jagadish Reddy of Visakhapatnam, Arif Mohammed of Mumbai, Pusunuri Radha Rani of Hyderabad, and Shahid Lathif Shaik of Ramanand Nagar in Sangli district of Maharashtra. Police recovered ₹7,34,240 from them.

West Godavari district additional superintendent of police V. Bhima Rao said the accused targeted the victim by claiming that her Aadhaar number had been misused for illegal financial transactions. They impersonated Supreme Court and police officials, issued fake warrants and intimidated her through video calls, subjecting her to severe mental harassment.

Believing the threats, the victim transferred ₹93.25 lakh from her accounts to various accounts operated by the accused. Taking the case seriously, superintendent of police Adnan Nayeem Asmi constituted special teams, which tracked and arrested the accused across States.

Police have advised the public not to fall prey to such fake calls and to immediately contact the nearest police station or dial emergency numbers if they receive threats in the name of “digital arrest” or law enforcement.