Adulterated Ghee Made with Animal Fat Seized in Pithapuram

Kakinada: Revenue, municipal and police officials jointly seized 21 cans of adulterated ghee allegedly made using cow and other animal fat at Pithapuram on Thursday. The raids were conducted following a complaint from Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) state president Duvva Venkateswara Rao.

Pithapuram sub-inspector Manikumar said the seized samples would be sent to food safety authorities for testing. Municipal official Prabhakara Rao, revenue inspector Venkatesh, and other staff participated in the operation.

VHP leader Venkateswara Rao condemned the sale of adulterated ghee and oil near the famous temple during the auspicious Karthika Masa, alleging official negligence and collusion with manufacturers despite repeated complaints.

New AP Chambers team takes charge in Visakhapatnam

The Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation (AP Chambers) formally inducted its Visakhapatnam Zone Committee for the 2025–27 term at a ceremony held in the city on Thursday.

P. Sobhan Prakash assumed charge as chairperson of the Visakhapatnam Zone, with G. Shiva Kumar and M. V. Pavan Kartheek appointed as vice-chairmen, while Dr Srivalli Korrapati took over as head of the newly constituted Women’s Wing.

Dr Jitendra Sharma, Managing Director and Founder-CEO of AP MedTech Zone Ltd, attended as chief guest and emphasised the importance of innovation and collaboration in boosting regional economic growth. Dr Rayapati Sailaja, Chairperson of the AP State Women’s Commission, launched the Women’s Wing and called for greater participation of women in business leadership.

AP Chambers president Potluri Bhaskara Rao, who attended as guest of honour, outlined the federation’s strategic vision for advancing trade and industry across Andhra Pradesh. The new committee pledged to strengthen entrepreneurship, tourism, and industrial development, with a focus on supporting MSMEs and large-scale enterprises.

Collector ensures nutritious, hygienic meals in schools

West Godavari district collector Chadalawada Nagarani on Thursday intensified a district-wide inspection drive to strengthen the Dokka Seethamma Midday Meal Scheme, ensuring nutritious and hygienic meals in government schools.

Mandal-level special officers, tahsildars and MPDOs inspected schools across the district, tasting food and interacting with students. The collector made a surprise visit to PSM Girls’ High School in Gunupudi, where she personally sampled the midday meal and expressed satisfaction with the food quality and hygiene.

Sitting with students, Nagarani urged them to eat nutritious meals daily, highlighting the importance of a balanced diet for mental and physical growth. She said that regular consumption of eggs and pulses builds strength and concentration. She advised parents to encourage children, especially girls, to eat at school every day.

She directed school managements to maintain strict cleanliness in kitchens, follow food safety norms, and adopt hygienic methods for cleaning utensils.

Youth kills father over marriage dispute

A youth murdered his father following a dispute over dowry demands related to his sister’s marriage at Thorredu village in Rajamahendravaram Rural mandal on Thursday.

According to Rajanagaram police, the accused, Vodisala Saikumar, quarrelled with his father Vodisala Appa Rao, an auto driver, after the latter rejected a marriage proposal demanding ₹2 lakh dowry for his younger daughter.

In a fit of rage, Saikumar allegedly banged his father’s head against a wall, locked his mother and sister in a room, and then slit his father’s throat, killing him on the spot.

Rajanagaram circle inspector Prasanna Veeraiah Gowd registered a case and shifted the body to the government hospital in Rajamahendravaram for post-mortem examination.