Atchannaidu Advises Farmers Not Get Worried Over Price Drop for Onions

Vijayawada: Minister of agriculture K. Atchannaidu has advised the farmers not to get worried about onions as the state government has announced the minimum support price and purchased 580 metric tonnes and started selling them in all Rytu Bazaars in the state. Speaking to the media here on Tuesday, the minister said that farmers in Kurnool district harvested 5,700 metric tonnes of onions. Its price had dropped drastically at due to heavy rains. He added that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the situation on August 28 and announced the MSP at Rs.12 per kg and purchased 580 MT of onions so far. With regard to urea, the minister ruled out any shortage by saying that 6.59 lakh tonnes of urea was available and 5.64 lakh tonnes was distributed so far.

Civic body plans to spend funds only on basic infra

Nellore: Nellore Municipal Corporation commissioner Y.O. Nandan said that the corporation has decided to cut down unnecessary expenditure and divert funds exclusively toward essential infrastructure development and public welfare works. Speaking with officials on Tuesday, the commissioner said corporation funds will not be spent on cultural or festival-related activities but will instead be used only for core development activities such as roads, drainage, street lighting, drinking water supply, greenery and park maintenance. Nandan said, “We will allocate corporation resources solely for the creation and maintenance of basic civic amenities. Extravagant spending on non-essential events will be completely stopped.” He noted that in past years, crores of rupees had been spent on festivals, cultural, and spiritual programmes, along with manpower support from corporation staff. Under the new reforms, the corporation will henceforth restrict its role in such events to providing sanitation and drinking water supply alone. Nandan also stressed that the city’s ambitious development projects require steady funding. He appealed to all residents to pay their taxes on time so that the corporation can continue implementing planned infrastructure works without interruption.

Jagan alleges people denied voting right in Pulivendula ZPTC by-poll

Anantapur: YSRC president and former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has accused Telugu Desam of having no courage to face elections. “The ruling party butchered democracy by not allowing voters to exercise their franchise in the ZPTC by-polls,” he charged. Jagan Mohan Reddy offered prayers at his father, late AP chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy’s grave at Idupulapaya in Kadapa district on the occasion of YSR’s death anniversary on Tuesday. Interacting with villagers before rounding off his three-day Pulivendula visit, Jagan Mohan Reddy maintained that the Pulivendula ZPTC by-election is a clear example of how a democratic process can be demeaned by not allowing people to vote freely. Villagers of Ambakapplli informed the former CM about the atrocities committed by TD men during the ZPTC elections and how they had been prevented from voting. Responding, Jagan called on people to be brave and confident in future. “We all know how Nandyal by-poll had been held. We have later seen how TDP got routed in the general elections. God will teach a lesson to TDP. Injustice cannot prevail for long,” he told the assembled gathering.

Two mandals in NTR district bag Niti Aayog gold medals, officials honoured

Vijayawada: Two mandals, including Ibrahimpatnam and Penuganchiprolu, in NTR district bagged the Niti Aayog gold medals under ‘Aspirational Block Programme’ as they achieved cent per cent results in six health indicators. The officials responsible for such an achievement have been honoured by presenting the medals and citations at a programme held at Thummalapalli Kalakshetram here on Tuesday. The six indicators include: Registration of pregnant women, healthcare, hypertension screening, diabetes screening, nutrition to pregnant women, issue of soil test card and self help groups’ revolving fund. Speaking on the occasion, minister of health Satya Kumar Yadav appreciated the officials involved in getting the gold medals to the two mandals in implementation of six indicators. He said that under leadership of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, the government was making hard efforts to get the best results in implementation of schemes. Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath credited the district administration for working with coordination and facing challenges efficiently to implement several schemes. District collector G. Lakshmisha called it a collective effort involving all the departments concerned to achieve the result.

Visakhapatnam and Kanpur Zoos complete animal exchange program

Visakhapatnam: The Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP) in Visakhapatnam completed an animal exchange programme with Kanpur Zoological Park on Monday, bringing eight new species to the coastal Andhra Pradesh zoo while contributing seven species. The exchanged animals include swamp deer, a striped hyena for bloodline exchange, common sand boa, red-crowned roof turtle, hog deer, kalij pheasant, ruddy shelduck and red sand boa from the Kanpur facility. In return, the Visakhapatnam zoo provided Kanpur with an asiatic wild dog (Dhole), a striped hyena for bloodline exchange, an Indian wolf, lutino parakeet, star tortoise, green iguana and barking deer. "This exchange brings six new species to the animal collection of IGZP, adding the newest attraction for our visitors," said G. Mangamma, curator of IGZP. The exchange involved a total of 42 animals, with IGZP receiving 17 animals across eight species and providing 25 animals across seven species to Kanpur zoo. Notable additions to the Visakhapatnam collection include three male and three female kalij pheasants, three hog deer and four red-crowned roof turtles. Among the animals sent to Kanpur were three Asiatic wild dogs, six lutino parakeets, six star tortoises and four green iguanas, representing some of IGZP's breeding successes. Following standard zoological protocols, all the newly arrived animals at IGZP will undergo a mandatory quarantine period before being introduced to public viewing areas.

Leopard killed in road accident on NH-44 in Jakranpally

Nizamabad: A leopard was killed after being hit by an unidentified vehicle while crossing National Highway-44 at Padgal village in Jakranpally mandal on Monday night. Jakranpally Mandal Parishad Development Officer (MPDO) Satish Kumar, who was returning home after work, spotted the carcass between Secundrapur and Arugul villages, and alerted the police. Forest and police officials rushed to the spot and shifted the carcass. Officials suspect that the wild animal could have been hit by the vehicle while it was attempting to cross the busy highway.

AP police to have 100 acres for training sniffer dogs

Vijayawada: Home minister Anitha Vangalapudi praised the outstanding performance of specially trained sleeper dogs during the 22nd batch Passing Out Parade held at the 6th Battalion premises in Mangalagiri on Tuesday. The minister and AP DGP Harish Kumar Gupta witnessed the remarkable discipline and skills showcased by the police canines. Total of 35 canines and 61 handlers participated in the Passing Out Parade. Anitha congratulated the trainers and announced plans to establish a dedicated facility spanning 100 acres for training and caring for the dogs trained and maintained by the police. The minister appreciated the canines, recalling the example of the tracker canine Shadow that cracked the Chirala rape and murder case within 36 hours of the incident. She also highlighted the importance of sniffer dogs in intercepting narcotics, including ganja (cannabis). Anitha said curbing trafficking of narcotics is their utmost priority. For the first time, 18 canines have been trained for detecting narcotics using modern methods. DGP Harish Kumar highlighted the state’s ongoing efforts to eliminate cannabis and drug abuse through surveillance and thorough checks. He appreciated the role of dog squads for their drug detection capabilities.

Free 5-day Barista coffee skills training for tribal youths in Araku region

Vijayawada: The state Skill Development Corporation, in collaboration with the Coffee Board, is conducting a free 5-day Barista Coffee skills training programme for tribal youths in the Araku region. The training would be held from September 23 to 27 at the Araku youth training centre in the Alluri Sita Ramaraju district. Corporation MD Ganesh Kumar said that on August 9, marking International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, chief minister Chandrababu Naidu visited the ASR district and heard requests from local youths for training in coffee preparation. The CM asked officials to facilitate this. Kumar stated, "This programme is a significant step in empowering tribal youth with industry-relevant skills. It provides an opportunity for them to build careers in the coffee industry, supporting their personal growth and regional economic development. We encourage the tribal youths of Araku to make the most of this opportunity." Interested youths can register for their participation at https://naipunyam.ap.gov.in/user-registration?page=program-registration

For queries, contact APSSDC helpline: 9988853335 / 8712655686

Surprise Inspections on Fertilizer Shops Across Prakasam; Strict Action Warned Against Irregularities

Nellore: Acting on reports of black marketing of urea amid peak agricultural activity, the Prakasam district police, under the directions of SP A.R. Damodar, on Tuesday conducted surprise inspections at 121 fertiliser shops, godowns and PACS stores across the district in coordination with agriculture department officials. During the checks, officials thoroughly verified stock registers, PoS (Point of Sale) machine entries, distribution records, and sales bills, with special focus on urea stocks to ensure they were not diverted to the black market. The SP warned that any discrepancies between physical stock and recorded entries, or sales above the government-fixed MRP, would invite strict legal action. He urged dealers not to create artificial scarcity or exploit farmers, and to provide receipts for every sale. The police appealed to farmers and the public to immediately report any malpractice related to fertilisers or pesticides to nearby police stations or agriculture officials. The SP asserted that police would continue such inspections to ensure transparency, curb black marketing and protect farmers’ interests.