Vizag’s Malayali Community Blooms With Onam Spirit

Visakhapatnam:Visakhapatnam is ablaze with festive spirit this Onam day, as more than 6,000 Keralites came together to celebrate Kerala’s most cherished harvest festival. Families are honouring the occasion in their homes, while the Kerala Kala Samiti has brought additional joy with a vibrant Onam Pookalam (flower rangoli) competition in the evening.

Kerala Kala Samiti general-secretary K. Haridas said the event reflects the community’s strong enthusiasm and unity. “It’s not just about Onam Pookalam, it’s about the community coming together,” he said.

One of the participants, N. Sreejita Das, shared her excitement with Deccan Chronicle with. “I’ve collected seven or eight types of flowers and different leaves for today’s contest,” she said. “The competition lasts only two hours, but I spent the whole day preparing!” Her dedication shows how deeply young Malayali girls connect with the tradition.

Onam is celebrated during Thiruvonam, which falls on Friday, September 5. The festival began on August 26 and will continue until September 7. It honours the mythological king Mahabali, whose annual visit is welcomed with joy and gratitude.

Haridas explained, “During Onam, we decorate our homes with Pookkalam, enjoy cultural programmes, play traditional games and share meals. It’s a time for all generations to come together and celebrate our heritage.”

One of the most loved parts of Onam is the Sadya, a grand vegetarian feast served on banana leaves. It includes a variety of dishes that showcase Kerala’s rich food culture. The Kerala Kala Samiti has planned a community Sadya on September 14, inviting not just Malayalis but also local Telugu families.

“We’re expecting over 200 Telugu friends to join us,” Haridas said. “It’s a beautiful way to share our culture and build friendships.”

He added, “Whether in Kerala or here in Vizag, Onam reminds us of unity, abundance and joy. It’s a time to celebrate togetherness and the values that make our culture special.”

Urea supply, sale getting stabilised in AP: Atchannaidu

Vijayawada: Agriculture minister K. Atchannaidu said the urea supply and sale are getting stabilised gradually in the state to ensure its availability to the farmers.

The minister said here on Friday that based on directions from Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, the district level teams consisting of collectors, SPs, vigilance and agriculture officials were inspecting the fields and interacting with the farmers.

He said it helped improve awareness on urea availability so that the farmers could purchase it as per immediate requirement instead of resorting to advance buying for future needs.

The minister asked every retail fertiliser dealer to display stock boards, details of fertiliser availability, company names and maximum retail price so that the farmers could know about the availability of urea in their area.

Durgesh says GST reforms help tourism, film industry in AP

Vijayawada:Minister of tourism and culture Kandula Durgesh said the GST reforms would benefit the tourism and film industry in a big way.

In a statement issued here on Friday, the minister said the hotel room tariff with over `7,500 would get the benefit of GST to be slashed to 5 per cent from 12 per cent and restaurant bill would come down to 5 per cent GST from 12 per cent-18 per cent GST giving a major financial relief to budget travellers and to the domestic tourism.

With regard to the film industry, the minister said that if the cost of the cinema ticket was below `100, it would attract 12 per cent GST and above `100, 18 per cent GST would be levied and the 28 per cent GST would be abolished. He added that all services of film production including editing, dubbing and others would attract 18 per cent GST.

Logo of 62nd National Chess Championship-2025 unveiled

Vijayawada:The Supreme Court Judge Justice P. Sri Narasimha and Andhra Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur unveiled the logo of the 62nd National Chess Championship-2025 at a programme held at Vignan University in Guntur on Friday.

The prestigious National Chess Championship-2025 will be held at the Vignan University from September 20 to October 1.

Participants from across AP and from different parts of India will take part along with prominent Grand Masters and International Masters.

Andhra Chess Association, Guntur, will host the 62nd National Chess Championship-2025.

BC welfare dept gets prestigious SKOCH award for 2025

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh government’s Backward Classes welfare department has bagged the prestigious SKOCH award for 2025 for providing free training to the unemployed youth from backward classes to prepare for various competitive examinations, and it will be presented at a programme scheduled to be held in New Delhi on Sept. 20. Minister for BC welfare S. Savitha expressed her happiness for getting the award. Speaking on the occasion here on Friday, she said that they had provided free coaching to the unemployed youth from backward classes for Mega DSC, civil services and other competitive examinations and added that it helped them get government jobs. She said that getting the award for our department showed the commitment. Of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to improve the lot of the youth from the backward classes. The department provided Mega DSC coaching to 1,674 candidates by providing a monthly stipend of Rs 1,500 and provided Rs 1,000 for books, while 4,774 candidates availed online coaching also. As many as 6,470 candidates got free coaching for DSC both online and offline, and 83 candidates got free coaching for the civil services exam.

305 teachers felicitated in Godavari districts

Kakinada:As many as 305 teachers of government, municipal, Zilla Parishad, upper primary and primary school teachers were felicitated in five Godavari districts, including 87 in East Godavari, 70 in Kakinada, 56 in West Godavari, 64 in Konaseema and 28 in Eluru District on Friday on the eve of Teachers' Day celebrations, and the former president of India Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan's birthday celebrations were held grandly.

In Kakinada district, collector S. Shan Mohan, who participated in Teachers Day celebrations at JNTUK, organised by the District Education Department, said that teachers are playing a vital role in moulding the future of the children after mothers and fathers. He said that his first guru is his mother and his second guru is his father. He said that the teachers should inculcate value-based education among the students, and it would provide a good future for the students. He praised the teachers who are trying to change the lives of hundreds of the students through their education. He said that the state government is giving top priority to the education sector, and the district education department officials, led by DEO P. Ramesh, conducted DSC, the transfer of teachers and others in a planned manner. MLC Karri Padmasri, Kakinada MLA Vanamadi Venkateswara Rao, MLC Perabathula Rajasekhar, Peddapuram MLA Nimmakayala China Rajappa and others were present.

At Konaseema, the district collector, R. Mahesh Kumar, felicitated 64 teachers on the occasion. In West Godavari district, the collector, Ch. Nagarani, the deputy speaker of the AP Assembly, R. Raghu Ramakrishnam Raju, and others participated and praised the services of the teachers. They said that the teachers should update their knowledge as per the growing advanced technology.

In Eluru district, joint collector P. Dhathri Reddy, district SP K. Pratap Shiva Kishore, Eluru MLA Badeti Radhakrishna and others participated. Dhathri Reddy said that she remembered his childhood and school days, and many of the teachers moulded her career. The students exhibited cultural programmes.

In East Godavari district, tourism minister Kandula Durgesh, collector P. Prashanthi, joint collector Y. Megha Swaroop, and Rajamahendravaram MLA Adireddy Srinivtas participated in Teachers' Day celebrations at Sri Venkateswara Anam Kala Kendram. Kandhula Durgesh appealed to the people not to make derogatory remarks against the teachers who will provide the best careers for our children. He said that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, and education minister Nara Lokesh are making efforts to take the state forward in all angles by making use of advanced technology.

APSSDC, DEKRA Arbeit to promote skill development and recruitment to Germany

Vijayawada:The Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation and DEKRA Arbeit have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote ethical recruitment and global opportunities for skilled youth from Andhra Pradesh.

Kona Sasidhar, secretary, SD&T, Andhra Pradesh, said, "Our goal is to prepare the youth of Andhra Pradesh to the highest quality standards while they are in India itself, ensuring a smoother transition into the German labour market."

Sasidhar further said that through this partnership, APSSDC and DEKRA Arbeit will explore joint training and recruitment initiatives to enable the migration of skilled workers from Andhra Pradesh to Germany. The initial focus will be on nurses, with discussions underway to expand into other sectors such as engineers.

Yvonne Bolach, MD, DEKRA Expert Migration GmbH, said that founded over 100 years ago, the DEKRA Group operates globally with more than 200 legal entities and has over 25 years of experience in training and recruiting for 3,000 companies worldwide. She stated, "We look forward to a long-term partnership with Andhra Pradesh and to building a trained talent pipeline from India to meet the evolving workforce needs in Germany."

Ganesh Kumar, MD & CEO, APSSDC; Seeta Sharma, adviser – International Skilling and Mobility, GoAP; and D. Manohar, Executive Director, APSSDC, were also present at the MoU signing ceremony.

YSRC blames government for fertiliser scarcity, calls protests on Sept. 9

Tirupati: YSRC’s Tirupati in-charge, Bhumana Abhinay Reddy, on Friday accused the coalition government of failing to ensure adequate urea supply to farmers, leading to long queues and black marketing in the district.

Addressing a press conference in Tirupati, he said the state’s farmers, already hit by low crop prices, are now facing severe shortages of urea at the peak of the farming season. “Farmers are waiting in lines for hours, but the government has failed to provide urea. With no checks in place, the fertiliser is being sold openly in the black market,” Abhinay Reddy said.

He alleged that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who came to power on the promise of implementing the ‘Super Six’ guarantees, has failed to address even basic agricultural needs. “The Ruthu Bharosa scheme has been watered down and renamed as Annadata Sukhibhava. Since this government took charge, only `7,000 has been released. The reality of their promises is now clear,” he remarked.

Calling on the government to act immediately, he warned that the YSRC would intensify protests if farmers continued to suffer due to lack of fertiliser. “If the government does not open its eyes and make urea available, we will give a fitting reply,” he said. He announced that YSRC would organise rallies across the state on September 9 and submit petitions at RDO offices. In Tirupati, the protest will begin with a rally from Annamayya Circle.

Abhinay Reddy also dismissed recent remarks by Jana Sena leader Kiran Royal against former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams’ Chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy. “Kiran Royal should first clarify which party he belongs to. The Jana Sena had earlier asked him to stay away from party activities. He has no moral ground to comment on politics,” he said.

Teachers’ Day observed across Nellore, Prakasam, Chittoor and Tirupati

Tirupati: Teachers’ Day was observed across Chittoor, Tirupati, Nellore and Prakasam districts with tributes to Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and felicitation of teachers for their services. The programmes were organised by district administrations and education departments, with collectors, legislators, and local representatives taking part.

In Chittoor, district collector Sumit Kumar said teachers not only build the future of children in classrooms but also play a vital role in social transformation. Speaking at a programme held at the NTR meeting hall in the ZP office, he said it was the responsibility of society to honour teachers. He pointed out that teachers face the challenge of guiding students with different levels of ability and called on them to take extra care to support children from poor families.

He suggested that each teacher should adopt underprivileged students and help in their development. The collector also noted that teachers could shape nearly 1,500 students over the course of their careers. On the occasion, 70 teachers were felicitated for their contributions. DEO Varalakshmi, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan Project Director Venkata Ramana, and local legislators attended the programme.

In Tirupati, district collector Dr S. Venkateshwar attended the Teachers’ Day celebrations at Kachapi Auditorium along with MLAs Arani Srinivasulu and G. Bhanu Prakash. Addressing the gathering, he said teachers play an equally important role in the progress of both the state and the country. He urged teachers to adopt innovative teaching methods and create a motivating environment in schools. He added that the government was spending around `50 crore for the improvement of education and was working to ensure one teacher for every class. During the event, outstanding teachers were felicitated.

In Nellore, collector O. Anand participated in celebrations held at Tikkana grounds under the joint auspices of the Education Department and Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. He said teachers should undergo training to keep pace with expected changes in the education system over the next decade. He stressed the need for coordination between government and private schools to ensure quality education for all.

In Prakasam district, joint collector R. Gopalakrishna attended the district-level programme at the Grievance Hall in Ongole. He said teachers have the responsibility of moulding students into responsible citizens with high values. A total of 53 teachers were honoured during the event for their service.