ANDHRA PRADESH

Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has requested members of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) to participate in the AP governments effort to provide world-class healthcare facilities for the common man.

Addressing the inaugural session of the Global Health Summit organised by AAPI in Visakhapatnam, the Chief Minister said officials would work out collaborations in various fields for training the health staff at various levels, as also in getting the latest technology and treatment procedures and guidance in improving the healthcare facilities.

Expressing his happiness that the event was organised in Visakhapatnam, the Chief Minister said he was sure this platform brought together the best brains in the field of health.

Nearly three centuries after some of the worlds most famousdiamondsincluding the Kohinoor were discovered in the Krishna river basin, the AP government is now set to launch a massive search forgemstones.

To begin with, the has focused onUpparapalle, a nondescript village in Kadapa district. The move comes after a preliminary survey by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) hinted at the presence of diamonds in Upparapalle.

One of the blocks in Upparapalle spread over 37.5 sq km would be taken up for a detailed study to zero-in on the area where the diamonds are present. The state government has decided to grant a composite licence through competitive bidding to explore the area.

The survey spans three phases G-4, G-3 and G-2. The GSI has already conducted G-4 or preliminary studies. G-1 studies involve detailed exploration. The company that would win the bid would take up G-3 and G-2 studies that involve preliminary and general exploration respectively.

TheAndhra Pradesh State Energy Conservation Mission(APSECM) has decided to present state energy conservation Awards to industries, organisations, and establishments, which have made significant contributions to its energy conservation and efficiency efforts.

The awards will be given during the national energy conservation week celebrations that will be conducted from December 14 to 20.

The competition would be conducted among different categories of consumers in industries, buildings, and Institutions sectors. Thermal power Plants, textiles, and Micro, Small and Medium enterprises will compete under category, panchayats under institution category, andAPSRTCbus stands, bus depots, hospitals and office buildings (both government and private) with a load of 50 kw and above under building category.

The power utilities of the state have concentrated on enhancing power generation capacity and reducing transmission and distribution losses.
Chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will inaugurate Sri Damodaram Sanjeevaiah Thermal Power Station (SDSTPS) stage 2 (800 MW) Krishnapatnam plant at Nellore and dedicate it to the nation on October 27.

This installation capacity augmentation has been planned as the energy department anticipates that the daily demand may increase to 250 million units by March 2023 inAndhra Pradesh. The transmission losses that were around 3.1% in 2018-19 have been reduced to 2.8% this year.
According to the officials, the 800 MW supercritical unit at Krishnapatnam generates 19 million units of electricity per day, coming in handy for the utilities to meet the rapidly increasing electricity grid demand.

Vijayawada stands second among cities in the country in terms of deaths that occur due to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

A total of 7,039 people were killed and 19,675 persons suffered injuries in 17,924road accidentsinAndhra Pradeshin 2020 as per the latest data ofNCRBin its Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India-2020 report.

Of the 94 deaths reported in AP due to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in 2020, Vijayawada accounted for 67.

As per the cause-wise distribution of road accidents among cities in 2020, among the 53 cities, Vijayawada occupies the second position with 67 deaths, after Chennai (236 deaths). Though Kolkata reported 345 cases of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, it reported only two deaths and 338 injuries.

TheAndhra Pradeshschool Education department (SCE) has so far mapped students of class III, IV and V to 5,372 high schools or pre-high schools (upper primary schools) within one-kilometre radius.

The SCE has taken up this exercise based on the national education policy-2020. The schools have been recategorized into six different categories.

The classes 3,4 and 5 mapped from the nearest primary schools along with the existing classes 6 to 10 will now function as a high school. Meanwhile, 10,000Anganwadischools have been shifted into the premises of the nearby primary schools to convert them as foundational schools.

In this process, the department has received objections pertaining to 257 schools in the state. The exercise of mapping the three primary classes to high schools started on a trial basis in the last academic year itself. But the maximum radius was limited to 250 metres in 2021.

In a setback to the strugglinggraniteindustry inAndhra Pradesh, China has stopped the precious stoneimportsfrom India. RisingCovid-19cases and stock pile-up in the last one year reported to have prompted China to impose temporary ban on granite imports.
The decision has badly hit the in Prakasam district which is heavily dependent on exports to China.

According to industry sources, granite factories in Chimakurthy region of Prakasam district used to export nearly 40,000 to 45,000 cubic meters of stone per month. Local traders were shipping the stocks fromKrishnapatnamand Chennai Ports. Cancellation of import orders by Chinese clients has left the local industry shocked.
In fact, granite industry has been struggling since the outbreak of Covid-19 last year as units became unable to generate stocks in sufficient quantities after a large number of migrant workers left for their native places.

He said farmers would not be required to pay a rupee during the entire transaction. The fixing of meters would enhance accountability and make discoms provide better Services. The meters would help officials keep track of the usage and shift load to new transformers or plan alternatives as and when required, Jagan said.

The CM also wanted Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture officials to encourage farmers to cultivate and discourage cultivation of paddy in areas where there is no canal to provide water. He also asked them to encourage farmers to switch to organic mode wherever possible.

The move is expected to provide a level playing field for the students, particularly from the rural and tribal areas who have studied in their native languages since childhood.
One of the major recommendations of the National Education Policy 2020 is to promote regional languages in education.

Confederation of Indian (CII) AP unit said it will work with a 9-point agenda for the year to boost the Industrial Sector in state. Dr MLakshmiPrasad, chairman ofCIIAP unit, said they will work with a theme Towards a Competitive and Sustainable Andhra Pradesh@100 : Growth, Competitiveness, Sustainability, Globalisation, Building Trust, for this financial year.

Lakshmi Prasadsaid India’s GDP is expected to grow at a rate of 6.5% to 6.7%, with CII envisioning a 7% growth rate. He said CII is trying to encourage young entrepreneurs by hand-holding.