Launch anti-Maoist operation in Jharkhand immediately: WB govtZee News - Aug 17, 2009 New Delhi: The Left Front government on Monday asked the Centre to immediately launch an anti-Maoist operation in Jharkhand in tandem with the ongoing joint ... Anti-Maoist ops peak in RayagadaTimes of India - Aug 13, 2009 KORAPUT: A day after three women rebels were gunned down in an encounter with policemen, anti-Maoist operations were intensified in Rayagada district on ... PC to visit Patna next week to discuss anti-naxal ops with NitishTimes of India - - Aug 28, 2009 Similar operations against CPI (Maoist) -- termed by the home ministry as an organised group of terrorists -- are simultaneously planned for neighbouring ... Centre ignores Mamata on LalgarhBusiness Standard - Aug 20, 2009 Ignoring Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress boss Mamata Banerjee's strong objections, the Union home ministry will continue its anti-Maoist operations ... Lalgarh-type operations to be replicated Times of India Operations to continue in Lalgarh: WB govt Press Trust of India Maoists dare govt to weed them out India Today Govt shores up security infrastructure; Maoist threat looms largeEconomic Times - Aug 28, 2009 The anti-naxal operation being carried out in Lalgarh since June has shown some results as the Centre, in coordination with the state government , has been ... Maoists gun down four in JharkhandEconomic Times - Aug 28, 2009 "The mode of operation indicates that Maoist rebels executed the killing," said Arun Mathew, superintendent of police (Rural). In New Delhi, a home ministry ... Desperate Maoists mount attack on cops: ADGTimes of India - - Aug 23, 2009 He said that an extremist was also killed in the encounter and the jawans of CRPF and STF engaged in the combing operation trailed the blood stains which ... YSR?s fate uncertain, Sukhoi fighter, NRSA craft continue search ...Thaindian.com - 37 minutes ago Since Nallamalla is considered a Maoist stronghold, the elite Greyhounds anti-Maoist force, along with Andhra Pradesh special police and state police .... |
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Two suspected naxals killed in LalgarhPress Trust of India - 5 hours ago New Delhi, Sep 2 (PTI) Two suspected naxalites were today killed in an encounter with the CRPF in the trouble-torn Lalgarh area in West Bengal. ... Maoists kill CPM leader, ransack Lalgarh housesTimes of India - Aug 26, 2009 CHANDRA (West Midnapore): Armed Maoists yet again went on an offensive against CPM members in Lalgarh on Tuesday night, killing one and ransacking houses of ... Maoists slay CPM leader Calcutta Telegraph Midnapore reels under twin bandhs Expressindia.com Ring of red fearTimes of India - Aug 30, 2009 On paper, Operation Lalgarh is still on. But in the villages, the Maoists' writ runs supreme. And their circle of dominance and terror is growing. ... Woman rural chief thrashed Calcutta Telegraph Maoists kill CPI-M leader in Bengal Press Trust of India Maoists kill another CPM leader Expressindia.com Lalgarh-type operations to be replicatedTimes of India - Aug 20, 2009 NEW DELHI: Calling Lalgarh a "laboratory of (anti-naxal) operation", the Centre -- which along with state police has jointly been taking on Maoists there ... Buddha's Delhi speech in absentia claims order in Lalgarh Expressindia.com Lalgarh replay outside cordon Calcutta Telegraph Naxals hold armed rally in LalgarhTimes of India - Aug 7, 2009 LALGARH: A day after the West Midnapore district administration admitted its failure in tackling the Maoists, the Red rebels in a brazen show of strength ... Lalgarh phase II a flop: Govt Calcutta Telegraph CM wants police to vacate Lalgarh schoolsTimes of India - Aug 11, 2009 MIDNAPORE: Realizing that continued occupation of schools in Lalgarh by police and the central paramilitary forces was snowballing into a major issue, ... Operation Lalgarh to enter forest Calcutta Telegraph All is not lost in Lalgarh, operations to go on: Buddha Indian Express Forces may get longer Lalgarh stintTimes of India - Aug 13, 2009 MIDNAPORE: The central paramilitary forces will stay in Lalgarh till September 4, but the Bengal government will request the Centre to further extend their ... West Bengal prepares blueprint for Lalgarh operation Economic Times Operations to continue in Lalgarh: Bengal Home Secretary Indian Express State plans fresh offensive in Lalgarh Kolkata Newsline Lalgarh jawan hit by bulletCalcutta Telegraph - Aug 17, 2009 17: For the first time since the Lalgarh operation began on June 18, a policeman has taken a direct hit at the fag-end of an encounter with Maoists. ... Maoists return to Lalgarh weeks after clean up Times Now.tv Maoists, security forces exchange fire in Lalgarh Press Trust of India Maoist bandh hits 3 Bengal districts, Lalgarh deserted Indian Express Security success: 15km trek to cover 2.5kmCalcutta Telegraph - Aug 31, 2009 Lalgarh, Aug. 31: A central police officer here says the most successful offensive against the Maoists in the two months since the "combined forces" entered ... |
| CHIDAMBARAM: Union home minister P Chidambaram said "AP forces have moved to a point where the chopper site was last seen. There is no good news yet. We are keeping our fingers crossed. The search operation would continue through the night. I have advised the state government to begin the search even during the night. We will have to wait until first light tomorrow [Thursday].......when we will have to press more helicopters. Let's hope for the... more by P Chidambaram - 32 minutes ago - Deccan Herald (1 occurrences) |
New Delhi, Sep 2 (PTI) The US has offered all help in locating Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S R Reddy whose helicopter went missing in the state this morning.
US Ambassador Timothy J Roemer was in touch with Home Minister P Chidambaram through the day and offered all help in this development, the Embassy spokesman said.
His heart goes out to all those involved in the development, the spokesman said.
| Sonia holds consultations with party colleagues on Reddy | |
| New Delhi, Sep 2 (PTI): | |
A concerned Congress President Sonia Gandhi tonight held consultations with senior party leaders in the wake of the disappearance of a helicopter carrying Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S R Rajasekhar Reddy. | |
| Senior ministers Pranab Mukherjee (Finance) and A K Antony (Defence) as also Political Secretary to the Congress President Ahmed Patel were present at the deliberations. Mukherjee said "today we are very sad about Rajasekhar Reddy's incident. Till now, there is no trace. I spoke to the Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister and other senior ministers there. It is very sad". Gandhi's consultations with the leaders took place shortly after Home Minister P Chidambaram had a meeting with her. Law Minister M Veerappa Moily and Minister of State in the PMO Prithviraj Chavan have left for Hyderabad after Gandhi asked them to proceed there in the wake of the incident. The AICC has described the situation in Andhra Pradesh following the disappearance of the chopper as that of a "crisis". Gandhi is personally monitoring the situation and has spoken to Reddy's son Jaganmohan, party sources said. | |
TV Channel run by YSR's son claims he is safe
Hyderabad: With panic and anxiety writ large on their faces, hundreds of Congress party workers gathered at the state secretariat here waiting to hear some news about the whereabouts and safety of chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, who remained untraced since his chopper went missing Wednesday morning.
State ministers, top bureaucrats, a large number of state employees, ruling party leaders and workers descended at the secretariat, the seat of government, as the word spread that the chief minister remained untraced even eight hours after his chopper lost contact with the air traffic control.
With prayers on their lips, the Congress leaders and admirers of YSR, as the chief minister is popularly known, stood outside the D block in the secretariat, which houses the Chief Minister's Office.
They were raising slogans "Long live YSR" as the security personnel had a tough time controlling the crowd.
State Ministers assure masses
There was some relief when state ministers told reporters that the chief minister was safe and his chopper had landed somewhere.
There were also reports on Sakshi television channel owned by the chief minister's son Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy that YSR was safe and spoke to his close aide K.V.P. Ramchandra Rao.
The channel also claimed that the chief minister would be reaching Hyderabad in an army helicopter any moment.
However, minutes later finance minister K.Rosaiah told reporters at the secretariat that the chief minister remained untraced.
He only hoped that the chopper had landed in some forest area and appealed to people to help trace it.
"We are worried after what Rosaiah said. We were earlier happy that the chief minister is safe. We are now praying to god," said Sudhakar Reddy, a Youth Congress leader.
Another Congress supporter said: "I am confident that he is safe. He is people's man. He did a lot for the welfare of people. Nothing will happen to him."
At Gandhi Bhavan, the headquarters of the ruling Congress, a large number of women workers were seen praying for the safety of their leader.
Hundreds of others gathered outside the chief minister's camp office in Begumpet bringing the traffic to a halt in the busy area.
Source - IANS
मुख्यमंत्री के प्रधान सचिव एस. सुब्रमणियम और मुख्य सुरक्षा अधिकारी एएससी वेस्ली के साथ दो पायलट भी उस दोहरे इंजन वाले सरकारी हेलिकॉप्टर पर सवार हैं, जिसका चित्तूर जिले की उड़ान के दौरान 9 बजकर 35 मिनट पर संपर्क टूट गया।
कुरनूल के पुलिस अधीक्षक श्रीकांत ने बताया कि मुख्यमंत्री को ले जा रहे विमान का अब तक कुछ पता नहीं चला है और वह अभी कुरनूल जिले में नहीं उतरा है जैसा कुछ खबरों में कहा जा रहा है। इस घटना के बाद सुरक्षा एजेंसियाँ और नौकरशाह चौकस हो गए हैं और शीर्ष अधिकारी हालात पर निगरानी के लिए यहाँ सचिवालय पहुँच गए हैं।
राज्य के पुलिस महानिदेशक एसएसपी यादव, गुप्तचर प्रमुख अरविंद राव और मुख्य सचिव रमाकांत रेड्डी लापता हेलिकॉप्टर का पता लगाने के अभियान की निगरानी कर रहे हैं। कुरनूल जिले के सभी थानों को चौकस कर दिया गया है।
भारतीय वायुसेना ने इस बीच चार हेलिकॉप्टरों को मुख्यमंत्री के लापता हेलिकॉप्टर की खोज के काम में लगाया है। दो चेतक, एक एम-18 हेलीकाप्टर और आधुनिक हलके हेलिकॉप्टर ध्रुव को बेंगलुरु से रवाना कर दिया गया है। वायुसेना के एक प्रवक्ता ने यह जानकारी दी।
विरोधाभासी बयान : इस बीच राज्य सरकार की ओर से भी विरोधाभासी बयान जारी हुए हैं। एक ओर राज्य के समाज कल्याण मंत्री पिल्ली सुभाष चंद्रशेखर ने एक बयान में कहा है कि मुख्यमंत्री रेड्डी सुरक्षित हैं, वहीं दूसरी ओर वित्तमंत्री वाएस के. रोसिया ने कहा है कि अभी मुख्यमंत्री के बारे में कोई जानकारी नहीं है। उन्होंने लोगों से अपील की है कि वे मुख्यमंत्री की तलाश में मदद करें।
अगस्टा हेलिकॉप्टर में सवार थे रेड्डी : मुख्यमंत्री रेड्डी जिस अगस्टा (एडब्ल्यू 139) में सवार थे, जो दो इंजिन वाला है। अमेरिकी वायुसेना भी इसी हेलिकॉप्टर का उपयोग करती है, जिसकी क्षमता 15 लोगों के सवार होने की है। अमेरिकी वायुसेना के पास इस तरह के 4 हेलिकॉप्टर हैं। आम तौर पर अगस्टा को बचाव कार्य में इस्तेमाल भी किया जाता है। आंध्रप्रदेश सरकार द्वारा इस अत्याधुनिक हेलिकॉप्टर का उपयोग किया जा रहा था।
दो हेलिकॉप्टर वापस लौटे : मुख्यमंत्री रेड्डी की तलाश में गए 2 हेलिकॉप्टर वापस आ गए हैं लेकिन वे कोई अच्छी खबर नहीं लाए। दरअसल कुरनूल जिले में काफी तेज बारिश हो रही है और रोशनी भी धीरे-धीरे कम होती जा रही है। यही कारण है कि खोज में गए हेलिकॉप्टरों में से 2 खाली हाथ आए हैं।
अभी तक ठोस जानकारी नहीं मिली : आंध्रप्रदेश के मुख्य सचिव रमाकांत रेड्डी ने संवाददाता सम्मेलन में स्वीकार किया है कि मुख्यमंत्री के बारे में अभी तक कोई ठोस जानकारी नहीं मिली है। फिलहाल 200 वर्ग किलोमीटर इलाके में सर्च जारी है। उन्होंने कहा कि मुख्यमंत्री रेड्डी की तलाश के लिए अन्य हेलिकॉप्टरों की भी मदद ले रहे हैं।
मुख्य सचिव ने कहा संभव है कि खराब मौसम की वजह से मुख्यमंत्री जंगली इलाके के ही किसी हिस्से में हों और वहाँ से संपर्क नहीं कर पा रहे हों क्योंकि यह ऐसा जंगली इलाका है कि वहाँ से बाहर निकलना आसान नहीं है। मु्ख्य सचिव ने स्वीकार किया कि हमारे पास समय बहुत कम है और अँधेरा घिर आने के बाद खोज अभियान में काफी मुश्किलें आएँगी।
Tiruchirapalli: The modalities for developing hypersonic missile BrahMos-II to be carried out by the Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace, are on the verge of being finalised, a top official of the company said here.
Pak now has 90 nuclear warheads, India concerned
Pakistan has increased its nuclear warheads from 60 to around 70-90 and is enhancing its nuclear weapon capabilities across the board by developing and deploying new nuclear-capable missiles, say two experts in a report in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
The report, entitled "Pakistani nuclear forces, 2009", by Robert S. Norris of the Natural Resources Defense Council and Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists is published in the Nuclear Notebook section of the Bulletin.
The two experts added that Pakistan is keeping its missiles with nuclear warheads in a completely assembled form and can launch them at a very short notice.
According to them, a satellite picture shows that the Masroor Air Base near Karachi is where missiles like the medium range Shaheen may be stored.
They also claim that Pakistan is developing two new cruise missiles - the ground-launched Babur and the air-launched Ra'ad.
The new cruise missiles will carry nuclear warheads miniaturised to fit onto them.
The report details how Pakistan is improving its weapons designs and is moving beyond the first-generation nuclear weapons that relied on highly enriched uranium.
The increase in the warhead estimate does not mean Pakistan is thought to be sprinting ahead of India, which is also increasing its stockpile, Kristensen writes in a condensed version of the report published on the website of the Federation of American Scientists.
India has taken note of the report and is viewing with concern the increasing Pakistani arsenal, especially as the disclosure comes close on the heels of a New York Times report quoting unnamed senior officials that Islamabad modified Harpoon anti-ship missiles purchased from the US to target India, official sources said here Tuesday.
Besides, Islamabad is adding more nuclear capable missiles to its arsenal.
"The new nuclear-capable ballistic missile is being readied for deployment, and two nuclear capable cruise missiles are under development. Two new plutonium production reactors and a second chemical separation facility also are under construction," said the report.
"For at least a decade, Pakistan has been pursuing plutonium-based designs. Central to that effort is the 40-50-megawatt heavy water Khushab plutonium production reactor, which was completed in 1998 and is located at Joharabad in the Khushab district of Punjab," they write.
The report goes on to add that Pakistan is building two additional heavy water reactors at the Khushab site, which will more than triple the country's plutonium production.
Pakistan's nuclear weapons stockpile may reach between 100 and 120 warheads within the next decade, or even sooner, the two nuclear experts said.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is a non-technical online magazine that focuses on global security and public policy issues, especially related to the dangers posed by nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. It has been published continuously since 1945, when it was founded by former Manhattan Project physicists after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Source: IANS
Andhra CM's chopper not airworthy, says DGCA
Hyderabad/New Delhi: A controversial twist was introduced into the case of missing Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajshekhar Reddy on Wednesday, when a private television channel revealed that the seven-seater Bell chopper that was carrying him to Chitoor, was not airworthy.
According to a Times Now report, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) certifcate shows that the chopper was last inspected two years ago. The certificate also describes the owner and operator of the chopper as being the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
The revelation comes as the Andhra Pradesh Government set up 14 teams, each consisting of eight members (112 personnel), to search for Reddy and the chopper in which he was traveling.
Local villagers have also been provided with torches and other equipment to help in the search of an area that is dominated by Naxals.
The State Government has also asked the Central Government to provide it with an unmanned aircraft and all-weather Fokker aircraft for the search operation in the Nanamalla and Seer Sailam forest ranges, where the chopper is believed to have made an emergency landing due to bad weather. At least seven choppers, including four from the Indian Air Force (IAF) have been pressed into the rescue operation.
The State Government has also said that it will be giving a fresh update on the situation at 7 p.m..
Source - ANI
It is going to PROVE Excellent EXCUSE for ETHNIC Cleansing! Hundred days Mass DESTRUCTION Agenda is ACCOMPLISHED with Merciless SURGICAL Precision! Forest Land and Natural Resources have to be CAPTURED. Lalgarh OPERATION made the GROUND for an ALL Out SLAUGHTER campaign as maoist Menace is being branded as UNABATED! CIA and MOSSAD INVOLVED and we know well their METHODS to JUSTIFY any Military Operation!
The Telegraph published a FRONT Page story about Maoist Military Strategy! We know it is under MIND Control game! If a CHIEF MInister go MISSING in Naxal maoist Dominated area, any EMERGENCY MILITARY Operation is automatically JUSTIFIED. No one would rather DARE to question the PROJECTED facts! Mind you, the SHALBONI blast created the Launching Pad for Anti Maoist drive nationwide which is nothing but the MONOPOLISTIC Corporate ILLUMINATI aggression against the aboriginal People already in the MAP of Boneded Labour, food insecurity, sTARVATION, Displacement and EXODUS for so called Industrialisation, Urbanisation, Development and Infrastructure!
Meanwhile, National Security Advisor M K Narayanan on Wednesday appeared to completely rule out the possibility of Naxals bringing down the
of Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S R Reddy that went missing in the state, saying the ultras did not have such a capability.
He said it was quite possible that a technical snag or a pilot error could have led to the chopper going missing.
"Naxal strike seems extremely improbable. I would almost entirely rule it out. I do not think the Naxalites have the capability to bring down the helicopter," Narayanan said here.
Narayanan said the government was determined to continue the search for the helicopter or its wreckage and the Chief Minister, his secretary and personal security officer.
"The search will continue till we get hold of the helicopter or its wreckage and the persons on board the helicopter. We will search tonight and tomorrow morning. I don't think there is any question of calling off the search," he told a TV channel.
Pointing out that the country has been very worried over the safety of the chief minister, he said the Centre, apart from the state, had done the utmost to find the helicopter by pressing into service IAF helicopers and aircraft with radars for ground mapping the region.
"The situation does not seem to be good. We have done helicopter search in several areas such as the Northeast where communication has been far less adequate," Narayanan said.
He said the government also planned to have satellite images of the region obtained from ISRO once Indian satellites come over the region tomorrow.
"We are keeping our fingers crossed that there would be miraculous escape (of the Reddy and his personnel) in this case," he added.
About 500 CRPF personnel were deployed for a combing operation in naxal-affected dense forests in the Kurnool area over which the Bell helicopter may have passed, Home Ministry officials said in New Delhi.
The CRPF personnel will be called from neighbouring Chhattisgarh and Orissa, the officials said adding the first batch of these men is expected to reach soon.
The AP government has also rushed hundreds of 'Greyhounds' or special commandoes used to junge terrain to the area.
The Andhra Pradesh Government has set up 14 teams, each consisting of eight members (112 personnel), to search for missing Chief Minister Y.S. Rajshekhar Reddy and the seven-seater Bell chopper in which he was traveling to Chitoor District.
Local villagers have also been provided with torches and other equipment to help in the search of an area that is dominated by Naxals.
The State Government has also asked the Central Government to provide it with an unmanned aircraft and all-weather Fokker aircraft for the search operation in the Nanamalla and Seer Sailam forest ranges, where the chopper is believed to have made an emergency landing due to bad weather. At least seven choppers, including four from the Indian Air Force (IAF) have been pressed into the rescue operation.
The State Government has also said that it will be giving a fresh update on the situation at 7 p.m.
The latest missive comes shortly after former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and now Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Chandrababu Naidu said that everyone was concerned about the missing chopper that was carrying incumbent Chief Minister Y.S. Rajshekhar Reddy.
Villagers urged to help rescue ops
Addressing a press conference here, Naidu said: "We are all concerned. I also appeal to nearby villagers to help with the rescue. The situation is being monitored."
Naidu's appeal came as the Andhra Pradesh Government revealed this afternoon that the search is still on for the seven-seater Bell chopper that was carrying Reddy towards the state's Chitoor District in inclement weather.
From remote sensing satellites, IAF's Sukhoi-30 jet and military helicopters to special commandos and army soldiers a mission
And no possible rescue tool was left out with local villagers even provided with torches as the search covered six districts most of it in Nallamala forests that used to be dominated by Naxals. Tribal teams, forest and revenue officials were also scouring the area.
ISRO's Radar Imaging Satellite had been pressed into service and will click photographs of a area on the route of the helicopter while the IAF pressed into service a Su-30MKI fighter aircraft with synthetic aperture radar for high-resolution ground mapping.
The radar of the Sukhoi aircraft which can sweep the six districts in a jiffy can help in finding out if anything is amiss. And two mid-air refuelling aircraft will be in service so that the Sukhoi does not have to go their base.
The air-to-air refuelling will help the Sukhoi to continue its search for longer hours as the aircraft is capable of operating day and night. The Sukhois have an endurance level of three to four hours of continuous flying, but it could be enhanced to about 10 hours at a stretch with refuelling.
Several boats were also scouring River Krishna. Chief Secretary P Ramakanth Reddy said the state government is also trying to seek help of the US Defence department to have real-time satellite imagery of the area where the Bell-430 helicopter went missing.
Eleven choopers including four from the IAF were also pressed into service.
The Indian Army has deployed over 250 personnel with night vision devices to carry out search operations in the Nallamala forest area.
"We have deployed two columns and one ghatak platoon in the area for searching the Chief Minister. Our troops are equipped with night vision devices such as goggles and hand held thermal imagers," Army officials said in New Delhi.
"Our troops will focus on searching for the chopper in the Nallamalla forest area in the night also with the help of their equipment," they added.
The troops, officials said, are from the infantry division based in the area.
About 500 CRPF personnel were deployed for a combing operation in naxal-affected dense forests in the Kurnool area over which the Bell helicopter may have passed, Home Ministry officials said in New Delhi.
The CRPF personnel will be called from neighbouring Chhattisgarh and Orissa, the officials said adding the first batch of these men is expected to reach soon.
The AP government has also rushed hundreds of 'Greyhounds' or special commandoes used to junge terrain to the area.
| Andhra CM's fate uncertain, IAF deploys Sukhoi to locate YSR's chopper | |||
With daylight giving way to darkness in the sprawling Nallamalla forest range in and around Kurnool district, hopes of locating the Bell 430 chopper faded even as thousands of police and paramilitary personnel trekked towards an interior area over which the helicopter was spotted shortly before it lost contact with air controllers at 9.35 a.m.
A sombre Chidamabaram, overseeing the multi-faceted hunt for the helicopter, told reporters in New Delhi that the search by the Indian Air Force was called off late in the evening "because of the weather and failing light" but said the manual search for the chopper would go on "at least for a few hours" before resuming at first light.
Two air force helicopters from Secunderabad and three from Bangalore had searched for the American-made helicopter for several hours along with a private chopper from Andhra Pradesh.
After stating that forest and revenue department officials had conducted searches in Kurnool district, Chidambaram said: "We are keeping our fingers crossed. The police and paramilitary forces are moving towards that point... Perhaps they would be able to do a search for a couple of hours at least, then we will have to wait first light tomorrow.
Let us hope for the best. Let us pray for the best."
Even as rescuers combed the forest range, officials reluctantly admitted that the missing helicopter had not renewed its airworthiness certificate for two years. Experts denounced the shocking revelation.
Authorities said US satellites would be used to scan the dense Nallamalla forest. Simultaneously, a low flying aircraft of the National Remote Sensing Agency would search the missing helicopter throughout the night. The Indian Air Force said it would press Sukhoi aircraft for night operations.
President Pratibha Patil, now in Moscow, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed concern over the fate of YSR, as the chief minister is widely known. Congress president Sonia Gandhi prepared to travel to Hyderabad.
His disappearance while flying from Hyderabad to Chittoor, about 580 km away from here towards Tamil Nadu, has caused concern in the Congress where YSR is highly regarded both for his administrative acumen and political skills. He is also credited with crushing the Maoist movement in Andhra Pradesh, a long-time ultra-Left bastion.
In a sign of desperation, Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary Ramakant Reddy urged anyone who gets to know anything to contact the police.
"So far we have not been able to get any confirmation (about the chief minister). It is possible that because of the strong winds and heavy rains, it may have landed in some unfamiliar area," Reddy said here. "If you land in an unfamiliar forested area, getting out will be very difficult."
As darkness closed in and army choppers called off their search operations over Kurnool and adjoining districts, the administration, led by veteran Congress leader and Finance Minister Minister K. Rosaiah, was trying to grapple with the crisis.
Rosaiah is leading the efforts to coordinate search operations with the central government. He is in touch with the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) as well as the defence ministry.
He was amongst the first to rush to the chief minister's office in the secretariat. He held an emergency meeting of ministers and top officials.
Home Minister P. Sabita Indra Reddy, whom YSR considers his younger sister, Chief Secretary P. Ramakant Reddy, Director General of Police S.S.P. Yadav and YSR's friend and Rajya Sabha member K.V.P. Ramchandra Rao were among those who attended the meeting.
The crisis has hit the state only four months after YSR retained power to return as chief minister for the second time.
Still no trace of Andhra Chief Minister !
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy went missing on Wednesday morning under mysterious circumstances. For over five hours he has not been traceable and when last reports came in, he has still not been found.
Home Ministry officials in Delhi confirmed that they have not been able to establish contact so far (at 3.30 pm).
YSR was on his way from Kurnool to Chittoor on Wednesday at around 8.30 am. One hour later the Begumpet ATC in Hyderabad suddenly lost contact with his helicopter.
Reports indicated that Reddy's chopper was forced to land due to inclement weather in the dense forests of Kurnool-Chittoor area. After that, some reports said, he was taken by road to Kurnool. However, there is no independent confirmation on this. Three officials were accompanying him in the chopper.
Finance Minister Rosaiah told the media in Hyderabad this evening that all efforts are being made to establish contacts with the Chief Minister who, he said, was safe. He said the areas has very dense forests and inclement weather has made matters more difficult.
Rosaiah confirmed that the CM was travelling in an all-weather proof helicopter. Helicopters from the IAF base at Hakimpet have been despatched for search and rescue operations.
Some sources said that for security reasons the officials did not want to reveal the whereabouts of the Chief Minister as he had to make an unscheduled landing and a journey by road.
However, what added to the intrigue was that Army helicopters were rushed from Hyderabad and Bangalore to trace the CM's chopper. Chittoor district in Rayalaseema region borders Karnataka.
For the past two days, Andhra Pradesh has been experiencing heavy rains and inclement weather.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has asked Union Law Minister and general secretary in charge of Andhra Pradesh Veerappa Moily and Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Prithviraj Chauhan to rush to Hyderabad to oversee the search and rescue operations for missing state Chief Minister Y.S. Rajshekhar Reddy.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has also joined in the search operation. Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has said that he has advised the Andhra Pradesh Government to conduct a ground search for Reddy through the night. Aerial search has been called off.
IAF deploys Sukhoi 30 jets.
The Indian Air Force has deployed Sukhoi 30 fighter jets to conduct an air sweep of the area where the chief minister's chopper is said to have landed due to inclement weather.
The decision to send Moily and Chauhan comes as the State Government sources said the CRPF, the Army and Special Forces would conduct their search on foot through the night till the chief minister is traced.
The defence personnel would move along the same route that the chief minister took, notwithstanding the inclement weather.
The Andhra Pradesh Government has separately set up 14 teams, each consisting of eight members (112 personnel), to search for Reddy..
Local villagers have also been provided with torches and other equipment to help in the search of an area that is dominated by Naxals.
State Govt asks for unmanned craft
The State Government has also asked the Central Government to provide it with an unmanned aircraft and all-weather Fokker aircraft for the search operation in the Nanamalla and Seer Sailam forest ranges.
Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has denied that the seven-seater Bell chopper was not air worthy. It said that the outdated certificate that a private channel accessed appeared on the DGCA web site. The DGCA says the copter is air worthy.
Mysterious silence of AP Chief Minister's copter
Aviation experts are intrigued on one issue concerning the disappearance of the helicopter of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y Rajasekhara Reddy: Why is there no signal coming from the BEL 430 chopper?
Helicopter experts point out that the BEL chopper is equipped with an Emergency Location Transmitter (ELT) that can send out signals for 48 to 72 hours. The ELT gets automatically activated if the chopper crashes. But if it has been caught in a difficult weather or terrain, the pilot can manually activate the ELT.
In the case of YSR's helicopter, neither of this has happened. This is a mystery. Experts say there could be two reasons: The ELT probably is not functioning (which, if true, is a major lapse) or there was a serious mechanical problem that rendered the ELT useless (which is a remote possibility).
If the signals were emitted, it could have been captured by the search and rescue satellite operated by ISRO. The satellites of ISRO have a transponder only for this purpose and it is use extensively by the Air Force in case of a missing plane - either of India or other countries.
Since this signal did not come from YSR's chopper, the Air Force decided to press in the Sukhoi-30 fighters that have very sensitive radars and capabilities to reconstruct a thermal map of a wide area. The Sukhois can catch any unusual event in difficult terrain.
In 2005, it was a Sukhoi that caught an unusual activity in the deep forest area of Belgaum where an Indian Navy plane had gone missing for four days. Based on the Sukhoi's inputs, troops were able to locate the aircraft after five days and found a survivor who was still strapped to his seat.
The government has also pressed in the aircraft of National Remote Sensing organisation (NRSA ) that can fly at very low altitude and has good night vision.
The problem, according to experts, is that in case of an emergency landing or crash of a helicopter in dense forest, the `disturbance' in the area will be hardly 200-500 metres. Such a small disturbance is hard to locate by overhead flying planes. It all depends on how big a `footprint' the aircraft leaves behind when it goes down, said an expert.
The only hope is to physically look out for the helicopter through dense combing operations. That is why the Army has pressed in its elite troops that have what is called `deep instincts' to locate and rescue personnel.
Reports also indicate that the pilot may have deviated from the approved flight path in order to avoid rough weather conditions. This has made the search operations difficult. If the pilot had stuck to the flight path, it would have been easy to pin-point a rough area where it went down by calculating the flight duration.
State ministers, top bureaucrats, a large number of state employees, ruling party leaders and workers descended at the secretariat, the seat of government, as the word spread that the chief minister remained untraced even eight hours after his chopper lost contact with the air traffic control.
With prayers on their lips, the Congress leaders and admirers of YSR, as the chief minister is popularly known, stood outside the D block in the secretariat, which houses the Chief Minister's Office.
They were raising slogans "Long live YSR" as the security personnel had a tough time controlling the crowd.
There was some relief when state ministers told reporters that the chief minister was safe and his chopper had landed somewhere.
There were also reports on Sakshi television channel owned by the chief minister's son Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy that YSR was safe and spoke to his close aide K.V.P. Ramchandra Rao.
The channel also claimed that the chief minister would be reaching Hyderabad in an army helicopter any moment.
However, minutes later finance minister K.Rosaiah told reporters at the secretariat that the chief minister remained untraced.
He only hoped that the chopper had landed in some forest area and appealed to people to help trace it.
"We are worried after what Rosaiah said. We were earlier happy that the chief minister is safe. We are now praying to god," said Sudhakar Reddy, a Youth Congress leader.
Another Congress supporter said: "I am confident that he is safe. He is people's man. He did a lot for the welfare of people. Nothing will happen to him."
State Government sources said the CRPF personnel would move along the same route that the chief minister took, notwithstanding the inclement weather. It is reported also that the eleven choppers, including four from the Indian Air Force (IAF), may call off their aerial search soon due to dwindling light.
The Andhra Pradesh Government has separately set up 14 teams, each consisting of eight members (112 personnel), to search for Reddy and the seven-seater Bell chopper in which he was traveling to Chitoor District.
Local villagers have also been provided with torches and other equipment to help in the search of an area that is dominated by Naxals.
The State Government has also asked the Central Government to provide it with an unmanned aircraft and all-weather Fokker aircraft for the search operation in the Nanamalla and Seer Sailam forest ranges, where the chopper is believed to have made an emergency landing due to bad weather. At least seven choppers, including four from the Indian Air Force (IAF) have been pressed into the rescue operation.
The State Government has also said that it will be giving a fresh update on the situation at 7 p.m.
Ramping up the frantic search for missing helicopter of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S R Reddy, the IAF today deployed a Sukhoi fighter jet with on-board radar for high resolution ground mapping to locate it.
"The IAF has pressed into service a Su-30MKI fighter aircraft with synthetic aperture radar for high-resolution ground mapping to locate the missing helicopter of the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister," an IAF officer said here.
The Su-30MKI air superiority fighter jet will be supported in the search operation by an air-to-air refueller so that fuel could be transferred to the aircraft while flying.
The air-to-air refuelling will help the Sukhoi to continue its search for longer hours as the aircraft is capable of operating day and night.
Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai most affluent cities: Neilsen
Delhi, Bengaluru and greater Mumbai have been named as the top three most affluent cities in the country based on lifestyle and consumption habits of the people residing there, according to a survey by The Nielsen.
The Nielsen Upper Middle and Rich (UMAR) survey has ranked Delhi at the top of the chart of 10 most affluent cities based followed by Bengaluru at the second place, Greater Mumbai (3rd), Chennai (4th) and Hyderabad (5th).
The survey has initiated a new method of defining 'affluence', based on lifestyle and consumer durables' ownership of a household rather than monthly income and education.
Three distinct segments of affluence emerged by such lifestyle and consumer durables mapping - upper middle, upper-upper middle and rich and are quite distinct in their consumption habits, the survey said.
The grouping was done based on the ownership of a car, a computer, an LCD, and a holiday abroad, the survey said.
"The primary reason for conducting Nielsen UMAR was to obtain first of all a realistic estimate of this segment, and secondly, to profile their media and consumption habits," The Nielsen Company Managing Director (South Asia) Partha Rakshit said.
2.5 million affluent households
The Nielsen survey estimates that there are a total of 2.5 million affluent households in the country, of which 2.2 million belong to the upper-middle segment -- these households own a car and a computer.
The upper-upper middle segment consists of some 0.2 million households and are owners of a car, computer, an LCD, while the rich segment makes about 0.1 million of households in the affluent pie, who own all the things above in addition have taken a holiday abroad.
Consumers to spend $706 bn on electronics this year: Survey
Despite the ongoing global economic crisis, people worldwide will spend more this year on consumer electronics, IT and telecom and are expected to take the total market size to $706 billion, according to a survey.
"In 2009, consumers will spend 2 per cent more on products in the audio/video, photography, IT and telecommunications segments, with total global expenditure for the year as a whole forecast at euro 494 billion ($706 billion)," said Gfk Retail and Technology survey, carried out in more than 80 countries.
Japan is showing the biggest expansion at 8 per cent, followed by Africa (6 per cent) and China (5 Per cent), Gfk said in a statement today. North America and Europe are expected to see a decline of 3 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively.
"Mobile phones and televisions each increased 4 per cent in terms of value, while consumer PCs grew by 2 per cent," Gfk said.
"In each of these categories, which account for 78 per cent of the total market, innovation is the growth driver. This is underlined by new products such as smart phones, flat-screen televisions and notebooks," it added.
Among the smaller product groups, Blu-ray players are expected to grow 117 per cent, while portable navigation devices are growing at 17 per cent.
02/09/2009
Recession? Look at Kerala's Onam alcohol sales..hic
Onam has created a record of sorts in Kerala. Alcohol sales touched a record single-day high to touch Rs.34.13 crore.
According to N. Sankar Reddy, managing director of Kerala State Beverages Corp (KSBC), the sole wholesaler of Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) and beer in the state, this was 49 percent more than what was sold on the first day of Onam festival last year.
"The pattern of sale is that the maximum sale is seen on the first Onam day, which is today (Tuesday), but as the first of the month is a dry day in Kerala, sales peaked yesterday," Reddy told IANS.
"Last year, on the first Onam day, we had sales of Rs.22.62 crore."
Thiruonam, the most important day during the 10-day festival, is being celebrated today.
Reddy said only 17 shops sold liquor worth more than Rs.10 lakh the first Onam day last year, but Monday saw 85 shops crossing this figure.
"Our shop at Chalakudy (in Thrissur district) recorded the highest sale worth Rs.22 lakh, followed by the shop at Karunagapally (in Kollam district), with sales worth Rs.20.4 lakh," said Reddy.
There are 383 liquor and beer outlets in Kerala.
The 10-day Onam season saw sales of Rs.160 crore last year, and KSBC expects it to cross Rs.200 crore this time.
Last year, total sales in August stood at Rs.369.5 crore, which jumped to Rs.486 crore last month.
KSBC also saw a spurt in sales in the first four months this fiscal despite the economic downturn.
Sales soared to Rs.1,746.84 crore in April-July as compared to Rs.1,483.99 in the like period last year.
In quantity terms, IMFL sales went up to 63 lakh cases from 59 lakh cases in the corresponding period last fiscal, while beer sales increased to 25.6 lakh cases from 23.4 lakh cases.
KSBC's contribution to the state exchequer by way of taxes has jumped from Rs.1,163 crore to Rs.1,356 crore during the year-ago period.
Source: IANS
Maoists attack pvt plant, abduct six security guards
Over 400 ultras raided the SMPL's plant at Hariondhi village and damaged payloaders and three trucks, ADG (headquarters) Neelmani said.
They also kidnapped six private security guards employed by the company, he said.
The senior police officer said that though Special Task Force (STF) personnel assisted by district armed police men engaged the naxalites in an encounter for some time, they managed to escape in the thick forest area on Jamui-Chakai road.
Alleged non-payment of money demanded by the Maoists from the private firm owner was reported to be the reason behind the attack, Neelmani said.
| Rebel ring around cordon of 'security' Maoists' military tactic | ||||
| SUJAN DUTTA | ||||
Lalgarh, Sept. 1: The Maoists' brutality in Lalgarh does not lack method. First, they have carried out their operations outside the security forces' "circle of domination" — the roads ringing Pirakata, Goaltore, Kadashole, Ramgarh, Kantapahari and Lalgarh. That speaks of a military mind and a tactic called "counter-encirclement". Second, the Maoists have effectively cut off most field intelligence assets the security forces could seek to cultivate. Across three police station areas — Salboni, Lalgarh and Goaltore — CPM activists have put up posters in villages proclaiming they have abandoned the party. Counter-encirclement has also meant that the Maoists have expanded their area of influence. "In my area, only Pingboni was Maoist-affected till June," said Sharmistha Ghosh Roy, block development officer at Goaltore. "But from the reports I'm getting now, Maoist squads are roaming around at will in all seven panchayats." Currently, 40 companies of central and state forces are involved in Operation Lalgarh. There were 50 at one time in June. These forces include the CRPF, BSF, India Reserve Battalion, Bengal Armed Police and Cobra units. A senior officer visiting Midnapore indicated, but did not confirm, that the Cobra units were being retreated temporarily. Contingents of the Calcutta police that were sent have been mostly re-deployed. The officer said, on the strength of the expansion of the Maoist area of influence as in Goaltore block, that there was an urgent requirement for at least 10 more companies of forces. But he is prepared to wait out the monsoon. That means the offensive is likely to be more vigorous as soon as the season turns drier — coinciding with the all-India operation the Centre is planning and a hammer-and-sickle move with the aid of forces in Jharkhand, across the district and state boundary. Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee insisted (in absentia) on the move from Jharkhand at the conclave convened by Union home minister P. Chidambaram last week. This means more guns and mortars are likely to be poured into Lalgarh, increasing the likelihood of a bloody crackdown that Bengal, heading into an election with the potential to be regime-altering, can probably ill-afford. "Had it not been for Nandigram, Lalgarh would not have assumed such a scale," said the officer. In an oblique way, Chhatradhar Mahato corroborated this. "Look at what the CPM government did in Nandigram," he said. "Why do you think it does not want to repeat its violence here? It is only the resistance of the people and popularity of our movement that is stalling it." The possibility that the powder keg in the lab called Lalgarh will still blow up is high because this has ceased to be a Nandigram-Singur-Bengal only dispute. The Centre has planned to test and learn from here. "Lalgarh is the laboratory for the kind of operation we will carry out in Chhattisgarh (and elsewhere)," Union home secretary G.K. Pillai had said in New Delhi on August 20. "When they (the Maoists) learn from us, we also learn from them." Chidambaram, soon to visit each of the states where the Maoists have bases, has stated that he has a clear, two-pronged strategy: first, use the forces to clear and hold; second, fire a development surge. But Lalgarh has shown the Maoists have a three-pronged strategy as well: first, resist and revolt; second, cut off the forces from the people, if necessary by butchering suspected informers. A third, and more complex tactic they have adopted, is to gain/retain popularity by initiating new social reconstruction projects or by hijacking the state's dole-giving role. For instance, in Lalgarh where their writ ran uncha- llenged for eight months till June, they dug tanks and, in Kantapahari, opened a community hospital. Now, they are also seeking to cut into the administration's own welfare schemes. They have asked villagers to question why the Rs 81 per head promised under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in these parts should not be distributed by the "people's own committees". How strange that in this, too, they should mirror the CPM's style of functioning. Just as the party ruling Bengal has converted welfare plans into a patronage distribution system, the Maoists too are doing image-building by hijacking government schemes. Two days back, in Kuldiha, a village where the Bengal police brutally beat womenfolk in June, a woman herding goats said she was looking forward to getting some of the old-age pension for tribals that she has heard is doled out by the administration. "I don't care where and who, era dik ba ora dik (whether these people give it or those people give it), as long as I get it," she said. In the lab called Lalgarh, they simply seek deliverance.
|
Abdullah made this announcement while replying to a debate on the withdrawal of the AFSPA and human rights violations. The debate was initiated by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in the legislative assembly.
"We have started the process of revoking the AFSPA and Disturbed Area Act," Omar told the house after members, mostly from the Kashmir Valley, demanded that the special powers of the armed forces be withdrawn and they be sent back to their barracks.
"The first step has been taken with the replacement of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Srinagar," Abdullah said, amid thumping of desks by treasury benches.
Earlier, PDP legislature party leader Mehbooba Mufti lashed out at the government for "perpetuating the reign of terror in Kashmir, where the people are being pulled out of their homes and killed..."
"This must stop," she said, adding for this, the government must recall the special powers of the army and paramilitary forces and order them back to barracks.
"Nothing short of that would assuage the people of Kashmir," she said.
The Armed Forces Special Powers Act gives powers to armed forces to carry out operations in disturbed areas. It was promulgated in Jammu and Kashmir in July 1990.
Indian, Pakistani militants use Bangladesh for transit: Police
Safe havens have been built in Bangladesh to shelter and train militants for terrorist operations in the South Asian region, detained Indian terrorist Mufti Obaidullah, a top leader of the India-based Asif Reza Commando Force (ARCF) has revealed.
His interrogation statement has been obtained by The Daily Star newspaper that published details Wednesday.
ARCF works as an associate of the Pakistan-based international terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Maulana Obaidullah, working undercover as a madrassa teacher for the last 14 years, was nabbed along with another alleged Indian operative, Maulana Mansoor Ali, two months ago.
Obaidullah said that Pakistani militants crossed the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir to enter India to run terror operations.
They then crossed the Indian border into Bangladesh to fly back to Pakistan.
"As it was tough to cross back to Pakistan through the India-Pakistan border, the Mujahideen would cross to Bangladesh and then leave for their
His student Selim and a close associate Jalal helped him.
The detained Indian militant also said that he built a safe-home in Habiganj in 2002 to shelter fugitive terrorists, and recruit and train Bangladeshis to take part in terror attacks.
Obaidullah built the safe-shelter under the cover of a kindergarten named 'Noor Shah Islami Kindergarten' in Habiganj's Shayestaganj upazila (sub-district).
Bangladesh intelligence sources, however, say that Obaidullah has not revealed all the details about his operations in Bangladesh since his arrival in 1995.
In his statement, Obaidullah said several other militants in Bangladesh visited his safe-home, including Moulana Mohiuddin, who he claims to have known from the Deoband madrassa, and Harkat-ul Jihad's Bangladesh leader Mufti Abdur Rouf.
Deoband in India's Uttar Pradesh state is where Darul Uloom, a world renowned centre for Islamic theology has been functioning. It denies having imparted any training in militancy to the thousands of students from across the world who study there.
In 2005, Obaidullah met ARCF's new chief Amir Reza in Dhaka's Goran area. There, Amir asked Obaidullah to buy a permanent safe house and provide Jihadi training to Bangladeshi recruits.
Obaidullah claims they insisted on giving him the responsibility for the camp despite his reluctance.
Bangladesh authorities have in the recent weeks nabbed several militants who have yielded valuable information about the nexus among the militant groups in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh and the role of international mafia don, Dawood Ibrahim.
Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses. |
| Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy | |
| | |
| In office 2004-present | |
| Preceded by | N. Chandrababu Naidu |
|---|---|
| Constituency | Pulivendula |
| | |
| Born | 8 July 1949 (1949-07-08) Pulivendula, Andhra Pradesh |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Spouse(s) | Vijayalakshmi |
| Children | Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy (son) Sharmila (daughter) |
| Residence | Begumpet, Hyderabad |
| Religion | Christian, CSI (Church of South India) |
| As of 2 October 2006 Source: Government of Andhra Pradesh | |
Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy (born 8 July 1949), popularly known as YSR, is the present Chief Minister of State of Andhra Pradesh, India.[1] He represents the Indian National Congress party. He was elected to the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th Lok Sabha from the Kadapa constituency for four terms and to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly for five terms from the Pulivendula constituency..[2] In 2003 he undertook a three month long paadayaatra, or walking tour, across several districts in Andhra Pradesh.[3] He led his party to victory in the next general and assembly elections held in 2004. On Sep 2nd 2009 a chopper carrying YSR went missing.The incident is being investigated into.[4][5]
Contents[hide] |
[edit] Early life
Rajasekhara Reddy was born in Pulivendula, Andhra Pradesh to Y. S. Raja and Jayamma Reddy. He graduated with a degree in medical science from Gulbarga University and completed his House Surgeonship at S.V. Medical College, Tirupati, Andra Pradesh. He was the elected leader of the House Surgeon's Association at S.V. Medical College, Tirupati.
[edit] Career
Y. S. Rajashekhara Reddy practiced medicine for sometime in his native Kadapa District. The hospital his father built for him at Pulivendula is still running. His family also built and ran a degree college and a polytechnic college at Pulivendula which was later handed over to the Loyola Group of Educational Institutions. Another junior college at Simhadripuram, a small town in the vicinity of Pulivendula, is helmed by his family.
[edit] Political career
From 1980-1983 he was a minister holding important portfolios related to Rural Development, Medical Health and Education. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Kadapa constituency four times and was elected to the Andhra Pradesh State Assembly six times from Pulivendula constituency. Reddy was the leader of the opposition in the Andhra Pradesh State Assembly for five years. As an MLA he was influential in obtaining water from the Tungabhadra River for the Pulivendula Branch Canal (PBC) and fought for projects like RTPP (Rayalaseema Thermal Power Plant) at Muddanur and Proddatur Milk Foods and its ancillaries.
[edit] As APCC President
He was President of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) twice: 1983–1985 and 1998–2000. As the president of APCC, Reddy rendered yeomen services to the party in regaining the faith and trust of the masses. From 1999 to 2004 he was the Leader of Opposition in the eleventh state assembly.
[edit] Paadayaatra
During mid-summer in 2003, he led an unprecedented 1400 km long paadayaatra (foot pilgrimage), covering all backward areas in the state to understand the ground realities of living conditions of the people there. As a novice in the legislature, Reddy rallied all the Congress MLAs from the Rayalaseema region and led an indefinite hunger strike demanding solution to the water crisis. He also led a paadayaatra from Lepakshi to Pothireddipadu in Kurnool district.
[edit] As Chief Minister
Reddy was elected as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh by the Legislature party of the Indian National Congress after they later won 185 seats of the Legislative Assembly in the May 2004 elections. He has initiated a variety of programs that influence the Economy of Andhra Pradesh including free power supply for farmers, Jalayagnam - a large scale program to construct more than 70 pending irrigation projects in the state to improve irrigation facilities to the farmers, and an increase in the minimum support price for rice. Prominent among other programs include Arogya Shree - a health insurance scheme for rural masses where the government pays the entire price of any surgery and does not require people to pay any premium, Pavala Vaddi - a program that provides loans to people at 3% per year so as to encourage them to take up small scale businesses and entrepreneurship primarily targeted at rural woman, Indiramma illu - a program for construction of houses for the rural masses by charging a small amount and the government the remaining amount, an Rs 2/Kg rice scheme,[6] reimbursement of full college fees for backward sections, reservations for minorities, and a huge loan waiver program for the farmers.
---> Abhaya Hastham is a Co-contributory Pension Scheme for the women, above the age group of 18, belonging to the Self Help Groups in Andhra Pradesh. The scheme envisages contribution of Rs.30/- per month by SHG women and Government's co contribution of Rs.30/- per month into her Pension account. The contribution of the member and the co-contribution of the Government is periodically transferred to Life Insurance Corporation of India, for investing diligently for securing better returns on the investment. The corpus thus generated till the age of 60 years, will be used for giving monthly pension amount to each women, on crossing 60 years of age.
---> Abhaya Hastham offers 3 kinds of benefits to it's members, namely 1) Monthly pension on crossing 60 years of age, 2) Death and disability insurance cover including Scholarship to the children of the women, 3) Lump sum transfer of corpus which is accumulated in her account is transferred to the nominee in the event of her death.
[edit] Election 2009
Reddy's major campaign slogan for the 2009 election was "Development and the credibility ".
In the elections, Reddy's party (INC) secured the required majority in the assembly (156 seats) and also won 33 seats in parliament.
Reddy was sworn in as the chief minister for the term of 2009–2014 on 20 May 2009. The ceremony was held in Hyderabad's Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium and attended by a crowd of around 20,000 people.[7]
[edit] Controversies
Opposition parties allege corruption in the implementation of Reddy's programs as well as in various other actions of both Reddy and his family. In 2008, Telugu Desam Party leader N. Chandrababu Naidu accused Reddy and his family of illegally amassing income through their companies Sandur Power Company, Jagathi Publications and Bharathi Cement Corporation. He also alleged that Reddy's sons were involved in the Satyam scandal.[8][9] Also, the allotment of 487 acres of land in March 2007 to Raghuram Cements,[10] which had the son of Reddy as one of its directors, was criticised by the Telugu Desam Party.[11] The surrender of more than 1600 acres by Reddy in December 2006 was also criticised by the opposition parties who demanded Reddy's prosecution and resignation from his post.[12] Naidu also called for Reddy's resignation after a 2007 Khammam police shooting resulted in eight deaths.[13]
[edit] Personal life
Reddy is married to Vijaya Lakshmi.[14] They have a son, Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, a politician,[15] and a daughter, Sharmila.[16]
[edit] Incidents
Y. S. Rajasekhara's Bell 430 Chopper went missing on Wednesday, September 2, 2009 at 9:35 am. Communication with Begumpet and Shamshabad Air Traffic controllers was disconnected with the chopper at 9:35 am. The government is unable to get information about chief minister. Rumors came that he had safely landed on ground, and was escorted safely to Hyderabad. The chopper went missing in the Nallamalla Forest area which is naxal prone.Although there have not been much recent naxalite activity, the area has been pummeled by continous rains, making the search mission very challenging. Several low altitude planes and Indian Airforce's Sukoi-30 Aircraft are being deployed[4].[17] The focus on finding Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Reddy has shifted to massive ground operations. Heavy rain is likely to continue for the next 24 hours in the area being combed.Indian Air Force aircrafts are looking for any signs of YS Reddy's chopper. Sukhoi 30 fighter planes have been deployed. These have advanced radars and can map an area day or night. They will work through the night, since they can re-fuel mid-air. They will conduct thermal imaging, their results expected by Thursday morning.[18]
The army and police from 6 districts are involved in the ground search. They will work through the night, special night-vision equipment has been requested.Andhra's anti-Naxal forces have also been sent to Nallamalla forest area, because they are familiar with the jungle terrain here. Local tribals from this part of the state, considered Naxal Country, are helping with the search mission. Patrol parties have been sent by boat to search on the River Krishna.[citation needed]
ISRO's special aircraft have also been deployed. Its satellites which can see through cloud cover will pass over the forest area on Thursday morning. These satellite reports will be filed by Thursday afternoon.[citation needed]The area being combed is south of Hyderabad. The territory is huge, around the town of Atmakur, in the Eastern part of the Kurnool district. But the search also extends to Cuddapah, Guntur, Anantpur, Prakasam, and Mahaboobnagar.[citation needed]
This disappearance incident left several unanswered questions and pointed to possible lapses in his security measures:
1. Why was the chief minister allowed to take off despite bad weather being forecast?
2. While Y.S.R. went missing around 9.30 am, why did it take the Andhra Pradesh government almost four hours to call the Indian Air Force for search operations?
3. Why was the helicopter not equipped with an Emergency Location Transmitter (ELT)?
4. Despite having Z category protection, why was Y.S.R. accompanied by a lone security officer on the flight?
[edit] Positions held
- Minister of state for rural development (1980-82)
- Excise minister (1982)
- Education minister (1982-83)
- Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (2004–present)
[edit] References
- ^ "Profile: YSR Reddy". Zee News. 2009-09-02. http://www.zeenews.com/news560356.html. Retrieved 2009-09-02.
- ^ YSR's pocket borough, 21 April 2009. The Hindu
- ^ "Admirers mob 'pilgrim YSR' " The Hindu
- ^ a b "Mystery over Andhra CM's whereabouts after chopper lands". The Hindustan Times. 2009-09-02. http://www.hindustantimes.com/6-hours-on-Andhra-CM-s-whereabouts-still-not-known/H1-Article1-449482.aspx. Retrieved 2009-09-02.
- ^ Army, IAF search for missing Andhra CM as confusion reigns
- ^ Charya, K.V.V.V. (10 December 2007). "Rs 2/kg rice to add Rs 3,000cr burden on Andhra coffers". The Financial Express. http://www.financialexpress.com/news/rs-2-kg-rice-to-add-rs-3-000cr-burden-on-andhra-coffers/248572/. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
- ^ "YSR Reddy sworn-in as Andhra Pradesh CM". Hindustan Times. Press Trust of India. 20 May 2009. http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=HomePage&id=4872e4d1-4b57-4793-acc9-1dd228fa3a13&Headline=YSR+Reddy+sworn-in+as+Andhra+Pradesh+CM. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
- ^ "Naidu to approach Centre on YSR's 'Satyam route of corruption". Indian Express (Screen). http://www.screenindia.com/news/naidu-to-approach-centre-on-ysrs-satyam-route-of-corruption/425227/. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
- ^ Chaubey, Bhupendra (19 February 2009). "Opposition flays Satyam link of YSR Reddy's sons". CBN-IBN. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/opposition-flays-satyam-link-of-ysr-reddys-sons/85726-7.html. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
- ^ "487 acres land for YSR son's firm". The Hindu. 30 March 2007. http://www.hindu.com/2007/03/30/stories/2007033013040100.htm. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
- ^ "Mining lease issue snowballs into controversy". The Hindu. 6 April 2007. http://www.hindu.com/2007/04/06/stories/2007040610920400.htm. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
- ^ "I've 1,000 acres more, says CM". Times of India. 19 December 2006. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Hyderabad/Ive_1000_acres_more_says_CM/articleshow/843875.cms. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
- ^ "Khammam firing: TDP demands YSR's resignation". The Hindu. 29 June 2007. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200707290943.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
- ^ "More cheap rice, free power". Indian Express. 21 May 2009. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/More-cheap-rice--free-power/463064. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
- ^ "YSR leaves for pilgrimage to Israel". The Hindu. 27 May 2009. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200905271081.htm. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
- ^ "'Shooting' for posterity". The Hindu. 16 August 2004. http://www.hindu.com/2004/08/16/stories/2004081605620400.htm. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
- ^ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/india/Panic-anxiety-grips-YSRs-followers-/articleshow/4964628.cms
- ^ http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Politics/Nation/Andhra-CMs-fate-uncertain-IAF-deploys-Sukhoi-to-locate-YSRs-chopper/articleshow/4965278.cms
[edit] External links
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HONG KONG: A Hong Kong pilot has been removed from flying duties after the plane he was piloting hit severe turbulence on a flight to Bangalore, The Dragonair Airbus A330 carrying 231 passengers and 13 crew members was rocked violently for several seconds after hitting clear-air turbulence Aug 2 over the Indian Ocean on its way from Hong Kong. No one was injured and the "Fasten seat belt" sign was switched on as soon as the turbulence began. However, a spokeswoman for Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Ltd said a number of passengers suffered air sickness. The incident took place weeks after an Air France Airbus A330 crashed, killing 228 people, after running into a storm off the coast of Brazil, but the Dragonair spokeswoman insisted there were no similarities between the two incidents. A report on the incident has been sent to the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department, and the spokeswoman said in a statement: "As is standard procedure in any such incident, the captain has stood down from duty while the investigation is conducted." "The aircraft did not suffer a significant loss of altitude," she said. Passengers and cabin crew were briefed on the likelihood of turbulence before the plane took off for the over five-hour night-flight, the spokeswoman said. Severe turbulence has been cited as a possible cause of the Air France crash June 2 after the Airbus A330 ran into an equatorial storm on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris although the reason for the tragedy remained unknown. Clear-air turbulence is caused when bodies of air moving at greatly different speeds meet at high altitude. It is impossible to detect with the naked eye or with conventional aircraft equipment and has led to injuries and deaths in rare instances. | ||||||
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Andhra Pradesh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. WikiProject Geography or the Geography Portal may be able to help recruit one. (November 2008) |
| Andhra Pradesh ఆంధ్ర ప్రదేశ్ | |
| | |
| Country |  India |
| District(s) | 23 |
| Established | November 1, 1956 |
| Capital | Hyderabad |
| Largest city | Hyderabad |
| Governor | Narayan Dutt Tiwari |
| Chief Minister | Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy |
| Legislature (seats) | Bicameral (294) |
| Population • Density | 76,210,007 (5th) • 277 /km2 (717 /sq mi) |
| Language(s) | Telugu, Urdu |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area | 275,608 km2 (106,413 sq mi) |
| ISO 3166-2 | IN-AP |
| Website | www.ap.gov.in |
 | |
Coordinates: 17°21′58″N 78°28′34″E / 17.366°N 78.476°E / 17.366; 78.476
Andhra Pradesh (IPA: [ˌɑːndrə prəˈdɛʃ]; Telugu: ఆంధ్ర ప్రదేశ్, Āndhra Pradēś, [ˈaːndʱrʌ prʌˈdeːɕ] [?], translation: Province of Andhras; Urdu: آندھرا پردیش), abbreviated A.P., is a state situated on the south-eastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Hyderabad. The State has the second longest coastline (972 km) among all the States in India, the longest coastline being that of Gujarat (1600 km).[1]
Andhra Pradesh lies between 12°41' and 22°N latitude and 77° and 84°40'E longitude, and is bordered by Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Orissa in the north, the Bay of Bengal in the East, Tamil Nadu to the south and Karnataka to the west. Andhra Pradesh is historically called the "Rice Bowl of India". More than 77% of its crop is rice; Andhra Pradesh produced 17,796,000 tonnes of rice in 2006.[2] Two major rivers, the Godavari and the Krishna run across the state. The small enclave (12 sq mi (30 km²)) of the Yanam district of Puducherry (Pondicherry) state lies in the Godavari Delta in north-east of the state.
Historically the region comprising the state was known as Andhraapatha, Andhradesa, Andhraavani, and Andhra vishaya.[3] Andhra Pradesh was formed from Andhra State on November 1, 1956.
| Andhra Pradesh State Symbols | |
| State language | Telugu (తెలుగు) |
| State symbol | Poorna Kumbham (పూర్ణకుంభం) |
| State song | Maa Telugu Thalliki (మా తెలుగు తల్లికి మల్లె పూదండ) by Sankarambadi Sundarachari |
| State animal | Black Buck, (కృష్ణ జింక) |
| State bird | Indian Roller, (పాల పిట్ట) |
| State tree | Neem (వేప) |
| State sport | Kabaddi (చెడుగుడు) |
| State dance | Kuchipudi (కూచిపూడి) |
| State flower | Water lily (కలువ పువ్వు) |
Contents[hide] |
[edit] History
An Andhra Kingdom was mentioned in the Sanskrit epics such as Aitareya Brahmana (B.C.800) and Mahabharata.[4] The Natyasastra of Bharatha (1st Century B.C) also mentioned the "Andhra" race.[5] The roots of the Telugu language have been traced to inscriptions found at Bhattiprolu.[6]
Megasthenese, who visited the Court of Chandragupta Maurya (B.C.322–297), mentioned that Andhra country had 3 fortified towns and an army of 100,000infantry, 200 cavalry and 1,000 elephants. Buddhist books reveal that Andhras established their kingdoms on the Godavari belt at that time. Asoka referred in his 13th rock edict that Andhras were his subordinates.[7]
Inscriptional evidence shows that there was an early kingdom in coastal Andhra ruled by Kuberaka,[8] with Pratipalapura (Bhattiprolu) as his capital. This is probably the oldest known kingdom in India.[9] Around the same time Dhanyakatakam/Dharanikota (present day Amaravati) appears to have been an important place, which was visited by Gautama Buddha. According to the ancient Tibetan scholar Taranatha: "On the full moon of the month Chaitra in the year following his enlightenment, at the great stupa of Dhanyakataka, the Buddha emanated the mandala of 'The Glorious Lunar Mansions' (Kalachakra)".[10][11]
The Mauryans extended their rule over Andhra in 4th century BCE. With the fall of the Mauryan Empire Andhra Satavahanas became independent in 3rd century BCE. After the decline of the Satavahanas in 220 CE, Ikshvaku dynasty, Pallavas, Ananda Gotrikas, Vishnukundinas, Eastern Chalukyas and Cholas ruled the Telugu land. Inscriptional evidence of Telugu language was found during the rule of Renati Cholas (Kadapa region) in 5th century CE.[12] During this period Telugu emerged as a popular medium undermining the predominance of Prakrit and Sanskrit.[13] Telugu was made the official language by the Vishnukundina kings who ruled from their capital Vinukonda. Eastern Chalukyas ruled for a long period after the decline of Vishnukundinas from their capital in Vengi. As early as 1st century CE, Chalukyas were mentioned as being vassals and chieftains under the Satavahanas and later under Ikshvakus. The Chalukya ruler Rajaraja Narendra ruled Rajahmundry around 1022 CE.
The battle of Palnadu resulted in the weakening of Eastern Chalukyan power and emergence of the Kakatiya dynasty in the 12th and the 13th centuries CE. The Kakatiyas were at first feudatories of the Rashtrakutas ruling over a small territory near Warangal. All the Telugu lands were united by the Kakatiyas.. In 1323 CE, Delhi Sultan Ghiaz-ud-din Tughlaq sent a large army under Ulugh Khan to conquer the Telugu country and capture Warangal. King Prataparudra was taken prisoner. Musunuri Nayaks recaptured Warangal from the Delhi Sultanate in 1326 CE and ruled for fifty years. Inspired by their success, the Vijayanagar empire, one of the greatest empires in the history of Andhra Pradesh and India, was founded by Harihara and Bukka, who served as treasury officers of the Kakatiyas of Warangal.[14] In 1347 CE, an independent Muslim state, the Bahmani kingdom, was established in south India by Alla-ud-din Hasan Gangu as a revolt against the Delhi Sultanate. The Qutb Shahi dynasty held sway over the Andhra country for about two hundred years from the early part of the 16th century to the end of the 17th century.
In Colonial India, Northern Circars became part of the British Madras Presidency. Eventually this region emerged as the Coastal Andhra region. Later the Nizam had ceded five territories to the British which eventually emerged as Rayalaseema region. The Nizams retained control of the interior provinces as the Princely state of Hyderabad, acknowledging British rule in return for local autonomy. Meanwhile, the French had occupied Yanam (Yanaon), in the Godavari Delta, and (save for periods of British control) would hold it until 1954.
India became independent from the United Kingdom in 1947. The Muslim Nizam of Hyderabad wanted to retain his independence from India, but the people of the region launched the movement to join the Indian Union. The state of Hyderabad was forced to become part of the Republic of India in 1948 after Operation Polo which lasted 5 days and had popular support from the people of the Hyderabad State.
In an effort to gain an independent state, and protect the interests of the Telugu people of Madras State, Amarajeevi Potti Sriramulu fasted until death. Public outcry and civil unrest after his death forced the government to announce the formation of a new state for Telugu speaking people. Andhra attained statehood on 1 October 1953, with Kurnool as its capital.
On 1 November 1956, Andhra State merged with the Telangana region of Hyderabad State to form the state of Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad, the former capital of the Hyderabad State, was made the capital of the new state Andhra Pradesh. Yanam was relinquished by the French in 1954, but one condition of the treaty was the retention of the district's separate and distinct identity, which also applied to the other South Indian enclaves constituting today's puducherry state.
[edit] Geography and Climate
The Andhra Pradesh climate is generally hot and humid. The major role in determining the climate of the state is played by southwest monsoons. But the winters in Andhra Pradesh are pleasant. This the time when the state attracts most of its tourists.
Summers in Andhra Pradesh last from March to June. During these months the mercury level is quite high. In the coastal plain the summer temperatures are generally higher than the rest of the state. In summer, temperature generally ranges between 20°C and 40°C. At certain places the temperature as high as 45 degrees on a summer day.
July to September is the season for tropical rains in Andhra Pradesh. The state receives heavy rainfall during these months. About one third of the total rainfall in Andhra Pradesh is brought by the North-East Monsoons. Sometime around the month of October winter arrives in the state. October, November, December, January and February are the winter months in Andhra Pradesh. Since the state has a reasonably long coastal belt the winters are not very cold. The range of winter temperature is generally 13°C to 30°C.
You need to be well prepared with summer clothes in order to tour the state during the summer months. Cotton clothes are best suitable to cope with the climate.
Since the Andhra Pradesh Climate is not much favorable during the major part of the year, so October to February is the best time to visit the state.
[edit] Divisions
Andhra Pradesh can be divided into three regions, namely Coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telangana.[15]
Andhra Pradesh has 23 districts: Adilabad, Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, East Godavari, Guntur, Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Krishna, Kurnool, Mahbubnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Sri Potti Sreeramulu Nellore, Nizamabad, Prakasam, Rangareddy, Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Warangal and West Godavari.
Each district is divided into multiple mandals and each mandal is a group of a few villages.
Hyderabad is the capital and, along with the adjoining twin city Secunderabad, is the largest city in the state. Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh's main seaport, is the second largest city of the state and is home to the Indian Navy's Eastern Naval Command. Vijayawada due to its location and proximity to major rail and road routes is a major trading center and the third largest city of the state. Other important cities and towns are: Kakinada, Warangal, Guntur , Tirupati, Rajahmundry, Nellore, Ongole, Kurnool, Anantapur, Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Eluru.
[edit] Demographics
| Telugu | Other languages | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hindu | 82% | 2% | 84% |
| Muslim | 1% | 8%1 | 9% |
| Christian | 4% | 1% | 5% |
| Other religions | 0.5% | 0.5% | 1% |
| Total | 88.5% | 11.5% | 100% |
| Note 1: mainly Urdu | |||
| [hide]Population Trend | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1961 | 35,983,000 | | |
| 1971 | 43,503,000 | 20.9% | |
| 1981 | 53,550,000 | 23.1% | |
| 1991 | 66,508,000 | 24.2% | |
| 2001 | 75,727,000 | 13.9% | |
| Source:Census of India[16] | |||
Telugu is the official language of the state, spoken by 88.5% of the population. Telugu is the third most spoken language in India.[17] The major linguistic minority groups in the state include the speakers of Urdu (8.63%) and Hindi (0.63%) and Tamil (1.01%).[18] The Indian government designated Telugu as a classical and ancient language on November 1, 2008.[19]
Other languages spoken in Andhra Pradesh by less than 1% each are Kannada (0.94%), Marathi (0.84%), Oriya (0.42%), Gondi (0.21%) and Malayalam (0.1%). Languages spoken by less than 0.1% are the states residents include Gujarati (0.09%), Savara (0.09%), Koya (0.08%), Jatapu (0.04%), Punjabi (0.04%), Kolami (0.03%), Konda (0.03%), Gadaba (0.02%), Sindhi (0.02%), Gorkhali/Nepali (0.01%) and Khond/Kondh (0.01%).
The main ethnic group of Andhra Pradesh is the Telugu people who primarily are Dravidians.
[edit] Economy
Agriculture has been the chief source of income for the state's economy. Four important rivers of India, the Godavari , Krishna ,Penna and Thungabhadra flow through the state, providing irrigation. Rice, sugarcane, cotton, mirchi (chilli pepper), mango and tobacco are the local crops. Recently, crops used for vegetable oil production such as sunflower and peanuts have gained favour. There are many multi-state irrigation projects in development, including Godavari River Basin Irrigation Projects and Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, the world's highest masonry dam.[20][21]
The state has also started to focus on the fields of information technology and biotechnology. In 2004–2005, Andhra Pradesh was at the fifth position in the list of top IT exporting states of India. The IT exports from the State were Rs.82,700 million in 2004-2005($ 1,800 million).[22] The IT sector is expanding at a rate of 52.3% every year. The IT exports reached Rs.190,000 million ($4.5 billion) in 2006–2007, contributed to 14 per cent of total IT exports of the nation and ranked fourth in India.[23] The service sector of the state already accounts for 43% of the gross state domestic product (GSDP) and employs 20% of the work force.[21] The state capital, Hyderabad is considered to be bulk drug capital of the country. 50% of the top 10 companies in Pharmaceutical field are from the state. The state also commands a very prominent place in the infrastructure space, with many companies from the state being up there at the fore-front.
Andhra Pradesh is a mineral rich state, ranking second in India in terms of mineral wealth. The state has about one third of India's limestone reserves, estimated at about 30 billion tonnes.The Krishna Godavari basin has huge reserves of natural gas and petroleum reserves. The state is also blessed with huge amount of coal reserves.[21]
The state ranks first nationwide in hydro electricity generation with national market share of over 11%.
Andhra Pradesh's GSDP for 2005 was estimated at $62 billion in current prices. This is a chart of trend of GSDP of Andhra Pradesh at market prices estimated by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation with figures in millions of Indian Rupees. Accordingly, the state ranks fourth in terms of overall GSDP,[24] and fourth in per capita GSDP among the major states of India. According to another metric, the state ranks third in terms of Gross State Product among all the states of the Indian Union.[25]
| Year | State GDP (Rs. MM) |
|---|---|
| 1980 | 81,910 |
| 1985 | 152,660 |
| 1990 | 333,360 |
| 1995 | 798,540 |
| 2000 | 1,401,190 |
| 2007 | 2,294,610 |
[edit] Government and politics
Andhra Pradesh has a Legislative Assembly of 294 seats.and Second House Vidhana Parisat or Council (M.L.C.) of 90 members. 31 memers are elected from Local bodies, 31 members are elected from assembly 8 members elected from teachers, 8 members elected from graduates and 12 members are nominated by Governer.Members in Parliament of India; 18 in the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House, and 42 in the Lok Sabha, the Lower House.[26][27]
Andhra Pradesh had a series of governments headed by Indian National Congress (INC) Party until 1982. Kasu Brahmananda Reddy held the record for the longest serving chief minister which was broken by N.T.Rama Rao in 1983. P.V. Narasimha Rao also served as the chief minister of the state, who later went on to become the Prime Minister of India in 1991. Among the notable chief ministers of the state are Tanguturi Prakasam, Chief Minister (CM) of Andhra State (the first CM of the present Andhra Pradesh was Neelam Sanjiva Reddy) others include Kasu Brahmananda Reddy, Marri Chenna Reddy, Jalagam Vengal Rao, Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy, Nadendla Bhaskara Rao, Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy, N.T. Rama Rao, Nara Chandrababu Naidu and Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.
In 1983 the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won the State elections and N.T. Rama Rao (NTR) became the chief minister of the state for the first time introducing a formidable second political party to Andhra Pradesh's politics and thus breaking the single party monopoly on Andhra Pradesh's politics. After a few months, Nadendla Bhaskar Rao usurped power when NTR was away in the United States for medical treatment. After coming back, NTR successfully convinced the then State Governor to dissolve the Assembly and call for a fresh election. TDP won the elections with a large majority.
In 1989 group elections ended the 7-year rule of NTR with INC party returning to power with Dr. Marri Chenna Reddy at the helm of affairs. He was replaced by N. Janardhan Reddy who was in turn replaced by Kotla Vijaya Bhasker Reddy.
In 1994, Andhra Pradesh gave a mandate to TDP again and saw NTR becoming the chief minister again. Chandrababu Naidu who was the Son In Law of NTR usurped power by backstabbing him in a political maneuvering. NTR, unable to digest the treachery, later died of a heart attack. TDP won election in 1999 before he was defeated by the INC-led coalition spearheaded by YS Rajasekhara Reddy in the May 2004 polls.
In 2008 Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) was formed by movie star Chiranjeevi and led to a triangular fight in the 2009 elctions. In spite of the immense media hype and expections, it was unable to be a game changer and managed to win only 18 seats. The silver lining is that it managed to win 17 percent of the total votes as against the 36 percent by congress and 25 percent by Telugu Desam.
YS Rajasekhara Reddy became the CM again by fending off Praja Rajyam Party and mega alliance of TDP, TRS, CPI and CPM. YSR Reddy became the first CM in AP history to complete 5 full years as CM in one term.
[edit] Culture
[edit] Cultural institutions
Andhra Pradesh has many museums, including the Archaeological Museum at Amaravati near Guntur City that features relics of nearby ancient sites, the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad, which features a varied collection of sculptures, paintings, and religious artifacts and the Visakha Museum in Visakhapatnam, which displays the history of the pre-Independence Madras Presidency in a rehabilitated Dutch bungalow.[28] Victoria Jubilee Museum in Vijayawada has a good collection of ancient sculptures, paintings, idols, weapons, cutlery and inscriptions.[29]
[edit] Cuisine
The cuisine of Andhra Pradesh is reputedly one of the spiciest of all Indian cuisine[citation needed]. There are many variations to the Andhra cuisine (all involving rice) depending on geographical regions, caste, traditions etc. Pickles and chutneys, called pachchadi in Telugu are particularly popular in Andhra Pradesh and many varieties of pickles and chutneys are unique to the State. Chutneys are made from practically every vegetable including tomatoes, brinjals (eggplant), and roselle (Gongura). Gongura. is probably the best known of the Andhra pickles.
Rice is the staple food and is used in a wide variety of ways. Typically, rice is either boiled and eaten with curry, or made into a batter for use in a crepe-like dish called attu (pesarattu - made of a mixture of this batter and mung beans) or dosas.
Meat, vegetables and greens are prepared with different spices (masala) into a variety of strongly flavoured dishes.
Hyderabadi cuisine is influenced by the Muslims who arrived in Telangana in the 14th century. Much of the cuisine revolves around meat. It is rich and aromatic, with a liberal use of exotic spices and ghee (clarified butter). Lamb, chicken and fish are the most widely used meats in the non-vegetarian dishes. The biryani is perhaps the most distinctive and popular of Hyderabadi dishes.
[edit] Dance
Jayapa Senani (Jayapa Nayudu) is the first person who wrote about the dances prevalent in Andhra Pradesh.[30] Both Desi and Margi forms of dances have been included in his Sanskrit treatise 'Nritya Ratnavali'. It contains eight chapters. Folk dance forms like Perani, Prenkhana, Suddha Nartana, Carcari, Rasaka, Danda Rasaka, Shiva Priya, Kanduka Nartana, Bhandika Nrityam, Carana Nrityam, Chindu, Gondali and Kolatam are described. In the first chapter the author deals with discussion of the differences between Marga and Desi, Tandava and lasya, Natya and Nritta. In the 2nd and 3rd chapters he deals with Angi-kabhinaya, Caris, Sthanakas and Mandalas. In the 4th Chapter Karnas, angaharas and recakas are described. In following chapters he described the local dance forms i.e. desi nritya. In the last chapter he deals with art and practice of dance.
Classical dance in Andhra can be performed by both men and women; however women tend to learn it more often. Kuchipudi is the state's best-known classical dance form. The various dance forms that existed through the state's history are Chenchu Bhagotham, Kuchipudi, Bhamakalapam, Burrakatha, Veeranatyam, Butta bommalu, Dappu, Tappeta Gullu, Lambadi, Bonalu, Dhimsa, Kolattam and chindu .
[edit] Festivals
- Sankranthi in January.
- Maha Shivaratri in February/March.
- Holi in March.
- Ugadi or the Telugu New Year in March/April.
- Sri Rama Navami celebrated in March/April, 9 days after Ugadi.
- Varalakshmi Vratham in August.
- Rakhi poornima in August.
- Vinayaka Chavithi in August
- Dasara in September/October.
- Atla Tadde 3rd day in bright half of Aswiyuja month (falls in September/October in Gregorian calendar)
- Deepavali in October/November 20days after Dasara.
- Eid ul-Fitr, Bakr-Id, Muharram.
- Bonalu in Sravanam. (Celebrated in Telangana region).
- Bathukamma celebrated for 9 days during Durgastami called as Nava ratri-Dasara in Telangana region.
- Nowruz
- Christmas
[edit] Literature
Nannayya, Tikkana, and Yerrapragada form the trinity who translated the great Sanskrit epic Mahabharatha into Telugu. Bommera Potana is another poet who composed the classic SriMad Andhra Maha Bhagavatamu, a Telugu translation of Sri Bhagavatham authored by Veda Vyasa in Sanskrit. Nannayya is called Adikavi and was patronized by the king Rajarajanarendra who ruled from Rajamahendravaram (Rajahmundry). The Vijayanagara emperor Krishna Deva Raya wrote Amuktamalyada. Telugu poet Vemana, a native of Kadapa, is also notable for his philosophical poems. Telugu literature after Kandukuri Veeresalingam is termed modern literature. Known as Gadya Tikkana, Satyavathi Charitam was the author Telugu-language social novel, Satyavathi Charitam. Other modern writers include Jnanpith Award winners Sri Viswanatha Satya Narayana and Dr. C. Narayana Reddy. The Andhra Pradesh native and revolutionary poet Sri Sri brought new forms of expressionism into Telugu literature.
Shri Puttaparthi Narayanacharyulu is also one of the scholar poets of Telugu literature. He was a contemporary of Shri Vishwanatha Satyanarayana. Shri Puttaparthy Narayanacharyulu wrote the famous books Sivatandavam and Panduranga Mahatyam as dwipadakavyam[clarification needed].
Other notable writers from Andhra Pradesh include Srirangam Sreenivasarao, Gurram Jashuva, Chinnaya Suri, Viswanatha Satyanarayana and Vaddera Chandidas.
[edit] Movies
Andhra Pradesh is the state with the most cinema halls in India, at around 2700[citation needed]. The state also produces about 200[citation needed] movies a year. It has around 40% (330 out of 930) of the Dolby digital theatres in India.[31] Now it also houses an IMax theatre with a big 3D screen and also 3-5 multiplexes. Tollywood produces the largest number of movies in India.
[edit] Music
The state has a rich musical heritage. Many legends of the Carnatic music including Trinity of Carnatic music - Thyagaraja, Annamacharya, Kshetrayya, and Bhadrachala Ramadasu were of Telugu descent. Great Mandolin player, Mandolin Srinivas is also from Andhra Pradesh. Folk songs are also popular in the rural areas of the state. A great Carnatic singer, who invented some more Ragas in Carnatic Music, the great Sri Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna is of Telugu descent.
[edit] Religion
Andhra Pradesh is home to Hindu saints of all castes. An important backward-caste figure is, Sant Yogi Sri Potuluri Veera Brahmendra Swami was born in Vishwabrahmin (Gold Smith) caste who had Brahmin, Harijan and Muslim disciples.[32] Fisherman Raghu was also a Sudra.[33] Sant Kakkayya was a chura (cobbler) Harijan saint.
Several important Hindu modern-day saints are from Andhra Pradesh. These include Nimbarka who founded Dvaitadvaita, Mother Meera who advocated Indian independence, Sri Sathya Sai Baba who advocates religious unity in worship, Swami Sundara Chaitanyanandaji and Aurobindo Mission.
[edit] Pilgrimages and Religious Sites
Tirupati or Tirumala is a very important pilgrimage for Hindus throughout India. It is the richest piligrimage city (of any religious faith) in the world. Its main temple is dedicated to the god Venkateswara. Tirpuathi is located in Chittoor district. Satyanarayana swamy temple famous in Annavaram in East Godavari district. Simhachalam is another very popular pilgrimage of national importance. Simhachalam is said in mythology to be the abode of the savior-god Narasimha, who rescued Prahlada from abusive father Hiranyakasipu. Kanaka Durga Temple is one of the famous in Andhra Pradesh which is situated in Vijayawada city. Sri Kalahasti is one of the important ancient siva temples and is located on the banks of river Swarnamukhi in Chittoor district.
Simhachalam is a hill shrine 16 km away from Visakhapatnam on the other side of the Hill on the north of the city. One of the most exquisitely sculpted shrines of Andhra Pradesh, it is located among thickly wooded hills. The beautifully-carved 16-pillared Natya mantapa and the 96-pillared Kalyana mantapa bear testimony to the architectural brilliance of the temple. The image of the presiding deity, Sri Lakshminarasimha Swamy, is covered by a thick layer of sandalwood paste. This is one of the oldest temple in India dedicated to Lord Narasimha, one of the incarnations of Vishnu, built in 11th century by Kullotunga, a Chola king. One Vijaya stamba is erected by Sri Krishna Deva Raya emerged victorious over the Gajapati kings of Orissa. One will find ancient Telugu inscriptions in this temple. This temple is one of the most famous temples in India. Its architecture is Dravida (South Indian). There is a popular belief that this lord is protecting Vizag from natural disasters like floods, cyclones, earthquakes and tsunamis. Not even a single death occurred due to natural calamities to this date. Couples just before marriage go to this temple as a ritual. This temple is one of the most crowded temples of Andhra Pradesh.
Srisailam is another major temple in Andhra Pradesh of national importance. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is one of the locations of the various Jyothirlingams. The Skanda Purana has a chapter called "Srisaila Kandam" dedicated to it, which points to the ancient origin. This is confirmed also by the fact that Tamil saints of the past millennia have sung praises of this temple. It is said that Adi Sankara visited this temple and at that time he composed his "Sivananda Lahiri". Shiva's sacred bull Vrishabha is said to have performed penance at the Mahakali temple till Shiva and Parvati appeared before him as Mallikarjuna and Brahmaramba. The temple is one of the 12 hallowed jyotirlingas; Lord Rama himself installed the Sahasralinga, while the Pandavas lodged the Panchapandava lingas in the temple courtyard. Srisailam is located in Kurnool district.
Bhadrachalam is known for the Sri Rama temple and the Godavari river. This is the place where the famous Bhakta Ramadasu (originally - Kancherla Gopanna) wrote his devotional songs dedicated to lord Rama. It was believed that lord Rama spent some years on the banks of river Godavari here in Tretayug. Legend says that Bhadra (a mountain), after a severe penance asked Rama to have a permanent residence on him. Lord Rama along with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana are said to have settled on Bhadragiri. Bhadrachalam is located in Khammam district. Gopanna constructed the temple for Rama by raising funds from the people during the reign of Tanisha in 17 th century. He started celebrating the marriage of lord Rama and Sita. From then Sri Rama Navami is celebrated every year. Government of Andhra Pradesh sends pearls for the event at Bhadrachalam every year.
Basar - Saraswathi temple is another famous place for Saraswathi — goddess of education. Basara is located in Adilabad district. Yaaganti Caves is also an important pilgrim center in Andhra Pradesh. Apart from that Mahanandi, Kurnool Dt is another piligrim center which is full of greenary. The famous Hindu Birla Mandir and Ramappa Temple, Muslim Mecca Masjid and Charminar as well as the statue of Buddha on the Hussain Sagar Lake are wonderful religious monuments in Andhra Pradesh.
Kanakadurga temple is a famous temple in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located on the Indrakeeladri hill in the city of Vijayawada on the banks of Krishna River. According to a legend, the now verdant Vijayawada was once a rocky region strewn with hillocks that were obstructing the flow of River Krishna. The land was thus rendered unfit for habitation or cultivation. Invocation to Lord Siva led to His directing the hills to give way to river Krishna. And lo! the river started flowing unimpeded with all its might, through the tunnels or "Bejjam" bored into the hills by Lord Siva. That is how the place got its name Bezawada.
One of the many mythologies associated with this place is that Arjuna prayed to Lord Siva on top of Indrakeela hill to win His blessings and the city derived its name "Vijayawada" after this victory. Yet another popular legend is about the triumph of goddess Kanakadurga over the demon king Mahishasura. It is said that once upon a time, the growing menace of demons became unendurable for the natives living in this region. Sage Indrakila performed severe penance and when the goddess appeared, the sage begged Her to reside on his head and keep vigil on the wicked demons. As per his wishes, after killing the demons, goddess Durga made Indrakila Her permanent abode. Later, She slayed the demon king Mahishasura, freeing the people of Vijayawada from the evil clutches of the demon. Special pujas are performed during Dasara also called Navaratri. The most significant are Saraswati puja and Theppotsavam. The festival of Dasara for Goddess Durga is celebrated here every year. A large number of pilgrims attend the colourful celebrations and take a holy dip in the Krishna river.
[edit] Other cultural elements
Bapu's paintings, Nanduri Subbarao's Yenki Paatalu (Songs on/by a washerwoman called Yenki), mischievous Budugu (a character by Mullapudi), Annamayya's songs, Aavakaaya (a variant of mango pickle in which the kernel of mango is retained), Gongura (a chutney from Roselle plant), Atla Taddi (a seasonal festival predominantly for teenage girls), banks of river Godavari, Dudu basavanna (The ceremonial ox decorated for door-to-door exhibition during the harvest festival Sankranti) have long defined Telugu culture. The village of Durgi is known for stone craft, carvings of idols in soft stone that must be exhibited in the shade because they are prone to weathering. 'Kalankari' is an ancient art form dating back to the Harappan civilization. Andhra is also famous for doll making. Dolls are made from wood, mud, dry grass, and light weight metal alloys. Tirupathi is famous for redwood carvings. Kondapalli is famous for mud toys with rich colors.eetikoppaka located in vizag is famous for toys. Nirmal paintings are expressive and are usually painted over a black background. Story telling in Andhra is an art form by itself. 'Yaksha ganam', 'Burra katha' (usually done by three people, telling stories using three different musical instruments), 'Jangama kathalu', 'Hari kathalu', 'Chekka bajana', 'Urumula natyam' (usually done in festivals, where a group of people dance in circles for loud music), 'Ghata natyam' (performances done with earthen pots over one's head) are all folk dances unique to Andhrapradesh palumamba festival in Visaka famous.
[edit] Education
Andhra Pradesh is served by more than 20 institutes of higher education. All major arts, humanities, science, engineering, law, medicine, business and veterinary science are offered, leading to first degrees as well as postgraduate awards. Advanced research is conducted in all major areas.
Andhra Pradesh has 1330 arts, science and commerce colleges; 1000 MBA and MCA colleges; 500 engineering colleges; and 53 medical colleges. The student to teacher ratio is 19:1 in higher education. According to the 2001 census, Andhra Pradesh has an overall literacy rate of 60.5%. While the male literacy rate is at 70.3%, the female literacy rate is only at 50.4%, a cause for concern.
The state has recently made strides in setting up several institutes. Andhra Pradesh is home to the prestigious Birla Institute of Technology and Science, (BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus) and IIT Hyderabad. International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT-H), University of Hyderabad(Hyderabad Central University) and the Indian School of Business (ISB) are gaining national attention for their standards. The National Institute of Fashion Technology and The Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition (NIFT) are also located in Hyderabad. The prestigious Osmania University is situated in Hyderabad.
The Government of Andhra Pradesh has the distinction of establishing the first University of Health Sciences fulfilling the recommendations of several committees.Thus the "Andhra Pradesh University of Health Sciences" was established by the Act.No. 6 of the Andhra Pradesh legislature and was inaugurated on 9-4-1986 by the late Sri N.T. Rama Rao, the then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.The University of Health Sciences started functioning at Vijayawada from 01-11-1986. After the death of its founder Sri N.T. Rama Rao the University was named after him as NTR University of Health Sciences, Andhra Pradesh with effect from 2.2.98 vide Act No.4 of 1998.
[edit] Newspapers
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Andhra Pradesh has several Telugu-language newspapers. Eenadu, Andhra Jyothi, Sakshi, Prajasakti, Vaartha, Andhra Bhoomi, Visalandra, Suryaa and Andhra Prabha are the main Telugu-language newspapers in the state.
Andhra Pradesh's Urdu-language newspapers include Siasat Daily, Munsif Daily, Rehnuma-e-Deccan, Itimad Urdu Daily, Awam and The Milap Daily.
There are several English-language newspapers in Andhra Pradesh, including the Deccan Chronicle, The Hindu, The Times of India, The New Indian Express, The Economic Times, The Business Line.
Andhra Pradesh is also home to several Hindi-language newspapers. Among these are Swatantra Vaartha, Vishakhapatanam Nizamabad, and Hindi Milap, one of the oldest Hindi newspapers published from Hyderabad.
[edit] Tourism
Andhra Pradesh is promoted by tourism department as "Kohinoor of India."
Andhra Pradesh is the home of many religious pilgrim centres. Tirupati, the abode of god Venkateswara, is most visited religious center (of any faith) in the world.[citation needed] Srisailam, nestled in the Nallamala Hills is the abode of Mallikarjuna and is one of twelve Jyothirlingalu in India. Amaravati's Shiva temple is one of the Pancharamams, as is Yadagirigutta, the abode of an avatara of Vishnu, Lakshmi Narasimha. The Ramappa temple and Thousand Pillars temple in Warangal are famous for their temple carvings. The state has numerous Buddhist centres at Amaravati, Nagarjuna Konda, Bhattiprolu, Ghantasala, Nelakondapalli, Dhulikatta, Bavikonda, Thotlakonda, Shalihundam, Pavuralakonda, Sankaram, Phanigiri and Kolanpaka.
The Badami Chalukyas (Badami is in Karnataka) in 6th century built the 'Alampur Bhrama temples,[34] an excellent examples of Chalukya art and sculpture. The Vijayanagar Empire built number of monuments, the Srisailam temple and Lepakshi temples.
The golden beaches at Visakhapatnam, the one-million-year old limestone caves at Borra, picturesque Araku Valley, hill resorts of Horsley Hills, river Godavari racing through a narrow gorge at Papi Kondalu, waterfalls at Ettipotala, Kuntala and rich bio-diversity at Talakona, are some of the natural attractions of the state. Kailashagiri is near the sea in Visakhapatnam. A park is on the hill top of Kailashagiri. Visakhapatnam is home to many tourist attactions like INS Karasura Submarine museum (The only one of its kind in India), the longest Beach Road in India, Yarada Beach, Araku Valley, VUDA Park, and Indira Gandhi Zoological Gardens.
The Borra Caves are located in the Anatagiri Hills of Eastern Ghats, near Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh State in India. They are at a height of about 800 to 1300 metres above Mean Sea Level and are famous for million-year-old stalactite and stalagmite formations. They were discovered by William King George, the British geologist in the year 1807. The caves get their name from a formation inside the caves that looks like the human brain, which in the local language, Telugu, is known as burra. Similarly, the Belum caves were formed due to erosion in limestone deposits in the area by Chitravati River, millions of years ago. These limestone caves was formed due to action of carbonic acid — or weakly acidic groundwater formed due to reaction between limestone and water.
The Belum Caves are the second largest cave system in the Indian sub-continent. The Belum Caves derive their name from Bilum, the Sanskrit word for caves. In Telugu, the caves are known as Belum Guhalu. The Belum Caves have a length of 3229 meters, making them the second largest natural caves on the Indian subcontinent. The Belum Caves have long passages, spacious chambers, freshwater galleries and siphons. The caves' deepest point is 120 feet (37 m) from the entrance and is known as Patalganaga.
Horsley Hills Horsley Hills, elevation 1,265 m, is a famous summer hill resort in Andhra Pradesh, about 160 km from Bangalore and 144 km from Tirupati. The town of Madanapalle lies nearby. Major tourist attractions include the Mallamma temple and the Rishi valley school. Horsely Hills is the departure point for the Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary at a distance of 87 km.
Charminar, Golconda Fort, Chandragiri Fort, Chowmahalla Palace and Falaknuma Palace are some of the monuments in the state.
Kanaka Durga Temple in Vijayawada in Krishna District,Venkateswara Temple in Dwarakatirumala, West Godavari District (it is also called Chinna Tirupathi), Surya temple in Arasavelli in Srikakulam District are also places to see in Andhra Pradesh. Annavaram satayannarayana swami temple is in East Godavari
[edit] Transport
A total of 1,46,944 km of road are maintained by the State, of which State Highways comprise 42,511 km, National Highways 2,949 km and District Roads 1,01,484 km. The Growth rate of Vehicles in Andhra Pradesh is highest in the country with 16%.[35]
Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is the major public transport corporation owned by the government of Andhra Pradesh connecting all the cities and villages. APSRTC also has the distinction of being in the Guinness book of World records for having the largest fleet of vehicles, and the longest area covered/commuted daily. Apart from these, thousands of private operators run buses connecting major cities and towns of the state. Private vehicles like cars, motorised scooters and bicycles occupy a major share of the local transport in the cities and adjoining villages.
There are five airports in the state: Hyderabad (Rajiv Gandhi International) (the largest in the state), Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Rajahmundry and Tirupati. The government also have plans to start airports in six other cities: Nellore, Warangal, Kadapa, Tadepalligudem, Ramagundam and Ongole.
Andhra Pradesh has two major ports of India at Visakhapatnam and Kakinada and three minor ports, Machilipatnam, Nizampatnam(Guntur) and Krishnapatnam. One more private port is being developed at Gangavaram, near Visakhapatnam. This deep sea port can accommodate ocean liners up to 200,000-250,000 DWT, allowing big ocean liners to enter into Indian shores. www.anlexpress.in the no1 courier and parcels in andhra pradesh
[edit] See also
- List of people from Andhra Pradesh
- History of India
- Middle kingdoms of India
- Andhra state
- Rivalry and Tribute: Society and Ritual in a Telugu village in South India by Bruce Elliot Tapper
- Yanam
- Guntur division
[edit] Notes
- ^ ":: Citizen Help". APOnline. 1956-11-01. http://www.aponline.gov.in/quick%20links/apfactfile/apfactmain.html. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
- ^ "Rough rice production (000 t) in India, by state, 1961-2006". International Rice Research Institute. May 2008. http://www.irri.org/science/ricestat/data/may2008/WRS2008-Table07.pdf. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
- ^ A Study of Telugu Place-names By S. S. Ramachandra Murthy, P. 10
- ^ "History and Culture-History". APonline. http://www.aponline.gov.in/quick%20links/hist-cult/history.html. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
- ^ Antiquity of Andhra race: http://teluguuniversity.ac.in/Language/prachina_telugu_note.html
- ^ Antiquity of Telugu: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/20/stories/2007122054820600.htm
- ^ http://www.aponline.gov.in/quick links/hist-cult/history.html
- ^ http://www.asiarooms.com/travel-guide/india/hyderabad/excursions-from-hyderabad/bhattiprolu.html
- ^ http://www.indialine.com/travel/andhrapradesh/about-andhrapradesh.html
- ^ Helmutt Hoffmann, "Buddha's Preaching of the Kalachakra Tantra at the Stupa of Dhanyakataka," in: German Scholars on India, Vol. I. PP. 136-140. (Varanasi, 1973)
- ^ Taranatha; http://www.kalacakra.org/history/khistor2.htm
- ^ Indian Epigraphy, R. Saloman, Oxford University Press, 1998, ISBN 0195099842, p. 106
- ^ Epigraphica Indica, 27: 220-228
- ^ Robert Sewell, A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar): A contribution to the history of India, Chapter 2 http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext02/fevch10.txt
- ^ AP Cabinet approves four regional planning boards.
- ^ "POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS — ANDHRA PRADESH". Census of India. budget.ap.gov.in. http://budget.ap.gov.in/tab1_1.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
- ^ "Comparative Ranking of Scheduled Languages in Descending Order of Speakers' Strength - 1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001". Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. 2001. http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement6.htm. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
- ^ "Distribution of 10,000 Persons by Language — India, States and Union Territories - 2001". Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. 2001. http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement3.htm. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
- ^ "Telugu, Kannada get classical tag". Times of India. 2008-11-01. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Telugu_Kannada_get_classical_tag/articleshow/3660666.cms. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
- ^ "Agriculture dept. of Andhra Pradesh". http://agri.ap.nic.in.
- ^ a b c "Key Sectors of Andhra Pradesh".. http://www.apind.gov.in/indussectors.html.
- ^ http://finance.indiainfo.com/news/2005/05/11/1105it-exports.html
- ^ http://www..pppinindia.com/business-opportunities-andhra-pradesh.asp
- ^ http://mospi.nic.in/6_gsdp_cur_9394ser.htm
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_between_Indian_states_and_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)
- ^ "Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly". http://www.apassemblylive.com.
- ^ "Parliament of India". http://164.100.24.209/newls/membershomepage.aspx.
- ^ "VizagCityOnline.com — Visakha Museum". Vizagcityonline.com. http://www.vizagcityonline.com/visakha_museum/. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ^ Victoria Jubilee Museum: http://www.indiatourism.com/andhra-pradesh-museums/victoria-jubilee-museum.html
- ^ Ntitya Ratnavali (http://www.telugupeople.com/discussion/article.asp?id=111
- ^ "DTS | Home". Dtsonline.com. http://www.dtsonline.com/digitalcinema/find/index.php. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ^ "Sri Potuluri Veera Brahmendra Swami". Mihira.com. http://www.mihira.com/wisdommasters/veerabrahmam.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ^ "Stories of Bhaktas — Fisherman Raghu". Telugubhakti.com. http://www.telugubhakti.com/telugupages/Monthly/Bhaktas/content1.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ^ "The Templenet Encyclopedia — Temples of Andhra Pradesh". http://www.templenet.com/encandh1.html. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
- ^ "AP Fact File-Natural Advantages". APonline. http://www.aponline.gov.in/Quick%20links/apfactfile/naturaladvantages.html#Airways. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
[edit] External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Andhra Pradesh |
- Official website of the Government of Andhra Pradesh
- Andhra Pradesh Government Tourism Department
- Andhra Pradesh at the Open Directory Project
- Andhra Pradesh Portal at NIC website
- Official website of State Police of Andhra Pradesh
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