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AP to go alone with Eng. Admissions

  Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who held a meeting with principal secretaries of state government and state education ministry IYR Krishna rao and Neelam Sahani yesterday, asked them to proceed with engineering counseling process as Telangana government is not keen to join this process with AP. He also asked AP higher educational council to implead in the ongoing case filed in Supreme Court over this issue and strongly defend government stand. So, it is clear now that the engineering admissions process in AP will begin from today as per the decision taken by the council, even while the legal battle between two states is continuing in Supreme Court.

Is Nithin Gadkari under NDA scanner?

  The news reports about bugging the residence of union road transport and highways minister Nithin Gadkari, provides an opportunity to beleaguered Congress party to raise finger against ruling NDA government.   Randeep Surjewala quoting the reports stated that it reflects there is lack of faith and mutual trust between the ministers in NDA government. Government should come clear about the bugging reports of its own minister. Former Union Minister Manish Tiwari asked why the reports were appeared in public space if they have no base at all. He demanded for an inquiry into this matter and put the facts before parliament. However, Nitin Gadkari dismissed the reports as baseless and highly speculative.   If the reports are genuine then this idea of snooping the ministers’ residences is alarming, otherwise it can be some paid news intended to create rift between the NDA ministers. Hence, NDA government should order for inquiry into this matter to clear the air of suspicion.

We have clarity on loan waiver: Chandrababu

  Congress and YSR Congress parties are quite desperate to take political advantage from the sensitive crop loan waiver issue. While, YCP has already swings into action staging three day-dharnas and burning effigies of CM Chandrababu Naidu, Congress party is also gearing for one day dharna on August 4th protesting government’s attitude on this issue. Both parties allege that government is prolonging this issue as it has no clarity on how to resolve this issue.   AP Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, while releasing white paper on the state irrigation ministry, responding to opposition parties allegations said that his government has clarity over crop loan waiver issue and he knows how to resolve the issue. He reiterated government’s stand on this issue. He said there is no question of turning around on this issue. He criticized opposition parties for trying to politicize this issue for self-gains.   Since, RBI and the Central government are averse to extend support to the state government in this regard, state government is considering various options like pledging its properties with bankers to relieve the farmers from their crop loans. So is Chandrababu stating he has clarity on this issue and confident of waiving off the crop loans.

Eng. Students’ future in dilemma?

  Andhra Pradesh state higher education council, which met at Hyderabad yesterday, has decided to start engineering counseling process from July 30th. Telangana state government promptly responding to its decision has made it clear that it will not join this process and described the council’s decision is prejudice, because the matter is in Supreme Court. Telangana education minister Jagadish Reddy categorically stated that his government has nothing to do with AP government’s decision. He asked the students of Telangana not to be panic with AP government’s decision. He assured that the government will provide them quality engineering education though there is some delay takes place.   So, it is now clear that AP government has to go alone with engineering admission process and make arrangements accordingly. Since, Supreme Court has assured the council that it will not intervene in the admission process there may not be any legal hurdles. AP government may fill-up the local quota seats first, excluding the students settled in Telangana. So, if AP and Telangana governments both ignore thousands of AP students settled in Telangana, their fate will hang in the air.

Twenty electronic clusters to be set up in AP

   Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Chittoor districts have betrayed of their right for development all these years, though several ministers and MPs representing them in the governments. So, the Andhra Pradesh government which is planning to decentralize it’s development activities is planning to set up twenty electronic manufacturing clusters in these districts and also in Kakinada. The government will allocate Rs.1785 crores for this purpose.   Apart from setting up hardware parks, the government is also said to be interested to encourage domestic electrical and electronic appliances manufacturing units in these clusters. If these plans are materialized into reality, then it not only creates employment in large scale but also boosts the educational sector related to it. Need not to say these electronic clusters will bring several small scale and ancillary industries. Education, Transport, hotel industry and real estate sectors may get the full advantage of these clusters.

Engineering Counselling from July 30th

  The month long stalemate over engineering admissions in AP and Telangana states seems to end soon as AP higher education council has decided to start counselling process from July 30th and verification process of confirmation letters from August 7th in both states. The council has invited principal secretaries of education departments of both states to the meeting held today at Hyderabad, but T-secretary didn’t attend the meeting, probably because his government has filed a petition in Supreme Court asking to postpone the counselling process till October. However, the higher educational council has decided to start counselling process from July 30th, since Supreme Court has also assured that it will not ask to stop the counselling process. So, it seems the hurdles for the engineering admissions were removed.   In case, if T-Government still sticks to its decision to conduct counselling in October month, then AP government may fill-up all the local quota seats through EAMCET system and may leave 15 percent non-local seats.

EMACET system likely to be scrapped?

   People of Andhra and Telangana are badly suffering with the UPA government’s hasty and thoughtless decision of dividing the state without making necessary arrangements for a smooth operation of both governments. As a result, even two months after formation of the states, the governments are not in a position to conduct medical and engineering admissions. Telangana government files a petition in Supreme Court seeking additional time for conducting admission process because of this problem only. As if the problem is not enough it further complicates by adding nativity issue to it.   Since, the admission process is interlinked between two states, the delay from T-government side, forced AP government also to hold the process. So, AP government is planning to adopt Tamilnadu model admission process that is based on Intermediate marks percentage. State government is sending a team of officials to Chennai to study the Tamilnadu model admission process. They are expected to submit their report within next 10-15 days.   If this model of admissions suits our requirement, AP government may start admissions of engineering and medical within next 3-4 weeks. In this system, the state government will directly allot the seats to the students in various colleges based on their intermediate marks percentage. If everything goes smooth with this new model of admission process, AP government may scrap the existing EMACET process from next year. However, the state government has decided to fill up only the seats in local quota and leaving 15 percent of non-local quota following the clauses mentioned in the bifurcation bill.

YCP Politicizing Capital issue

YCP senior leader MV Mysoora Reddy has made serious allegations on Shivarama Krishnan committee. He alleges the committee now becomes a puppet in the hands of real estate brokers and syndicates. The committee is singing chorus with ruling TDP but not bothered to consult or take suggestions of opposition parties over this issue. He alleges that the ministers are also influencing the committee by declaring where they want to build the capital.   It should be noted that Shivarama Krishnan committee has made it clear that there was a misbelief in the people that their committee is constituted to identify the location for new capital, whereas it is actually intended to study and submit report for an all-round development of the state. Recommending perfect location for building the new capital is part of its task and not the main task. The committee also made it clear that they are asked to give expert advice to the government but it is state government that has to take final decision on this matter.   Whether or not the committee recommends Vijayawada-Guntur as the location for building the new capital, its recommendations do not bind the state government. If, YSR Congress party is really that much interested and have valuable suggestions it can meet the committee members during their district visits where members of all parties, forums and general public are welcomed to give their suggestions. Hence, instead of trying to politicize this matter, YCP should play its part in building the capital of the state.

AP Capital recommendations by mid August

The Sivaramakrishnan committee which met the  AP Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu spent close to 3 hours discussing with him about the various aspects of setting up of the news a capital in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Speaking to the media after the meeting they spoke about 4 major places where the capital could probably come  up which is Vijayawada,Guntur, Tenali and Mangalagiri but the only issue would be is that aquicring the land would be  difficult. Mr Naidu spoke about the complete development of AP and not just restrict to the development of the capital alone. The committee would also be observing the countries of Putrajaya- Malaysia, , Singapore , Shanghai and other countries  to get a better perspective for world class development which would include capital connectivity, rail – road connectivity and infrastructure and development of industries and job creation in future. The five-member committee, headed by the former Urban Development Secretary K C Sivaramakrishnan,  had toured Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada, Guntur, Anantapuram, Kurnool and Tirupati as part of its exercise to identify a suitable location for the capital of AP.The Chief Minister has constituted a separate committee headed by state Urban Development Minister P Narayana to suggest options on the capital simultaneously but will make his formal announcement once the recommendations are made formal.

Should Film news now be part of the Curriculum?

  "Q: Who among the following actresses is the tallest in height ? Your options"A: (a) Huma Qureshi (b) Katrina Kaif (c) Deepika Padukone (d) Preity Zinta " This was a question asked in a Combined Graduate Level Exam conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Kerala recently. Now we really don’t how many people answered correctly as it was question related to Bollywood actors. For those who didn’t know the answer would have definitely gone back home to ask Google the same. With Modi rejecting the Gujarat Government’s decision to include his life story in children’s school books showing his simplicity, this question comes as a shocker as to whether it comes under General Knowledge or Current Affairs. Another question shown in the paper asked which month does the Valentine Day falls under, which the students would have definitely answered. Meanwhile the Staff Selection Commission has rendered its apology for this gender insensitive question  because of the Kerala State Commission protesting against this . Apparently  Local teachers were appointed to set a bank of questions and a panel of experts chose from these to set a final paper is the explanation given and now we need to see what kind of teachers are we recruiting who frame questions like these Some of the students are still searching for the answer…and we just gave it.

Pakistan Violates Ceasefire on Kargi Diwas

On the eve of Kargil Diwas the  Pakistani troops have attempted a ceasefire violation once again but this time with small arms. They opened fire provoking our troops to retaliate. This incident which lasted for about 10 minutes took place at forward posts in Pallanwala sector of Jammu district late last night. This is the second ceasefire violation done by the Pakistani troops in less than 7 hours. Information received says that there was no loss of life or property in this firing. Indian troops have given a befitting response to the Pakistani troops by retaliating with the same warfare.

Remembering the Kargil heroes

The nation today remembered its brave soldiers on the eve of the Kargil Diwas the 15th anniversary of the Kargil conflict which took place on 26th July 1999, where the Indian army has defeated Pakistan.  The two-day event to mark the event and commemorate the martyrdom of the jawans was inaugurated  by Army Chief, Gen. Bikram Singh, who offered floral tributes at the Kargil War Memorial. Many current and former top army officers also laid floral wreaths at the memorial this morning. A moment and symbol of pride and courage by the Indian soldiers who showed valor while facing the Pakistani soldiers who crossed the LOC and  where some of the heroic tales talk about them directly facing the barrage of bullets to reclaim what was rightfully ours. The  Defense Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley has said that the Defense forces' requirements are being met on the priority basis and had Visited the Army Posts at the LOC in the Haji Pir Area. He lauded the soldiers efforts in doing a commendable job in safeguarding the country.

Modi and the sulking media

Once the elections were over there was a lot of news and information  hype about Modi and his Government.Once the 30 days testing period was over there has been a steady decline in the media interaction. He has told his cabinet ministers to keep of the media at least for sometime which was quite evident after the Budget session. The Press contingent to his foreign tours and BRICS convention was limited to only 2 or 3 people which included the state channel Doordarshan. Is it that he is putting the media in its plac,e especially after the way he was treated after the Godhra carnage and the constant criticism when he was promoting Gujarat as a model state? Or is he waiting to show prolific results by his government and then get their attention? But his exceptional usage of the Social media and his profile which is constantly updated and information being directly disseminated to the public reduces his media interaction. TheTwitter and Facebook buzz and the responses are being keenly observed by his media Team and the trends are noted to see how the public is reacting.Now that his 60 trial period has completed we need to see if he shows some attention to the sulking media.

RAW officer gets access to her medical records

In a significant hearing the Central Information Commissioner Madabhushi  Sridhar, said that every patient has the right to access his medical records  from the government hospitals, corporate hospitals and private doctors. In a case where  a senior former  RAW official Nisha Priya Bhatia was admitted to the  Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences by the Delhi High Court on  afalse medical report and had sought access to the medical records from the Institute but was refused. The institute had refused to give her the records, citing Section 8(1)(h) of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, which allows an authority to withhold information that could impede an investigation. Mr Madabhushi Sridhar rejected the contention, saying patients’ right to their medical records was rooted in the Constitution and under Section 2(f) of the RTI Act, 2005 and that the Hospitals and private doctors are bound to give the records when asked upon by the patient. The lady official was being harassed by her superiors and they had filed a petition on false evidence that she was of unsound mind and the Delhi high court had ordered for her to be put in the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences for a month. These records were needed to show that she was not mentally sick and was fit enough to work and fight her case and the CIC ruled in her favour to access her medical records.

BMW MD arrested in Hyderabad

  In what could be a major embarrassment for the Bavarian Motor Works (BMW) company ,the Hyderabad police on Saturday  arrested Stefan David Schlipf, MD and CEO of BMW Financial Services , India in a cheating case filed by a BMW dealer  Delta Cars against the German company in India. The official was arrested on Thursday at Gurgaon and brought to the city and was remanded to judicial custody on Friday. In a complaint which was filed by Viren Chowdary of Delta Cars against BMW in 2010 for allegedly causing loss of Rs 4 crore, the German Car company had got a stay on the proceedings,but the case  came up for hearing again and the BMW MD was arrested. The company is expected to file a bail petition on Saturday and if all goes well the Top executive of BMW should be out on bail or else he would be in custody till Monday.

Black Money will be brought back very soon: FM

  Finance Minister Arun Jaitly replaying to a question in Rajyasabha said “Country will not have to wait for long for bringing back black money. We are giving all information received from abroad on black money to Supreme Court.”   He said some foreign banks start sharing information with Indian government after consistent communication by it. However, Swiss Bank is still averse to share information about the accounts mentioned by Indian authorities that they obtained through other countries like France and Germany, because the information is not official. Jaitly said however it is only a matter of time to bring bank the black money.   Soon after taking charge of the government, the first job Prime Minister Narendra Modi did was, constituting a special investigating committee (SIT) comprising members from all top investigating agencies like CBI, IB, ED that is headed by Supreme Court retired judge M B Shah.   The UPA Government also discussed on this with Swiss Bank Authorities and got some information. However, it simply sat on the files without taking any action on the tax evaders. But, NDA government is putting efforts constantly to convince the foreign banks to share information about the account holders of India. That's why Jaitly seems to be quite confident of bringing back the black money soon.

Is Narendra Modi strategic with his foreign visits?

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to be very strategic in preferring to visit neighboring countries than jumping for America or some European country that is ready to roll red carpet to him. He begins foreign visits with neighboring Bhutan. Though, India can expect nothing in return from Bhutan except good relations, Modi’s visit reveals his concern for neighboring countries.   Next, he is visiting neighboring Nepal on August 3rd and 4th. Nepal is also a small country, but India gives high priority to it because of its geographical location and for many other reasons. Nepal’s foreign affairs minister Mahendra Pandey has confirmed this report about Modi’s visit to his country. Narendra Modi has agreed to visit Nepal upon the invitation of his counterpart of Nepal Sushil Koirala. Modi’s visit to Nepal may be very helpful to India and Nepal as well. India is insisting Nepal not to let the terrorists use its soil and Nepal is expecting some help from India to continue its development activities.   Next Modi may visit US in September 1st week as he was invited by President Barack Obama few weeks ago. His visit to USA may bring huge investments and technology support to the country.   Narendra Modi has agreed to visit China before end of this year, which may helpful to resolve boarder issues. He already talked to China President Xi Jiping during BRICS conventions and he formally agreed to Modi’s proposal of resolving the border issues amicably.   Before visiting China, Modi is likely to visit Japan. Modi has developed strong relations with it during his term as Gujarat Chief Minister. He rolled red carpet to Japanese companies into Gujarat and he is planning to do the same for the whole country. His visit to Japan may bring many new industries, especially hardware companies, in which Modi is showing interest.

We will not lose Hero Company to AP says K' taka CM

  Ever since the leading two wheeler manufacturing company Hero Motocorp Company has announced that it’s planning to setup its first production unit somewhere in south India, all the states particularly AP and Telangana states have been running behind the company. But, the Company formally decided to setup its production unit in Telangana with Rs. 1450 crores for manufacturing 1.8 million two wheelers an year.   Though, AP has dropped its efforts to convince the Company management, Karnataka has not stopped yet. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said “At any cost, the state will not lose the Hero Motocorp project to Andhra Pradesh (Telangana). Our government has already fixed a meeting with the Company on August 3rd for this purpose. We will take all steps to ensure the Company will setup its plant at Mummigatti near Dharwad. We will not lose the company to AP (Telangana) at any cost. I am sure about it.”   So, Telangana government should be on highly alerted with his statement and should keep its efforts to retain the company to Telangana state, otherwise there is possibity of shifting the unit to Karnataka.

Centre serves show-cause notices to T-MSOs

   Finally, Centre has moved to take action against the MSOs and cable operators in Telangana for banning two news channels- ABN and TV 9 for last five weeks without giving any reason. Information and Broadcasting minister Prakash Jawadekar has warned them few weeks ago, but there was no response until now. So, all of they were served show-cause notices by I&B and TRAI yesterday asking them to come-up with explanation within three days on banning the two news channels otherwise necessary action will be taken. The letters were signed by KS Rezimos, Director I&B ministry and GS Keshwani, Deputy Advisor of TRAI. The content of both letters is more or less is same.   “It came to our notice that MSOs and cable operators in Telangana state violating the TRAI and I&B regulations have one-sidedly stopped telecasting of two news channels- ABN and TV 9 for the last five weeks. According to TRAI 2012 regulations MSOs and Cable Operators should give notices 15 days in advance to customers before stopping the telecasting of any channel, but this guideline was not followed. According to TRAI 2009 regulations, MSOs and Cable Operators should intimate their customers 3 weeks in advance before stopping any channel telecasting and also explain the reasons for their decision. All those registered as Cable Operators and MSOs should strictly follow these guidelines otherwise punishable under appropriate sections. So, you are asked to submit your explanation along with the maintenance registers within three days of receiving these notices, failing to respond will lead to severe action.”