Naidu urges Gadkari to give speedy clearance to Vizag and Vijayawada metro rail projects
The State government would ensure that land acquisition issues did not hamper the road projects that were crucial for development, Mr. Naidu told Mr. Gadkari, while thanking him for sanctioning eight road projects, including a greenfield highway between Hyderabad and Vijayawada, the total cost of which was about ₹27,000 crore.
Addressing a meeting where Mr. Gadkari virtually laid foundation for 27 road projects and inaugurated two projects on Saturday, Mr. Naidu said he was happy that the Union Minister agreed to recommend the sanction of an Outer Ring Road (ORR) around Amaravati.
He suggested that a bullet train linking Amaravati with Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru would connect the huge population in those States.
Mr. Naidu said road projects costing more than ₹70,000 crore were in various stages of execution in Andhra Pradesh, and emphasis had been laid on the construction of sea and airports in order to provide the best logistics facilities.
Mr. Naidu said he was impressed by Mr. Gadkari's dynamism in giving tangible shape to the highway projects that involved huge investments, and expressed confidence that under his leadership, the length of the national highways being built in a day would reach 50 km from the present 37 km.
The Chief Minister said that Mr. Gadkari had played a key role in the construction of the Polavaram project when he was the Union Minister for Water Resources.
Mr. Gadkari said in his speech earlier that Mr. Naidu's vision to link the Godavari, the Krishna and the Penna was commendable, insisting that this project had the potential to take water from there to as far as the tail-end areas in Tamil Nadu.
Union Ministers K. Rammohan Naidu, Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar and Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma, Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, Ministers B.C. Janardhan Reddy and Y. Satya Kumar, and MPs Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, Kesineni Sivanath, Daggubati Purandeswari and Vallabhaneni Balashowry were among those present.
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Time of India
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SAP Labs India opens second campus in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: The world's biggest business software company, SAP, on Tuesday launched a second R&D campus in Bengaluru at an investment of Rs 1,800 crore. When fully constructed, the campus will give SAP the capacity to nearly double its workforce in the country to 30,000. The campus, near the international airport in Devanahalli, was inaugurated by chief minister Siddaramaiah. Others present on the occasion were state IT minister Priyank Kharge, German ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann, and a host of SAP's global leaders, including executive board member Thomas Saueressig, supervisory board member Gerhard Oswald, CTO Philipp Herzig, and India MD Sindhu Gangadharan. Union electronics & IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw delivered a video message. SAP Labs, as the R&D division is called, has over 17,000 employees in India, of which over 11,000 are in Bengaluru. The new 41-acre campus is an addition to the 22-acre Whitefield campus in the city. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru Gangadharan said 3,200 employees have moved into the new campus, and another about 1,300 would move in another two months. The SAP management has approved a second phase of construction in the new campus, and Gangadharan said that is expected to finish by the third quarter of 2028. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like You will never turn off your computer again. Undo Asked about future hiring, she said SAP Labs India has been hiring 1,500 to 2,000 people every year, and indicated that was likely to continue. "We have some of the best talent in the world here," she said. Saueressig described the campus as "not just a physical space….(but) a new chapter of innovation, innovation out of India for the world that will power all the large enterprises around the globe." He noted that more than 87% of the world's commerce goes through SAP systems, and said "here in Bengaluru, we have the opportunity to redefine what enterprise software will look like in the future, especially considering we are entering the age of AI. " The company has software for almost all of the core processes in an enterprise – lead-to-cash (end-to-end life cycle of selling to and servicing customers), total workforce management, design-to-operate (connecting all stages of a product's lifecycle, from design & development through to production, logistics, and operation), strategic sourcing and procurement. Teams in India are integral parts of every one of the solutions, and Saueressig said AI is now being infused into all of those solutions. Gangadharan said there's no separate AI team in the company, instead "every SAP employee will be an AI developer."
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Maratha map in NCERT text includes Raj, angers ex-royals; Maha historians cite treaty
Kolhapur: The depiction of Jaisalmer as part of the Maratha empire in a map featured in NCERT's Class 8 social science textbook has been criticised as historically misleading and wrong by Chaitanya Raj Singh, head of the former Jaisalmer royal family. He urged Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on 'X' to "correct" the "erroneous, malicious, and agenda-driven content" without delay. However, Maratha historians from Pune and Kolhapur said the depiction was accurate and cited documentary evidence such as the 1752 pact between the Mughal Empire and the Marathas to buttress the claim. The objection raised by Rajasthan's ex-royals to the depiction of Jaisalmer as part of the Maratha empire pertains to the map on Page 71 of Unit 3 'Rise of Marathas' published in the textbook 'Exploring Society: India and Beyond.' Prior to Chaitanya Raj Singh's objection, Bhupesh Singh, head of the former royal family of Bundi, had on X contested the portrayal of Rajput princely states as part of the Maratha empire and gone as far as declaring the Maratha empire a fictitious entity. "In the context of the Jaisalmer princely state, no authentic historical sources mention any Maratha dominance, invasion, taxation, or authority. Our royal records clearly state the Marathas never had any interference in the Jaisalmer princely state," Singh wrote. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai Rajsamand's BJP MP Mahima Kumari Mewar and her MLA husband V S Mewar, a descendent of Maharana Pratap, joined in, as did Congress's ex-Union minister Jitendra Singh, member of the erstwhile Alwar royal family. "First misrepresented as being under British, now as under Marathas –– who is going to educate the educationists in NCERT?! Are they capable of presenting the factual history of India; seriously doubt it," Kumari wrote on X. NCERT director Dinesh Prasad Sakhlani and Gouri Srivastava, head of department of education in social sciences at NCERT, hadn't responded to calls and texts from TOI till late on Tuesday. Historian Pandurang Balkawade from Pune countered these claims, citing pacts and documents that demonstrate Maratha dominance. He referenced the NCERT map, which illustrates the Maratha Empire, including tributary states denoted in a specific colour, and cities governed by Marathas and their allies. Although Jaisalmer is not explicitly mentioned, the map's expanse includes Rajput states, showing Maratha reach from Peshawar to Cuttack. Indrajit Sawant, a Kolhapur-based historian, said, "Rajputana came under influence of the Marathas after Marathas started domination over the Mughal Badshah. Marathas used to run the Mughal empire and the Rajput states came under it. The Rajputs were jagirdars of the Mughals. They were made to mandatorily pay taxes. Though the Marathas didn't have day-to-day control over the Rajput states, there were deployments to ensure the terms were followed." Balkawade pointed to the 'Ahadnama', a pact between Mughal Badshah Ahmad Shah Bahadur and Malharrao Holkar and Mahadji Shinde for Nanasaheb Peshwa in April 1752, as evidence of Maratha authority over Rajput states. "There are sources and documents that provide a description of 'Ahadnama', the pact signed between Safdar Jung on behalf of the Mughal emperor and Shinde-Holkar on behalf of the Peshwa at Kannauj. The wazir of the Badshah brought Badshah's message that Ahmed Shah Abdali was marching towards Delhi, and he wanted Marathas to protect his empire. As per the pact, Marathas had to protect the emperor from internal enemies like Pathans, Rajputs or other rebels and external foes like Abdali. Marathas were given Rs 50 lakh for this. The Peshwa was given the right to levy chauth from Punjab, Sindh, and Doab, and the Peshwa was also granted viceroyalty of Agra and Ajmer," Balkawade said. He said Peshwa records indicate regular collection of chauth from regions including Ajmer, with a document showing Rs 13 lakh collected as tax. Other chauth areas were Delhi, Agra, Ujjain (Malwa) and Odisha. Following Badshah's death, Shinde installed Shah Alam on the throne in 1771, becoming deputy regent of empire. He pointed to disputes in royal families of Jodhpur and Jaipur on succession. "Marathas adjudicated in both and both rulers joined Maratha empire. "
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
NCERT map shows Jaisalmer as part of Maratha Empire, courts royal rage
Jaisalmer/Kolhapur: A Class 8 NCERT social science textbook featuring a map that shows fort city Jaisalmer as part of the Maratha Empire has led the scions of Rajasthan's erstwhile royal families to contest the depiction as "wrongful" and "malicious", pitting them against historians from Maharashtra who cite "documentary evidence" to back what they claim is historically accurate. Chaitanya Raj Singh, the current titular Maharawal of Jaisalmer, tagged Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on X, urging him to have the "erroneous" and "agenda-driven content" rectified. The map appears on Page 71 of Unit 3 — 'Rise of Marathas' — in the textbook 'Exploring Society: India and Beyond'. "In the context of the Jaisalmer princely state, no authentic historical sources mention any Maratha dominance, invasion, taxation, or authority. On the contrary, our royal records clearly state the Marathas never had any interference in the Jaisalmer princely state," he wrote. Brig Bhupesh Singh Hada (retired), head of the former royal family of Bundi, had been first off the blocks, disputing the portrayal of Rajput princely states as part of the Maratha empire and going as far as declaring the Maratha empire a fictitious entity. Rajsamand's BJP MP Mahima Kumari Mewar and her MLA husband Vishvaraj Singh Mewar, who is a descendant of Maharana Pratap, joined in the backlash, as did Congress's former Union minister Jitendra Singh, a member of the erstwhile Alwar royal family. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This new air conditioner cools down a room in just seconds News of the Discovery Undo "First misrepresented as being under the British, now as under Marathas — who is going to educate the educationists in NCERT?! Are they capable of presenting the factual history of India; seriously doubt it," Mahima Kumari wrote on X. Jitendra Singh said "historical evidence" shows that Maratha influence in Rajasthan was "limited to raids". "There is no question of dominance or expansion. Distorting history on religious or regional grounds turns facts into myths. This mistake made by NCERT is an attempt to undermine the valour, independence and cultural contribution of the valiant rulers of Rajasthan," he said. "It's a historical fact that in the 18th century, the princely states of Rajasthan — be it Marwar, Mewar, Bikaner, Jaipur, Bharatpur, Jaisalmer, Alwar or others... were all able to maintain their independence and autonomy. In the 18th century, the powerful Rajput kingdoms of Rajasthan and the Jat state of Bharatpur were famous for their independent governance, military strength, and cultural identity. These rulers constantly struggled to maintain their autonomy against the Mughals, Marathas, and later the British," he added. But Maratha historians say the depiction is accurate, mentioning records from the 18th century such as the 1752 pact between the Mughal Empire and the Marathas to buttress the claim. NCERT director Dinesh Prasad Sakhlani and Gouri Srivastava, head of the department of education in social sciences at the National Council for Education Research and Training, hadn't responded to calls and texts from TOI till late on Tuesday. Historian Pandurang Balkawade from Pune referenced the NCERT map showing the expanse of the Maratha Empire, including tributary states denoted in a specific colour, and cities governed by the Marathas and their allies. Although Jaisalmer is not explicitly mentioned, the map includes Rajput princely states, indicating Maratha reach from Peshawar to Cuttack in Odisha. Indrajit Sawant, a Kolhapur-based historian, said, "Rajputana came under influence of the Marathas after the Marathas started domination over the Mughal Badshah. Marathas used to run the Mughal empire and the Rajput states came under it. The Rajputs were jagirdars of the Mughals. They were made to mandatorily pay taxes. Though the Marathas didn't have day-to-day control over the Rajput states, there were deployments to ensure the terms were followed. " Balkawade pointed to the "Ahadnama", a pact between Mughal Badshah Ahmad Shah Bahadur and Maratha warriors Malharrao Holkar and Mahadji Shinde for Nanasaheb Peshwa in April 1752, as evidence of Maratha authority over Rajput states. "There are multiple sources and documents that provide a detailed description of the 'Ahadnama', the pact signed between Safdar Jung on behalf of the Mughal emperor and Shinde-Holkar on behalf of the Peshwa at Kannauj. The wazir of the Badshah went to Kannauj, where Shinde-Holkar were planning to go south. He brought the message of the Badshah that Ahmed Shah Abdali was marching towards Delhi, and he wanted the Marathas to protect the Badshah and his empire. As per the pact, the Marathas had to protect the emperor from internal enemies like the Pathans, Rajputs or other rebels and external foes like Afghan king Abdali. The Marathas were given Rs 50 lakh for this. The Peshwa was given the right to levy chauth from Punjab, Sindh, and Doab, and the Peshwa was also granted viceroyalty of Agra and Ajmer," Balkawade said. He said records from the Peshwa administration indicate regular collection of chauth from regions including Ajmer (Mewar), with one document showing Rs 13 lakh collected as tax. Other areas from which chauth was collected include Delhi, Agra, Ujjain (Malwa) and Odisha. Following the Badshah's death, Mahadji Shinde installed Shah Alam, who had been held for six years in Allahabad fort, on the throne in 1771, becoming Naib Vakil-i-Mutaliq, deputy regent of the empire. Balkawade also pointed to the disputes within the royal families of Jodhpur and Jaipur regarding succession. "The Marathas adjudicated in both post-1752, and in Jodhpur, Bijaysingh ascended the throne, and in Jaipur, Madhavsingh ascended. Both the new rulers joined the Maratha empire. This should not sound against Rajputs; Marathas fought against alien invasion to protect everyone, which led to the unification of Hindustan. Mahadji Shinde controlled Delhi for 23 years, and the pact signed in 1771 helped him stop the British from taking control during his reign."
