CM Naidu orders CCTV every 50 km; Rs 1,500 crore for AP road upgrade, repairs during monsoon
Chairing a review meeting with officials of the Roads & Buildings (R&B) Department at the State Secretariat on Thursday, the Chief Minister instructed them to construct 2,000 kilometers of new state and district roads with an estimated budget of Rs 1,000 crore.
He said that cost estimations and the tender process must begin immediately. An additional Rs 500 crore will be allocated for repairing damaged roads across the state, and the Chief Minister emphasised that these repairs must continue even during the monsoon and be completed at the earliest.
Seeking updates on the condition of roads across the state, the Chief Minister pointed out that the previous government had grossly neglected road construction and maintenance over the past five years, leading to widespread deterioration.
The Chief Minister directed officials to submit a comprehensive report within 15 days, outlining the roads that require repairs, the new roads that need to be laid, and those that require regular maintenance. He noted that traditional methods of road construction are not only financially burdensome but also compromise quality.
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Property tax scam: Madras HC seeks probe progress
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Time of India
11 minutes ago
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Timely, productive visit helped review & build India-Maldives cooperation: FS Misri on PM Modi's Malé visit
Prime Minister Modi's state visit to the Maldives strengthened bilateral ties through key agreements and discussions. A major highlight was the extension of a Rs 4,850 crore line of credit and restructuring of existing debt, significantly reducing the Maldives' repayment obligations. The visit also included MOUs across various sectors and the launch of joint initiatives. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ongoing state visit to the Maldives saw high-level engagements and significant bilateral agreements, reaffirming India-Maldives ties and outlining a roadmap for future a special press briefing on Friday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri highlighted the importance of the visit, describing it as productive and timely. Accompanied by High Commissioner to Maldives G. Balasubramanian and Additional Secretary Puneet Agrawal, Misri provided a detailed account of the day's developments."As you would be aware, the Prime Minister is on a two-day state visit to the Maldives. You are all familiar with the fact that this is his third visit to the Maldives. He also happens to be the first head of government to be visiting the Maldives during the administration of President Muizzu," he saidReflecting the ceremonial importance of the occasion, Misri detailed that on arrival at the airport, the Prime Minister was warmly received by President Muizzu and members of his cabinet. "This was a very special gesture by the President. The Prime Minister was also corded a Ceremonial Guard of Honour and welcomed with a special cultural performance."This ceremonial welcome set the stage for substantive discussions and on Friday afteroon the Prime Minister and President Muizzu held restricted and delegation-level talks. "This gave both leaders the opportunity to review the entire gamut of issues in the bilateral relationship. They renewed various aspects of India-Maldives relations and in particular reflected on the progress made since October 2024, when President Muizzu had visited India on a state visit and when both countries had adopted the Joint Vision for India-Maldives Comprehensive Economic and Maritime Security Partnership," he talks were followed by the signing of key agreements. "You would already be familiar with; you would have seen the ceremony for exchange of memoranda of understanding and agreements between the two sides. Let me just review the key agreements and MOUs that have been signed. We have signed an MOU related to the extension of a fresh line of credit of Rs 4,850 crore to the Maldives. This is the first LOC extended to the Maldives that is denominated in Indian rupees. The LOC represents a continuation of the tradition of assistance to the development needs of the Maldives and we expect that several infrastructure projects will be carried out as a result of this LOC agreement benefiting the lives of citizens here in the Maldives."He elaborated on financial restructuring aimed at easing the Maldives' economic burden. "Together with this, the two sides also signed an amendatory agreement that amended the existing dollar line of credit between India and the Maldives. I would like to in particular point to the fact that with the signature of this amendatory agreement, the annual debt repayment obligations of the Maldives will reduce by a sharp 40% from nearly US$51 million annually to about US$29 million."Misri further outlined the range of MOUs signed, covering diverse sectors. 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The Prime Minister also handed over 72 vehicles and other equipment that will be used by the MNDF for various purposes."Environmental and health initiatives also featured in the day's agenda. "The two leaders were together for a tree plantation event, which is being carried out under the initiative taken by Prime Minister Modi in India, Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam, Plant for Mother. In the same place, the Prime Minister also handed over two BHISHM Health Cubes that will be of great relevance in medical emergencies, especially in remote parts of the country."Modi's visit will continue with important engagements on Satruday where the Prime Minister will be the Guest of Honour at the Independence Day celebrations at Republic Square."He will also be meeting with a few political leaders of the country, interact with the Indian diaspora residing in the Maldives, including also ITEC alumni from the Maldives," Misri up the significance of the visit, Misri emphasized its strategic outcomes. 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Mint
11 minutes ago
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Donald Trump govt mulls changes to US citizenship test, H-1B visa program: What it means?
Director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services Joseph Edlow said this week that President Donald Trump's administration is considering changes to the test to become a US citizen. Earlier, it was reported that the administration was planning to change the visa system for skilled foreign workers by doing away with the H1-B visa lottery system. Joseph Edlow, the director of USCIS, told the New York Times on Thursday that the administration wanted to change the naturalisation test required by prospective US citizens. As of now, immigrants study 100 civics questions and then must respond correctly to six out of 10 questions to pass that portion of the test. During the first Trump administration, the agency increased the number of questions and required applicants to respond correctly to 12 out of 20 questions. Edlow said the agency plans to return to a version of that test soon, the NYT reported. In an interview with The New York Times, Joseph Edlow said the test to become a US citizen was too easy and should change. 'The test as it's laid out right now, it's not very difficult,' Edlow said on Thursday, adding. 'It's very easy to kind of memorise the answers. I don't think we're really comporting with the spirit of the law.' Edlow's proposed changes would have to be approved through the federal government's rule-making process. The Donald Trump administration is reportedly planning to revamp the H1-B visa lottery system, aiming to replace it with a more weighted and wage-linked selection process. The proposed changes aim to give preference to certain applicants based on additional criteria—potentially including wages—thereby benefiting highly-skilled and higher-paid professionals. Currently, the system is quite simple. Applicants who are eligible for H1-B visa submit their applications, and a computer-run lottery randomly selects the recipients. Each year, about 85,000 H-1B visas are issued, including 20,000 reserved for individuals holding a Master's degree or higher from a US university. On January 8, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security published a final rule to modify its process for selecting H-1B petitions when registrations surpass the annual limit of 85,000. So, what changes does the administration propose? As per Forbes, in the final rule in 2021, DHS described the new selection process as: 'The USCIS will rank and select the petitions received on the basis of the highest Occupational Employment Statistics wage level that the proffered wage equals or exceeds for the relevant Standard Occupational Classification code in the area of intended employment, beginning with OES wage level IV and proceeding in descending order with OES wage levels III, II, and I.' A study by the Institute for Progress earlier this year found, as reported by the Hindustan Times, that if higher salaries were given priority instead of using a random lottery, the average salary of an H-1B visa holder could rise from around $106,000 to $172,000. That would likely make things much harder for outsourcing firms who rely on hiring large numbers of lower-wage workers, but could be a big plus for researchers, PhD holders, and senior-level tech professionals, the report added. Doug Rand, a former Biden administration official, said changing the H1-B process to favour higher-wage earners was misguided. 'Like it or not, the H-1B program is the main way that US companies can hire the best and brightest international graduates of US universities, and Congress never allowed DHS to put its thumb on the scale based on salary,' he said. Regarding the plan to change the H-1B visa program for foreign workers, it has been the subject of debate within the Republican Party. Edlow said it should favour companies that plan to pay foreign workers higher wages. the proposed changes to the system could alleviate criticism from those in the right wing of the Republican Party who say the program attracts workers willing to accept lower salaries than American workers. This week, US Vice President JD Vance had criticised companies that lay off their own employees and then hire foreign workers. But some of Trump's most prominent backers in the tech industry said they rely on the H-1B visa program because they can't find enough qualified American workers. Edlow was quoted by NYT as saying, 'I really do think that the way H-1B needs to be used, and this is one of my favorite phrases, is to, along with a lot of other parts of immigration, supplement, not supplant, US economy and US businesses and US workers."
