MP Kesineni Sivanath urges Railway Board to expedite projects in Vijayawada Division
In a meeting held at Rail Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday (July 22, 2025), the MP raised several pending issues concerning infrastructure and public safety across the Vijayawada division. He drew attention to the long-pending construction of Road Over Bridges (ROBs) and Road Under Bridges (RUBs) at key level crossings. These include Level Crossing No. 316 between Vijayawada and Gunadala, No. 147 between Rayanapadu and Kondapalli, No. 148 between Vijayawada and Rayanapadu, and No. 8 between Vijayawada and Ramavarappadu. He urged the Railway Board to take urgent steps to complete these works without delay.
Highlighting the importance of modernising Vijayawada railway station, the MP called for the immediate release of ₹836.47 crore sanctioned by NITI Aayog under the Amrit Bharat Station 2.0 scheme. He stressed that the timely release of these funds by the Railway Ministry is essential for accelerating the development works.
Mr. Satish Kumar assured that necessary directions would be issued to officials concerned.
Meanwhile, the MP has urged the Central government to reconsider the allocation of PM-SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India) schools to NTR District, citing severe underrepresentation in the recently approved list.
Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, the MP called for a review of the selection process and demanded the sanctioning of more schools to the district.
Despite the District having 827 benchmarked schools, and 550 of them meeting the eligibility criteria, only 27 schools were sanctioned under the PM-SHRI scheme, he pointed out. The sanction rate is 4.9%, the lowest across Andhra Pradesh, he added.
'The Andhra Pradesh government had recommended 62 schools for consideration, yet more than 56% of those schools did not make it to the final list. It is disappointing and unjustified,' he said.
Highlighting the preparedness of the district, the MP said that most schools in NTR District are aligned with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and have the necessary infrastructure. 'Given this, the low number of sanctioned schools is both puzzling and disheartening,' he said.
The MP called upon the Centre to review the selection process and allocate additional PM-SHRI schools to NTR District, said a release.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
34 minutes ago
- News18
Allahabad HC adjourns hearing in Bankey Bihari temple case till Aug 20
Prayagraj, Aug 7 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court on Thursday adjourned till August 20 the hearing on a writ petition challenging the validity of an ordinance related to the Bankey Bihari temple at Mathura. When the matter was taken up before a two-judge bench comprising Justices Arindam Sinha and Manjiv Shukla, it was informed by Additional Chief Standing Counsel R N Pandey that the validity of the Uttar Pradesh Shri Bankey Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance, 2025 has been challenged in the Supreme Court and it is pending. The petition has been filed by Sri Bankey Bihari Ji and two others. Counsel for the petitioner argued that there is no order of the Supreme Court regarding stay of any proceedings in the matter nor any order to transfer the petitions pending or being filed in other courts, and thus the present writ is maintainable here also. However, the court fixed August 20 as the next date of hearing in the case. On Wednesday, while hearing a separate plea challenging the validity of the ordinance, a single bench of the court fixed August 26 as the next date of hearing in the case. PTI COR RAJ KVK KVK KVK view comments First Published: August 07, 2025, 21:45 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
‘Stay In Your Lane, India': Zomato CEO Slams US Tariffs, Calls For Bold Response
Last Updated: Zomato CEO Goyal urged India to become an "unapologetic superpower" after the US imposed a 25% tariff hike on Indian imports, citing India's Russian oil and military purchases. Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal responded to the US's abrupt tariff hike on Indian imports by urging India to assert itself as an 'unapologetic superpower" amid mounting global pressure. In a post on X, Goyal said, 'Every few years, the world reminds us of our place. A threat here, a tariff there. But the message is the same: stay in your lane, India." 'Global powers will always bully us, unless we take our destiny into our own hands. And the only way to do that is if we collectively decide to become the world's largest, most unapologetic superpower in the world. In the economy, in technology, in defence, and most importantly, in ambition. There is absolutely no other way." Every few years, the world reminds us of our place. A threat here, a tariff there. But the message is the same: stay in your lane, powers will always bully us, unless we take our destiny in our own hands. And the only way to do that is if we collectively decide to… — Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) August 7, 2025 This followed just hours after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order late Wednesday, imposing an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, raising the total import duty to 50%. The White House cited India's ongoing purchases of Russian oil and military hardware as the rationale for the move. According to the order, the first 25% tariff took effect this morning, August 7. The second levy will be implemented after 21 days, on August 27. Former NITI Aayog CEO and India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said, 'Trump has provided us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to take the next big leap on reforms. Crisis must be fully utilised." view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
With Trump's Tariff Tactics, India Seeks Rare Earth Self-Reliance; Kumaraswamy Reveals Big Push
The union minister detailed the roadmap ahead for India's rare earth ecosystem in the exclusive interview As global trade barriers harden and Trump-era tariff threats resurface, India is doubling down on self-reliance in critical sectors like rare earth elements. Led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his office (PMO), the ministries of steel, mines, and heavy industries, along with the inter-ministerial coordination groups, are building a strategic roadmap to cut import reliance in rare earth processing and Rare Earth Permanent Magnet (REPM) manufacturing. In an exclusive interview with News18, HD Kumaraswamy, union minister of heavy industries and steel, detailed the roadmap ahead for India's rare earth ecosystem. Excerpts: Beyond current mining operations, what strategic steps are being taken by the government to build a self-sustaining rare earth industry in India? PM Modi has consistently emphasised the importance of self-reliance and self-sustainability in all cabinet meetings. Inspired by his vision, we have steadily and systematically embarked on the path toward technological sovereignty. Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL), in association with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL), has prepared a draft report titled 'Incentivisation framework for establishing downstream industry using Rare Earth elements" and supported by NITI Aayog as well. Based on the report, MHI, in consultation with NITI Aayog, is formulating a scheme to incentivise REPM manufacturing in the country. In this regard, MHI had conducted two industry stakeholder consultations on September 26 and June 17 and an inter-ministerial consultation with the ministry of mines on June 17. Are there plans to secure rare earth magnets from non-China partner countries? If yes, which are these counties, and what possible quantity can be tapped? As mentioned earlier, MHI has carried out two stakeholder consultations on September 26 and June 6 to work out gaps and disabilities and formulate the contours of a scheme to promote REPM manufacturing, which will help in developing indigenous manufacturing capacities and capabilities in the country. PM Modi has consistently guided inter-ministerial efforts, and it is due to his relentless commitment that we are steadily moving towards our goal. IREL is the only miner and processor of REO (rare earth oxides). So, is there a plan to bring in more players and ensure a supply chain for REOs? At present, mining and processing of rare earth oxides is being done by IREL only, which is under the administrative control of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). DAE is the sole authority to ensure a supply chain for REOs in the country and to allow new players to participate in this area. Right now, most of the mines in India are yet to be at an exploratory stage, that is, mining and deposit verification, while extraction is yet to happen. How is MHI coordinating with the mines ministry to increase the number of mining block auctions and set the processing tech while speeding up deposit discovery and mining activities? Mining block auctions, processing tech, deposit discovery and mining activities are under direct control of the ministry of mines. MHI had an inter-ministerial consultation with the ministry of mines, DAE, and ministry of commerce on June 17, wherein MHI requested the ministry of mines to explore the possibility of enhancing the availability of RE (rhenium) oxides in the country. DAE is also working on enhancing IREL's capacity to produce REOs. The MHI had planned a PLI. Which are these companies that have so far evinced interest in coming up with such plans? Any details on them? MHI is working on an incentivisation framework to promote REPM manufacturing in the country, and for that, MHI had multiple consultations with the industry to assess the support required by the industry. Many companies related to auto and auto component manufacturing, defence, etc, have expressed their explicit interest in setting up an integrated REPM manufacturing facility in the country. How will the PLI play out? Some scheme details could help… The scheme to promote REPM manufacturing envisages incentives for REPM sales and capital subsidy to set up the integrated REPM manufacturing facility in the country. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
