Latest news with #ChandrababuNaidu-led
The Print
a day ago
- Politics
- The Print
Naidu set to roll out another ‘Super Six' promise. How free bus rides for women scheme will work
Congress-ruled Karnataka too launched a similar scheme in June 2023. In both Karnataka and Telangana, the scheme is believed to have played some part in the Congress storming to power. Approved by the Andhra Pradesh cabinet Wednesday, the 'Stree-Shakti' scheme is expected to cost the state government Rs 1,942 crore each year. A similar scheme (Mahalakshmi) was rolled out in neighbouring Telangana by the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government in December 2023. Hyderabad: In a week from now, women and trans people will be able to travel free of charge on Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) buses as the Chandrababu Naidu-led government gears up to roll out another one of its 'Super Six' election promises on 15 August. However, while the Mahalakshmi scheme in Telangana was flagged off by CM Revanth Reddy within two days of his swearing-in, in Andhra Pradesh the scheme is being rolled out 14 months after the TDP-Jana Sena combine with Chandrababu Naidu at the helm formed a government. 'Under the scheme, women, girls, and transgenders belonging to the state are provided the opportunity to travel free of charge from anywhere to anywhere,' Kolusu Parthasarathy, the state minister for information & public relations and housing, said Wednesday at Amaravati. Kantilal Dande, principal secretary (transport, roads & buildings), told ThePrint the scheme will apply to five types of state-run buses: PalleVelugu, Ultra PalleVelugu, City Ordinary, Metro Express, and Express. Those eligible can avail of it by showing their Aadhaar, voter ID or ration card to the bus conductor. While the first four types of buses operate on short-distance routes, the Express service plies on long-distance routes—Vijayawada to Tirupati, for instance. Dande clarified that the 'Stree-Shakti' scheme will not apply to non-stop interstate bus services or any other types, including higher-priced segments like Ultra Deluxe and Super Luxury. The scheme will also not apply to contract carriage services, chartered services, and package tours. Women make up 49.9 percent (2.62 crore) of Andhra Pradesh's total population (5.25 crore). Under this scheme, free travel for women and trans persons will be available for 74 percent of APSRTC's total fleet of 6,700 buses. The scheme is expected to cost the state government Rs 162 crore per month. The government expects that the scheme will encourage an estimated 10.84 lakh more women commuters to use state-run buses, besides the 16.11 lakh women already using APSRTC services. 'In implementing this scheme, the government will place great emphasis on the safety of women and girls by providing body cameras to female conductors and installing CC cameras in buses. Similarly, basic facilities like fans and good water facilities will also be provided at bus stations,' said the minister. It is learnt that APSRTC plans to procure more than 4,000 electric buses over the next two years, while also recruiting more drivers and mechanics, to be able to cater to increased demand. (Edited by Amrtansh Arora) Also Read: Karnataka women are on non-stop joy ride. Backpacking to temples & palaces on free Shakti
Hans India
24-07-2025
- Business
- Hans India
AP govt decides to invite tenders for Metro Rail Projects in Vijayawada and Vizag
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu-led coalition government in Andhra Pradesh is making significant strides towards the development of metro rail systems in the major cities of Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. In a promising move, the government is set to invite tenders for the construction of these projects, with the announcement scheduled for Friday. The total cost for the metro rail projects amounts to Rs. 21,616 crore, with Rs. 10,118 crore allocated for Vijayawada and Rs. 11,498 crore for Visakhapatnam. The construction will be financed through a fifty-fifty partnership between the central and state governments. As part of the funding arrangement, Rs. 4,101 crore will be allocated from the Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VIMMRDA) for the Vizag Metro Rail, while Rs. 3,497 crore will be sourced from the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) for the Vijayawada Metro. These initiatives are poised to enhance urban transport and contribute to the overall development of Andhra Pradesh's infrastructure.
The Print
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Print
In TDP letter to CEC on Special Intensive Revision, praise, suggestions, and echoes of Oppn's concerns
While recognising the SIR as 'a valuable opportunity to ensure that the electoral rolls are updated in a fair, inclusive, and transparent manner,' the TDP stated that 'to ensure voter confidence and administrative preparedness, the SIR process should be conducted with sufficient lead time, ideally not within six months of any major election'. In a four-page submission to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in New Delhi Tuesday, the Chandrababu Naidu-led party has red-flagged some contentious matters like the timing and verification linked to citizenship. Hyderabad/New Delhi: Amid the Opposition bloc's objections to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a key NDA partner, has highlighted several considerations for the Election Commission (EC) in conducting the exercise. Many of these suggestions echo the Opposition's concerns. Opposition parties are questioning the exercise, taken up 3-4 months before the Bihar polls. The timing of the ECI's exercise in Bihar is a concern which the Supreme Court also highlighted while hearing petitions opposing the SIR process. The SC in its order listed three questions the petitioners raised, one of them being: 'The timing for undertaking the present exercise including the time line given for preparation of the Draft Electoral Rolls, objections, etc, and the final publication of Electoral Roll, considering the fact that Bihar State Assembly elections are due in November, 2025, for which notifications will come weeks in advance'. Seeking clarity on SIR purpose, scope, the TDP said that it should be 'limited to electoral roll correction and inclusion'. 'It should be explicitly communicated that the exercise is not related to citizenship verification, and any field instructions must reflect this distinction,' it added. In its order directing the SIR in Bihar last month, the ECI had cited Article 326 of the Constitution, which says that elections to the Lok Sabha and the legislative assemblies shall be on the basis of adult suffrage. This, the provision says, means 'every person who is a citizen of India and who is not less than eighteen years of age…shall be entitled to be registered as a voter at any such election'. However, during the hearing on petitions challenging the Bihar electoral roll revision, lawyers appearing for the petitioners had taken objection to the ECI determining 'citizenship' through the revision exercise. For instance, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for RJD MP Prof Manoj Kumar Jha, asserted that it is only the Government of India that can contest a person's citizenship and not a 'small officer of the EC'. The TDP said voters already enrolled in the most recent certified electoral roll should not be required to re-establish their eligibility unless specific and verifiable reasons are recorded. 'In line with the judgment of the Supreme Court in Lal Babu Hussein v. Electoral Registration Officer prior inclusion creates a presumption of validity, and any deletion must be preceded by a valid inquiry,' the party said in its submission adding that 'the burden of proof lies with the ERO or objector, not the voter, especially when the name exists in the official roll.' The petitioners challenging the revision in Bihar have relied on a 1995 judgment the TDP also cited. In this verdict, the Supreme Court had taken objection to the generalised removal of individuals who were voters in past elections, and them being asked to prove their eligibility to find their place back in the rolls. It had asserted that in cases in which persons were voters in previous elections, it would be presumed that before entering their names, the concerned officer must have gone through the procedural requirements under the statute. The party requested the commission to issue 'clear procedural guidance stating that deletion of any voter must be based on a reasoned order, proper notice, and an opportunity to respond.' 'Where voters are unable to submit documents at the time of visit, stage-wise verification should be permitted, instead of immediate exclusion.' 'Nothing to do with SIR in Bihar' A delegation of TDP leaders including AP unit chief Palla Srinivasa Rao, MPs Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, Byreddy Shabari, Prasada Rao, and party leader Jyothsna Tirunagari submitted the suggestions to ECI, on a day party supremo is also in New Delhi. 'Our submissions have nothing to do with the SIR in Bihar. It is part of our party's larger support for reforms in the election processes, be it eradication of duplicate cards or other matters. We want technology-enabled electoral roll management.,' Tirunagari told ThePrint. Though Andhra Pradesh is not due for assembly elections until 2029, the ruling party requested the ECI to start the process in the state as early as possible. The ECI, in its order announcing the Bihar revision had also said that it has decided to begin such a revision in the entire country for 'discharge of its constitutional mandate to protect the integrity of the electoral rolls', but was starting the exercise in Bihar since it will go to polls this year. Since Andhra Pradesh has high levels of seasonal migration, particularly from rural and coastal regions, SIR should deploy mobile BLO units and accept temporary address declarations to prevent exclusion of such workers and displaced families, TDP said in the letter. (Edited by Gitanjali Das) Also Read: No legal, valid 'citizenship' document that's issued—how it puts big question mark on ECI's Bihar exercise
The Hindu
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Araku MP asks National Commission for Women to inquire into Kuppam incident
Araku Parliament member Gumma Thanuja Rani on Thursday alleged that the law and order had deteriorated and atrocities on women had gone up during the Chandrababu Naidu-led NDA government in the last one year. Citing an incident where a woman named Sirisha who was tied to a tree and beaten up by locals in Kuppam, she said it was a clear indication of the pathetic situation of the women in the state. In a press release, the YSRCP MP said that she had submitted a detailed report to the Vijay Kishore Rahatkar, Chairperson of the National Commission for Women over the series of crimes that have occurred against women in the State. She asked the Chairperson to inquiry into these incidents. Ms. Thanuja Rani asked the police department to respond quickly when women come forward to lodge their complaints in Palakonda, Kurupam, Parvatipuram, Saluru and other constituencies. She said that the women used to lead a life without any fear during the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy regime, under which the Disha App was launched that enabled girls and women to alert cops quickly when in distress.
Time of India
04-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
YSRCP protests against NDA govt's ‘betrayal' of people
1 2 Vijayawada: YSRCP leaders and cadres took to the streets across the state on Wednesday to participate in the 'betrayal day' protest, called by party supremo YS Jagan Mohan Reddy . The protests, which included rallies and dharnas, were held in all district headquarters, municipal towns, and mandal centers. Party leaders alleged that the Chandrababu Naidu-led NDA govt failed to implement its poll promises and had betrayed the people's verdict. YSRCP state coordinator Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy said that the massive turnout for the protest programme clearly indicated the govt's failure. He claimed that people had voluntarily attended the dharnas despite police restrictions and had voiced their dissent. He pointed out that people had realized the difference between Naidu and Jagan Mohan Reddy, who had fulfilled 99% of his promises within a year. He criticized the NDA government for stopping existing schemes and not rolling out promised ones, neglecting health, medical, and agriculture sectors, and pushing the poor into more debt. He also slammed the govt for downsizing the number of beneficiaries while boasting about increasing pension amounts. He highlighted the poor quality of governance, citing the example of physically challenged and aged people standing in queue lines to get ration after the door delivery system was scrapped. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo He further alleged that the NDA govt had secured debts of over Rs 1.51 lakh crore in just 11 months, which was much higher than the debt incurred during Jagan's regime. Surprisingly, the NDA govt did not implement even a single welfare scheme, he said. The YSRCP leader criticized the police for trying to restrict the protests and telling people how to conduct them. However, he said that people had vented their ire and participated in huge numbers despite these efforts. Sajjala emphasized that YSRCP, as a responsible opposition party, would always be with the people and would fight for justice until the ruling party fulfilled its promises. Former ministers, legislators, MPs, and district party presidents participated in the protest programme in their respective districts. Former ministers, legislators, MPs and district party presidents participated in protest programme in their respective districts.
