Latest news with #K.Vijayanand
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Govt. targets to install 20 lakh rooftop solar units this year and three lakh units by June-end, says A.P. Chief Secretary Vijayanand
Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary and Special Chief Secretary (Energy) K. Vijayanand has said the State government has set an ambitious target of installing 20 lakh rooftop solar units this year. At a review meeting on Thursday, Mr. Vijayanand said the DISCOMs and NREDCAP had to collectively achieve the target of providing three lakh rooftop solar connections by the end of June 2025. 'Each DISCOM is assigned a target of 75,000 connections, while NREDCAP will also execute 75,000 connections. An action plan should be submitted immediately, and the progress will be reviewed every week,' he said. Stressing the need for wide publicity to the PM Surya Ghar scheme among the SC and ST beneficiaries, he said setting up a 2-kilowatt rooftop unit would be entirely free for them. He also sought that awareness be created about the scheme among the Backward Classes (BC) households. Model village 'The government is providing a total subsidy of ₹80,000 — a sum of ₹60,000 from the Central Government and ₹20,000 from the State government — towards installation of rooftop solar unit costing ₹1.20 lakh under the PM Surya Ghar scheme,' Mr. Vijayanand said. Further, he directed that one model village be developed in each district as demonstration sites for effective implementation of the scheme. He also stressed the need for DISCOMs and NREDCAP to coordinate with banks to establish formal tie-ups, specifically for the execution of these model villages. CMDs of APEPDCL, APSPDCL and APCPDCL I. Prudhvi Tej, K. Santosha Rao, and P. Pulla Reddy respectively were among others present.
Hans India
7 days ago
- Health
- Hans India
Police Yogandhra programme held in Vijayawada
On the occasion of Yogandhra 2025, a vibrant Police Yogandhra program took place at the BRTS Yoga Street in Vijayawada. The event saw participation from State Government Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand, along with various IAS and IPS officers, who engaged in yoga asanas to promote the initiative. Speaking at the event, Vijayanand remarked that yoga serves as a divine medicine that harmonises the mind and body while enriching one's overall well-being. He emphasised the collective aspiration to integrate yoga into everyday life, highlighting that yoga programmes would be conducted across all 26 districts, each featuring a unique theme to foster enthusiasm and community spirit. The initiative aims to include all sectors of society—from farmers and students to workers—into the Yoga Andhra movement. Officials announced plans for awareness and training programmes to introduce at least two crore individuals in the state to yoga, adhering to a 45-minute simple yoga common protocol developed by experts. In a move to promote yoga's benefits, special programmes are set to take place in approximately 100 tourist destinations throughout the state. Additionally, every village and town will host Yoga Andhra events, with four tourist locations in each district designated to showcase the advantages of yoga. Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand also confirmed that celebrations for International Yoga Day will be held in Visakhapatnam on June 21. The Police Yogandhra programme in Vijayawada witnessed participation from around five thousand police officers, staff, and yoga enthusiasts. Among those in attendance were Special Chief Secretary (Health, Medical and Family Welfare) MT Krishnababu, Health and Family Welfare Commissioner Veerapandian, CCLA, NTR District Special Officer G. Jayalakshmi, AYUSH Director K. Dinesh Kumar, NTR District Collector Dr. Lakshmi, and Police Commissioner SV Rajasekhara Babu.
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
NTR's birth anniversary to be celebrated as State function
The State government on Wednesday announced that the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister and founder of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao on May 28, would be celebrated as a State function. A G.O. issued by Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand said that in recognition of the extraordinary life and legacy of NTR, whose visionary leadership, artistic genius and unwavering devotion to the Telugu cause had left an indelible imprint on Andhra Pradesh, the government had decided to celebrate May 28 every year as a State function. All the department heads and Collectors across the State had been asked to take necessary action accordingly.
The Hindu
15-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
BHEL urged to expedite equipment supply for Polavaram and Lower Sileru projects
Chief Secretary and Special Chief Secretary (Energy) K. Vijayanand emphasised the importance of expediting the supply of electrical and mechanical equipment by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) for the timely commissioning of Polavaram Hydro Electric Project (PHEP) (12x80MW) and the additional units of Lower Sileru project (2x115MW). In a review meeting held on Wednesday, Mr. Vijayanand requested BHEL to prioritise the completion of Polavaram and Lower Sileru projects. BHEL CMD K. Sadashiv Murthy assured the government of strict adherence to the supply schedules and to expediting deliveries for both projects to ensure their timely commissioning. He also agreed to investigate the causes of repeated rotor failures at Dr. NTTPS Stage-V (800 - MW unit) and take prompt corrective measures to ensure uninterrupted power supply during the peak summer. Additionally, he promised to resolve the pending issues related to Sri Damodaram Sanjeevaiah Thermal Power Station at the earliest. AP - Genco officials said with 12 large Kaplan turbine units (each 80 - MW), PHEP was the first of its kind unit in India as they were capable of handling a substantial discharge of 335 Cumecs. Upon completion, the project would generate 960 MW of hydroelectric power, supplying approximately 23 million units per day. The estimated annual revenue from it was pegged at Rs.1,250 crore calculated at a unit price of Rs.5. As far as the Lower Sileru project is concerned, the AP - Genco officials said it was aimed at enhancing the peak power capacity of the existing powerhouse and involves the addition of two 115 - MW units to the existing four units. This extension would play a crucial role in supplying power during the peak summer when the unit price exceeds Rs.10. Besides, these additional units would support the grid during emergencies. AP - Genco MD K.V.N. Chakaradhar Babu, Directors M. Sujaya Kumar (Hydel), P. Ashok Kumar Reddy (Thermal), BHEL Director (Engineering, Research and Development) S.M. Ramanathan and Executive Director Pankaj Rastogi were among those present.
The Hindu
09-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Government urged to ensure effective implementation of Employees Health Scheme
Leaders of Andhra Pradesh Joint Action Committee (JAC) Amaravati have urged the government to ensure effective implementation of the Employees Health Scheme (EHS) — launched a decade ago to cater to the medical needs of the government employees, teachers and pensioners in the State. A delegation of the JAC met Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand on Thursday and said the health cards given under the scheme were being honoured only for select illnesses in select hospitals, while the promised 'cashless treatment' was not being implemented. Despite monthly contributions which ran into crores of rupees, employees were forced to spend money from their pockets for major illnesses, they said. To meet their medical expenses, employees were forced to opt for private loans running into lakhs of rupees and falling into huge debt traps, they added. JAC chairman Bopparaju Srinivasulu and secretary general P. Damodara Rao said the empaneled hospitals offered treatment only for the procedures that were financially beneficial to them and even after submitting the reimbursement claims, the employees were paid only a fraction of the claimed amounts. The JAC leaders said issues like the network hospitals denying treatment to the employees due to accumulation of huge pending bills, absence of proper tariff-based billing system for recognised treatments and surgeries, lack of annual price escalation in line with consumer price index and outdated and unreviewed treatment packages needed to be addressed immediately. The network hospitals association continues to issue warnings on its intention to stop the services on account of non-payment of the bills, leaving the employees in the lurch and defeating the purpose of cashless medical treatment under EHS, they said and pointed out that a steering committee meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary in August, 2023, and a management committee meeting held by the Medical Services Trust in March, 2024 had failed to yield any desired result. There is no transparency or information on whether the agreed resolution was implemented, they said, pointing out that hospitals had started refusing EHS cards, forcing a major chunk of the employees, especially pensioners, to borrow money at high interest rates for treatment. They demanded immediate steps to ensure that all the network hospitals provide all types of free medical services under the EHS scheme, provision of annual health check-ups for employees, pensioners and their families, out-patient services for chronic diseases, free supply of generic medicines, streamlining of the medical reimbursement process, issue of smart health cards, revision of the health package rates and increase in the reimbursement ceiling for all medial procedures.
