Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday accused TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, actor-politician Pawan Kalyan and YSR Congress leader Jaganmohan Reddy of colluding with the BJP to target him.

Telangana`s acting Chief Minister and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday called Naidu a "thief and betrayer".&nbsp;

Naidu was talking to reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration of a facility by Xiaomi and Dixon Technologies to manufacture Mi LED TVs in this temple town.

Refusing to be drawn into a personal attack, Naidu said he speaks on ideologies and policies and would not resort to personal attacks.

With KCR also targeting Naidu for TDP`s alliance with the Congress in Telangana, Naidu said the party took the step due to political compulsions. The TDP president, however, ruled out a similar arrangement with the Congress in Andhra Pradesh, saying the latter does not have much presence in the state.

Indirectly defending the alliance with the Congress in Telangana, Naidu recalled that the United Front, of which he was the Convener, had taken the Congress party`s outside support to form the government at the Centre.

Naidu alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had hatched a conspiracy to target him and the TDP. He also accused Modi of using central agencies against him

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday accused TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, actor-politician Pawan Kalyan and YSR Congress leader Jaganmohan Reddy of colluding with the BJP to target him.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday accused TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, actor-politician Pawan Kalyan and YSR Congress leader Jaganmohan Reddy of colluding with the BJP to target him. Telangana`s acting Chief Minister and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday called Naidu a "thief and betrayer". Naidu was talking to reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration of a facility by Xiaomi and Dixon Technologies to manufacture Mi LED TVs in this temple town. Refusing to be drawn into a personal attack, Naidu said he speaks on ideologies and policies and would not resort to personal attacks. With KCR also targeting Naidu for TDP`s alliance with the Congress in Telangana, Naidu said the party took the step due to political compulsions. The TDP president, however, ruled out a similar arrangement with the Congress in Andhra Pradesh, saying the latter does not have much presence in the state. Indirectly defending the alliance with the Congress in Telangana, Naidu recalled that the United Front, of which he was the Convener, had taken the Congress party`s outside support to form the government at the Centre. Naidu alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had hatched a conspiracy to target him and the TDP. He also accused Modi of using central agencies against him

KCR colluded with BJP to target me, says Chandrababu Naidu

The Election Commission on Wednesday shot down a proposal of the caretaker Telangana government to distribute sarees during a festival as the model code is in force in the state.

The decision came after state IT Minister K Taraka Rama Rao had recently announced that the state government would distribute 90 lakh sarees of 80 different varieties for the Bathukamma festival.

In a letter to the chief electoral officer of Telangana, the EC said it had "not permitted" distribution of sarees during the Bathukamma -- a floral festival that is the state festival of Telangana.

The Congress had on Friday asked the commission to restrain caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, his ministers and other functionaries of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) from the proposed distribution of sarees as it was violative of the Model Code of Conduct.

Recently, the EC had said that states where assemblies are dissolved prematurely, the model code would come into force immediately.

The Telangana assembly was dissolved last month though its term was to end in June next year.

The Election Commission on Wednesday shot down a proposal of the caretaker Telangana government to distribute sarees during a festival as the model code is in force in the state.

The Election Commission on Wednesday shot down a proposal of the caretaker Telangana government to distribute sarees during a festival as the model code is in force in the state. The decision came after state IT Minister K Taraka Rama Rao had recently announced that the state government would distribute 90 lakh sarees of 80 different varieties for the Bathukamma festival. In a letter to the chief electoral officer of Telangana, the EC said it had "not permitted" distribution of sarees during the Bathukamma -- a floral festival that is the state festival of Telangana. The Congress had on Friday asked the commission to restrain caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, his ministers and other functionaries of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) from the proposed distribution of sarees as it was violative of the Model Code of Conduct. Recently, the EC had said that states where assemblies are dissolved prematurely, the model code would come into force immediately. The Telangana assembly was dissolved last month though its term was to end in June next year.

No saree-distribution in Telangana during Bathukamma festival: Election Commission 

Telangana is witnessing a spurt in swine flu or H1N1 cases from the past few weeks. As per the information by government officials, at least 10-15 swine flu cases have been detected in the region.

Speaking to ANI, Dr Shankar, Director Institute of Preventive Medicine, said, "In last 15 days, we have got around 10 to 15 positive swine flu cases from all over Telangana&nbsp;from different hospitals. We are providing them with the required treatment and are also keeping a watch on the suspected people suffering from this diseases."

Elaborating further about the preparation undertaken by the medical practitioners to combat the spread of the disease, Dr. Shankar said, "We have procured all the drugs which will be required for treating the patients suffering from this disease after The Ministry of Health issued an alert to all the state health officials, especially Telangana&nbsp;officials, to get ready to face swine flu."

"At present, there are two labs for testing of swine flu samples all over in Telangana (/search?query=Telangana), one lab is Institute of Preventive Medicine and another one is in Fever Hospital. All the samples of patients who are suspected of suffering from this virus are being sent here for the analysis. The government may soon open two more labs in the state and we are also planning to set up two hospitals near these labs," he added.

In his concluding remark, the doctor advised the people of Telangana to protect themselves from a cough and alerted that swine flu&nbsp;may spread more in this month and the coming one.

Telangana is witnessing a spurt in swine flu or H1N1 cases from the past few weeks. As per the information by government officials, at least 10-15 swine flu cases have been detected in the region.

Telangana is witnessing a spurt in swine flu or H1N1 cases from the past few weeks. As per the information by government officials, at least 10-15 swine flu cases have been detected in the region. Speaking to ANI, Dr Shankar, Director Institute of Preventive Medicine, said, "In last 15 days, we have got around 10 to 15 positive swine flu cases from all over Telangana from different hospitals. We are providing them with the required treatment and are also keeping a watch on the suspected people suffering from this diseases." Elaborating further about the preparation undertaken by the medical practitioners to combat the spread of the disease, Dr. Shankar said, "We have procured all the drugs which will be required for treating the patients suffering from this disease after The Ministry of Health issued an alert to all the state health officials, especially Telangana officials, to get ready to face swine flu." "At present, there are two labs for testing of swine flu samples all over in Telangana (/search?query=Telangana), one lab is Institute of Preventive Medicine and another one is in Fever Hospital. All the samples of patients who are suspected of suffering from this virus are being sent here for the analysis. The government may soon open two more labs in the state and we are also planning to set up two hospitals near these labs," he added. In his concluding remark, the doctor advised the people of Telangana to protect themselves from a cough and alerted that swine flu may spread more in this month and the coming one.

Spread of swine flu raises alarm in Telangana 

The Income Tax department is conducting searches at the residences of Telangana Congress working president A Revanth Reddy on Thursday. 
The Congress condemned the raids and termed it as "political vendetta" by the ruling TRS in the state and the BJP at the centre.

A senior official of the I-T department confirmed the searches but did not reveal details such as what triggered the raids.

Calls made to Revanth Reddy for his reaction went unanswered.

Reddy was appointed as one of the Working Presidents of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee recently.

Jubilee Hills police inspector P Chandra Shekar said they deployed police force near Reddy's residence to avoid any untoward incident.

The city police had earlier issued notice to the Congress leader and former MLA seeking his appearance as part of investigations in a case relating to alleged irregularities committed by office-bearers of a Co-operative Housing Society in 2004.

Describing the I-T searches as "politically motivated", TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy tweeted that the TRS and BJP were hand in glove.

"IT &amp; ED raids at @INCTelangana Working President @revanth_anumulas house is pure political vendetta to demoralise our strong MLAs (sic). The people will teach KCR a lesson for being hand in glove with the BJP and the Central govt. I severely condemn these politically motivated raids," he tweeted.

On May 31, 2015, Revanth Reddy, then in Telugu Desam Party, was caught by Anti-Corruption Bureau while allegedly paying a bribe of Rs. 50 lakh to Elvis Stephenson, a nominated MLA, for supporting TDP nominee Vem Narendar Reddy in Legislative Council elections held on June 1, 2015.

&nbsp;"First (sic) it was @JaggaReddyT &amp; now @revanth_anumula, this is a clear sign of KCRs cowardice. He has no capacity to take on any of our leaders &amp; hence resorts to these backdoor moves. @INCTelangana will be united in its fight to rid Telangana soon of his autocratic &amp; whimsical rule," the TPCC president said in another tweet.

The Income Tax department is conducting searches at the residences of Telangana Congress working president A Revanth Reddy on Thursday. The Congress condemned the raids and termed it as "political vendetta" by the ruling TRS in the state and the BJP at the centre.

The Income Tax department is conducting searches at the residences of Telangana Congress working president A Revanth Reddy on Thursday. The Congress condemned the raids and termed it as "political vendetta" by the ruling TRS in the state and the BJP at the centre. A senior official of the I-T department confirmed the searches but did not reveal details such as what triggered the raids. Calls made to Revanth Reddy for his reaction went unanswered. Reddy was appointed as one of the Working Presidents of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee recently. Jubilee Hills police inspector P Chandra Shekar said they deployed police force near Reddy's residence to avoid any untoward incident. The city police had earlier issued notice to the Congress leader and former MLA seeking his appearance as part of investigations in a case relating to alleged irregularities committed by office-bearers of a Co-operative Housing Society in 2004. Describing the I-T searches as "politically motivated", TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy tweeted that the TRS and BJP were hand in glove. "IT & ED raids at @INCTelangana Working President @revanth_anumulas house is pure political vendetta to demoralise our strong MLAs (sic). The people will teach KCR a lesson for being hand in glove with the BJP and the Central govt. I severely condemn these politically motivated raids," he tweeted. On May 31, 2015, Revanth Reddy, then in Telugu Desam Party, was caught by Anti-Corruption Bureau while allegedly paying a bribe of Rs. 50 lakh to Elvis Stephenson, a nominated MLA, for supporting TDP nominee Vem Narendar Reddy in Legislative Council elections held on June 1, 2015. "First (sic) it was @JaggaReddyT & now @revanth_anumula, this is a clear sign of KCRs cowardice. He has no capacity to take on any of our leaders & hence resorts to these backdoor moves. @INCTelangana will be united in its fight to rid Telangana soon of his autocratic & whimsical rule," the TPCC president said in another tweet.

Income Tax department raids Telangana Congress chief's house

With the aim to get into the power sector, Kasibhatta Samhitha, a 16-year-old girl has become Telangana's youngest women engineer.

At the age of four, Samhita amazed everyone by completing Class 4th and then at the age of 10 she finished intermediate with 8.8 GPA by securing 89 per cent.

Samhitha told ANI, "I want to get into the sector to serve the country and bring it at par with rest of the world. I cleared class 10 at the age of 10 years. I sec ured 8.8 GPA in 10th and 89 per cent in Intermediate. I then approached the govt for pursuing engineering as I needed age relaxation. I opted for electrical and electronics engineering which I cleared with 8.85 GPA."

Now, finally, she has become the first young women to be graduated in electrical electronics at the age of 16 years.

She thanked the Telangana government for helping her to get a seat in an engineering college, Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology (CBIT).

"I feel that there could be more developments done in the power sector of India that is the reason I want to be a part of it. My next plan is to do M. Tech and if the government allows I want to start my research," she said.

Meanwhile, Samhitha's father LN Kasibhatta said, "It's really a very proud moment for us. We saw her memory power at the age three where she was able to name the country and capital of the world. The next step for her is to pursue masters in technology and we are expecting the support of state and central government so that she can start doing her research."&nbsp

At the age of four, Samhita amazed everyone by completing Class 4th and then at the age of 10 she finished intermediate with 8.8 GPA by securing 89 per cent

With the aim to get into the power sector, Kasibhatta Samhitha, a 16-year-old girl has become Telangana's youngest women engineer. At the age of four, Samhita amazed everyone by completing Class 4th and then at the age of 10 she finished intermediate with 8.8 GPA by securing 89 per cent. Samhitha told ANI, "I want to get into the sector to serve the country and bring it at par with rest of the world. I cleared class 10 at the age of 10 years. I sec ured 8.8 GPA in 10th and 89 per cent in Intermediate. I then approached the govt for pursuing engineering as I needed age relaxation. I opted for electrical and electronics engineering which I cleared with 8.85 GPA." Now, finally, she has become the first young women to be graduated in electrical electronics at the age of 16 years. She thanked the Telangana government for helping her to get a seat in an engineering college, Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology (CBIT). "I feel that there could be more developments done in the power sector of India that is the reason I want to be a part of it. My next plan is to do M. Tech and if the government allows I want to start my research," she said. Meanwhile, Samhitha's father LN Kasibhatta said, "It's really a very proud moment for us. We saw her memory power at the age three where she was able to name the country and capital of the world. The next step for her is to pursue masters in technology and we are expecting the support of state and central government so that she can start doing her research."

Meet Telangana's youngest engineer Kasibhatta Samhitha

Thunderstorms and lightning on May 2-3 killed at least 134 people and injured more than 400 in five states, including the hardest-hit Uttar Pradesh, the Home Ministry said on Tuesday.

The highest 80 people were killed in Uttar Pradesh and nearly 100 others were injured in the state. A majority of the deaths and injuries were reported from the Agra region, a home ministry spokesperson said, giving the latest figures.

Altogether 35 people were killed and another 209 were injured in Rajasthan. Eleven people were killed in Telangana, six were killed in Uttarakhand and two in Punjab.

Nearly 100 people were also injured in Telangana, Uttarakhand and Punjab.

Following thunderstorms, power supply was cut off in many areas as squall uprooted trees and snapped electricity cables.

At least 20,000 electric poles were uprooted and 2,500 electric transformers were damaged during the two days.

More than 1,800 houses were damaged and 800 cattles were also killed, the spokesperson said.

Thunderstorms and lightning on May 2-3 killed at least 134 people and injured more than 400 in five states, including the hardest-hit Uttar Pradesh, the Home Ministry said on Tuesday

Thunderstorms and lightning on May 2-3 killed at least 134 people and injured more than 400 in five states, including the hardest-hit Uttar Pradesh, the Home Ministry said on Tuesday. The highest 80 people were killed in Uttar Pradesh and nearly 100 others were injured in the state. A majority of the deaths and injuries were reported from the Agra region, a home ministry spokesperson said, giving the latest figures. Altogether 35 people were killed and another 209 were injured in Rajasthan. Eleven people were killed in Telangana, six were killed in Uttarakhand and two in Punjab. Nearly 100 people were also injured in Telangana, Uttarakhand and Punjab. Following thunderstorms, power supply was cut off in many areas as squall uprooted trees and snapped electricity cables. At least 20,000 electric poles were uprooted and 2,500 electric transformers were damaged during the two days. More than 1,800 houses were damaged and 800 cattles were also killed, the spokesperson said.

Thunderstorms on May 2 & 3 claimed 134 lives

A fresh warning about thunderstorm and squall hitting West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh on Friday has been issued, the home ministry said, and noted that 124 people were killed while more than 300 injured in five states due to thunderstorm and lightning in the last two days.

The maximum casualty was reported in Uttar Pradesh where 73 people were killed, while 91 others were injured.

Most of the deaths and injuries in the state took place in Agra region, a home ministry spokesperson said.

In Rajasthan, altogether 35 people were killed and 206 injured, while eight people were killed in Telangana, six in Uttarakhand and two in Punjab. Nearly 100 people were injured in Telangana, Uttarakhand and Punjab.

Following the thunderstorms, power supply was cut off in many areas as squall uprooted trees and snapped electricity cables. At least 12,000 electric poles were uprooted and 2,500 transformers damaged in the affected states in the last two days.

The home ministry spokesperson said a fresh warning has been issued about possible thunderstorms accompanied with squall which may hit four states --- West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh -- today.

The thunderstorm accompanied with squall are very likely at isolated places over Assam and Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura.

Isolated places in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, Punjab, Bihar, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Odisha, northwest Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Rayalaseema, north coastal Andhra Pradesh, interior Tamil Nadu and Kerala are very likely to experience thunderstorm along with gusty winds.

Heavy rains are very likely at isolated places over Tamil Nadu and Kerala, while dust storm and thunderstorm very likely at isolated places over Rajasthan.

The home ministry has also issued an advisory for tomorrow saying thunderstorm accompanied with squall are very likely at isolated places in Uttarakhand, Assam and Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Sub, Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim.

The thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds are very likely to occur at isolated places in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and gangetic West Bengal.&nbsp;

Heavy rains are very likely at isolated places in Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura. Dust storms are very likely at isolated places in Rajasthan, an official said.&nbsp;

The maximum casualty was reported in Uttar Pradesh where 73 people were killed, while 91 others were injured

A fresh warning about thunderstorm and squall hitting West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh on Friday has been issued, the home ministry said, and noted that 124 people were killed while more than 300 injured in five states due to thunderstorm and lightning in the last two days. The maximum casualty was reported in Uttar Pradesh where 73 people were killed, while 91 others were injured. Most of the deaths and injuries in the state took place in Agra region, a home ministry spokesperson said. In Rajasthan, altogether 35 people were killed and 206 injured, while eight people were killed in Telangana, six in Uttarakhand and two in Punjab. Nearly 100 people were injured in Telangana, Uttarakhand and Punjab. Following the thunderstorms, power supply was cut off in many areas as squall uprooted trees and snapped electricity cables. At least 12,000 electric poles were uprooted and 2,500 transformers damaged in the affected states in the last two days. The home ministry spokesperson said a fresh warning has been issued about possible thunderstorms accompanied with squall which may hit four states --- West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh -- today. The thunderstorm accompanied with squall are very likely at isolated places over Assam and Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura. Isolated places in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, Punjab, Bihar, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Odisha, northwest Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Rayalaseema, north coastal Andhra Pradesh, interior Tamil Nadu and Kerala are very likely to experience thunderstorm along with gusty winds. Heavy rains are very likely at isolated places over Tamil Nadu and Kerala, while dust storm and thunderstorm very likely at isolated places over Rajasthan. The home ministry has also issued an advisory for tomorrow saying thunderstorm accompanied with squall are very likely at isolated places in Uttarakhand, Assam and Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Sub, Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim. The thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds are very likely to occur at isolated places in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and gangetic West Bengal. Heavy rains are very likely at isolated places in Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura. Dust storms are very likely at isolated places in Rajasthan, an official said.

Government issues fresh thunderstorm, squall warning for 4 states

The railway authorities have put a fine of Rs 1 lakh on a tea vendor in Railways on charges that the vendor was using water from the train toilet for brewing tea/coffee.

A video went viral on social media showing few people getting tea/coffee cans from outside a train toilet in Telangana.

The video which surfaced now on social media was shot&nbsp;at Secunderabad station in Telangana in December 2017.

The incident highlights the unhygienic conditions that prevail in Indian Railways.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A CAG report filed in Parliament in 2017 also highlighted that the&nbsp;Railways Ministry had failed to provide quality food served at reasonable prices.

The report said that train passengers were served filthy food and the zonal railways had no plan in place to provide food in long-distance trains.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The video which surfaced now on social media was shot at Secunderabad station in Telangana in December 2017

The railway authorities have put a fine of Rs 1 lakh on a tea vendor in Railways on charges that the vendor was using water from the train toilet for brewing tea/coffee. A video went viral on social media showing few people getting tea/coffee cans from outside a train toilet in Telangana. The video which surfaced now on social media was shot at Secunderabad station in Telangana in December 2017. The incident highlights the unhygienic conditions that prevail in Indian Railways. A CAG report filed in Parliament in 2017 also highlighted that the Railways Ministry had failed to provide quality food served at reasonable prices. The report said that train passengers were served filthy food and the zonal railways had no plan in place to provide food in long-distance trains.

Watch: Railway vendor serves tea & coffee from train toilet

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will meet Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday at Pragathi Bhavan in Telangana.

The meeting is seen as a move towards the federal front formation ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections.&nbsp

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/in-an-attempt-to-stitch-coalition-kcr-meets-karunanidhi-mk-stalin-rings-mamata-banerjee-too-133649">KCR had earlier met with the DMK president M Karunanidhi</a> at his residence on Sunday. He also dined with MK Stalin, the working president of the party.&nbspThe leaders also had a telephonic conversation with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee.

Later while addressing a joint press conference KCR discussed " federal front" and secularism.

He said he would have a discussion with "certain parties" from Tamil Nadu who have aligned with him.

KCR had also warned the Congress and the Bhartiya Janata Party of the Federal Front saying the front would replace the two parties.

He said, " We would break the foundation laid by Congress and BJP to rule the country".

He also warned the parties that the country would see a new ruling in the coming months.

Reports also state that the Telangana chief minister would also meet Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik this week.

KCR had earlier met with the DMK president M Karunanidhi at his residence on Sunday. He also dined with MK Stalin, the working president of the party. The leaders also had a telephonic conversation with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will meet Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday at Pragathi Bhavan in Telangana. The meeting is seen as a move towards the federal front formation ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. KCR had earlier met with the DMK president M Karunanidhi at his residence on Sunday. He also dined with MK Stalin, the working president of the party.&nbspThe leaders also had a telephonic conversation with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee. Later while addressing a joint press conference KCR discussed " federal front" and secularism. He said he would have a discussion with "certain parties" from Tamil Nadu who have aligned with him. KCR had also warned the Congress and the Bhartiya Janata Party of the Federal Front saying the front would replace the two parties. He said, " We would break the foundation laid by Congress and BJP to rule the country". He also warned the parties that the country would see a new ruling in the coming months. Reports also state that the Telangana chief minister would also meet Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik this week.

Akhilesh Yadav to meet KCR today to discuss Federal Front

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday announced two per cent reservation in state government jobs for sportspersons.&nbsp

The announcement came on the same day when Rao facilitated the 18 Indian athletes who participated in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games at the Pragati Bhavan in Hyderabad.

A senior official of the State government said currently two per cent seats in educational institutions were reserved for sportspersons.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Hyderabad: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Telangana?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Telangana</a> Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao met Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Pranav Chopra and 15 other players who participated in the recently concluded <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CommonwealthGames2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CommonwealthGames2018</a>, at Pragathi Bhavan earlier today <a href="https://t.co/0vV9BvSTVq">pic.twitter.com/0vV9BvSTVq</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/987606542483705857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"A file pertaining to the two per cent reservation for sportspersons in government jobs is with the Chief Minister. Once he clears it, GO will be issued," the official said.&nbsp

The athletes including members from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra and Karnataka - Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Srikanth Kidambi, Rankireddy Satwik Sairaj, N Sikkireddy, HSK Prannoy, Pranav Chopra, Chirag Shetty, Ashwini Ponnappa and G Ruthvika Shivani (all badminton players), Hasamuddin Mohammed (boxing), Aruna Budda Reddy and Meghana Gundlapally (gymnastics), Kynan Darius Cheni and Gagan Narang (shooting), Sharath Kamal Achanta (table tennis) and Ragala Venkat Rahul (Weightlifting).

He praised the sportspersons for bringing laurels to the country and state, the release added.

The announcement came on the same day when Rao facilitated the 18 Indian athletes who participated in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games at the Pragati Bhavan in Hyderabad

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday announced two per cent reservation in state government jobs for sportspersons. The announcement came on the same day when Rao facilitated the 18 Indian athletes who participated in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games at the Pragati Bhavan in Hyderabad. A senior official of the State government said currently two per cent seats in educational institutions were reserved for sportspersons. Hyderabad: #Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao met Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Pranav Chopra and 15 other players who participated in the recently concluded #CommonwealthGames2018, at Pragathi Bhavan earlier today pic.twitter.com/0vV9BvSTVq — ANI (@ANI) April 21, 2018 × "A file pertaining to the two per cent reservation for sportspersons in government jobs is with the Chief Minister. Once he clears it, GO will be issued," the official said. The athletes including members from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra and Karnataka - Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Srikanth Kidambi, Rankireddy Satwik Sairaj, N Sikkireddy, HSK Prannoy, Pranav Chopra, Chirag Shetty, Ashwini Ponnappa and G Ruthvika Shivani (all badminton players), Hasamuddin Mohammed (boxing), Aruna Budda Reddy and Meghana Gundlapally (gymnastics), Kynan Darius Cheni and Gagan Narang (shooting), Sharath Kamal Achanta (table tennis) and Ragala Venkat Rahul (Weightlifting). He praised the sportspersons for bringing laurels to the country and state, the release added.

Telangana announces 2% quota for sportspersons in government jobs

Calling the bluff on the cash crunch theory spun by the Central government, &nbsp;the state governments of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana say they had flagged their concerns to the union government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) well in advance.

Reports say on February 14, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu &nbsp;Naidu in a letter to the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stated that the state "is facing a serious shortage of higher/lower denomination currency notes" and sought Rs. 5,000 crore from the RBI. &nbsp;

"Majority of the bank branches are running out of cash every day. The currency crisis will become very serious in the coming days when the state government will have to make salary and pension payments on the 1st of March, 2018," Naidu wrote.

Farmers are unable to withdraw the money paid to them against procurement of food grains, the letter said, adding that the state needed Rs. 450 crore to pay pensioners and Rs. 2,500 crore towards monthly salary payments.

On Tuesday, Jaitley admitted to a "temporary" shortage of currency that he said was caused by "sudden and unusual increase" in some areas.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Have reviewed the currency situation in the country. Over all there is more than adequate currency in circulation and also available with the Banks. The temporary shortage caused by ‘sudden and unusual increase’ in some areas is being tackled quickly.
— Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) <a href="https://twitter.com/arunjaitley/status/986132137840693249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

However, Telangana minister KT Rama Rao who claimed that the shortage of cash was "neither sudden nor temporary".

"I have been hearing complaints for over three months repeatedly in Hyderabad. Please have the RBI and finance ministry team dig deeper and not brush away an issue that is eroding people's confidence in banking system," Rao was quoted as saying.

On March 9, the Telangana chief secretary wrote to the RBI governor, highlighting the cash crisis in the state and requesting the supply of Rs. 6,000 crores for banks in the state.

Top officials say barely 30 to 40 per cent of ATMs in both the states have money and that urban areas are facing more cash crunch than rural areas.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
66% of ATMs are functional in Bihar. 77% ATMs are dispensing cash in Telengana, 70% ATMs are dispensing cash in Andhra Pradesh. Rs 51,000 Crore of cash supply to Hyderabad is the highest among all RBI offices during Apr 2017-Feb 2018: Finance Ministry Sources
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/986926644685430784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Close to 86% ATMs are functional & dispensing cash. Over 90% of ATMs are dispensing cash in Punjab, Haryana, J&K, Maharashtra, North East, Odisha, Tamil Nadu. Govt is planning to supply additional Rs 1000 Crore to Bihar: Finance Ministry sources
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/986926641980039168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

"Majority of the bank branches are running out of cash every day. The currency crisis will become very serious in the coming days when the state government will have to make salary and pension payments on the 1st of March, 2018," Naidu wrote.

Calling the bluff on the cash crunch theory spun by the Central government, the state governments of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana say they had flagged their concerns to the union government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) well in advance. Reports say on February 14, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in a letter to the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stated that the state "is facing a serious shortage of higher/lower denomination currency notes" and sought Rs. 5,000 crore from the RBI. "Majority of the bank branches are running out of cash every day. The currency crisis will become very serious in the coming days when the state government will have to make salary and pension payments on the 1st of March, 2018," Naidu wrote. Farmers are unable to withdraw the money paid to them against procurement of food grains, the letter said, adding that the state needed Rs. 450 crore to pay pensioners and Rs. 2,500 crore towards monthly salary payments. On Tuesday, Jaitley admitted to a "temporary" shortage of currency that he said was caused by "sudden and unusual increase" in some areas. Have reviewed the currency situation in the country. Over all there is more than adequate currency in circulation and also available with the Banks. The temporary shortage caused by ‘sudden and unusual increase’ in some areas is being tackled quickly. — Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) April 17, 2018 × However, Telangana minister KT Rama Rao who claimed that the shortage of cash was "neither sudden nor temporary". "I have been hearing complaints for over three months repeatedly in Hyderabad. Please have the RBI and finance ministry team dig deeper and not brush away an issue that is eroding people's confidence in banking system," Rao was quoted as saying. On March 9, the Telangana chief secretary wrote to the RBI governor, highlighting the cash crisis in the state and requesting the supply of Rs. 6,000 crores for banks in the state. Top officials say barely 30 to 40 per cent of ATMs in both the states have money and that urban areas are facing more cash crunch than rural areas. 66% of ATMs are functional in Bihar. 77% ATMs are dispensing cash in Telengana, 70% ATMs are dispensing cash in Andhra Pradesh. Rs 51,000 Crore of cash supply to Hyderabad is the highest among all RBI offices during Apr 2017-Feb 2018: Finance Ministry Sources — ANI (@ANI) April 19, 2018 × Close to 86% ATMs are functional & dispensing cash. Over 90% of ATMs are dispensing cash in Punjab, Haryana, J&K, Maharashtra, North East, Odisha, Tamil Nadu. Govt is planning to supply additional Rs 1000 Crore to Bihar: Finance Ministry sources — ANI (@ANI) April 19, 2018 ×

Andhra, Telangana punch holes in Centre's cash crunch theory

Telangana Tourism Department welcomed four women bikers who successfully completed 'Road to Mekong', a 16,992-km long road trip covering six Southeast Asian countries starting from Hyderabad.

The team, led by Jai Bharathi, included Shilpa Balakrishnan, ASD Shanti and Piya Bahadur. They started their journey on February 11 and covered Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia successfully.

Their first international border crossing was on February 25 as they entered Myanmar after crossing Manipur. In India, the women bikers journeyed through Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, Nagaland and Manipur.

During the trip, the women held media conferences in each of the cities they halted at to speak about Telangana tourism.

The team focused on explaining Buddhist history of Telangana as they travelled across South Asian countries where the religion was popular.

The women were supported by the Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation (TSTDC) and Government of India in this initiative.

TSTDC Managing Director D. Manohar, while talking to ANI, congratulated the rider on their success and said during their journey the riders met people from various sections of society and explained them about Telangana tourism and incredible India.

"The rider`s team was also accompanied by four member`s production crew to document the entire expedition, Telangana tourism provided a mini couch with two drivers and ample Telangana tourism publicity material and 2 more members as supported," Manohar said.

"I am very happy that the women for this unique thing which no other state have done yet. The Telangana tourism with support others also coming up with such ideas," he added.

The rider first covered 15 states in India then entered Myanmar from Manipur, 13 days after starting the journey.

They started their journey on February 11 and covered Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia successfully

Telangana Tourism Department welcomed four women bikers who successfully completed 'Road to Mekong', a 16,992-km long road trip covering six Southeast Asian countries starting from Hyderabad. The team, led by Jai Bharathi, included Shilpa Balakrishnan, ASD Shanti and Piya Bahadur. They started their journey on February 11 and covered Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia successfully. Their first international border crossing was on February 25 as they entered Myanmar after crossing Manipur. In India, the women bikers journeyed through Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, Nagaland and Manipur. During the trip, the women held media conferences in each of the cities they halted at to speak about Telangana tourism. The team focused on explaining Buddhist history of Telangana as they travelled across South Asian countries where the religion was popular. The women were supported by the Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation (TSTDC) and Government of India in this initiative. TSTDC Managing Director D. Manohar, while talking to ANI, congratulated the rider on their success and said during their journey the riders met people from various sections of society and explained them about Telangana tourism and incredible India. "The rider`s team was also accompanied by four member`s production crew to document the entire expedition, Telangana tourism provided a mini couch with two drivers and ample Telangana tourism publicity material and 2 more members as supported," Manohar said. "I am very happy that the women for this unique thing which no other state have done yet. The Telangana tourism with support others also coming up with such ideas," he added. The rider first covered 15 states in India then entered Myanmar from Manipur, 13 days after starting the journey.

Women bikers complete 17,000km journey promoting Telangana culture in South Asia

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao met his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee here today and discussed the formation of a federal front to take on the BJP and the Congress in the 2019 general election.

Talking to reporters after the meeting at the State Secretariat, Rao, the chief of Telangana Rashtra Samithi, said that the country needed an alternative agenda and an alternative political force.

&quot;The country needs something good...What will happen if the BJP goes and the Congress comes? Will it do any wonders? We are in talks with like-minded parties,&quot; he said, emerging from his meeting with Banerjee who heads the Trinamool Congress.

He said this was the beginning of the federal front which would be a people&#39;s front.

Rao had recently said a non-Congress and non-BJP front should be formed in the country, as he called for a &quot;qualitative change&quot; in politics.

Talking to reporters after the meeting at the State Secretariat, Rao, the chief of Telangana Rashtra Samithi, said that the country needed an alternative agenda and an alternative political force

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao met his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee here today and discussed the formation of a federal front to take on the BJP and the Congress in the 2019 general election. Talking to reporters after the meeting at the State Secretariat, Rao, the chief of Telangana Rashtra Samithi, said that the country needed an alternative agenda and an alternative political force. "The country needs something good...What will happen if the BJP goes and the Congress comes? Will it do any wonders? We are in talks with like-minded parties," he said, emerging from his meeting with Banerjee who heads the Trinamool Congress. He said this was the beginning of the federal front which would be a people's front. Rao had recently said a non-Congress and non-BJP front should be formed in the country, as he called for a "qualitative change" in politics.

Telangana CM KCR meets Mamata on 'federal front'

Five people drowned while swimming in a pond in Telangana&#39;s Medak district on Sunday. According to reports, a family of seven members went for swimming in the pond when the incident happened. Two people were successfully rescued.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Telangana: Five people drowned, two rescued after seven members of a family went for swimming in a pond in Medak district&#39;s Kowdipally; Bodies sent for postmortem, case registered under section 174 CrPC
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/975345213597257728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

According to the local police, bodies of the deceased have been sent for postmortem while a case has been registered under section 174.&nbsp;

According to the local police, bodies of the deceased have been sent for postmortem

Five people drowned while swimming in a pond in Telangana's Medak district on Sunday. According to reports, a family of seven members went for swimming in the pond when the incident happened. Two people were successfully rescued. Telangana: Five people drowned, two rescued after seven members of a family went for swimming in a pond in Medak district's Kowdipally; Bodies sent for postmortem, case registered under section 174 CrPC — ANI (@ANI) March 18, 2018 × According to the local police, bodies of the deceased have been sent for postmortem while a case has been registered under section 174.

Telangana: Four drown while swimming in pond

Two Congress MLAs were expelled from the Telangana assembly a day after Koatireddy Venkat Reddy, threw&nbsp;headphone on state Legislative assembly Chairman Swamy Goud.

While&nbsp;Koatireddy Venkat Reddy and Sampath Kumar were expelled from the assembly, 9 other MLAs were suspended.

The&nbsp;suspended members included Leader of the Opposition K Jana Reddy.&nbsp;

The suspension came amidst the ongoing Budget session in the assembly.

The MLAs were protesting during the Governor&#39;s address to the joint sitting of the Legislature.

A day before, Reddy threw headphones on the chairman of the Telangana Legislative assembly, Swamy Goud, following which Goud was immediately taken to a hospital.

Reports say that the minister was hit in his right eye and has partially damaged his cornea.&nbsp;

The headphone was apparently targeted at the governor and mistakingly it&nbsp;hit Swamy&nbsp;Goud.

Congress was protesting in the assembly&nbsp;over &quot;government&#39;s poor response in handling farmers&#39; issue&quot;.

The speaker&nbsp;today expressed his disappointment over the incident that took place in the assembly yesterday.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

A day before, Reddy threw headphones on the chairman of the Telangana Legislative assembly, Swamy Goud, following which Goud was immediately taken to a hospital

Two Congress MLAs were expelled from the Telangana assembly a day after Koatireddy Venkat Reddy, threw headphone on state Legislative assembly Chairman Swamy Goud. While Koatireddy Venkat Reddy and Sampath Kumar were expelled from the assembly, 9 other MLAs were suspended. The suspended members included Leader of the Opposition K Jana Reddy. The suspension came amidst the ongoing Budget session in the assembly. The MLAs were protesting during the Governor's address to the joint sitting of the Legislature. A day before, Reddy threw headphones on the chairman of the Telangana Legislative assembly, Swamy Goud, following which Goud was immediately taken to a hospital. Reports say that the minister was hit in his right eye and has partially damaged his cornea. The headphone was apparently targeted at the governor and mistakingly it hit Swamy Goud. Congress was protesting in the assembly over "government's poor response in handling farmers' issue". The speaker today expressed his disappointment over the incident that took place in the assembly yesterday.

Telangana: 2 Congress MLAs expelled, 9 suspended after lawmaker throws headphones at Vidhan Sabha chairman

Political circles and national media are abuzz with the talk of Third Front being resurrected under the leadership of Kalvakuntla Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR). I am not sure what excites them given the unmitigated disaster that the Third Front turned out to be for India in its earlier avatars. It seems as if a section of media and &lsquo;intellectuals&rsquo; would rather see India embrace another disaster than &lsquo;tolerate&rsquo; another term for Modi Sarkar.

Whether the Third Front actually fructifies or not and even if it fructifies, will it succeed or not has become a subject of great speculation and analysis. However, what has remained missing from all this analysis is - if KCR himself will benefit from this move or not. It seems foolhardy to even raise this question for it seems a foregone conclusion that not only will KCR sweep Telangana but will also benefit greatly from his increased national stature. This write up is an attempt to play the devil&rsquo;s advocate and explore if the move could actually backfire.

To understand the implications of this move &ndash; positive or negative &ndash; we will have to first understand KCR&rsquo;s sources of strength. Without a doubt, KCR is a hugely popular leader in Telangana and his popularity has only grown over the years. The main reason for his popularity is his success in achieving separate statehood for Telangana. &lsquo;Good&rsquo; performance of his government has further added to his popularity. However, there is another reason for his popularity and it is the complete absence of any credible alternative to KCR and his party TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samiti) in Telangana.

Whatever little remained of the opposition after the formation of Telangana was slowly and methodically subsumed in TRS itself. From just 63 members in the house of 119 in 2014, the tally of TRS MLAs went up to 90 in 2017, while that of Congress went down from 21 to 12 and that of TDP from 15 to 3 - &nbsp;without ever drawing the provisions of anti-defection law and without causing as much as a whisper of any harm to democracy anywhere in the national media. Not only was all political opposition emaciated but so also was any kind of criticism in the media. KCR openly threatened media by saying that he&rsquo;ll &ldquo;bury them alive in the ground&rdquo; and even got two Telugu channels pulled off the air for a few days.&nbsp;

It might surprise you, or not, that the great champions of free speech in the nation never raised a hell, calling &quot;democracy under threat&quot; at that time. And now, it is these very champions of free speech who seem to be cheering the loudest in support of KCR and his proposed &quot;qualitative change&quot; at the national level.&nbsp;

Thus, from playing in a field in which he had absolutely no worthy opponent, it is baffling as to why KCR is drawing Mr. Modi, the strongest and the most popular leader of all into his arena? Why would he want to transform the contest from KCR vs. none in Telangana to KCR vs. Modi? He surely is not going to win any additional seat outside Telangana but would instead run the risk of losing a few seats to Mr. Modi in Telangana. Why then is he making the mistake of confronting Mr. Modi and giving more credence to the BJP&rsquo;s trump card?

As written above, Chief Minister KCR is very popular in Telangana but so is Prime Minister Modi. Confronting Mr. Modi and criticising him may turn out to be neither a popular tactic nor a very successful one. Lessons can be learned from the experience of Arvind Kejriwal, who tried a similar tactic in 2014 after his success in 2013 Delhi elections. Mr. Kejriwal ended up burning both himself and his party by losing all 7 Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. It is perhaps this very realisation that got the Aam Aadmi Party to use &ldquo;Modi for PM and Arvind for CM&rdquo; slogan on its website for the 2015 Delhi Elections. The slogan may have been soon withdrawn but the message had already been sent out.

A message has been sent out by the people to Mr. KCR as well on his new strategy but not sure if he is listening. KCR spoke of Mr. Modi in a disrespectful, if not an insulting tone, in a recent speech and this has drawn hugely negative reactions from a large section of people, including those from the hard-core supporters of KCR and his TRS party.

What finally happens in 2019 will, of course, depend on a whole lot of other things. However, one thing is for sure - KCR vs. Modi will give the BJP, in Telangana, an issue where it had none and will give it a good chance in at least a couple and more Lok Sabha seats if not assembly seats.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

K. Chandrashekhar Rao wants to transform the contest from KCR vs. none to KCR vs. Modi. He surely is not going to win any additional seat outside Telangana but would instead run the risk of losing a few seats to Mr. Modi in Telangana.

Political circles and national media are abuzz with the talk of Third Front being resurrected under the leadership of Kalvakuntla Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR). I am not sure what excites them given the unmitigated disaster that the Third Front turned out to be for India in its earlier avatars. It seems as if a section of media and ‘intellectuals’ would rather see India embrace another disaster than ‘tolerate’ another term for Modi Sarkar. Whether the Third Front actually fructifies or not and even if it fructifies, will it succeed or not has become a subject of great speculation and analysis. However, what has remained missing from all this analysis is - if KCR himself will benefit from this move or not. It seems foolhardy to even raise this question for it seems a foregone conclusion that not only will KCR sweep Telangana but will also benefit greatly from his increased national stature. This write up is an attempt to play the devil’s advocate and explore if the move could actually backfire. To understand the implications of this move – positive or negative – we will have to first understand KCR’s sources of strength. Without a doubt, KCR is a hugely popular leader in Telangana and his popularity has only grown over the years. The main reason for his popularity is his success in achieving separate statehood for Telangana. ‘Good’ performance of his government has further added to his popularity. However, there is another reason for his popularity and it is the complete absence of any credible alternative to KCR and his party TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samiti) in Telangana. Whatever little remained of the opposition after the formation of Telangana was slowly and methodically subsumed in TRS itself. From just 63 members in the house of 119 in 2014, the tally of TRS MLAs went up to 90 in 2017, while that of Congress went down from 21 to 12 and that of TDP from 15 to 3 - without ever drawing the provisions of anti-defection law and without causing as much as a whisper of any harm to democracy anywhere in the national media. Not only was all political opposition emaciated but so also was any kind of criticism in the media. KCR openly threatened media by saying that he’ll “bury them alive in the ground” and even got two Telugu channels pulled off the air for a few days. It might surprise you, or not, that the great champions of free speech in the nation never raised a hell, calling "democracy under threat" at that time. And now, it is these very champions of free speech who seem to be cheering the loudest in support of KCR and his proposed "qualitative change" at the national level. Thus, from playing in a field in which he had absolutely no worthy opponent, it is baffling as to why KCR is drawing Mr. Modi, the strongest and the most popular leader of all into his arena? Why would he want to transform the contest from KCR vs. none in Telangana to KCR vs. Modi? He surely is not going to win any additional seat outside Telangana but would instead run the risk of losing a few seats to Mr. Modi in Telangana. Why then is he making the mistake of confronting Mr. Modi and giving more credence to the BJP’s trump card? As written above, Chief Minister KCR is very popular in Telangana but so is Prime Minister Modi. Confronting Mr. Modi and criticising him may turn out to be neither a popular tactic nor a very successful one. Lessons can be learned from the experience of Arvind Kejriwal, who tried a similar tactic in 2014 after his success in 2013 Delhi elections. Mr. Kejriwal ended up burning both himself and his party by losing all 7 Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. It is perhaps this very realisation that got the Aam Aadmi Party to use “Modi for PM and Arvind for CM” slogan on its website for the 2015 Delhi Elections. The slogan may have been soon withdrawn but the message had already been sent out. A message has been sent out by the people to Mr. KCR as well on his new strategy but not sure if he is listening. KCR spoke of Mr. Modi in a disrespectful, if not an insulting tone, in a recent speech and this has drawn hugely negative reactions from a large section of people, including those from the hard-core supporters of KCR and his TRS party. What finally happens in 2019 will, of course, depend on a whole lot of other things. However, one thing is for sure - KCR vs. Modi will give the BJP, in Telangana, an issue where it had none and will give it a good chance in at least a couple and more Lok Sabha seats if not assembly seats. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Chandrashekhar Rao plans to challenge PM Modi in Telangana

After announcing his national political ambition, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) on Sunday said his idea of non-Congress and non-Bharatiya Janata Party front was finding resonance among many regional leaders.

&quot;Since morning, I have been receiving many calls from various places in India. Today afternoon, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee called me and said that I have taken the right decision and she will be supporting me,&quot; Chief Minister Rao said while addressing a huge crowd at his official residence, Pragati Bhavan, in Telangana.

&quot;Former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren also called, telling me that he is standing behind me. Soren also told me that he is trying to speak with many other people in India and will meet up soon and speak on the issue,&quot; said Rao.

He also said that numerous MPs have called him and assured him of their support.

Meanwhile, Rao criticised Congress and BJP, saying that both the parties have &quot;miserably failed in governance&quot;.

&quot;We see farmers` suicides, why is this happening even after 70 years of independence?&quot; Rao asked.

He further accused the national parties of dividing the country and its people on caste, religion and political lines.Claiming that nothing has changed during the governance of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre, Rao said some sectors should be handed over to the states.

&quot;Medical, education, agriculture, and urban development should be handed over to state governments, but they aren`t doing so, while the Central government is keeping all these departments in their hands,&quot; said the Telangana Chief Minister.

On Saturday, after chairing the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) parliamentary board meeting, KCR announced his ambition to participate in the national politics to initiate a change in the political fabric of the country, following the &quot;miserable failure&quot; of the current system.

&quot;I am keen to participate in national politics to change the political fabric of the country as the current political system has miserably failed. There is a serious need for qualitative change in the national politics, as no change has been seen by the people even after 70 years of exercise of democracy,&quot; he said.

Thereafter, West Bengal`s Banerjee, former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, two MPs from Maharashtra, and representatives from other political parties called KCR to express their support for his vision.

However, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not take the criticism lying down and its Telangana unit alleged that KCR had &quot;failed miserably&quot; in the governance of Telangana, adding that the decision to unite with other parties was because of not being able to fight the BJP alone.&nbsp;

After announcing his national political ambition, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) on Sunday said his idea of non-Congress and non-Bharatiya Janata Party front was finding resonance among many regional leaders

After announcing his national political ambition, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) on Sunday said his idea of non-Congress and non-Bharatiya Janata Party front was finding resonance among many regional leaders. "Since morning, I have been receiving many calls from various places in India. Today afternoon, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee called me and said that I have taken the right decision and she will be supporting me," Chief Minister Rao said while addressing a huge crowd at his official residence, Pragati Bhavan, in Telangana. "Former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren also called, telling me that he is standing behind me. Soren also told me that he is trying to speak with many other people in India and will meet up soon and speak on the issue," said Rao. He also said that numerous MPs have called him and assured him of their support. Meanwhile, Rao criticised Congress and BJP, saying that both the parties have "miserably failed in governance". "We see farmers` suicides, why is this happening even after 70 years of independence?" Rao asked. He further accused the national parties of dividing the country and its people on caste, religion and political lines.Claiming that nothing has changed during the governance of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre, Rao said some sectors should be handed over to the states. "Medical, education, agriculture, and urban development should be handed over to state governments, but they aren`t doing so, while the Central government is keeping all these departments in their hands," said the Telangana Chief Minister. On Saturday, after chairing the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) parliamentary board meeting, KCR announced his ambition to participate in the national politics to initiate a change in the political fabric of the country, following the "miserable failure" of the current system. "I am keen to participate in national politics to change the political fabric of the country as the current political system has miserably failed. There is a serious need for qualitative change in the national politics, as no change has been seen by the people even after 70 years of exercise of democracy," he said. Thereafter, West Bengal`s Banerjee, former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, two MPs from Maharashtra, and representatives from other political parties called KCR to express their support for his vision. However, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not take the criticism lying down and its Telangana unit alleged that KCR had "failed miserably" in the governance of Telangana, adding that the decision to unite with other parties was because of not being able to fight the BJP alone.

Receiving widespread support: KCR on third front idea

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi urged his party workers to uproot both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress from Telangana.

Owaisi, while addressing a rally in Telengana said, &quot;In the coming days, we have to increase the number of MLAs from our party and ensure that our party grows in Telengana&quot;.

Currently, the AIMIM has seven MLAs in the Telengana Assembly.

He further added &quot;we have to put in all our efforts so that both the BJP and the Congress are finished in Telengana&quot;

His statement has come in the view of General Elections which will be held next year.

His statement has come in the view of General Elections which will be held next year

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi urged his party workers to uproot both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress from Telangana. Owaisi, while addressing a rally in Telengana said, "In the coming days, we have to increase the number of MLAs from our party and ensure that our party grows in Telengana". Currently, the AIMIM has seven MLAs in the Telengana Assembly. He further added "we have to put in all our efforts so that both the BJP and the Congress are finished in Telengana" His statement has come in the view of General Elections which will be held next year.

Owaisi urges party workers to uproot BJP, Cong from Telangana

The helicopter of Telangana&#39;s chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao caught fire moments before take off on Tuesday.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Just checked up with CMO team. All is well with Hon&rsquo;ble CM and he is continuing his tour in Adilabad district <a href="https://t.co/DHkgptTBVh">https://t.co/DHkgptTBVh</a>
&mdash; KTR (@KTRTRS) <a href="https://twitter.com/KTRTRS/status/968381252217769984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

The fire was small in intensity and no injury to anyone has been reported.

The incident took place at Karimnagar in Telangana, where the chief minister was attending an event.

A wireless inside a bag&nbsp;kept in the helicopter had a short-circuit causing the smoke and small fire.

Security personnel averted any possible damage as they removed the bag and the chopper took off safely.

The fire could have turned into something dangerous if it had happened mid-air.&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;

The fire was small in intensity and no injury to anyone has been reported

The helicopter of Telangana's chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao caught fire moments before take off on Tuesday. Just checked up with CMO team. All is well with Hon’ble CM and he is continuing his tour in Adilabad district https://t.co/DHkgptTBVh — KTR (@KTRTRS) February 27, 2018 × The fire was small in intensity and no injury to anyone has been reported. The incident took place at Karimnagar in Telangana, where the chief minister was attending an event. A wireless inside a bag kept in the helicopter had a short-circuit causing the smoke and small fire. Security personnel averted any possible damage as they removed the bag and the chopper took off safely. The fire could have turned into something dangerous if it had happened mid-air.

Telangana: Fire scare on Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao's helicopter

Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan on Wednesday said the six &#39;enjoining hands&#39; symbol of his new political party &#39;Makkal Needhi Maiam&#39; represents six southern states.

While speaking at the launch of the party, for which Haasan has &quot;picked ideologies from everyone&quot;, the actor-turned-politician said he had kept his party&#39;s name &#39;Maiam&#39; (Centre) because he did not belong to either Left or Right.

The six southern states Haasan was referring to are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and one Union Territory Andeman and Nicobar Islands.

&quot;People ask me what is Maiam, and if I am a Left or a Right. This is why I have kept my party&#39;s name &#39;Maiam&#39;, which means centre. The six hands in my party symbol represent six states and the star in the middle represents people,&quot; Haasan said.

He said his party would work on providing quality education to all and diminishing caste and religion difference in the society.

&quot;We will work on many issues including these. We will set an example; fight corruption together. People have unfortunately sold their votes for merely Rs 6,000. People ask me if I will give them money. My answer is no, I will not. If you accept money, you cannot ask your representative for anything,&quot; he said.

Haasan said that all these years he was in people&#39;s heart and now he wants to be a part of their residence, &quot;I am the lamp in your house, which does not flicker in winds of corruption.&quot;

When asked who his inspiration is -- Bhim Rao Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi or Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, the former actor said he liked and was inspired from all, including Arvind Kejriwal, N. Chandrababu Naidu, Pinarayi Vijayan, and Barack Obama.

Haasan said he wanted to start his party silently and move slowly towards campaigning.

&quot;There is no starvation for money, but for good-hearted people.&quot;

On the Supreme Court&#39;s verdict on the Cauvery dispute, Haasan said Tamil Nadu could get water if there was good dialogue with Karnataka. &quot;I can even get blood (donated blood, not violence).&quot;

He said his two daughters - Shruti Haasan and Akshara Haasan, who were present at the launch event, were free to decide whether to join him in this new journey or not.

The six southern states Haasan was talking about are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and one union territory, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan on Wednesday said the six 'enjoining hands' symbol of his new political party 'Makkal Needhi Maiam' represents six southern states. While speaking at the launch of the party, for which Haasan has "picked ideologies from everyone", the actor-turned-politician said he had kept his party's name 'Maiam' (Centre) because he did not belong to either Left or Right. The six southern states Haasan was referring to are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and one Union Territory Andeman and Nicobar Islands. "People ask me what is Maiam, and if I am a Left or a Right. This is why I have kept my party's name 'Maiam', which means centre. The six hands in my party symbol represent six states and the star in the middle represents people," Haasan said. He said his party would work on providing quality education to all and diminishing caste and religion difference in the society. "We will work on many issues including these. We will set an example; fight corruption together. People have unfortunately sold their votes for merely Rs 6,000. People ask me if I will give them money. My answer is no, I will not. If you accept money, you cannot ask your representative for anything," he said. Haasan said that all these years he was in people's heart and now he wants to be a part of their residence, "I am the lamp in your house, which does not flicker in winds of corruption." When asked who his inspiration is -- Bhim Rao Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi or Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, the former actor said he liked and was inspired from all, including Arvind Kejriwal, N. Chandrababu Naidu, Pinarayi Vijayan, and Barack Obama. Haasan said he wanted to start his party silently and move slowly towards campaigning. "There is no starvation for money, but for good-hearted people." On the Supreme Court's verdict on the Cauvery dispute, Haasan said Tamil Nadu could get water if there was good dialogue with Karnataka. "I can even get blood (donated blood, not violence)." He said his two daughters - Shruti Haasan and Akshara Haasan, who were present at the launch event, were free to decide whether to join him in this new journey or not.

Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam party symbol explained

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrived in Hyderabad on a three-day state visit to India on Thursday evening. The two countries will discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest during the visit.

Union Minister of State for Power R K Singh and Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan received him at the Begumpet airport.

&quot;He is scheduled to address Muslim intellectuals, scholars and clerics in the city at 6.30 pm today,&quot; an official said.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrives in Telangana&#39;s Hyderabad. He will offer Friday prayers at Makkah Masjid tomorrow. He will also visit Golconda Fort and Salar Jung Museum. <a href="https://t.co/gYBZibYbYu">pic.twitter.com/gYBZibYbYu</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/964099708716240896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

During his two-day visit to the city, President Rouhani, who is accompanied by a 21-member delegation, will also meet people of Iranian-origin living in Hyderabad.

He will address a congregation at the historic Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad tomorrow after offering Friday prayers, the official said, adding that religious scholars will also participate in the session.

Rouhani is also expected to visit historic sites, including the Qutub Shahi tombs at Golconda here.

This is Rouhani&#39;s second visit to Hyderabad and the first after becoming president.

He would stay at the Taj Krishna hotel tonight and leave for New Delhi tomorrow evening.&nbsp;

Locals say Iranians are very fond of India and Hyderabad in particular.

The Iranian president will leave for New Delhi tomorrow evening.&nbsp;

Union Minister of State for Power R K Singh and Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan received him at the Begumpet airport.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrived in Hyderabad on a three-day state visit to India on Thursday evening. The two countries will discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest during the visit. Union Minister of State for Power R K Singh and Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan received him at the Begumpet airport. "He is scheduled to address Muslim intellectuals, scholars and clerics in the city at 6.30 pm today," an official said. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrives in Telangana's Hyderabad. He will offer Friday prayers at Makkah Masjid tomorrow. He will also visit Golconda Fort and Salar Jung Museum. pic.twitter.com/gYBZibYbYu — ANI (@ANI) February 15, 2018 × During his two-day visit to the city, President Rouhani, who is accompanied by a 21-member delegation, will also meet people of Iranian-origin living in Hyderabad. He will address a congregation at the historic Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad tomorrow after offering Friday prayers, the official said, adding that religious scholars will also participate in the session. Rouhani is also expected to visit historic sites, including the Qutub Shahi tombs at Golconda here. This is Rouhani's second visit to Hyderabad and the first after becoming president. He would stay at the Taj Krishna hotel tonight and leave for New Delhi tomorrow evening. Locals say Iranians are very fond of India and Hyderabad in particular. The Iranian president will leave for New Delhi tomorrow evening.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrives in Hyderabad on three-day India visit

As is the case every year, the Bajrang Dal has once again approached the pubs and restaurants in Hyderabad, asking them to boycott Valentine&#39;s Day celebrations on February 14.

They even visited colleges in the city asking them not to take part in the celebration, which is apparently destroying the Indian tradition and culture.

Subhash Chander, Bajrangdal, State Co-Convener, told ANI, &quot;Our country is rich in culture and due to Valentine&#39;s Day, our youth are getting spoiled. We visited various pubs and colleges and asked them to not to be a part of this day.&quot;

Another member Mahesh Kumar said that they will counsel the students if they are caught celebrating the day.

They even visited colleges in the city asking them not to take part in the celebration, which is apparently destroying the Indian tradition and culture.

As is the case every year, the Bajrang Dal has once again approached the pubs and restaurants in Hyderabad, asking them to boycott Valentine's Day celebrations on February 14. They even visited colleges in the city asking them not to take part in the celebration, which is apparently destroying the Indian tradition and culture. Subhash Chander, Bajrangdal, State Co-Convener, told ANI, "Our country is rich in culture and due to Valentine's Day, our youth are getting spoiled. We visited various pubs and colleges and asked them to not to be a part of this day." Another member Mahesh Kumar said that they will counsel the students if they are caught celebrating the day.

Shun Valentine's Day: Telangana Bajrang Dal to pubs

Telangana Police on Friday arrested a man, moments before he was allegedly about to commit a murder in Secunderabad.

The accused, identified as Gajaraj Singh, has been arrested and a firearm has been seized from his possession.

According to police, Singh was about to shoot one D&nbsp;Tulasi Babu at city&#39;s EC Nagar area over a petty issue when the cops reached the spot just in time after receiving information.

Although Singh had already fired a bullet on Babu, it, luckily, missed the target and hit elsewhere.

The accused, identified as Gajaraj Singh, has been arrested and a firearm has been seized from his possession.

Telangana Police on Friday arrested a man, moments before he was allegedly about to commit a murder in Secunderabad. The accused, identified as Gajaraj Singh, has been arrested and a firearm has been seized from his possession. According to police, Singh was about to shoot one D Tulasi Babu at city's EC Nagar area over a petty issue when the cops reached the spot just in time after receiving information. Although Singh had already fired a bullet on Babu, it, luckily, missed the target and hit elsewhere.

Telangana: Man arrested moments before committing murder

Congress president Rahul Gandhi voiced his support for special category status for Andhra Pradesh.

The Gandhi scion took to Twitter in support of long-pending demand of the southern state which was divided into two states -- Telangana and Andhra Pradesh -- towards the fag end of UPA regime in 2014.&nbsp;

&quot;The Congress Party supports the just demands of the people of Andhra Pradesh for special category status and speedy completion of the Polavaram project&quot;, Rahul Gandhi tweeted and added that it&#39;s time for all parties to unite on this issue and support this call for justice.

Modi speaking in the Lok Sabha on the Motion of Thanks to the President&#39;s address recently lashed out at the Congress and accused the party of &quot;hastily&quot; dividing the southern state for political gains.

&quot;This is your character. You divided India. Even after 70 years of Independence, 125 crore people of India continue to suffer because of the poison you sowed. Not a single day passes when people of India are not punished for your sins,&quot; Modi said, speaking in the Lok Sabha.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
The Congress Party supports the just demands of the people of Andhra Pradesh for special category status and speedy completion of the Polavaram project. It&#39;s time for all parties to unite on this issue and support this call for justice.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INCStandsWithAndhra?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INCStandsWithAndhra</a>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/961861137166884864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Modi addressed the House while some Andhra MPs were raising slogans, demanding the financial package for Andhra Pradesh that was promised when Telangana was carved out of it in 2014.

Upset over the budget ignoring the needs of Andhra Pradesh, the Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP) recently called for a meeting in Amravati to review the party&#39;s alliance with the BJP at the centre.

Ahead of that review meeting, speculation was rife that TDP may sever ties with the BJP, However, the party decided to continue its alliance with the BJP at the Centre.

Speaking to reporters after the review meeting, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu asked the Centre to spell out its &lsquo;formula&rsquo; for the state with specific timelines,&nbsp;

&ldquo;The Centre should clearly spell out what it has done for the state in the last four years and what it will do now. It should announce a plan of action with clear timelines,&rdquo; Naidu said.

Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu demanded financial support by working out an &quot;extrabudgetary&quot; route to provide funds required for the state&#39;s development and reconstruction activities.

&ldquo;The Centre should clearly spell out what it has done for the state in the last four years and what it will do now. It should announce a plan of action with clear timelines,&rdquo; Naidu said.

Meanwhile, another NDA partner in Andhra Pradesh, Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan also expressed disappointment with the BJP-ruled central government in a recent interview with a television channel.

&ldquo;The promises that were made, were agreed upon by both the Congress and BJP on the floor of the Parliament. But now, the definition of special status has changed within a few months and it has become a package after the state bifurcation. People want accountability of word given in the Parliament,&rdquo; the actor said in the interview. 
&nbsp;

Congress president Rahul Gandhi voiced his support for special category status for Andhra Pradesh.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi voiced his support for special category status for Andhra Pradesh. The Gandhi scion took to Twitter in support of long-pending demand of the southern state which was divided into two states -- Telangana and Andhra Pradesh -- towards the fag end of UPA regime in 2014. "The Congress Party supports the just demands of the people of Andhra Pradesh for special category status and speedy completion of the Polavaram project", Rahul Gandhi tweeted and added that it's time for all parties to unite on this issue and support this call for justice. Modi speaking in the Lok Sabha on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address recently lashed out at the Congress and accused the party of "hastily" dividing the southern state for political gains. "This is your character. You divided India. Even after 70 years of Independence, 125 crore people of India continue to suffer because of the poison you sowed. Not a single day passes when people of India are not punished for your sins," Modi said, speaking in the Lok Sabha. The Congress Party supports the just demands of the people of Andhra Pradesh for special category status and speedy completion of the Polavaram project. It's time for all parties to unite on this issue and support this call for justice.#INCStandsWithAndhra — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) February 9, 2018 × Modi addressed the House while some Andhra MPs were raising slogans, demanding the financial package for Andhra Pradesh that was promised when Telangana was carved out of it in 2014. Upset over the budget ignoring the needs of Andhra Pradesh, the Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP) recently called for a meeting in Amravati to review the party's alliance with the BJP at the centre. Ahead of that review meeting, speculation was rife that TDP may sever ties with the BJP, However, the party decided to continue its alliance with the BJP at the Centre. Speaking to reporters after the review meeting, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu asked the Centre to spell out its ‘formula’ for the state with specific timelines, “The Centre should clearly spell out what it has done for the state in the last four years and what it will do now. It should announce a plan of action with clear timelines,” Naidu said. Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu demanded financial support by working out an "extrabudgetary" route to provide funds required for the state's development and reconstruction activities. “The Centre should clearly spell out what it has done for the state in the last four years and what it will do now. It should announce a plan of action with clear timelines,” Naidu said. Meanwhile, another NDA partner in Andhra Pradesh, Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan also expressed disappointment with the BJP-ruled central government in a recent interview with a television channel. “The promises that were made, were agreed upon by both the Congress and BJP on the floor of the Parliament. But now, the definition of special status has changed within a few months and it has become a package after the state bifurcation. People want accountability of word given in the Parliament,” the actor said in the interview.

Time for all parties to support Andhra Pradesh's demand for special category status: Rahul Gandhi

Police today said that a 23-year-old man had been arrested for allegedly raping a teenager inside a film theatre.

According to Inspector M Mattaiah of Market Police, Kandakatla Bikshapathi, an earth mover driver, and the 19-year-old victim had gone to a theatre on January 29 to watch the recently-released film &quot;Padmaavat&quot;.

&quot;The victim has complained that she was raped inside the theatre that day and that the seats around them were vacant. The two had met through Facebook about three months ago,&quot; the official said.

He said, following the victim&#39;s medical examination, a case of rape was registered against Bikshapathi.

He was arrested and produced in court yesterday, which remanded him in judicial custody, the official added.&nbsp;

Police today said that a 23-year-old man had been arrested for allegedly raping a teenager inside a film theatre. According to Inspector M Mattaiah of Market Police, Kandakatla Bikshapathi, an earth mover driver, and the 19-year-old victim had gone to a theatre on January 29 to watch the recently-released film "Padmaavat". "The victim has complained that she was raped inside the theatre that day and that the seats around them were vacant. The two had met through Facebook about three months ago," the official said. He said, following the victim's medical examination, a case of rape was registered against Bikshapathi. He was arrested and produced in court yesterday, which remanded him in judicial custody, the official added.

Hyderabad: Man arrested for raping teenager inside film theatre

The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) in Telangana is on board with the BJP on the issue of simultaneous polls to Lok Sabha and state assemblies, a senior party leader has said.

The TRS floor leader in the Lok Sabha, AP Jithender Reddy, said that such a synchronised exercise will cut costs, save time and ensure governments focus on development. &quot;We are for it,&quot; Reddy said.

&quot;It will give us time to focus on administration for five years, instead of every time going to elections,&quot; he said.

&quot;It will save money and time; you can focus yourself on the development of the state,&quot; the Lok Sabha member from Mahbubnagar said.

On January 29, President Ram Nath Kovind had called for a &quot;sustained debate&quot; on holding simultaneous polls, saying all parties need to reach a consensus on the issue.

In his maiden address to the joint sitting of the two houses of Parliament at the beginning of the Budget session, Kovind said citizens alive to the state of governance in the country were concerned about frequent elections in one part of the country or another, which adversely impacted the economy and development.

His remarks came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a fresh pitch for holding the polls together.

Modi had said that like festivals, elections should be held on fixed dates so that governments can function for five years.

He also said that barbs exchanged during campaigning in one state have a bearing in other parts of the country which were not going to polls.

Modi was of the view that once the elections are held together, the central and the state governments can devote the next five years to governance.

The TRS floor leader in the Lok Sabha, AP Jithender Reddy, said that such a synchronised exercise will cut costs, save time and ensure governments focus on development. 'We are for it,' he said

The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) in Telangana is on board with the BJP on the issue of simultaneous polls to Lok Sabha and state assemblies, a senior party leader has said. The TRS floor leader in the Lok Sabha, AP Jithender Reddy, said that such a synchronised exercise will cut costs, save time and ensure governments focus on development. "We are for it," Reddy said. "It will give us time to focus on administration for five years, instead of every time going to elections," he said. "It will save money and time; you can focus yourself on the development of the state," the Lok Sabha member from Mahbubnagar said. On January 29, President Ram Nath Kovind had called for a "sustained debate" on holding simultaneous polls, saying all parties need to reach a consensus on the issue. In his maiden address to the joint sitting of the two houses of Parliament at the beginning of the Budget session, Kovind said citizens alive to the state of governance in the country were concerned about frequent elections in one part of the country or another, which adversely impacted the economy and development. His remarks came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a fresh pitch for holding the polls together. Modi had said that like festivals, elections should be held on fixed dates so that governments can function for five years. He also said that barbs exchanged during campaigning in one state have a bearing in other parts of the country which were not going to polls. Modi was of the view that once the elections are held together, the central and the state governments can devote the next five years to governance.

Telangana Rashtra Samiti supports BJP on issue of simultaneous Lok Sabha, Assembly polls

If biryani is one of the favourite foods of India, then the Hyderabadi version certainly tops the list. World-renowned biryani of Hyderabad has been lauded again for its gastronomic brilliance, this time by the Wall Street Journal.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3sQE0i_eGdM" width="560"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

The American publication has issued a list of best restaurants in Hyderabad where people can get the authentic taste of the traditional Hyderabadi delicacy.&nbsp;

Shah Ghouse, Paradise, Shadab, Caf&eacute; Bahaar, Adaa (Taj Falaknuma) and The Spicy Venue were named as the top restaurants serving authentic Hyderabadi biryani.&nbsp;

Not only this, according to an online survey by Swiggy, the biryani emerges as the top choice among foodies when it comes to traditional preparations. The survey was conducted last year.

Other than Chicken Biryani, Masala Dosa, Butter Naan, Tandoori Roti and Butter Paneer also featured on the list.&nbsp;

Telangana State Hotels Association has felicitated the hotels for bagging the international accolade.&nbsp;

Shah Ghouse, Paradise, Shadab, Café Bahaar, Adaa (Taj Falaknuma) and The Spicy Venue were named as the top restaurants

If biryani is one of the favourite foods of India, then the Hyderabadi version certainly tops the list. World-renowned biryani of Hyderabad has been lauded again for its gastronomic brilliance, this time by the Wall Street Journal. × The American publication has issued a list of best restaurants in Hyderabad where people can get the authentic taste of the traditional Hyderabadi delicacy. Shah Ghouse, Paradise, Shadab, Café Bahaar, Adaa (Taj Falaknuma) and The Spicy Venue were named as the top restaurants serving authentic Hyderabadi biryani. Not only this, according to an online survey by Swiggy, the biryani emerges as the top choice among foodies when it comes to traditional preparations. The survey was conducted last year. Other than Chicken Biryani, Masala Dosa, Butter Naan, Tandoori Roti and Butter Paneer also featured on the list. Telangana State Hotels Association has felicitated the hotels for bagging the international accolade.

Watch: These are the top restaurants for best Hyderabadi Biryani

The three-day Sankranti festivities began in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh today with villages and small towns coming alive as thousands of Telugus travelled to their native places from urban centres.

&#39;Bhogi&#39;, the first day of the festival, was celebrated today with traditional fervour.

Bhogi &#39;mantalu&#39; (bonfire) were lit at dawn outside the homes. The bonfire is lit with logs of wood and wooden furniture that is no longer useful.

Discarded things at home are also thrown into the fire. The disposal of discarded things symbolises the sacrifice of old habits, vices and attachment to material things.

Traditionally, women spray cow dung and water in front of the house and draw colourful &#39;muggulu&#39; (rangoli) and keep &#39;gobbemmalu&#39; (cow dung balls) decorated with turmeric, kumkum and flowers on the rangoli.

In the evenings, &#39;Bhogi pallu&#39; (Indian jujube) are showered on children seeking their health and prosperity.

The Telangana government is organising a &#39;kite festival&#39; and &#39;World Sweet Festival&#39; at the Parade Grounds here on the occasion.

People from about 25 states and some foreign countries, who live in Hyderabad, have set up stalls showcasing sweets from their respective places. However, those engaged in sweets business, like caterers and hoteliers are not allowed to take part in the event.

Children and youth took to flying kites on apartment terraces and open grounds.

Former Union minister and Secunderabad MP Bandaru Dattatreya participated in a kite flying event here.

The second day of the festival is &#39;Makara Sankranti&#39; and the last day is celebrated as &#39;Kanuma&#39;, when livestock are worshipped.

Thousands of people living in Hyderabad travelled to to their native places for the festival. A large number of Telugu people living abroad and in other cities in the country are also visiting their native places.

The Secunderabad-headquartered South Central Railway said as many as 147 special trains are being run for Sankranti season through which 1.5 lakh additional berths have been generated.

The state-run Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) and Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) have also arranged a large number of special buses on the occasion.

The Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway witnessed heavy traffic as many people travelled in own cars to their destinations.

Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana ESL Narasimhan, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, state Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, state BJP Chief K Laxman and other leaders conveyed their greetings to the people.&nbsp;

The Telangana government is organising a 'kite festival' and 'World Sweet Festival' at the Parade Grounds here on the occasion.

The three-day Sankranti festivities began in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh today with villages and small towns coming alive as thousands of Telugus travelled to their native places from urban centres. 'Bhogi', the first day of the festival, was celebrated today with traditional fervour. Bhogi 'mantalu' (bonfire) were lit at dawn outside the homes. The bonfire is lit with logs of wood and wooden furniture that is no longer useful. Discarded things at home are also thrown into the fire. The disposal of discarded things symbolises the sacrifice of old habits, vices and attachment to material things. Traditionally, women spray cow dung and water in front of the house and draw colourful 'muggulu' (rangoli) and keep 'gobbemmalu' (cow dung balls) decorated with turmeric, kumkum and flowers on the rangoli. In the evenings, 'Bhogi pallu' (Indian jujube) are showered on children seeking their health and prosperity. The Telangana government is organising a 'kite festival' and 'World Sweet Festival' at the Parade Grounds here on the occasion. People from about 25 states and some foreign countries, who live in Hyderabad, have set up stalls showcasing sweets from their respective places. However, those engaged in sweets business, like caterers and hoteliers are not allowed to take part in the event. Children and youth took to flying kites on apartment terraces and open grounds. Former Union minister and Secunderabad MP Bandaru Dattatreya participated in a kite flying event here. The second day of the festival is 'Makara Sankranti' and the last day is celebrated as 'Kanuma', when livestock are worshipped. Thousands of people living in Hyderabad travelled to to their native places for the festival. A large number of Telugu people living abroad and in other cities in the country are also visiting their native places. The Secunderabad-headquartered South Central Railway said as many as 147 special trains are being run for Sankranti season through which 1.5 lakh additional berths have been generated. The state-run Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) and Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) have also arranged a large number of special buses on the occasion. The Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway witnessed heavy traffic as many people travelled in own cars to their destinations. Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana ESL Narasimhan, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, state Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, state BJP Chief K Laxman and other leaders conveyed their greetings to the people.

Three-day Sankranti festivities begin in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh

Former Indian captain&nbsp;Mohd Azharuddin lashed out at the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) after he was barred from attending the Special General Meeting.

The meeting was held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

The Special General Meeting which was meant to adopt the recommendations of the Justice Lodha Committee point by point started in the morning, but Azhar was allegedly made to stand outside for more than an hour.

The current president of HCA, G. Vivekanand decided to bar Azhar from the meeting. Later, on&nbsp;Congress leader, V. Hanumantha Rao started&nbsp;a protest on the stage and recalled the Azhar&#39;s achievements.&nbsp;

However, after some time he was allowed to enter the venue.

Azhar said, &quot;They made me wait outside for an hour. It was very embarrassing. I am a player from Hyderabad and had been the Indian team captain for ten years. These people, who are running the organisation know nothing about cricket. They had never held a bat and a ball in their life.&quot;

But soon as the meeting concluded, the right-hand batsman expressed his dissatisfaction over the current state of affairs in HCA.

He raised corruption allegations against the HCA members and demanded that the association needs to be dissolved.

&quot;Players are lamenting that they have to pay lakhs of money to play matches. You cannot run an organisation on &#39;whims and fancies&#39;. This is not somebody&#39;s home; this is an organisation, which is running from 1932,&quot; Azhar said.

He also wanted other members to support his membership in the organisation to boost budding cricketers, who are denied opportunities because of the corrupt officials.

&quot;If you all support my membership, I promise I will solve your problems,&quot; the 54-year-old added.

Azhar has captained India in 47 tests during the 1990s. His international playing career came to a controversial end when he was implicated in the infamous match-fixing scandal in 2000 and subsequently banned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for life.&nbsp;

In 2012, the Andhra Pradesh High Court lifted the ban on him.

&nbsp;

The meeting which was meant to adopt the recommendations of the Justice Lodha Committee started in the morning

Former Indian captain Mohd Azharuddin lashed out at the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) after he was barred from attending the Special General Meeting. The meeting was held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. The Special General Meeting which was meant to adopt the recommendations of the Justice Lodha Committee point by point started in the morning, but Azhar was allegedly made to stand outside for more than an hour. The current president of HCA, G. Vivekanand decided to bar Azhar from the meeting. Later, on Congress leader, V. Hanumantha Rao started a protest on the stage and recalled the Azhar's achievements. However, after some time he was allowed to enter the venue. Azhar said, "They made me wait outside for an hour. It was very embarrassing. I am a player from Hyderabad and had been the Indian team captain for ten years. These people, who are running the organisation know nothing about cricket. They had never held a bat and a ball in their life." But soon as the meeting concluded, the right-hand batsman expressed his dissatisfaction over the current state of affairs in HCA. He raised corruption allegations against the HCA members and demanded that the association needs to be dissolved. "Players are lamenting that they have to pay lakhs of money to play matches. You cannot run an organisation on 'whims and fancies'. This is not somebody's home; this is an organisation, which is running from 1932," Azhar said. He also wanted other members to support his membership in the organisation to boost budding cricketers, who are denied opportunities because of the corrupt officials. "If you all support my membership, I promise I will solve your problems," the 54-year-old added. Azhar has captained India in 47 tests during the 1990s. His international playing career came to a controversial end when he was implicated in the infamous match-fixing scandal in 2000 and subsequently banned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for life. In 2012, the Andhra Pradesh High Court lifted the ban on him.

Insulted Azharuddin slams Hyderabad Cricket Association

Telangana is all set to become the first state to provide round-the-clock electricity supply to its farmers from December 31.&nbsp;&nbsp;

According to a government release, close to 23 lakh&nbsp;agricultural pump sets will help in&nbsp;boosting the overall power demand to 11,000 MW by March 2018.

Nearly 12610 crore rupees have been invested by the state to set-up&nbsp;new power lines, transformers and sub-stations to amplify the power supply.&nbsp;

&quot;Telangana is going to create history by becoming the first state in the country offering free power to farmers 24 hours a day,&quot; noted the&nbsp;release.

(With inputs from PTI)

State power utilities had spent Rs 12610 crore in setting up new power lines

Telangana is all set to become the first state to provide round-the-clock electricity supply to its farmers from December 31. According to a government release, close to 23 lakh agricultural pump sets will help in boosting the overall power demand to 11,000 MW by March 2018. Nearly 12610 crore rupees have been invested by the state to set-up new power lines, transformers and sub-stations to amplify the power supply. "Telangana is going to create history by becoming the first state in the country offering free power to farmers 24 hours a day," noted the release. (With inputs from PTI)

Telangana farmers to get 24-hour free electricity from Dec 31

telangana

Telangana, News on Telangana, stories on Telangana, articles on Telangana, Telangana stories at Wion, Telangana news, Telangana latest news