Digital India mania on FB in rural Telangana

Thousands of netizens have been changing their Facebook profiles replacing with tricolors of National flag and Digital India for the last two days extending their support to Digital India concept and to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Even Facebook users in the rural areas and small towns of this Adilabad district of Telangana also changed their profiles’ background using ‘fb.com/ supportdigitalindia’.

Both Mark Zuckerberg and Narendra Modi had changed the background of their Facebook profiles just after their meeting and now it has gone viral on Facebook.

Union Ministry of Information and Broadcast has also changed the background of its page on Facebook and replaced with tricolors.         

Digital India concept came up for discussion during the interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi by Zuekerberge at Facebook office in USA during Narendra Modi’s visit.

Earlier, the central government promoted the concept of the Swach Bharath and now Digital India through social media networking sites.

Sanjeev Gaddam of interior Kubeer mandal of this district said ‘he changed his Facebook profile to support the digital India concept being promoted by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi while recalling that Zeckerbrge first changed his profile to support the Digital India.

He said the changing the Facebook profile indicates the aspiration of the young generation even from rural areas and small towns in Adilabad district to be part of digital India and looking for opportunities. It is noticeable that people in the information technology are more inclined to change the background of their Facebook profiles.

However, changing his profile to support Digital India by Zuckerberg has snowballed into a controversy as it was allegedly linked to Facebook’s Internet .org programme. 

Toddy withdrawal symptoms aggravate

Adilabad district of Telangana is facing a big problem due to several incidents of habitual drinkers of toddy and liquor falling sick and nearly 20 persons including women died till now due to alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Even family members of the patients are experiencing this kind of situation for the first time.

Four habitual drinkers died in a single day in Nirmal town on Saturday and it shows the severity of the situation. Some of the habitual drinkers even committed suicide with the alcohol withdrawal symptoms.          

The incidents of habitual drinkers falling sick and behaving differently first reported in Kamole village in Bhainsa where villagers boycotted liquor in any form and its sales and later the incidents reported from Basar village where five persons died and nearly 400 habitual drinkers including women hospitalized.

Subsequently, 13 habitual drinkers died and large number of patients admitted to government and private hospital in Nirmal town and one habitual drinker died in Khanapur in the recent past.

This situation arose with the surprise raids on gudumba and adulterated toddy manufacturing centres and closing them by officials of excise department under the instruction from the state government just after reviewing its decision to introduce cheap liquor in the state.

The state government or district administration drew criticism from the people for not taking up any exercise to tackle the situation arise before going to crackdown adulterated toddy and gudumba. The officials concerned have failed in opening de-addiction centres to deal with the situation.            

Nirmal area hospital has become another Erragadda hospital where many patients are behaving differently and are admitted and tied to beds. According to medical experts, habitual drinkers are behaving differently as their body was not getting sufficient dose of drug though medicines to that of adulterated toddy.

Even, small dose of medicines Diazepam and Clonazepam tables proved to be futile being given to the habitual drinkers undergoing treatment at many government and private hospitals in the district. These tablets will be given to the patients suffering from anxiety, disorders alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

It is said that the toddy manufactures add certain drugs to toddy to ensure kick to the drinkers habituated to the adulated toddy over the years.

More number of adulterated toddy related deaths reported in slums where nearly 10,000 habitual drinkers and majority of them daily wage laborers living in the Nirmal town alone and their number was pegged at 50,000 in the Nirmal division.

CCTVs come handy for police to check parking

The CCTV cameras installed in the towns have come in handy for police department in controlling the haphazard traffic and illegal parking at road side in the towns in the district. As many as 400 CCTV cameras installed at various centre points in Nirmal, Adilabad,Mancherial, Bhainsa and Bellampalli in the Adilabad district of Telangana.

Recently, 75 high resolution CC TV cameras were installed at various locations and also entry and exit points in the Adilabad town and community CCTV controlling room was set up in the traffic police station.

A team comprising ASI and four constables were monitoring the cameras footage  on huge screen connected to the CCTV cameras at the control room round the clock in three shifts. These CCTV cameras record every movement in and around the location where installed.     

SP Dr Tarun Joshi said ‘the police monitoring the control room immediately communicate the information to the mobile or Rakshak parties to handle the situation if notice anything unwanted happening like traffic jams, or bike theft, bike racing chain snatching and accident or any illegally parked vehicle causing blocking the free flow of traffic’.

He said CCTV cameras which have night vision technology and will indirectly give security to one and all including the banks.

State government has realized the importance of the installation of CCTV cameras to control and prevent the crime and traffic jams and to identify the persons moving suspiciously and have supplied CCTVs to all the districts in the state.

Traffic jams have become regular phenomena at Amedkar chowk, Kisan chowk and Gandhi chowk due to illegal parking and pavements encroached upon by the shop owners in the Adilbad town. Petty businessman and road side vendors set up their business in the middle of the roads causing hug traffic jams.

Adilabad Municipal Chairperson Rangineni Manisha said ‘they were preparing an action plan to remove encroachments for free flow of traffic] and avoid inconvenience to the commuters and public in the Adilabad’.              

Wheel is spinning with pots and diyas

Potters have just started their work for approaching festivals by making specially designed pots called ‘Garba’ to be used in playing Garba dance by the Gujarati women in Adilabad of Telangana during Durgadevi Navarathrulu next month. The potters continue their work of making earthen lamps for Diwali.  

There is considerable number of migrated Gujarati families settled in the Adilabad town and they celebrate Garba during Durgadevi Navarathrulu.

Gujarati women perform traditional puajs to the Garba pots considering them as sacred and Garba dance around the Garba pots kept in the centre.  It is done for the nine days after which the Garba pot is immersed in river.

Kannam Ramulu of Kumarpet colony in Adilabad was busy in making Garba pots on order for Gujarati women. The pot makers start work with the Garba pots which are called ghatams locally and continue with making earthen lamps (diyas) for Diwali.

He said his forefather and father did the same work for generations but the legacy will soon come to an end. His sons and other family members are taking up other occupations.  

Ramulu said specially designed Garba pots have a Swastik and Om etched on them and painted in specific colors of red and green and added that he has been making earthen items on order for different occasions for the last 25 years’. Ramulu said he will make 10,000 earthen lamps for Diwali this year’.

  

Ramulu’s wife Posani regretted over dwindling demand for earthen pots and gurigi (small size pots) as women prefer plastic and steel items to give as gift (Vainam) during special occasions like ‘Nomulu’ or ‘Vrathalu’. Also they were facing shortage of black soil due to urbanization and forced to purchase a tractor black soil for Rs 2,000.

Shanthabai Jaiswal, 86, neighbor of the Ramulu observed that it was difficult for the potters (Kummari) community people to survive just by making pots and its related work as it brings very little money.

x

Rare experience to city students at 'MEDEXPO'

Human skeletons playing guitar,Jazz and anchoring at 'Boney Men’musical concert welcome the students and their teachers once they get into the hall at college building of RIMS, Adilabad of Telangana.

It was rare experience for not only students but also their teachers as they were being exposed to such unusual concert for the first time.          

Students of various private and government schools in and around Adilabad town had different experience watching the dissection human bodies and organs at ‘MEDEXPO-2015’ an event underway at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences. 

The tag line of the event attracted many with its catchy tag line ‘Inside You and Into You’. MEDEXPO-2015 being organized by RIMS gave practical knowledge to the students about human body and functioning of its various organs. This will inspire many to join the medical fraternity in the future.   

Hundreds of students have been thronging RIMS for the last two days to have a look at the expo.

However, students of IX and X class got the real benefit of the event as they had lessons in biology.

Tarun Kumar of IX class said, ‘he scared seeing the body parts kept in the open but added that nevertheless it was an unforgettable experience’.

Another student Vinod said ‘he felt thrill seeing various organs of the body and learning about their functioning’.

Vivek Reddy, third year medico of RIMS who was explaining about anatomy of the human body to the students with the help of dissection, said some of the students had doubts which he clarified after he explained about anatomy.  

Bhumika, student of IX class, Vaninikethan Vidyamandhir of Adilabad says, that with the event, she got exposure to many aspects of the subjects she was studying in class.                                                                                                       (Sept25, 2015)

Liquor shops on a high after state government's gudumba crackdown

Telangana governments’ decision of backtracking on introducing cheap liquor and cracking down on manufacturing of Gudumba (distilled liquor) and adulterated toddy has created much demand for the liquor shops though 10 percent increase in license fee every year for two years period. The application fee increased to Rs 50,000 from Rs 25,000 under new excise policy.

Excise officials received 1,541 applications for just 156 liquor shops and no application for two liquor shops at Kerameri and Singapur near Mancherial in the Adilabad district. There was nearly 50 percent rise in applications for liquor shops this year when compared to 974 applications for 158 shops for the year 2014-15. 

According to official sources, single tender applications for only 18 liquor shops. This indicates that an average 10 applicants is competing for license for each liquor shop.

The Adilabad excise department got revenue of Rs 7.70 crore only with the applications fee which is non- refundable.   

The liquor contractors and business men in liquor strongly believes that there would be good sales of liquor in the coming days as people will be left with only liquor since state government is cracking down on Gudumba and adulterated toddy. Excise officials closed many toddy manufacturing centres in the last one week.

License fee Rs 78 lakh was fixed for liquor shop in the area of having 10,000 population, Rs 81.60 lakh for above 10,000 to 50,000 population and Rs 1.80 crore for 50,000 to 3 lakh population. The license will be for two years period which will be end up   by September 30, 2017. It is surprise to note that officials received 62 applications for liquor ship in Bejjur and this was highest number of applications to single shop. 

Senior excise officer of Adilabad said ‘they never thought such huge demand for liquor shops and attributed the trend to tough action initiated against manufacturing and sale of Gudumba and adulterated toddy by the state government. He added that the recent raids on gudumba and adulterated toddy across the state and arresting the people involved boosted the confidence of prospective liquor businessmen.            

It was quite clear that close relatives and family members of the top political leaders were making al out efforts to clinch the liquor shops by crook or hook in the benami names. They are also convincing their rivals and offering good will to the persons who will get license in the lucky draw.

The license holders have to pay the fee in six installments and bank agreement to avoid the incidents of defaulters. There was huge demand for liquor shops located in the centre of Adilabad, Mancherial, Bellampalli and Nirmal towns.

An enthusiastic businessman who got liquor shop license in Adilabad town said “it was known fact that there was huge demand for liquor shops this year in the wake of states government’s decision to control gudumba and adulterated toddy. This will force the habitual drinkers to go for liquor consumption and it naturally increases liquor sales and profits in the coming days”. 
                                                                                                                                    ( Sept 23, 2015) 

Adilabad has link with pioneer of Ganesh fest

Kubeer mandal in Adilabad district of Telangana has a historical link with Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak who first introduced installation of Ganesh idols in public to unite the people of Hindu religion.

Tilak came to Kubeer to attend a marriage function of his friend Dadasaheb Khaparde of Amravathi’s son with daughter of Ganeshrao Deshmukh Kubherkar on April3, 1905.

During his stay, Bal Gangadhar Tilak motivated people of Kubeer to install Ganesh idol in their village. Tilak was campaigning in what is now Maharashtra border area to install Ganesh idols to unite the Hindus and also to fight the British.

Wooden Ganesh idols were popular in those Marathi speaking areas, and that was 

how Bhainsa, now a communally sensitive town, become prominent place for Ganesh idol installation. Kubeer was just 17 km from Bhainsa town.

S. Pravin Kumar of Kubeer said ‘ first local people installed Ganesh idol in Vittaleshwar temple with the motivation of Balagangadhar Tilak and later on the event spread to other villages in and around Kubeer and added that Tilak’s portrait was kept in the Vittaleswhara temple for long years showing his link to Kubeer’. 

                                                                                                     

                                                                                                        (Sept 21,2015) 

Urdu medium posts may be de-reserved

Efforts are being made to de-reserve Urdu medium teacher posts which have been lying vacant for the last 20 years in the government Urdu medium schools in the Agency areas to recruit those teacher posts on regular basis with the eligible and trained Urdu medium candidates in the Adilabad district of Telangana.

These posts were reserved for tribal candidates in the Agency areas and cannot be filled with candidates of other communities. But there were no eligible Urdu medium candidates from Tribals to recruit them in the posts reserved for them.

However, experts say that de-reservation of Urdu medium posts which were  reserved for tribals in the areas was not easy process and this needs amendment of tribal laws at state and central governments level.

There are 58 Urdu medium teacher posts which were laying vacant at 20 Urdu medium schools at various places in the Agency areas right now in the district. All these schools are being run by vidya volunteers of Urdu medium.

In some cases, parents have admitted their children in Telugu medium schools due to lack of regular teachers and poor studies at Urdu medium schools in the same location.

   

There was good demand for Urdu medium schools in the Agency areas as Muslim Minority population was in considerable numbers in the agency areas in  Utnoor, Indravelli, Ichoda, Kerameri, Asifabad, Jainoor and Narnoor mandals in the district.              

Urdu medium teacher posts have not been filled though posts were notified in many DSC notifications as there were no suitable eligible candidates from the Tribal communities as the posts were reserved for tribals in the Agency areas.

Two ministers of this district Jogu Ramanna and Allola Indrakaran Reddy were making efforts to de-reserve Urdu posts to fill them with Muslim minorities. There were many Muslim minority eligible candidates for the Urdu teacher posts in government schools but cannot be filed the posts with them in the Agency.

Muslim minority organizations many times represented to the governments, Ministers and officials concerned expressing their concern over Urdu medium schools running in agency area under ITDA, Utnoor in pathetic condition where nearly 2,000 students were studying. The scheduled area norms have become an obstacle in recruiting the Muslim Minority candidates. 

Along with Khanapur MLA Rekha Naik, a team led by district convenor Syed Karim of Telangana Minority Welfare Society, met the deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali and requested him to take steps to improve the facilities at Urdu medium schools in the agency areas in the Adilabad district and appoint minority Urdu teachers with conditional appointment on regular basis. 

Two years ago, an Urdu medium primary school was closed down due to lack of teachers at IB Chowrasta of Utnoor. Teacher MLC P. Sudhakar Reddy has also advocated de-reserve Urdu medium teacher posts to recruit the posts lying vacant for long years in the agency in the district.

                                                                                                               (Sept 23,2015) 

Haaram spurs green idols

Telangana governments’ flagship programme Haritha Haaram has inspired many people especially children and teenagers to install Green Ganesha idols which are popularly being called as ‘Haritha Haram Ganesh idols’.

Pandal organizers installed many Greeen Ganesh idols in the colonies and even decorating the pandal with many plants in the night time to attract the devotees and to spread message among the people about the important of greenery and  planting saplings.

One can find nearly five Haritha Haram Ganesh idols in the colonies of  Adilabad town alone.

V. Laxman of the Azad Ganesh Mandali of Tirpelli in the Adilabad town said they had installed the Hariha Haaram Ganesha idol to spread the message among the devotees at least during Navaratrulu about the importance of planning saplings, protection of plants and forest for good rains and control the environment pollution.

He observed that they inspired with Haritha Haram programme and installed the Green Ganesh idols instead plaster of paris idols to avoid pollution and to promote greenery.

On the other hand, it was found that there was less demand for the Ganesha idols made of plaster of paris by traditional Rajastan artists and they incurred huge loss this year as the idols remained unsold due to increased awareness among the people about eco-friendly Ganeshas.

Bharatiya Vidyarthi Ganesh Mandali member Thakkalapalli Pranab Kumar said they installed gardening grass Ganesha idol and even applying water in regular inter-wells to keep the grass shining and fresh to attract the devotees’.

                                                                                                          ( Sept 20,2015) 

Loose wires endanger citizen's lives

The loose and snapped electric live wires that dot the city and rural areas are putting the thousands of lives in danger in the Adilabad district of Telangana. Even as the wires snapped due to rust and being worn out, they were strewn on the ground causing grave threat to the passerby.  Dangling live electric wires on the roads are proving to be a sure –shot killer.

There was huge delay in switching off the power whereas the situation needed immediate action.

Overgrown branches have led to the Transco staff cutting off the branches near transformers. Incidents of transformers getting burnt are on the rise these days in the Adilabad town.       

Electric poles are uprooted and bent to a side due to heavy rains with gales that struck the district.

Crows add to the damage. Such incidents are frequently taking place during the rainy season.

Incidents of death of farmers and cattle due to accidentally connecting to the live electric wires or snapped wires or loose wires are on the rise in the district. Recently, a lorry conductor came in touch with the lose wire lying on the cabin of the lorry and was electrocuted at Adilabad market yard. 

A mason narrowly escaped from being electrocuted while working when the live loose electric wire came in contact with the iron tool near district court in the Adilabad town. The alerted mason dropped the iron tool and saved his life. 

Baahubali Ganesh idol a hit

The Baahubali Ganapathi is most popular idol for this Vinayaka Chaturthi. Idols of Baahubali like Ganesh carrying Shivalingam on his shoulders is being installed at various pandals in the Adilabad district of Telangana.   

Pandal organizers gave orders for making nearly 15 idols of Baahubali like Ganapati in the Adilabad town alone and same trend was seen in all the major towns Nirmal, Mancherial and Luxettipet and various places in coal belt area.

Idols of Rajamatha Shimagami (the role played by Ramyakrishna in the Baahubali ) holding a kid and crossing the river was also popular.

Some of the Padals organizers are installing idols with a theme of government schemes being implemented by the state and central governments.

Idols of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao look- like cleaning garbage as part of Swatch Bharat were also made.

Artist Kumbhoji Umamahesh of Adilabad town said ‘there was good demand for the Baahubali- like Ganapati idols and these idols are being installed to attract the more devotees’

On the other hand, some of the Padal organizers took the Whats App route to highlight and promote their Ganesh idols creating new groups in the WhatsApp in the Adilabad district.  

Especially, the organizers of the pandsls where wooden Ganesh idols to be installed were making all out efforts to attract the devotees and wooden Ganesh idols were popular in Mudhole Assembly constituency and also in Palaj in bordering Maharashtra.             

New districts splits people

People fight for Bellampalli, Mancherial and Asifabad as new district Hq     

The Telangana governments’ efforts to create new districts in the state for the better administration and improve the accessibility for the people to government machinery, has divided the people of the district on the issue and have started fighting among themselves on headquarters of the new districts to be created in the state.

Demand for revival of the old district head quarters Asifabad as new district to be created is gaining ground following the state government’s decision to create a new district out of the existing Adilabad district.

On the other hand, people of Bellampalli area also demanding the creation of new district with Bellampalli as its headquarters instead Mancherial. Leaders of Bellamaplli Zilla Sadhana committee argue that Mancherial will be far way for the people of the interior Bejjur, Kautala, Dahegoan mandal and Bellamapalli is the centre to all the areas in the new district to be created.

Leaders of Asifabad Zilla Sadhana Samiti also came out with similar argument before state government to justify their demand.        

During 1913-14, District headquarters was shifted to Asifabad from Adilabad owing to the administration exigencies and it was continued till 1940-41 and later Adilabad was once again made district headquarters.

Asifabad Zilla Sadhana Samiti and Bellampali Zilla Sadhana committees were formed and members and leaders of the committees had launched their agitations to achieve their demand.

With these developments, political leaders and leaders of various organizations also divided with their divulging opinions on the issue and not only creating confusion among the people but also spreading the enmity among the people of different areas within the district.

The issue is raising the temperaments among the people and issue forced the former and ruling MLAs took the sides of the agitation for creation of new district with the towns as headquarters falling in their respective Assembly constituencies like Mancherial, Bellampalli and Asifabad.

Earlier, the issue of creation of new district with Bellampalli as its headquarters was rocked the district development committee meeting at Mancherial and resulted in unending arguments by then MLAs Gunda Mallesh of Bellampalli and Gaddam Aravind Reddy of Mancherial.

Asifabad Zilla Sadhana Samiti convenor Gurrala Venkateshwar said ‘creation of new district as Asifabad its headquarters naming after Adivasi legendary late Komuram Bheem will be good for people of the district and the area will be developed as it attached to sate high way No-1 between Telangana and Maharashtra’. He recalled that ‘Asifabad was district headquarters for many years in the past’.

Gamblers flock Maha clubs

With the government forcing the closure of clubs which were popular for gambling-three cards and Rummy- in and around the Hyderabad, large numbers of enthusiastic people including women interested in gambling are coming to a club set at Nayegoan village in Dharmabad taluq in Maharashtra. 

A number of cars including luxury vehicles, head for the village which is located just half a kilometre from temple town Basar in Adilabad of Telangana.

People from well-to-do families from Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Adilabad, Medak and Rangareddy and Hyderabad go to the club for a game or two. 

It is said that even people from Mahrashtra head for the club. It is said that club offers luxury facilities, and new customers are joining in with word of mouth publicity incidentally, some of the people who go to the club to gamble also visit the Saraswati temple at Basar. It is said that Telugu businessmen set up the club on benami names in Maharashtra.  

Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao had taken serious note of the death of a person felling down from a top of the club in the Hyderabad and closed all ambling clubs. It is said that token value of Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 each are being sold for the gamblers.

Stopping of subsidy hit poor

Ambakanti Rajeshwar of Kupti( K)

Stopping supply of subsidy rice to the children under Telangana Food Security Cards (TFSC) by the state government hit the poor families in the district.  Supply of subsidy rice stopped to nearly 3.000 children in May, 2015 in the Adilabad district of Telangana.

Officials concerned have failed to restore the supply of rice to many children even today after stopping subsidy rice to the children even after repeated appeals by card holders.

The state government’s move thrown cold water on the happiness over increased rice quota to each family and revoked restriction on number of family members eligible for the subsidy rice.         

Many FSC holders have been running from pillar to post for long time for restoration of ration to their children. The state government has revoked the restriction on number of family members eligible for Rs 1 kg rice and the quantity increased to 6v kg to each member included in the ration card.

Three months after issuing FSC to BPL families, the civil supply department staff started stopping 6 kg rice to the children without prior information to the families. Card holders ran pillar to post on the issue but nothing has yielded positive. Revenue officials say that they were restoring the names of the children in the list of eligible family members for subsidy rice.

Ambakanti Rajeshwar of Kupti (K) village in Neredigonda said ‘in starting months they got 18 kg subsidized rice each member 6 kg with their Food Security Card issued by the state government but later 6kg rice was stopped to his daughter Rishika,5, who was a family member and her name was included in the card’. ‘The revenue officials have failed to restore the supply of Rs 6 kg rice to her daughter even after many appeals’, he lamented.

prohibition hits habitual drinkers

Prohibition on liquor consumption and its sales in few villages has shown its impact on habitual drinkers while other people are at peace in the Adilabad district of Telangana.

Stopping consumption of liquor all of sudden by habituated drinkers as part of the prohibition drive caused health problems in many of them.

As many as 100 habituated drinkers fell sick as they had stopped consuming liquor obeying to the oath they had taken boycotting the consumption of liquor and its sales in Kamole village in Bhainsa mandal.

Villagers imposed prohibition on liquor consumption and sales in many villages across the district in the recent past just after the state governments’ move to introduce cheap liquor and also during the Grama Jyoti programme. Villagers imposed prohibition ion liquor consumption and its sales in Kamole, Mategoan and Kamsara grampanchyats in Bhainsa mandal recently. 

The sick persons were shifted to Bhainsa where they were undergoing treatment.

The habitual drinkers who stopped drinking complained of various symptoms   and started behaved differently. What initially was noticed in 20 drinkers soon increased to nearly 100.

However, the villagers of Kamole have implementing the prohibition on liquor consumption and sales in their village despite the large number of habitual drinkers falling sick.

Bhainsa Area hospital superintendent Dr Kashinath said, these symptoms were common in those addicted to liquor as the nerve system is affected so blood pressure fluctuations and anxiety are not entirely unexpected.

He advised that habitual drinkers to consult doctors before giving up liquor consumption and eat nutritious food, fruits, vegetables and include B complex vitamins in the diet. A consultation with psychiatrist will also help.                       

Adilabad Excise Deputy Commissioner Shivraj also visited Kamole and appreciated the villagers for implementing the prohibition on liquor sales and promised to cancel the license of liquor shop in their village.      

Village development committee (VDC) members shifted the sick persons to Bhainsa government hospital and a medical camp was set up in the village to treat the habitual drinkers. Psychiatrists and a team of doctors visited the Kamole and gave counseled them.               

Such incidents were also reported from other villages where villagers took the decision boycotting the liquor in protest against the state governments effort’s to introduce cheap liquor which was withdrawn latter and also to control nuisance of the drinkers in the villages.

Women groups and youth associations had played a vital role in imposing prohibition on liquor and its implementation recently in Buggaram village in Neredigonda and Bambara in Wankidi and few villages in Talamadugu and Tamsi mandals.

Hype over quantity of cotton produce

Cotton commission agents and owners of the private ginning and pressing factories are busy in creating hype about quality of cotton yield for this Kharif in the Adilabad district of Telangana. 

They were preparing a ground for indulging in irregularities like in the past in purchasing cotton at cheaper rate from Maharashtra and sell the same to CCI and get good margin.

It is alleged that cotton commission agents amassed huge wealth though fraudulent means in Adilabad. There were many incidents where it was shown in the commercial cotton purchases that a farmer who cultivated cotton in his five acre land sold 250 quintals of cotton in the last Kharif.

Hardly farmers get 15-20 quintals of cotton yield in one acre that too in black soil with the irrigation facility otherwise farmers get an average 10 quintals in one acre land in the district.

Some of the cotton commission agents and owners of factories were mounting pressures on the cotton farmers to sell their cotton produce much earlier without waiting for higher price for their yield in the international market.

Farmer suicides: Telangana to promote check dams

State government will promote check dams to increase the ground water table, and help in preventing farmer distress in the Telangana.

The check dams will be constructed on rivulets and streams along with the bridges to improve the ground water table to save standing crops during drought in order to prevent farmer suicides in the Telangana state.

Panchayatraj and Roads and buildings departments have to inform the irrigation department while they were constructing bridges on rivulets and stream and even small rivers so that irrigation department construct check dams at such places.

State government has issued instruction to the Panchayatraj and R&B departments to prepare designs of the bridges on streams and rivulets consulting irrigation officials. 

Reports revealed that some farmers had fallen into debt after digging many borewells but failed to get water for agriculture due drastic fall in the ground water at many places.

The state government is of the opinion that farmers were resorting to suicides due to crop failure and subsequent debts due to crop failures during drought and following the borewells dried up following the drastic fall in ground water table.

Borewells they dug goes dry within no time and this was resulted in low yields even after investing huge amounts in digging borewells.

State government found that water from rivulets and streams flowing downstream without any use and enters into sea at last. At many places, there were no check dams on rivulets and streams especially hilly areas and water flows to down stream.

It is also found that overflowing water from tanks goes downstream without any check and go waste but things become worst during summer when there were no rains or scanty rainfall.      

Minister for irrigation T. Harish Rao said ‘they were going to promote check dams on big scale in the state and construct check dams near Swarna irrigation project in Mudhole in the Adilabad to improve the ground water table for agriculture purposes and said state government will give nine hours uninterrupted power to agriculture from next Kharif’.

State government is making serious efforts to install new electric transformers and set up power sub-station to give uninterrupted power supply to the agriculture in future.

Transfers paralyse school education

The recent transfers of teachers have paralyzed education in government schools in general and primary schools in particular and many primary schools in the interior areas especially in tribal areas are closed as there is no teacher available in the Telangana.

Primary schools having student strength between 15-25 were being neglected a lot after teachers’ transfers. The state government has not bothered much about the children studying in such schools and there was every possibility of such students discontinuing studies and ending up as drop outs.

It is said that nearly five to seven primary schools in tribal mandals remain closed as there is no school teacher to run the school in the Adilabad district. 

This situation was emerged with the transfers of teachers and now some of the teachers were not showing interest to work at schools in interior and tribal areas.In the process, parents start looking at their children as source of income and send them for agriculture labor works and cattle grazing or some other work if the officials concerned failed to bring them back immediately.         

Single teacher schools have been neglected a lot in the process of adjusting teachers in the schools, promotion and their transfers by the education department.

At some places, teacher post at primary schools having student strength bellow 50 was not being filled with other teacher and such post was lying vacant since the teacher of said school got promotion or transferred to some other place in the recent counseling.

District Child Welfare Committee (CWC) member Meerza Yakoob Baig said ‘ seven primary schools having student strength each between 15-25 remain closed for the last one month in Indravelli mandal alone in the district.

State government is planning to recruit qualified Vidya Voluntaries (VV) by first week of October’. He said the problems regarding closure of the primary schools reported in 32 tribal including five agency madals out of total 52 in the district. There were total 640 tribal villages in 32 mandals.

There was only one teacher up to 8^th class for Urdu medium High school having 107 students strength in Indravelli mandal headquarters.

Primary schools are remain closed due to no teacher available in government schools in Ginnera, Gopalpur, Kannapur, Kannapur Thanda, Bheempur, Tekdiguda- Gatkapalli, Rampurguda villages in Indravelli mandal. There was only one teacher for 80 students in Pochampalli village in Indravelli mandal in district.

The Adilabad district education department has issued notification for 1,227 Vidya volunteers. It is learn that priority would be given to the local eligible and qualified applicants in the selection for the post of Vidya Volunteers.

Prof. Shantha Sinha: 'Improve health conditions in Adilabad'

  

Former Chairperson of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Shantha Sinha demanded that state government declare health emergency in the Adilabad following the much prevalent viral fevers, malaria and dengue cases and deaths reported and to take coordinated efforts to improve the health situation in the district.

She stressed upon the need for social audit by the civil society groups and members of grampanchayat on the activities of the Anganwadis and facilities and staff available at government schools and to submit reports to the governments.

Shantha Sinha was addressing at a workshop on ‘Right to Education Act and status of the children in the District’ here jointly organized by ‘DREAM’ NGO and MV foundation in Adilabad.

She said that coordinated efforts should be made to control the seasonal outbreak diseases in the district and this was responsibility of not just health department instead all the allied departments.

Shantha Sinha appealed to the people to oversee the effective implementation of Right to Education Act and Food Security Act which empower the poor and downtrodden and said demanding the government for implementation of these Acts were not at all begging but it was people’ right.

‘Every district should have own ‘district child policy’ and member of the Zilla Parishad should debate and discuss the issues pertaining to children and come out with new measures to empower them and to protect their rights at district level’, she opined.

National convenor of MV Foundation R. Venkat Reddy said governments should take steps to reserve 25 percent seats for the students of SC and ST and economical backward communities and provide them free education as per the Right to Education Act.