Bureaucratic hurdles when it comes to new investments turning into reality are all too familiar. Andhra Pradesh’s minister for IT and industries Nara Lokesh gave it a new perspective: Every hurdle has a way of impacting the state, in the form of lost tax revenues. The linkage is clear — MoU ceremonies may make for nice photographs, but investments turning into reality are all about speed and time. The state is also realising some revenue from them. AP, according to Lokesh, is identifying promising companies at an early stage, including firms struggling in other states, and offering them support to get projects moving in the state. He cited the example of the ArcelorMittal steel project, which shows what speed can achieve: 3,000 acres allotted for a 17-million-metric-tonne plant, with just 17-18 months from a Zoom call to grounding, including environmental clearances. For Lokesh, the logic appears to be: Remove hurdles, invite investments, create opportunities, and reap some revenue for the state.
Punctuality lessons yet to sink in
SPSR Nellore district collector Himanshu Shukla may have played the role of a strict headmaster, but his class on punctuality appears to have made little difference to some latecomers at the collectorate. Shukla had first ordered the closure of the gates after 10.30 am, on August 4, hoping to make habitual latecomers fall in line. He later summoned late-arriving employees to his chambers, took them to task and warned of stern action. But since old habits have a way of dying hard, scenes outside the gates suggest the lesson has not quite sunk in, with several latecomers waiting to get in. With the locked gates not really deterring the late-comers, the discipline routine is expected to include memos being issued to late comers. If Shukla has his way, then folks passing by the collectorate can possibly set their time as soon as the gates close.
YSCR campaign slips on veg oil
The Tirumala laddu ghee controversy has now got its Hindi dubbed version. And fans of former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy are taking the latest narrative pan India, much like a Telugu film seeking a Hindi audience. Jagan’s picture is the hero in the poster, ‘Satyameva Jayate’ the tagline, and Hindi captions the new packaging. The social media campaign has latched on to the Enforcement Directorate report on the recent arrests in the ghee case. The pitch is simple — animal fat does not figure in the report, so what was all the fuss about? Just like any story, the possible inconvenient bit — about ED’s mention of vegetable oils and chemicals used in the controversial ghee preparation — has been left out. Whether this new campaign will help the former CM in any way, remains to be seen.
Plans brew, without the main ingredient
What’s brewing? Plans. That is what are on the boil. The golden jubilee of the Regional Coffee Research Centre at RV Nagar in Alluri Sitharamaraju district may still be some time away, but preparations are in full swing. Officials meet every other day to discuss helipads, VIP lounges, parking and security, while press releases flow freely. The enthusiasm of ASR collector T. Nishanthini and joint collector Tirumani Sripooja is evident. Yet one crucial detail remains unresolved: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has not confirmed his participation, so the event date is yet to be finalised.
Get ’gramming, Revanth tells ministers
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy appears to come to the conclusion that some of his ministers need a crash course in a subject that has become central to politics — social media. With the Opposition busy scoring digital points, the CM is learnt to have told ministers, in effect, that doing good work is only half the job; telling people about it is the other half. The PR machinery in several ministerial offices has reportedly come under the scanner, with some teams seemingly still treating Instagram, X and Facebook as optional subjects. Now, consultants, political analysts and professional PR agencies are being brought in to provide the missing lessons. CMO officials, ministerial PR teams and I&PR personnel are being trained to package government schemes, respond to criticism and push content faster. Dedicated digital teams are also being planned in key departments. The CM’s message is reportedly simple: If a scheme is launched in the morning, the social media lesson must reach the people before lunch.
Will Kondas resist the ‘Delhi call’?
The Konda couple, the once powerful family in Warangal, is reportedly biding its time for the next move. The couple, Surekha and Murali, facing uncomfortable times in the Congress, have been silent for most part ever since Surekha was dropped by the state Cabinet, fuelling speculation about a possible strategy behind the silence. Will they continue in the Congress? Will they finally respond to the much-talked-about ‘Delhi call?’ Or is another political option being quietly examined? The ‘Delhi call’ itself has become something of a political riddle. While Murali said Surekha was summoned to Delhi, she did not make the trip. Meanwhile, TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud’s “Konda chapter is closed” remark added another twist to the episode. Yet, he also maintained that the Konda couple had said they would remain in the Congress. Then there is the prospect of a bypoll if Surekha makes any drastic move, which could turn her constituency, Warangal East, into a high-stakes political potboiler involving the Congress, BJP and BRS.
Contributions from Md Ilyas, Aruna, Pathri Rajasekhar Pathri, Avinash P. Subramanyam, L. Venkat Ram Reddy, Narlagiri Yadagiri
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
