Live Updates: Hyderabad, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh News Today 20 December 2021

Municipal Administration and Urban Development minister KT Rama Rao provided the list of 21 roads that were closed by defence to the union minister Kishan Reddy. Rama Rao asked Kishan Reddy to reopen the roads keeping in the public issues in mind. The minister retweeted the tweet of a netizen who appealed to the minister reopen the roads stating that the closure of roads is causing inconvenience to the commuters and also provided the list of 21 roads and their names to Kishan Reddy when the latter asked the municipal minister to list out the names of closed roads.Read more

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said there should be no negligence in serving the farmers. On Monday, he held a review meeting with officials from the Food, Civil Supplies and Agriculture Departments on the procurement of grain and other crops at the camp office in Tadepalli. He said RBKs should play an active role in crop procurement and farmers should get the minimum support price. The CM clarified that the government's goal is to get MSP for all farmer. Read more

Nara Bhuvaneswari handed over Rs 1 lakh as financial assistance under the NTR Trust to 48 flood victims from Chittoor, Nellore, and Kadapa districts. Speaking on the occasion, she said the NTR Trust had provided assistance to the flood-affected families to avoid temporary financial hardship during the disaster. Bhuvaneswari said that NTR has dedicated its life doing justice to society and supporting the poor. "No matter how tall he grows, he is a man who never forgets his roots," she said.  She also said that the trust would carry the legacy forward and called on everyone to work hard to help the country achieve great successes. Bhuvaneswari urged the people not to make mistakes and remain sinners instead should always be kind and help others. Further speaking, Bhuvaneswari said the NTR Trust had nothing to do with politics and did not expect anything from the government as a trust. She spoke to the media after the distribution of financial aid to flood victims. Adding that they are moving forward with our trust and collaboration with other charitable trusts, Bhuvaneswari said that no woman should be humiliated, which is not good for society.

The ruling TRS party on Monday staged protests across the Telangana over the anti-farmer policies by BJP-led centre and its denial of paddy procurement in the state. In Tirumalayapalem of Khammam district, the TRS leaders burnt the effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for refusing to purchase paddy from the state. While in Indalvai, Nizamabad rural MLA Bajireddy Govardhan burnt the portrait of the Prime Minister in a protest to the anti-farmer policies. He ridiculed that the centre is not according funds to the state. "The Telangana government is allocating Rs 2,400 crores for the farmers. The centre should bear the responsibility of the farmers if they resort to any extreme steps due to the anti-farmer policies," the MLA said, demanding the centre to procure monsoon and yasangi crops. The MLA added that a total of 750 farmers died for the last two and a half years from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and other states. "The PM who turned a blind eye to the farmers' deaths has cancelled the farm laws in the view of elections in Punjab and Goa," Bajireddy said.

In a protest against the failure of intermediate students in the first year exams, the students' unions in Telangana called for all the junior colleges bandh for two days from December 20. They alleged that the inter board has failed in evaluation of answer sheets as about 51 per cent students failed in the exams. The National Students of Union of India (NSUI) called for bandh of junior colleges today while the activists of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) called on Tuesday. The student unions also demanded the inter board to pass all the failed students with minimum marks and also demanded ex-gratia to the families of the deceased students. On the other hand, the Telangana board of intermediate has already made it clear to the students who failed to appear for Inter Public Examinations in April 2021. Also, the students who wishes to check their performance can apply for re-verification of the answer sheets by paying requisite fees.

Telangana minister for agriculture Singireddy Niranjan Reddy on Monday flew to Delhi where he demanded the centre to allocate some time to hold discussions on paddy purchase in Telangana. Niranjan Reddy was accompanied by ministers Gangula Kamalakar, Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Jagadish Reddy, Puvvada Ajay, Vemula Prashanth Reddy and MPs. The minister fumed over the centre for not according permission for the talks. Speaking at a press conference, Niranjan Reddy said that it is an insult to the farmers for making them to wait in Delhi. "Paddy purchase is very significant to Telangana government and it is not correct for the central government for not making it clear over the paddy purchase," he added. The ministers from Telangana has decided to take the matter to the centre after holding talks with Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at Telangana Bhavan on Friday. The ministers sought the appointment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, minister for civil supplies Piyush Goyal and agriculture minsiter Narendrasingh Thomar but were denied.

Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan tweeted attacking YSRCP over privatisation of the Vizag steel plant. Pawan, who has been criticising that the centre has given the green signal for the privatisation of the steel industry due to the state government's negligence, has once again targeted YSRCP through the Twitter platform. He recalled the slogan raised by the ruling party who said they would sacrifice their life for the steel plant during the Visakhapatnam Corporation elections.Read more

Former minister Mudragada Padmanabham wrote a letter to AP Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and mentioned the difficulties encountered during the Sankranti festival. He said he is bringing to the notice of the chief minister about a very sensitive issue of celebrating the Sankranti festival in a traditional way of holding cockfights, Bull racing, and other games for about 5 days. He recalled that they used to seek permission from the police department in general for the cockfights from 1978 to 2004 and get it easily. The former minister also opined that currently the issue have become troublesome as the police are not giving the permission for the said games to be held urged the government for permanent orders to celebrate Sankranthi and Ugadi for 5 days without any hassles.Read more

Three people were killed after a lorry rammed into a bike on Ananthasagar road of Chegunta mandal in Medak district on Monday. The victims, Palle Rakesh (21) was dead on the spot and other two -- Palle Pradeep (17) and Pandla Aravind (15) died while undergoing treatment at a hospital. According to the police, Palle Pradeep was pursuing 10th standard in Chengunta government hospital and Pradeep was studying ninth standard. The mishap took place when Rakesh went to drop the other two on his bike when a lorry hit them near Jeevika industries. A pall of gloom descended in the village with the death of three youngsters. On the other hand, the family members of a victim from Thimmaipalli village staged a protest near the industry demanding action against the lorry driver. The police registered a case and took up the investigation. The bodies shifted to the government hospital for autopsy. More details are awaited.

In a shocking incident, a man jumped off from upstairs upon seeing the police at a function hall in Tadipatri of Anantapur district. According to the police, about 70 people who were present at a function at the Padmavati Function Hall on Putlur Road in Tadipatri on Sunday engaged in playing cards. Rural police reached there on learning of the matter. Shekhar Reddy of Konavaripalli in Railway Kondapuram Mandal who noticed the arrival of the police immediately dropped the cards in his hand and jumped down from the top of the function hall. Shekhar Reddy, who was critically injured in the incident, was taken to Tadipatri Government Hospital by locals for treatment. DSP Chaitanya said five were identified and cases were registered under the Gambling Act while they are said to be searching for other men who involved in playing cards. The full details of the incident are yet to be ascertained.