The Andhra Pradesh government has launched an elaborate programme titled 'Yogaandhra-2026' to mark International Yoga Day on June 21, setting a target of engaging one crore citizens across the state in yoga activities, from village level to the state capital.

The flagship event will be held in Amaravati, where 25,000 participants are expected to gather for a state-level yoga session. In the fortnight leading up to the day, awareness drives, walkathons, social media campaigns, and demonstration events will be conducted under the Yogaandhra banner from June 7 to June 20.

District-wise thematic approach

In what officials describe as a distinctive feature of this year's observance, each of the state's 28 districts has been assigned a specific community or occupational group as its theme. NTR district will conduct sessions with police personnel, while East Godavari will involve prison inmates. Visakhapatnam's programme is themed around serving and retired defence personnel, and Alluri Sitarama Raju district will focus on tribal communities.

Other notable pairings include Kurnool with sanitation workers, Tirupati with celebrities, Anantapur with persons with disabilities, and YSR Kadapa with multi-generational family participation. Guntur district's sessions will centre on engineering students, while Prakasam will engage DWACRA women's groups. Each district headquarters is required to ensure a minimum of 1,000 participants.

Infrastructure and digital outreach

Competitions in yoga will be held at village, mandal, district, and state levels, with participation open to students, athletes, women's self-help groups, health workers, and industrial labourers, among others. Venues including schools, parks, community halls, stadiums, and gram sachivalayams will be equipped with drinking water, seating, and temporary shelters.

Oversight of the programme at the district level has been entrusted to the respective Collectors. The Tourism Department has been directed to organise special yoga demonstrations at more than 100 tourist sites across the state.

To streamline participation, the government plans to develop a dedicated web portal and an AI-based registration and verification application. Digital certificates will be issued to all participants upon completion.

Vijayawada, April 23: Union Minister Bhupatiraju Srinivasa Varma on Thursday felicitated Uppalapati Srinivasaraju, BJP State Office Secretary, on his election as a member of the Andhra Pradesh Bar Council, at the BJP State office in Vijayawada.

Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister expressed confidence that Uppalapati Srinivasaraju would render exemplary service in the interests of advocates' welfare and the preservation of professional values in his capacity as a Bar Council member. He expressed hope that the latter would play a pivotal role in addressing the issues and grievances faced by the legal fraternity.

The Minister observed that it was commendable that Srinivasaraju had been accorded the opportunity to serve on a prestigious platform such as the Bar Council, and called upon him to work effectively for the protection of advocates' rights and welfare.

Among those who participated in the programme were BJP State General Secretary Nagotu Ramesh Naidu, State Spokesperson Sheikh Baji, Media Department State Coordinator Kilaru Dilip, and NTR District President Adduri Sriram, among others.

Vijayawada, April 20: The Bharatiya Janata Party's NTR District unit conducted a Janata Varadhi programme at the NTR District Collectorate on Monday, receiving petitions from the public on a range of civic and welfare issues, and subsequently submitted a memorandum to the District Collector urging the immediate operationalisation of defunct solid and liquid waste management units across the district.

The programme, organised under the leadership of BJYM NTR District president Sivakrishna Reddy, received petitions from aggrieved citizens on issues including widow pensions, old-age pensions and allotment of house sites. The complaints were duly recorded and forwarded to the concerned officials, with a demand for prompt redressal.

Later, BJP NTR District president Adduri Sriram, along with district general secretaries Ganesh and Govind, submitted a separate petition to the Collector drawing attention to the non-functional state of solid and liquid waste management units across the district. The leaders urged the administration to activate these units without delay, underlining their importance for both environmental protection and public health security. They demanded that the official machinery respond immediately and take necessary remedial measures.

The programme was attended by Yuva Morcha vice-president Jyothirmayi, general secretaries Sai and Chanakya, secretary Sanjay, treasurer Gayatri, mandal presidents Chaitanya, Nagadurga and Sreenu, and party workers Karthik, Yashwini, Harsith and Meghanath, among others.

State president PVN Madhav traces party's 75-year ideological journey from Jana Sangh to global political force; reaffirms Viksit Bharat 2047 as BJP's defining goal

VIJAYAWADA : Invoking seven decades of sacrifice, struggle, and nation-building, Andhra Pradesh BJP state president PVN Madhav on Monday delivered a sweeping account of the Bharatiya Janata Party's ideological and political journey as the party marked its 47th Foundation Day with celebrations held across the state, with the principal function taking place here.

Extending greetings to party workers, leaders, and citizens at large, Mr. Madhav opened his address with an unusual reflection on the significance of the number 47, describing it in the spiritual tradition as a number associated with transformation and selfless endeavour. "Just as those who work without expectation of reward are guided by this number, the BJP has been a force for transformative change in the nation's history," he said.

From Jana Sangh to BJP: A 75-Year Ideological Continuum

Tracing the party's lineage, Mr. Madhav recalled that the Bharatiya Jana Sangh was founded on October 21, 1951, and reconstituted as the Bharatiya Janata Party on April 6, 1980. He said the 75-year journey had been defined by a consistent commitment to national reconstruction, cultural preservation, and the assertion of India's civilisational identity.

He paid tribute to party founder Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, whose sacrifice during the 'Chalo Kashmir' movement for the territorial integrity of Jammu and Kashmir, he said, remained an indelible chapter in India's political history. He noted that leaders such as Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya and Atal Bihari Vajpayee had subsequently expanded the party's reach across the country, building it into a national force.

Emergency, Kargil and the Vajpayee Era

Mr. Madhav recalled that Jana Sangh workers had waged an unrelenting 19-month struggle against the Emergency imposed in 1975, with thousands imprisoned and others continuing the fight underground. "They gave the country a second freedom struggle," he said. He also highlighted the party's role during the Goa liberation movement and the wars of 1962 and 1965, when workers rendered service to the nation.

Turning to the Vajpayee era, Mr. Madhav said the BJP government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee had steered India towards strength through the Pokhran nuclear tests, victory in the Kargil conflict, and path-breaking diplomatic initiatives such as the Lahore bus yatra. "Vajpayee remains the gold standard of good governance," he said.

Modi Era: Security, Diplomacy and Development

Describing the BJP's return to power in 2014 under Narendra Modi as a defining moment, Mr. Madhav highlighted a series of landmark decisions including the abrogation of Article 370, the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, the expansion of welfare schemes, rural development initiatives, and the Digital India programme.

On national security, he said India had demonstrated its resolve through surgical strikes and air strikes following the Uri and Pulwama attacks. He added that India's standing on the international stage had risen considerably, with the country maintaining balanced diplomatic relations with Iran, Israel, the United States, and Russia simultaneously.

Viksit Bharat 2047: The Defining Mission

Articulating the party's forward vision, Mr. Madhav said the BJP was committed to realising the goal of a fully developed India by 2047 — the centenary of independence — under the guiding principle of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas. He called upon every citizen to become a participant in this national endeavour.

On the party's organisational agenda in Andhra Pradesh, he said special programmes had been taken up to expand the BJP's presence to the village level, with the 'Mana Illu Mana Jenda' initiative encouraging every worker to hoist the party flag at their home and build awareness among the people. He reaffirmed the party's commitment to strengthening its role within the alliance government in keeping with the aspirations of the people.

Summing up the party's philosophy, Mr. Madhav declared: "Politics is not our profession — it is our mission." He called upon workers to draw inspiration from the sacrifices of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya and dedicate themselves to nation-building and social upliftment.

The function was attended by state general secretary Matta Prasad, state secretary Boddu Nagalakshmi, state office in-charge Uppalapati Srinivasa Raju, Kisan Morcha president Chigurpati Kumar Swamy, SC Morcha president Panatala Suresh, Minority Morcha president Syed Basha, NTR district president Adduri Sriram, and other senior functionaries.

VIJAYAWADA, March 31: The Bharatiya Janata Party's NTR District Mahila Morcha committee was formally constituted and sworn in on Tuesday morning at the party's NTR district office here, in a ceremony that drew senior party functionaries and newly appointed women leaders in large numbers.

The oath-taking ceremony, held at 11 a.m., was conducted under the direction of BJP State President PVN Madhav and BJP State Mahila Morcha President Nishita Raju, and was presided over jointly by BJP NTR District President Adduri Sriram and NTR District Mahila Morcha President MVK Padmaja.

Appointment letters were formally handed over to the newly inducted committee members by Adduri Sriram and MVK Padmaja, who also administered the oath of office to the incoming leadership.

Addressing the gathering, Adduri Sriram said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to appoint a tribal woman as the President of India and an ordinary woman party worker as the Union Finance Minister left no room for doubt that he stood firmly as a champion of women's empowerment. He expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for not merely encouraging women across all walks of life but for placing women's empowerment at the very centre of national governance.

Extending his congratulations to the newly constituted district Mahila Morcha leadership, Adduri Sriram called upon every elected woman leader to work tirelessly for the party — with the ferocity and determination of a cheetah — in the run-up to the forthcoming local body and panchayat elections, where he said the BJP must demonstrate its true strength.

The event was seen as part of the party's broader organisational consolidation ahead of local elections in Andhra Pradesh.

Amaravati ( Journalist File ) : Minister Nara Lokesh demonstrated his humanitarian spirit by providing urgent medical assistance to a 14-day-old infant in critical condition. During a public grievance session, the baby's parents, in tears, appealed for help due to their child's serious health issues, which deeply affected Lokesh.

Responding promptly, Lokesh took immediate action to ensure the infant received the necessary medical care, effectively granting the child a second chance at life. The emotional encounter unfolded at the Praja Darbar, where the parents expressed their despair over their newborn's struggle for survival.

The baby, born to Chadal Venkata Maheshwar Rao from Jaggaiahpet in NTR district, had been crying continuously at night and was unable to feed. Concerned for their child's health, the family sought treatment at a nearby hospital. However, the situation worsened when the infant developed low platelet levels, prompting doctors to recommend transfer to a more advanced facility in Vijayawada.

Faced with the prospect of high medical costs and limited financial means, Maheshwar Rao found himself in a desperate situation. Following a friend’s suggestion, he approached Lokesh’s residence late at night on September 27. The next morning, during the public session, he pleaded for assistance, fearing his child would not survive.

Minister Lokesh immediately responded, arranging support through the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF) to cover the medical expenses and save the infant’s life. After 14 days of treatment, the baby was discharged in good health, bringing immense joy to the parents.

In a heartfelt meeting at the Praja Darbar, the parents expressed their gratitude to Lokesh for his timely intervention, declaring they would remain indebted for life. Lokesh reassured them, promising ongoing support and encouragement during their difficult times.