AMARAVATI, APRIL 29: The Central Government has released ₹207.03 crore as the first instalment of its share under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) for Andhra Pradesh, towards strengthening the livelihoods of women members of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) operating under the DWACRA framework and implemented through the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP).

BJP State President PVN Madhav welcomed the development and conveyed his gratitude to the Central Government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the timely release of funds.

Total outlay of ₹690 crore for 2026-27

According to Mr. Madhav, a total of ₹690 crore is expected to be made available to SHGs in the State under DAY-NRLM for the financial year 2026-27. The Centre's first instalment of ₹207.03 crore will be supplemented by the State Government's matching grant of 40 per cent, which is to be released shortly, he said.

The funds are intended to support rural women in improving their economic standing, expanding self-employment opportunities, and enabling their transition towards micro-entrepreneurship, Mr. Madhav stated.

Women's empowerment a priority, says Madhav

Emphasising the Centre's commitment to women's economic empowerment, Mr. Madhav said the Modi government had consistently accorded priority to programmes that strengthen grassroots-level women's collectives. "These funds will play a decisive role in consolidating the gains of the SHG movement in Andhra Pradesh and in building a more resilient rural economy," he said.

The DAY-NRLM, implemented through SERP in Andhra Pradesh, is one of the largest institutional platforms for rural women's livelihoods in the country, with DWACRA SHGs serving as its foundational unit at the village level.

AMARAVATI, April 20: The Andhra Pradesh government has formulated a comprehensive skill development programme as part of a broader population management policy aimed at addressing the economic barriers to childbearing, Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav announced on Monday.

The skill development component forms one of the five pillars of the State's new population stabilisation policy, which was designed to encourage couples to voluntarily opt for higher fertility by creating an enabling socio-economic environment.

Fertility rate concern

Expressing concern over the State's current total fertility rate (TFR) of 1.50 — well below the replacement level of 2.10 required for a stable population balance between the young and the elderly — Mr. Satya Kumar Yadav said the government had drawn up a holistic policy to reverse the trend. The overarching goal of the programme is to achieve a $2.40 trillion State economy, which would be facilitated by a stabilised population structure, he said.

Targets set for 2035

Under the skill development plan, the government has set the following targets to be achieved by 2035: extending digital literacy to 95 per cent of the population; providing need-identified skill training to 75 per cent of the workforce; ensuring employment for over 80 per cent of trained persons; offering certificate courses to one lakh persons in childcare and elder-care services; and increasing women's participation in the labour force by 25 per cent.

Industry-aligned training

The Minister stated that training programmes would be tailored to the requirements of industries investing in the State, with a specific focus on information technology, green energy, electronics, and quantum computing. He noted that 610 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and related agreements signed at Visakhapatnam, entailing investments exceeding ₹13 lakh crore, would guide the identification of skill requirements. Industrialists and investors would be given due representation in the design of training curricula, he added.

Three-tier framework

The skill programmes would operate across three levels, Mr. Satya Kumar Yadav explained. Foundational courses would be introduced from Class VI, with the aim of building capabilities from a young age. Existing workers of varying age groups would receive training to enhance their productivity. Centres of Excellence would also be established to cater to higher-end skill requirements.

Emphasising that learning was not confined to those under 25, the Minister said older persons would also receive training in various domains so that all age groups could contribute to social and economic development.

The Minister appealed to citizens to make the most of the opportunities that would be created under the programme.

Guntur, April 17: BJP State media panellist Taduvai Ramakrishna on Friday launched a sharp attack on Leader of Opposition in Parliament Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of conduct unbecoming of a parliamentarian and of making remarks that brought shame to civilised society.

Referring to the debate in Parliament on Friday, Ramakrishna alleged that Gandhi's comments were deeply offensive to the 140 crore people of the country. He said that Gandhi had not only made inappropriate remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi but had also criticised the Indian Army, which he described as painful and unacceptable. He demanded that Gandhi apologise to the nation immediately for his statements.

Ramakrishna also trained his guns on the Congress party, alleging that its positions have consistently worked against national interests. He said the party had exposed its true character by opposing the Women's Reservation Bill and attempting to obstruct the delimitation process. He reaffirmed that the BJP-led NDA government remained firmly committed to the empowerment of women.

Turning to the Congress leadership, he alleged that the party's policies had become an impediment to the country's progress. Citing a series of political developments over the years, he said the decline of the Congress party was only accelerating under Rahul Gandhi's leadership.

Ramakrishna said the people of the country were welcoming the Central government's decisions aimed at national development, particularly the advancement of Other Backward Classes and the political empowerment of women. He described the introduction of the Women's Reservation Bill as a historic moment and asserted that the credit for this landmark legislation belonged entirely to the BJP and the NDA government.

Amaravati, April 14: The Andhra Pradesh BC Employees Federation has urged the Central government to provide a special sub-quota for Backward Classes women within the Women's Reservation Bill, warning that social justice would remain incomplete without adequate representation for the state's most marginalised communities.

State president Polaki Srinivasarao, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said that while the provision of 33 per cent reservation for women was a welcome development, it was imperative to ensure that BC women received a defined share within that allocation. The absence of any explicit guarantee for BC women in the current framework, he cautioned, would render the bill's empowerment objectives only partially fulfilled.

Mr. Srinivasarao pointed out that Backward Classes constitute a significant proportion of the country's population, and their continued exclusion from meaningful political representation would impede their socio-economic advancement. He drew particular attention to the challenges faced by BC women in rural areas, arguing that political representation offered them the most effective platform for addressing structural inequities.

Drawing a parallel with existing provisions for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe women under the bill, the Federation president argued that extending a comparable sub-quota to BC women was essential to achieving genuine equality. Such a measure, he said, would not merely serve political ends but contribute substantively to broader social equilibrium.

The Federation called upon the Central government to respond without delay, introduce appropriate amendments to the Women's Reservation Bill, and initiate a nationwide consultative process that takes into account the views of all sections of society before the legislation is finalised.

Visakhapatnam, April 12: State Health Minister Y. Satyakumar Yadav on Monday announced that the Centre is set to introduce the 'Nari Shakti Vandanam' legislation aimed at ensuring adequate representation for women in legislative bodies, with parliamentary debate on the Bill scheduled for the 17th and 18th of this month.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP district office, presided over by district president M.M.N. Parashurama Raju, the Minister underscored the stark disparity between women's share of the population and their presence in elected bodies. "Women constitute more than half the country's population, yet their representation in legislatures stands at a mere 13 per cent," he said.

Mr. Satyakumar pointed to the success of the 33 per cent reservation for women in local bodies as evidence of their capability and readiness for a larger political role. He also cited schemes such as Jan Dhan accounts, Startup India, and Stand Up India as instruments through which women had achieved greater economic self-reliance in recent years.

Reaffirming the NDA coalition's commitment to substantive rather than rhetorical women's empowerment, the Minister stated that the alliance had set itself the goal of implementing the women's reservation framework from the next elections onward.

Opposition in the crosshairs

Turning to political matters, Mr. Satyakumar trained his criticism on the opposition, expressing surprise that the Congress party, which he said had failed to cross even the 100-seat mark, continued to level charges against the government. He also took strong exception to remarks by YSRCP leaders regarding investments by global firms such as Google and ArcelorMittal in the State, calling their statements unwarranted.

On the Bhogapuram project, the Minister said it was untenable for those who had neglected the initiative for five years to now claim ownership of it.

Commenting on the broader national political landscape, Mr. Satyakumar asserted that a change in governance was needed in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, and added that senior coalition leaders would campaign in areas with a significant Telugu-speaking population wherever elections are under way.

The press conference was attended by BJP Legislature Party leader P. Vishnu Kumar Raju, TDP district president Ch. Pattabhi, BJP State secretary U. Sujatha Raj, and women leaders N. Jyothi and Ananthalakshmi, among others.

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: Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Satyakumar Yadav on Monday sounded a sharp warning over the state's sharply declining fertility rate, calling it a new kind of population time bomb that could trigger severe economic and social consequences if left unaddressed. In a detailed statement released here, the Minister said the state's Total Fertility Rate — the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime — had fallen to an alarming 1.50, well below the replacement level of 2.10 required for population stabilisation.

Announcing that the state government had formulated a new Population Stabilisation Policy Framework, the Minister said the document would be placed in the public domain shortly, on the directions of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, for wide consultation among citizens, media, and other stakeholders.

A Demographic Shift in the Making

Presenting a sobering statistical picture, the Minister said the state's population growth rate had declined from 7.10 per cent during 2011–15 to 1.70 per cent at present, and was projected to fall further to 0.30 per cent by 2035 if the current trend continued. The fertility rate, which stood at 1.68 not long ago, has already slipped to 1.50 and risks declining further without corrective intervention.

The Minister pointed to a widening generational imbalance. The median age of Andhra Pradesh's population currently stands at 32.50 years, compared to the national median of 28 years — a gap that he said illustrated how much faster the state's population was ageing relative to the rest of the country.

Projections underlying the new policy framework paint a stark picture: the share of children below 14 years in the state's population, which stood at 25 per cent in 2011, is expected to fall to 15 per cent by 2036. Simultaneously, the proportion of those above 60 years is projected to nearly double from 10 per cent to 19 per cent by 2036, and rise further to 23 per cent by 2047 — a trajectory that the Minister warned would seriously impede the state's Swarna Andhra development goals.

"If the present trend continues, the demographic dividend we currently enjoy will disappear by 2040, and we will instead be burdened with a rapidly ageing population," the Minister cautioned.

A New Policy Direction

Marking a significant departure from decades of population control policy, the new framework shifts its focus from limiting family size to creating conditions under which families voluntarily choose to have more children. The Minister said the earlier policy of state-directed family planning targets had run its course and that the time had come to build a supportive environment for larger families.

The framework is built around five pillars — Matrutva (maternal and child health), Sanjeevani (lifelong health monitoring through individual health records), Shakti (women's empowerment), Kshema (dignified and productive ageing), and Naipunya (skill development across life stages) — each designed to reinforce the other in a mutually supportive architecture.

Women's Empowerment at the Centre

The Minister underlined that women's empowerment was central to the success of the new policy. The framework aims to raise women's participation in the workforce from the current level to 60 per cent — an increase of over 25 percentage points — over the next decade, which the government estimates would contribute a 15 per cent increase in the state's Gross State Domestic Product.

The policy also proposes to bring down the proportion of women undergoing sterilisation from the current 70 per cent to 50 per cent within five years, and to extend free infertility treatment services to the estimated 12 lakh families in the state facing fertility-related challenges.

Chief Minister's Initiative

Attributing the policy initiative to Chief Minister Naidu's foresight in anticipating long-term demographic challenges, the Minister said the framework had emerged from the Chief Minister's thinking on proactively addressing problems before they reached a point of no return.

The Minister called on the public, media, and civil society to engage actively with the policy document once released, and to support the building of a broader social movement around population stabilisation. "The next ten years are critical. We must achieve a fertility rate of 2.10 by 2035 to lay the foundation for a stable and prosperous Andhra Pradesh," he said.

-  రాష్ట్ర మహిళా కమిషన్ చైర్ పర్సన్ డాక్టర్ రాయపాటి శైలజ పిలుపు

గుంటూరు (జర్నలిస్ట్ ఫైల్) : అమ్మాయిల్లో ఆత్మవిశ్వాసం, స్వేచ్ఛ, ఎదిగే శక్తిని నూరిపోసే బాధ్యత తల్లిదండ్రులదేనని రాష్ట్ర మహిళా కమిషన్ చైర్ పర్సన్ డాక్టర్ రాయపాటి శైలజ పిలుపునిచ్చారు. కమ్మజన సేవాసమితి ఆధ్వర్యంలో ఆదివారం గుంటూరులో జరిగిన 23వ తల్లిదండ్రుల సమావేశానికి ఆమె ముఖ్య అతిథిగా హాజరై మాట్లాడారు. అబ్బాయిలతో సమానంగా అమ్మాయిల చదువు, ఉద్యోగ అవకాశాలను ప్రోత్సహించాలన్నారు.

ఆర్ధిక అవగాహన ఉండాలని, ఆర్ధిక స్వేచ్ఛ కలిగిన అమ్మాయిలు తమ జీవితాన్ని స్వయంగా నిర్ణయించుకునే శక్తిని, ఆత్మవిశ్వాసాన్ని పొందుతారని రాయపాటి శైలజ చెప్పారు. తల్లిదండ్రుల ఆదర్శాలు, ఆశయాలు నిలబెట్టే ఆడపిల్లనూ వారసురాలిగా సమాజం గుర్తించాలని ఆమె కోరారు. బాలికలకు చదువు అవసరంతో పాటు వారు ఎదిగిన తర్వాత ఆర్ధిక స్వేచ్ఛ ఉండాలన్నారు. ఇంటిలో ఆడపిల్లలతో తల్లిదండ్రులు కేటాయించే సమయం పెరగాలని, వారి ఆలోచనలను ఎప్పటికప్పుడు పంచుకున్నప్పుడే మూడో వ్యక్తుల ప్రమేయం తగ్గుతుందనేది అందరూ తెలుసుకోవాలన్నారు. శారీరక, మానసికంగా ధృఢంగా ఉన్నప్పుడే మహిళ అన్నిరంగాలలో ఎదగగలదని చెప్పారు. అమ్మాయిలు ఇళ్ళల్లో చిన్నచిన్న విషయాలకు కాకుండా తమ రక్షణకు, ఎదుగుదలకు మొండితనం చూపడంలో తప్పేమీలేదన్నారు. నేటి సమాజంలో సైబర్ నేరాల పట్ల అప్రమత్తంగా ఉండాల్సిన అవసరం ఉందన్నారు. ఆన్లైన్ పరిచయాల పట్ల బాలికలు స్వయం నియంత్రణతో మెలగాలన్నారు. సోషల్ మీడియా ఎంత అవసరమో అంతే వాడుకోవాలని, శృతిమించితే సమస్యలు వస్తాయని రాయపాటి శైలజ హెచ్చరించారు.

బ్లాక్ మెయిలింగ్ కు పాల్పడే వారి చర్యలకు  భయపడి మానసిక వత్తిడికి గురికాకుండా తల్లిదండ్రుల సహకారం కోరాలని ఆమె పిలుపునిచ్చారు. కమ్మజన సేవాసమితి పాలకవర్గం తరఫున రాయపాటి శైలజకు శాలువాతో సత్కరించి జ్ఞాపికను అందించారు. ఈ కార్యక్రమంలో ఏపీ టెక్నాలజీ సర్వీసెస్ ఛైర్మన్ మన్నవ మోహన్ క్రిష్ణ, రాష్ట్ర కమ్మ కార్పొరేషన్ చైర్మన్ నాదెండ్ల బ్రహ్మం చౌదరి, పారిశ్రామికవేత్తలు నూతక్కి రామకృష్ణ ప్రసాద్, చల్లా రాజేంద్రప్రసాద్, చుక్కపల్లి రమేష్, బౌద్ధ తత్త్వవేత్త డాక్టర్ మల్లెంపాటి సాంబశివరావు, కమ్మజన సేవాసమితి పాలకవర్గ సభ్యులు, వసతి గృహ విద్యార్ధినులు, తల్లిదండ్రులు పాల్గొన్నారు.

-సిజిహెచ్ఎస్ చీఫ్ మెడికల్ ఆఫీసర్ డాక్టర్ టి. సిహెచ్. కోటేశ్వరరావు

గుంటూరు (జర్నలిస్ట్ ఫైల్) : ప్రస్తుతం ప్రపంచాన్ని పట్టి పీడిస్తున్న భూతం క్యాన్సరే నని, ఆ మహమ్మారిని ఎదుర్కొనేందుకు ప్రతి ఒక్కరూ సిద్ధంగా ఉండాలని సిజిహెచ్ఎస్ ( సెంట్రల్ గవర్నమెంట్ హెల్త్ స్కీం ) చీఫ్ మెడికల్ ఆఫీసర్ డాక్టర్ టి. సిహెచ్. కోటేశ్వరరావు పిలుపునిచ్చారు. స్వస్ట్ నారీ సశక్త్ పరివార్ అభియాన్ కార్యక్రమంలో భాగంగా మంగళవారం గుంటూరు నగరంపాలెంలోని సిజిహెచ్ఎస్ వెల్ నెస్ కేంద్రంలో ' ఒమేగా హాస్పిటల్ ' వారి సౌజన్యంతొ క్యాన్సర్ పై మహిళలకు అవగాహనా మరియు ఉచిత పరీక్షలు నిర్వహించారు. ప్రారంభోత్సవ సభలో డాక్టర్ టి.సిహెచ్. కోటేశ్వరరావు మాట్లాడుతూ..ఆధునిక జీవన శైలి, క్రమరహిత ఆహరపు అలవాట్లు, జంక్ ఫుడ్ వినియోగం, కాలుష్యంతొ క్యాన్సర్ కేసులు విజ్రంభిస్తున్నాయన్నారు. చిన్న పెద్ద, పేద ధనిక, పల్లెలు, పట్నాలు అనే తేడా లేకుండా క్యాన్సర్ సునామి ప్రమాద ఘంటికలు మొగిస్తుందన్నారు. క్యాన్సర్ భయం రోగి మనసును, శరీరాన్ని, ఆత్మను దెబ్బ తీస్తుందన్నారు. ఈ నేపథ్యంలో క్యాన్సర్ వ్యాధి సోకిన వారికి జీవితం మీద ఆశలు కల్పిస్తూ, వ్యాధి గ్రస్తుల్లో మనో ధైర్యం నింపేందుకు ప్రతి ఒక్కరూ కృషి చేయాల్సిన అవసరం ఉందని ఆయన సూచించారు. ముఖ్యంగా రోగులకు ఆత్మ నిర్భరత, ఆత్మ స్థైర్యం అందించాలన్నారు. వ్యాధి నివారణ చికిత్సపై అవగాహన పెంచాలన్నారు. కుటుంబం, సమాజం, వైద్యులు క్యాన్సర్ రోగులకు ప్రతి దశ లో జయిస్తాను అనే మనో నిబ్బరం కలిగించాలన్నారు. సరైన కౌన్సిలింగ్ తొ, రోగి మనసు, శరీరం, ఆత్మ కోలుకునే సలహాలు, సూచనలు ఇవ్వాలన్నారు. క్యాన్సర్ పట్ల భయాన్ని తొలగించినప్పుడే, రోగి త్వరగా కోలుకోగలడని కోటేశ్వరరావు తెలిపారు.

ఒమేగా హాస్పిటల్ రేడియేషన్ ఆంకాలజిస్ట్ డాక్టర్ పి. గీతా రుక్మిణి మాట్లాడుతూ.. ప్రతి మహిళ ఎడాదికొకసారి రొమ్ము, గర్బాశయ పరీక్షలు చేయించుకోవాలని కోరారు. క్యాన్సర్ ముప్పును ముందుగానే గుర్తిస్తే, నివారణ అతి సులభమన్నారు. ముదిరిన క్యాన్సర్ కణితిని తుదముట్టించేందుకు రకరకాల అస్త్రశస్త్రాలతో సంసిద్దమై ఉన్నామన్నారు. ఉచిత క్యాన్సర్ శిబిరాలను మహిళలు సద్వినియోగం చేసుకోవాలని సూచించారు. అనంతరం 54 మంది మహిళలకు బ్రెస్ట్, పాప్ స్మియర్ పరీక్షలు నిర్వహించి, క్యాన్సర్ పై అవగాహనా కల్పించారు. మహిళలకు క్యాన్సర్ టెస్ట్లునిర్వహించిన ఒమేగా హాస్పిటల్ టీమ్ కు సిజిహెచ్ఎస్ డాక్టర్స్ కృతజ్ఞతలు తెలిపారు. ఈ కార్యక్రమంలో సిజిహెచ్ఎస్ నర్సింగ్ ఆఫీసర్ హేమా సుందరి, ఫార్మాసిస్టులు అయేషా, సునీల్ సిబ్బంది కె. మురళీ కృష్ణ, రామారావు, మోహన్, వెంకటేశ్వర్లు, మక్బుల్,రత్నరాజు ఒమేగా డాక్టర్లు ఎన్. శుభశ్రీ, వంశీ కృష్ణ మేనేజర్ కె. బాపు రెడ్డి నర్సింగ్ స్టాఫ్ గీతా, దివ్య, దుర్గా భవాని, అలేఖ్య, శేష సాయి పాల్గొన్నారు.