GUWAHATI, May 12: Himanta Biswa Sarma was sworn in as Chief Minister of Assam for the second consecutive term on Tuesday, following a decisive victory by the National Democratic Alliance in the recently concluded state assembly elections. The oath-taking ceremony was held at the Veterinary College Field in Guwahati.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Minister Nara Lokesh, several senior Union Ministers, and NDA chief ministers and deputy chief ministers from across the country attended the ceremony.

Along with Sarma, four cabinet ministers were also administered the oath of office on Tuesday. The ministerial berths were distributed among NDA constituent parties — the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Asom Gana Parishad and the Bodoland People's Front. Atul Bora of the Asom Gana Parishad, Charan Boro of the Bodoland People's Front, and Rameshwar Teli and Ajanta Neog of the BJP took oath as ministers in the new cabinet.

The NDA's emphatic performance in the Assam assembly elections, winning 81 of the 126 seats, paved the way for the alliance to return to power in the northeastern state for a third consecutive term — a feat that underscores the consolidation of the ruling coalition's political base in the region.

Sarma, who first assumed office as Chief Minister in 2021, has been the dominant face of BJP's political expansion in the northeast. His return to power with a strengthened mandate is widely seen as an endorsement of his administration's governance record over the past term.

The swearing-in ceremony witnessed a significant gathering of NDA leadership from across the country, reflecting the alliance's solidarity and the national importance accorded to the BJP's continued hold over Assam, one of the key states in India's northeastern corridor.

AMARAVATI, May 10: Andhra Pradesh has secured second place nationally in two prestigious Union government awards recognising excellence in rural development, BJP State President PVN Madhav announced on Sunday, describing the achievement as a matter of pride for every resident of the State.

The awards — the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Satatva Vikas Puraskar–2025 and the Nanaji Deshmukh Sarvottam Panchayat Satatva Puraskar–2025 — are conferred by the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj to honour outstanding contributions to sustainable village development, sanitation, and the realisation of Gram Swaraj ideals.

Mr. Madhav attributed the recognition to the sustained efforts of the NDA alliance government in the State, saying it vindicated the administration's commitment to strengthening the Panchayati Raj system at the grassroots level. He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership for charting a new course in rural development across the country.

The BJP State president extended his congratulations to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for his visionary stewardship of the State's development agenda, and to Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan for his effective management of the Panchayati Raj portfolio.

Special felicitations were conveyed to the sarpanches, elected representatives, administrative officials, and residents of the four gram panchayats that earned the awards — Shringavaram, Bokkasampalem, Chemullappalli, and Gundamala. Mr. Madhav expressed hope that the State would continue to advance further in achieving the goals of rural development, sanitation, and sustainable growth.

"This national recognition is a testament to what the NDA government has been able to accomplish in a short span of time by keeping villages and their people at the centre of governance," he said.

AMARAVATI: The Andhra Pradesh government is gearing up to hold extensive programmes across the State to mark the International Yoga Day on June 21, with Minister for Medical and Health Satya Kumar Yadav chairing a preparatory meeting with AYUSH officials at the department's headquarters here on Monday evening.

Addressing officials at the meeting, Mr. Satya Kumar Yadav directed that awareness about the importance of yoga be deepened among the public at large. He instructed officials to actively involve students, government employees, and members of Yoga associations, Rotary clubs, Lions clubs, and other civil society organisations in the planned events.

The Minister also suggested convening a dedicated meeting with yoga trainers across the State to solicit their inputs on the conduct of the programmes, and emphasised that the activities must build substantively on those held last year.

A State-level event of considerable scale is proposed to be organised in Amaravati under the chairmanship of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, and officials were asked to prepare proposals accordingly. District-level Yoga Day programmes are to be conducted under the leadership of respective Collectors.

Mr. Satya Kumar Yadav noted that educational institutions are expected to reopen from the second week of June, following the summer vacation, and said that promoting awareness about yoga among students at that stage would yield wide-ranging benefits. He added that such initiatives would also contribute to the realisation of the State government's vision of Swarna Andhra Pradesh.

Report on last year's impact sought

The Minister enquired specifically into the scale and impact of programmes held on the occasion of International Yoga Day last year and directed AYUSH In-charge Commissioner Ronankhi Gopalkrishna to prepare a detailed report on the same.

Speaking at the meeting, Dr. Mantena Satyanarayana Raju, State Government Adviser on Yoga and Naturopathy, offered several important suggestions on the precautions and measures needed to effectively build public awareness through yoga and allied programmes.

Mr. Satya Kumar Yadav is expected to hold another round of discussions with officials shortly on the conduct of the Yoga Day events, and will also consult Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on the matter.

AMARAVATI, APRIL 29:In a significant shift from curative to preventive healthcare, the Andhra Pradesh Health Department has approved a comprehensive citizen health screening scheme under which each identified individual will undergo 47 different medical tests annually, delivered through 104 Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) deployed across the State.

Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav gave his approval to the scheme on Wednesday. The initiative, which will entail an annual expenditure of ₹162.72 crore, is aimed at fulfilling a commitment made by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to assess the current health status of citizens through comprehensive medical examinations and take preventive action before diseases set in.

Scope and coverage

Under the scheme, a total of 56.4 lakh persons will be screened every year. This includes individuals identified through the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) survey as either already suffering from or at risk of various ailments, as well as students residing in welfare and educational hostels.

A marked departure from earlier practice

Until now, the 104 MMUs conducted only six types of tests once every 15 days at the village level — random blood sugar, urine sugar, haemoglobin, a rapid diagnostic test for diseases such as malaria, urine albumin, and a pregnancy confirmation test. These tests were largely carried out using rapid kits that often yielded imprecise results. Individual disease profiles and electronic health records at the village, mandal, and district levels were not being maintained.

The revamped scheme will replace this limited framework with a battery of 47 tests across 11 health parameters for each identified individual. The tests include eight liver function tests (LFT), six urine analysis tests, five lipid profile tests, five white blood cell count tests, five red blood cell count tests, four electrolyte tests, three renal function tests (RFT), three glucose tests, two coagulation tests, one ESR test for infection markers, and five other tests.

Disease profiles and health records

Based on the results of these comprehensive tests, individual disease profiles and electronic health records will be prepared for each citizen. Under the Sanjeevani scheme, personalised advisories will be issued covering immediate precautions and long-term preventive measures. Minister Satya Kumar Yadav described the launch of this screening initiative as a step of considerable importance in safeguarding the health of the State's population.

Role of service provider

In the first phase, covering a period of five years, the service provider currently operating the 104 MMU services through a fleet of 904 vehicles will be required to install, at its own cost, a semi-automatic bio-chemistry analyser, a CBC machine with three-part analyser, a microscope, and an incubator in each vehicle. The provider will also supply the necessary reagents and consumables for conducting all 47 tests. Each vehicle is expected to screen 20 persons per day across 26 working days a month, covering 520 individuals monthly.

Swift rollout directed

Minister Satya Kumar Yadav directed senior health department officials to take immediate steps to operationalise the scheme at the earliest. Officials informed the Minister that efforts were underway to launch the services within two months.

Mumbai: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday received the prestigious Economic Times Business Reformer of the Year award from Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, with the Chief Minister using the occasion to outline his ambitious vision for the state's economic transformation and Amaravati's emergence as a world-class city.

Amaravati as the Next Quantum Valley

Speaking in an interview with the Economic Times on the sidelines of the event, Naidu said Andhra Pradesh would become the number one state in the country in tandem with India's rise as a global economic power under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, driven by the state's Swarnandhra Vision 2047. Drawing on his earlier experience of developing Cyberabad, he said Amaravati would be built as a futuristic blue and green city with a net-zero concept. "People used to look towards Silicon Valley for IT — now Amaravati will emerge as a quantum valley," he said, adding that the city would surpass Hyderabad in its scale and ambition.

Green Energy Push and Global Investments

The Chief Minister said his government was actively promoting green energy, battery storage, pumped storage and green ammonia sectors. While the Prime Minister had set a national target of 500 GW of green energy, Andhra Pradesh had set its own target of 160 GW and had already achieved 90 GW. He noted that global companies, including Gold Centre, had come forward to set up a data centre in Visakhapatnam at a cost of $15 billion, with the foundation stone scheduled to be laid within days.

Reforms, Welfare and the P-4 Programme

Naidu reiterated that economic reforms were essential for wealth creation and, by extension, for the effective implementation of welfare schemes. He highlighted the state's P-4 programme, under which the top ten per cent of affluent sections of society are encouraged to support the bottom twenty per cent of the poor, as a model initiative for inclusive growth.

Women's Reservation Bill

Commenting on the Women's Reservation Bill, Naidu expressed his unequivocal support for the Central government's position and said he was unable to understand the logic behind the opposition parties' resistance to the legislation. He pointed out that if the bill were passed, the number of seats in southern states would increase by fifty per cent, opening up greater political opportunities for women. "If women strongly determine to see this through, the passing of the bill will be possible," he said.

Modi as Best Performer and Reformer

Describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the best performer and reformer the country had seen, Naidu said the liberalisation of rules under the current Central government had resulted in a significant surge in investments. He stressed that the promotion of industries remained central to wealth creation and long-term economic prosperity.

Population Management Policy

On the question of demographic challenges, Naidu expressed concern over India's declining fertility rate, currently at 1.9 per cent, and particularly Andhra Pradesh's rate of 1.5 per cent. He said population management was essential to ensuring a young India in the future and noted that the state had already introduced a dedicated population management policy to address the issue.

Technology-Driven Governance

The Chief Minister highlighted his government's adoption of cutting-edge technology in public services, including AI Doctor, AI Tutor and AI Agronomy initiatives, aimed at improving service delivery and productivity. He reaffirmed the government's commitment to transparent and efficient governance through what he described as the principles of Speed of Doing Business and Speed of Delivering Governance.

Receiving the award, Naidu expressed hope that the recognition would further boost investor confidence and help attract greater investment to Andhra Pradesh, calling it a key priority of his administration.

AMARAVATI, APRIL 24: Andhra Pradesh BJP State president P.V.N. Madhav on Thursday called upon alliance leaders to mount a sustained campaign to inform the public — particularly women — about the INDIA bloc's opposition to the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament, saying the matter must reach every doorstep in the State.

Mr. Madhav was speaking at a teleconference convened by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu with leaders of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), during which the strategy for a public outreach drive against the Opposition's stance on the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was discussed at length.

'Grave injustice to women'

Addressing the conference, Mr. Madhav said the Opposition parties had done a grave injustice to women across the country by blocking the Nari Shakti Bill, which he described as a landmark legislation central to women's empowerment. He characterised the move as being contrary to democratic values and said it was incumbent upon the NDA to ensure that women in every part of the State were made aware of who had stood in the way of their political representation.

He directed party and alliance leaders to organise wide-ranging awareness programmes on behalf of the NDA to carry this message to every home and every woman voter, and to highlight the coalition's commitment to safeguarding women's rights.

Delimitation issue

Mr. Madhav also addressed the question of constituency delimitation based on updated population data, assuring leaders that the exercise would be carried out equitably without any discrimination between northern and southern States. He asked NDA functionaries to proactively dispel misconceptions and unwarranted apprehensions that were being circulated among the public on the matter, and to ensure that a clear and factual understanding prevailed at the grassroots level.

The teleconference, chaired by Mr. Naidu, is understood to have reviewed the broader political situation and chalked out the NDA's outreach agenda in the State in the weeks ahead.

AMARAVATI, APRIL 24: Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav met Professor Y.Y. Teo of the Department of Public Health at the National University of Singapore (NUS) on the sidelines of his Singapore visit on Thursday, discussing ways to align the State's healthcare system with global standards.

Prof. Teo is a member of the high-level advisory council constituted by the State government to guide reforms in the health sector.

During the meeting, Mr. Yadav briefed Prof. Teo on the range of initiatives being undertaken by the Telugu Desam-led coalition government under Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to strengthen public health delivery in the State.

AI, digital records, and cancer screening

The minister outlined the State's adoption of artificial intelligence in healthcare services for economically weaker patients, and the use of the NCD-04 programme for early detection of oral, breast, and cervical cancers through systematic screening. He also spoke about the ongoing development of electronic health records to consolidate patient data across the State's health network.

Mr. Yadav drew particular attention to the STEMI programme, under which patients arriving at government hospitals within the golden hour of a cardiac event are provided a costly clot-dissolving injection free of charge — a measure aimed at improving survival outcomes for heart attack patients who cannot afford private care.

Gates Foundation partnership

The minister also apprised Prof. Teo of the memorandum of understanding signed with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to improve healthcare delivery in the State, and the steps being taken in furtherance of that agreement.

Mr. Yadav urged Prof. Teo to offer specific recommendations and best-practice guidance that could be incorporated into the State's evolving health policy framework. Prof. Teo expressed satisfaction with the direction of the State government's approach to public health reform.

The meeting is expected to pave the way for deeper academic and technical collaboration between the State government and NUS in strengthening Andhra Pradesh's healthcare infrastructure in the coming years.

Amaravati, April 23: Andhra Pradesh's pioneering experiment of deploying artificial intelligence-based medical services through startups across 18 government hospitals has yielded encouraging results, with the State Health and Medical Department set to felicitate the best-performing startups with cash incentives and a work order worth one crore rupees, Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav announced on Thursday.

In what is being described as a first of its kind initiative in the country, 18 startups were simultaneously deployed across government hospitals in the State under the 'AP MedTech Innovation Challenge', a policy framework introduced by the Health Department. The Minister attributed the success of the initiative to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's vision for technology-driven governance.

Out of 297 applications received from startups, 18 were shortlisted through a three-tier evaluation process to operate across four categories — Diagnostic Tools, Portable Point of Care, Smart Monitoring and Wearables, and Remote Care Telemedicine. Over a 37-day period from February to end of March, the startups collectively served 12,677 patients under medical supervision.

Notable Outcomes

The results have been significant across multiple health parameters. One startup, after screening 7,433 patients, detected early-stage tuberculosis in 15 to 25 per cent of those examined. Another screened 1,200 patients and identified 34 requiring cataract surgery and 10 with glaucoma. A cervical cancer screening drive flagged suspected symptoms in 15 individuals. In Parvathipuram Manyam district, respiratory problems were detected in 30 newborns, while cardiac screening of 323 patients in Kurnool district revealed heart-related anomalies in 2.17 per cent of cases. Notably, the deployment of AI scribe technology in consultations with 2,100 patients resulted in a time saving of up to 70 per cent compared to conventional methods.

The startups demonstrated their innovations at hospitals including GGH Kakinada, Vijayawada, Anantapur, Tirupati Ruia, Visakha Victoria, and several primary and sub-health centres across the State.

Evaluation and Incentives

The performance of these startups will be assessed by the Committee for Applied Technologies in Health (CATH), which includes representatives from the Indian Institute of Science, ICMR, AIG Hospitals Hyderabad, and other leading institutions. Startups ranked first, second, and third across four categories — totalling 12 organisations — will receive cash incentives of Rs. 5 lakh, Rs. 3 lakh, and Rs. 2 lakh respectively, amounting to a total outlay of Rs. 40 lakh. The top-performing startup overall will additionally receive a work order valued at Rs. one crore. These measures are being taken in accordance with GO No. 33 issued by the IT Department in August 2025.

A special conference is to be convened shortly in Amaravati to disseminate the findings to all departments within the Health Ministry, with government medical officers from all districts, medical students, faculty, and representatives from national bodies including the National Health Authority, e-Health Startup India, India AI Mission, and IIT Kanpur, among others, expected to participate.

The government is also considering continuing the AP MedTech Innovation Challenge framework as a sustained policy to progressively expand AI-based services across government hospitals in the State.

Vijayawada, April 17: The Central government is taking concrete steps towards the liberation and social development of Denotified Tribes (DNTs), with a firm commitment to erasing the colonial-era criminal stigma attached to these communities and mainstreaming them into society, said DNT Board members Praveen Guge and Bharat Bhai Patni on Friday.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP State office here, they said the SEED scheme would play a pivotal role in the development of approximately 80 lakh DNT community members in Andhra Pradesh. They expressed concern over the inordinate delays in the issuance of DNT certificates in the State.

The DNT Board members suggested that the Gujarat model be replicated in Andhra Pradesh, with the process of issuing certificates being expedited through District Collectors. They demanded that welfare schemes be extended to all communities identified by the Idate Commission and called for the immediate constitution of a dedicated DNT Development Board in the State.

They also urged the State government to go beyond issuing house pattas on paper and ensure that land is physically handed over to beneficiaries without further delay. They indicated that these issues would be taken up directly with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and the State Chief Secretary.

The BJP leaders announced that a special event, 'Vimukta Dinotsavam', would be organised exclusively for DNT communities. They assured that the BJP OBC Morcha would stand firmly behind these communities at the district level in safeguarding their rights.

Among those present at the event were OBC Morcha State president Rongala Gopi Srinivas, former NTDNTDT convener Arabolu Chandrashekhar, leaders Annapureddy Venkat and Gorantla Srinivas, BJP State media in-charge Kilaru Dilip, OBC Coastal Andhra zonal in-charge Tullimilli Ramakrishna Yadav, and OBC State secretary Shivalalitha.

AMARAVATI, April 15: A significant meeting of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partner parties was held at the residence of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu here on Wednesday, where the alliance partners resolved to extend unified support to the Women's Reservation Bill and the Delimitation Bill currently being taken up in Parliament, hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi for what they described as landmark legislative initiatives.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, BJP State president P.V.N. Madhav, and TDP State president Palla Srinivasarao, among other senior leaders. The discussions, which lasted nearly two and a half hours, centred on the latest developments unfolding in New Delhi, particularly concerning constituency delimitation and the Women's Reservation Bill.

The leaders decided that all MLAs and MLCs of the alliance parties would gather at a common venue in Amaravati on April 17 to watch the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill live. It was also resolved to extend invitations to all political parties in the State, including the YSR Congress Party, as well as prominent women leaders, to participate in the event.

A programme expressing support for the Bill is to be organised immediately upon its passage in the Lok Sabha.

Addressing concerns over delimitation, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said that he had sought and received clarification from the Central leadership, particularly Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, regarding apprehensions that southern States would not receive a proportionate increase in parliamentary seats. The Centre had categorically assured that seat allocation would follow the pro-rata method and that southern States would suffer no disadvantage, he said.

Chief Minister Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, and BJP State president P.V.N. Madhav expressed satisfaction over the clarifications received. The leaders condemned what they described as a disinformation campaign surrounding the seat-sharing formula and resolved to politically welcome both Bills.

It was further decided to organise extensive programmes at the district and constituency levels in support of the Women's Reservation Bill, and to ensure that women across the State express their gratitude to Prime Minister Modi for the historic legislation. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu directed that live streaming of the Bill's introduction in Parliament be arranged across all constituencies in the State.

Chief Minister Naidu Inaugurates Open-Access Quantum Reference Facilities at Amaravati and Gannavaram

Amaravati, April 14: Andhra Pradesh took a significant stride in India's quantum technology ambitions on Monday as Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated the country's first open-access quantum reference facility at SRM University in Amaravati, while virtually launching a second facility — Amaravati Quantum Reference Facility-2 — at Medha Towers in Gannavaram. The twin inaugurations, held on the occasion of World Quantum Day and the birth anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar, mark the state's emergence as India's first quantum technology hub.

The two systems — Amaravati 1S, housed at SRM University, and Amaravati 1Q, located at Medha Towers — are fully functional hardware test beds designed to enable validation, benchmarking, and certification of quantum systems under real operating conditions. Mr. Naidu described the facilities as platforms that would allow India not merely to study quantum technology, but to build, test, refine and trust it.

"For too long, India missed major global breakthroughs in hardware and products. Quantum gives India a once-in-a-generation opportunity to develop hardware," the Chief Minister said, adding that the state government remained committed to producing an indigenous quantum computer from Amaravati in the near future. "There is no dearth of funds for innovation," he asserted.

Underlining the broader social potential of the technology, Mr. Naidu said that when quantum computing accelerates drug discovery, citizens would have access to better medicines, and when it improves optimisation, farmers would be able to enhance productivity. "Technology should empower every citizen," he said, calling for innovation to spread across society rather than remain confined to a few institutions. He also urged public universities to compete with private institutions in fostering innovation and start-up ecosystems.

A notable highlight of the project is that, for the first time in India, a quantum system has been assembled using a predominantly domestic supply chain, marking a milestone in the country's scientific self-reliance. The effort drew on contributions from several premier institutions: the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, supplied superconducting qubit processors and Josephson parametric amplifiers; the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, contributed device design and characterisation; and the Defence Research and Development Agency's DYSL unit in Pune provided quantum control electronics. Private entities including Amber Enterprises, Qbit Force, Qute Electronics, and Dimira contributed dilution refrigerator systems, precision current and voltage sources, and cryogenic wiring and interconnects respectively.

Mr. Naidu noted that his vision for a quantum facility was realised within eight months, crediting the collaborative effort of quantum scientists, hardware experts, and multiple institutions working under a unified national mission. He said the twin facilities would create opportunities not only for scientists but also for hardware engineers, cryogenic specialists, control system designers, fabrication experts, and software developers.

The event was also addressed by Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India; AP State Quantum Mission Director C.V. Sridhar; Qbit Force founder L. Venkata Subramaniam; Qubitec founder Prudhvi Pinnaka; DRDO NHTL Director General R.V. Haraprasad; and SRM University Vice-Chancellor Ch. Satishkumar, among others.