Andhra Pradesh government plans to spend ₹16 crore for the improvement of minor irrigation facilities in Parvatipuram-Manyam district, says Collector
Speaking to The Hindu here on Sunday, he said that the initiative would benefit farmers as a majority of areas in the district come under rain-fed zone. Reccently, Mr. Shyam Prasad laid the foundation stone for a feeder channel to ponds at Konkadi Varam village of Garugubilli mandal on a request from the farmers.
'The proper maintenance of tanks and creation of proper feeder channels would improve agriculture activity. The water needs of humans and cattle can also be met. We directed the Irrigation Department officials to complete all the works by June second week so that the water can be stored in the rainy season,' he added.
Mr. Shyam Prasad said that the district administration had given priority to the development of coconut groves in the district with the support of self-help groups. He said that the coconut trees would be planted near water bodies under MGNREGA. 'Coconut plantation will ensure additional income for the farmers. They will reap the benefits for many decades if the coconut plantation is taken care of for at least five years,' the District Collector said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
11 hours ago
- The Hindu
Bridge construction linking Tirumarugal and Kilvelur gains momentum
The construction of a ₹12-crore bridge connecting Nagapattinam and Kilvelur taluks has picked up pace, with nearly 70% of the work completed. Once finished, the bridge will serve as a vital link between several interior villages on both sides of the Vettar, easing travel and improving access for thousands of residents. The bridge connects villages such as Anaimanagalam and Kohur on the Kilvelur side with Okkur and Venagadangal on the Tirumarugal side. Until now, commuters had to take a detour of about 8 km to reach the other side of the river. With the new bridge, travel time will be significantly reduced, and essential services such as ambulances and transportation of agricultural goods will be streamlined. 'This was one of my key demands under the Ungal Thoguthiyil Mudhalvar initiative, and the State government responded positively,' said Kilvelur MLA V.P. Nagai Maali. He told The Hindu that the bridge would establish a long-awaited direct connection between Kilvelur and Nagapattinam taluks. 'This was a demand voiced by the interior villages for decades, and it is finally being fulfilled,' he said. 'Our Okkur village is almost like an island. Though the other side was nearby, the canal made it impossible to connect with Tirumarugal. In my childhood, we had to swim across. Pregnant women, the elderly, and even ambulances faced enormous challenges in reaching hospitals,' said L. Rajendran, a resident of Okkur Panchayat. Sources said the bridge work were expected to get completed in six months.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Thotapalli reservoir opens for kharif, to irrigate 84,000 acres
Visakhapatnam: Tribal welfare minister G Sandhya Rani on Sunday released water from the Thotapalli reservoir to enable farmers to fill minor irrigation tanks across 17 mandals in Parvathipuram-Manyam, Vizianagaram, and Srikakulam districts for the kharif season. This move will also aid better water management, particularly benefiting the tail-end ayacut under the project. The reservoir was originally designed to provide irrigation to 1.31 lakh acres but has so far been able to cater to only 84,033 acres. In Parvathipuram-Manyam district, out of 13,684 acres, irrigation is being provided to 5,238 acres; in Vizianagaram district, out of 78,563 acres, to 55,443 acres; and in Srikakulam district, out of the planned 38,974 acres, to 23,351 acres. During kharif 2024, a total ayacut of 40,440 acres under canals and 13,133 acres under tanks were served in Vizianagaram district; 3,754 acres under canals and 2,269 acres under tanks in Parvathipuram Manyam district; and 14,415 acres under canals and 5,372 acres under tanks in Srikakulam district. An ayacut of 64,000 acres was stabilised under the old canals and open head channels. For Kharif 2025, it is proposed to serve a total ayacut of about 84,033 acres under the new right main canal, in addition to the 64,000 acres of stabilisation under the old Thotapalli regulator ayacut. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your 2 & 3 BHK dream home in the heart of city Pune Kohinoor Riverdale Read More Undo During 2024-25, the state govt sanctioned high-priority irrigation restoration works worth 4.7 crore for jungle clearance and removal of silt deposits in the RMC. These works are currently in progress. In 2025, 10 more works were sanctioned with a total amount of 67.6 lakhs for maintenance. Speaking on the occasion, the minister said that due to the sacrifice of the Thotapalli farmers, the project has come up and is serving three districts. She added that chief minister Chandrababu Naidu is willing to discuss the Janjhavathi and Kotia issues with the chief minister of Odisha. The Puranapadu-Labesu bridge is expected to be completed very soon, she added. She appealed to the sarpanches not to obstruct NREGA works and instructed officials to supply fertilisers to farmers in a timely manner. Parvathipuram sub-collector and ITDA project officer Ashutosh Srivastava said the land issues for the project have been resolved. Some works have been sanctioned under MGNREGA for the project, he added. Any pending work would be resolved, he assured. He also mentioned that the reservoir is very suitable for tourism development and that plans are being considered. Govt whip and Kurupam MLA Thoyaka Jagadeeswari, water resources superintending engineer KVN Swarna Kumar, Thotapalli executive engineer H Manmadha Rao, deputy EE Govinda Rao, Raghu attended the event.
The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Mandating facial recognition for beneficiaries has increased workload, say anganwadi workers
Over the past few weeks, Seema*, 45, an anganwadi worker in north-east Delhi's Bhalswa Dairy, has been making extra trips between her anganwadi centre and the houses of the beneficiaries in her charge to upload their photos on the Poshan Tracker app. In an order issued last month, the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development made face recognition authentication mandatory for anganwadi beneficiaries, comprising pregnant and lactating mothers, as well as children up to the age of six, effective from July 1. The circular directed anganwadi workers to complete the authentication process through the beneficiaries' Aadhaar e-KYC ahead of the deadline on the Poshan Tracker, rolled out in 2021 to monitor the implementation of the scheme and track the growth of children. 'Sometimes, the photos don't get uploaded as the application does not recognise the face. Moreover, we also face issues with Internet connectivity. So we have to ask the beneficiaries to return to the centre later or we have to track them down at their house when the Internet issue is resolved,' Ms. Seema says. Like Ms. Seema, many anganwadi workers in Delhi told The Hindu that they have been facing technical challenges in complying with the Ministry's May 30 order, which has also increased their workload without offering extra compensation. Earlier, when women collected rations, their details were entered on the app and noted in a logbook. 'Foregoing wages' An anganwadi helper in Bhalswa Dairy said, 'Women who come to the centre have to forego their daily wage or leave their infants in someone else's care. It's not easy for them to keep making rounds. On average, we spend 20 minutes trying to upload the photo, but the application keeps crashing.' In the past few weeks, she says that she has visited a beneficiary's house at least four times for a task that could have been completed in a single trip. Under the Integrated Child Development Services scheme, anganwadi workers and helpers are tasked with providing supplementary nutrition for infants, lactating and pregnant mothers, freshly cooked meals at the anganwadi centre, and early childhood education, as well as health check-ups and immunisation for children up to six years. There is now an element of technology involved in each of these tasks. Each task now takes an additional two to three hours, say anganwadi workers. 'Impact on beneficiaries' On June 22, the Delhi State Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union issued a statement, saying, 'Anganwadi workers have repeatedly complained that the app often fails to open, crashes, or refuses to accept basic data such as height and weight. And now, facial recognition has been added to this flawed system.' The union president, Shivani, said, 'Facial recognition is not only increasing the workload, but also impacting the beneficiaries. For instance, a growing child's facial features keep changing, so the app often fails to recognise the child's face when a worker tries to upload it, which causes the beneficiaries to lose out on the benefits.' An anganwadi helper in Sonia Vihar said, 'Many workers have been asking their children to help them with the technology. We were given basic training during the pandemic, but that is not enough, and we keep facing technical issues that we do not know how to resolve.' When reached for comment, the Ministry did not respond. *Name changed on request
