Naidu sets July 15 deadline for Handri-Neeva phase 1
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Vijayawada: Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday directed the officials of the irrigation department to fill all tanks and reservoirs in the Rayalaseema region by releasing water from the Handri-Neeva project.
Naidu held a review meeting with the officials to take stock of the ongoing works of various projects, water levels in reservoirs and steps being taken for water management.
Naidu instructed the officials to complete Handri-Neeva Phase-1 works by July 15 and release 3,850 cusecs of water to fill the Jeedipalli, Gollapalli, Marala, and Cherlopalli reservoirs. He also directed the release of water to the Kuppam and Punganur branch canal by completing Phase-2 works by July 31.
The officials explained the preparations being made to fill Jeedipalli first and from there supply water to the Penna Ahobilam balancing reservoir.
The chief minister noted that inflows into major reservoirs this year were satisfactory. The officials informed that, except for Kadapa district, normal rainfall was recorded across the state. They stated that 419 TMC of water was currently available in all reservoirs, compared to 182 TMC during the same period last year.
Naidu expressed confidence that all reservoirs would be filled this year and directed officials to adopt better water management practices.
Naidu set a target of June 2026 for the completion of the Veligonda project works and assured that funds would be made available. He also directed the completion of the remaining works on the Polavaram left bank canal by July 31 and to take water up to Anakapalli. Naidu emphasized the need to give top priority to North-Andhra projects, including the Tarakarama Theertha, Thotapalli distributary works, and the interlinking of the Vamshadhara and Nagavali rivers.
Stressing the importance of accurate water auditing, Naidu said that Vassar Labs would carry out the audit to ensure efficient planning and resource utilisation. He instructed officials to ensure all piezometers, water-level sensors, and rain gauge stations were functional and operational for accurate data collection. The Chief Minister also directed the irrigation department to maintain groundwater levels between 3 and 8 metres across the state.
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Time of India
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- Time of India
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Impersonal War Machines Worse, sterile terminologies that justify mass death and suffering are likely to get a boost with AI and autonomous defence platforms. When a drone operator takes out a target thousands of miles away, he only sees a blip on the screen. When autonomous tanks roll through civilian areas, the operator is playing a video game in his bunker. These technologies desensitise us to the horrors of war and normalises conflict. Then people are no longer killed but 'neutralised'. Countries are not invaded but 'restructured'. Civilian targets become 'human shields' to be destroyed. And war becomes the solution for 'root causes'.
Hans India
11 hours ago
- Hans India
Water release to Jeedipalli via Handri–Neeva main canal on July 15
Vijayawada: The state government led by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has made significant strides in ensuring irrigation water for Rayalaseema, with Rs 3,890 crore allocated for the Handri–Neeva Sujala Sravanthi project. During a review on Saturday at camp office, the Chief Minister evaluated major irrigation projects, including Handri–Neeva, Polavaram Left Canal, and north Andhra initiatives, alongside reservoir levels and water management strategies. Starting July 15, 3,850 cusecs of water will be released into the Jeedipalli reservoir under Phase-1 of the Handri–Neeva project, with preparations underway to ensure timely execution. This water will fill the Gollapalli, Marala and Cherlopalli reservoirs and be channeled to the Penna Ahobilam Balancing Reservoir over 15 days. By July 31, water will flow through the Phase-2 canal to the Punganur and Kuppam branch canals, irrigating new areas in Rayalaseema following canal extension and lining works. Naidu emphasized using the full 3,850 cusecs to fill all reservoirs and tanks in the region. The Chief Minister stressed efficient water use, directing departments to implement a coordinated plan focusing on groundwater recharge, involving both the irrigation and panchayat raj departments. Officials reported that reservoirs currently hold 419 tmc ft of water, a 236 tmc ft increase from last year's 182 tmc ft, with normal rainfall in most districts except Kadapa and optimistic forecasts ahead. The Chief Minister prioritised utilising inflows through the Handri–Neeva and Pothireddypadu systems to fill Rayalaseema reservoirs, particularly in the Penna basin, ensuring irrigation for ayacut farmers before storage. He ordered immediate work on the Galeru–Nagari canal to supply water to Kadapa and tenders for Phase-2 of Handri–Neeva to reach southern Chittoor. The Veligonda Project in Prakasam district is targeted for completion by June 2026, with adequate funding assured. Polavaram Left Canal works must be completed by July 31, with all seven packages to Anakapalli finalided. Naidu also pushed for expediting north Andhra projects, including completing the Tarakarama Teertha Project within a year and finalising Thotapalli distributary works and the Vamsadhara–Nagavali linkage project. He called for accurate water auditing, to be conducted by Vassar Labs, accounting for rainfall, river inflows, groundwater, and usage for agriculture, drinking, and industry to ensure efficient resource planning.
The Wire
12 hours ago
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Ruling elites secure dominance not merely through coercion but by manufacturing consent via ideological control over civil society—media, politics, and cultural institutions. The Big Brutal Bill, framed as a 'beautiful' solution to economic and security challenges, exemplifies this process. Its proponents, including Republican leaders and sections of the corporate media, have deployed neoliberal and nationalist narratives to mask the legislation's true aims: redistributing wealth upward, strengthening coercive state mechanisms and escalating militarism to sustain US global primacy. This demands the US power elites discipline both domestic and global populations. The bill's economic provisions constitute a brazen transfer of wealth from the working and middle classes to the ultra-rich. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the bill reduces household resources for the poorest 10% by 4% ($940 annually) while boosting incomes for the richest 0.1% by $389,000 for those earning over $4.3 million. Extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which directed two-thirds of benefits to the top 20%, the bill amplifies a historical trend: since 1975, the top 1% have sapped $79 trillion from the bottom 90%. Cuts to Medicaid ($930 billion) and SNAP (affecting 4.5 million people) further impoverish the working class, with 15–16 million potentially losing healthcare. This wealth transfer is not merely economic but ideological. Ruling elites, through Fox News and various well funded corporate think tanks, frame the bill as a universal economic boon, echoing neoliberal myths of 'trickle-down' prosperity. Yet, the bill's regressive tax structure and social cuts weaken the economic base of the working and middle classes, limiting their capacity for resistance. Such policies fragment the potential for a radical 'historic bloc' – a unified working-class alliance capable of challenging capitalist dominance. The bill's economic impact aligns with America's global imperial strategies. By prioritising corporate tax breaks, it mirrors US strategies in the Global South, where austerity and privatisation entrench elite power. This domestic imperialism treats the US working class as a colonised population, extracting wealth while offering ideological platitudes about 'growth.' Militarism and War: Coercive Pillars of Hegemony The bill's $1 trillion military budget, the largest in US history, is a cornerstone of its aggressive imperial agenda, escalating war risks while consolidating ruling-class power. Allocating $400 billion for nuclear warheads, hypersonic missiles, and 200 new bombers, the budget aims to counter multipolar rivals like China and Russia. Yet, this spending dwarfs the military budgets of the next ten states across the world. What this bill shows is the degree to which the US empire relies on military dominance and violence to maintain its increasingly precarious global hegemony. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute notes that such military modernisation lowers conflict thresholds, with arms races historically preceding wars 70% of the time. This leads to escalating fears of military miscalculation in regions like the South China Sea. The budget has a dual role: coercion abroad and control at home. Abroad, it reinforces U.S. primacy by projecting power against adversaries, a response to the declining legitimacy of the US-led liberal imperial-international order. Domestically, $50 billion for militarised police and National Guard equipment, alongside $8 billion for 10,000 new ICE agents and private prisons, equips the state to suppress dissent. The bill's provision barring courts from holding officials in contempt further enables authoritarianism, echoing post-9/11 trends where domestic repression accompanied foreign wars (e.g., Iraq). Imperialism is not solely an external phenomenon; it disciplines domestic populations to ensure compliance with elite agendas. The military-industrial complex benefits immensely, with $250 billion in contracts to firms like Boeing and Raytheon. Since 2001, some arms firm stocks have outperformed the Standard & Poor 500 by 600%, and contractor CEOs earn $20–$30 million annually. This economic-militaristic nexus incentivises instability, geopolitical tensions, and war, as historical examples like Iraq ($39 billion to Halliburton) demonstrate. Ruling elites are leveraging coercion to secure economic power, with war profits reinforcing their hegemony. Ideological Consent: Nationalism and Distraction The bill's militaristic and economic aims are cloaked in nationalist ideology, a classic tactic to secure consent. Its $10 billion for 'countering foreign disinformation' doubles as domestic propaganda, while border wall and ICE funding ($8 billion) symbolise 'defending America.' These measures rally nationalist sentiment, particularly among the 55% of Republicans who support the budget for 'security'. Such symbols unify subordinate classes under ruling-class leadership, diverting attention from wealth transfers and social cuts. Put crudely, American elite nationalism is little more than an instrument to mask class conflict. By demonising immigrants and foreign adversaries, the bill aligns segments of the working class with elite interests, dampening class consciousness. SIPRI data suggests nationalist surges increase war risks by 15–20% within five years, as publics tolerate aggression. The bill's narrative of 'preventing a recession' and 'securing borders' obscures its role in impoverishing millions, a hegemonic sleight of hand. Crisis of Hegemony and Resistance It is not a coincidence that the bill has emerged in a moment of hegemonic crisis. Rising inequality, multipolarity and public opposition signal eroding consent. Yet, the ruling elite counters this through intensified coercion (military, police) and ideological manipulation (nationalism, neoliberalism). Crises of hegemony require constant renewal, explaining this aggressive consolidation. However, cracks exist: there are widespread denunciations of the bill as a 'wealth transfer' and 'war machine'. Without a unified and organised counter-hegemonic movement, however, this resistance remains fragmented. The Big Brutal Bill is a masterclass in imperial hegemony, blending wealth transfers, militarism, and nationalism to entrench the power of the American Establishment. Its $1 trillion military budget escalates war risks by fuelling arms races and domestic repression, while its economic provisions siphon wealth from the working and middle classes to the ultra-rich. The bill is an example of what Gramsci would call a 'war of position' – fortifying US capitalism amid crisis, reflecting the American state's dual nature: coercive abroad, exploitative at home. Resistance requires exposing these truths and building a historic bloc to challenge the ruling class's grip. Inderjeet Parmar is a professor of international politics and associate dean of research in the School of Policy and Global Affairs at City St George's, University of London, a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, and a columnist at The Wire. He is an International Fellow at the ROADS Initiative think tank, Islamabad, and author of several books including Foundations of the American Century. He is currently writing a book on the history, politics, and powers of the US foreign policy establishment. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
