Top 10 points about Amaravati city the capital of andra pradesh

Top 10 points about Amaravati: Ancient city’s rebirth as modern Andhra Pradesh’s capital

Chandigarh was a long time ago, but arguably, no development of a new state capital has generated as much excitement and hype as Andhra Pradesh’ Amaravati city. While India is looking up to Amaravati as a modern day, even ‘futuristic’ capital that may well become a template for India’s 100 smart cities project, the city itself has a rich and glorious past. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also hoped that Amaravati will be a model for his government’s urbanisation effort and the initiative to develop 100 Smart cities. Here we present 10 points of note:

1. It’s a rebirth of sorts for Amaravati, an ancient city on the banks of the Krishna river in Guntur district. Historically, Amaravati was the capital of Satavahanas, the first great Andhra kings who ruled from 230 BC to 220 BC after the downfall of the Mauryan empire.

2. An ancient centre of Buddhist learning, Amaravati boasts of Mahachaitya, the Great Stupa, with intricate carvings that depict the life and teachings of Lord Buddha, Buddhist sculptures and slabs with Buddhist inscriptions.

3. By using the name Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu managed to strike an emotional chord especially with countries like Singapore and Japan, where Buddhism is the most widely practised religion.

4. While Singapore has prepared three master plans for Andhra Pradesh’ new capital Amaravati and is ready to partner in its development, Japan has also come forward to contribute with its experience and technology. “We in Japan from our young days have learnt that this great land of Amaravati was a great seat of learning for Buddhism right from 3rd century BC and here is where the seed of Japanese nation’s culture and values have emerged. In our text books we learnt that Nagarjuna (one of the most important Buddhist philosophers after the Buddha) visited the city,” said Japanese Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry Yosuke Takagi said at the groundbreaking ceremony.

5. N Chandrababu Naidu believes Amaravati has the strength of both ‘vastu’ and an auspicious name. He even sprinkled water and soil brought from holy places of all faiths and from across the state with the hope that this will give further strength to Amaravati. By organising the ceremony on a grand scale and on Vijaya Dasami, Naidu has made a strong pitch for what he promises to be a world-class city and people’s capital.

6. Using his experience in developing Hyderabad as an information technology hub, Naidu has embarked on a mission to build Amaravati as country’s first Greenfield smart city, an economic and business hub, en energy efficient and sustainable city. Proximity to well-developed cities like Vijayawada and Guntur, availability of Krishna river water, vast land, scenic beauty and Naidu’s grandiose plans attracted everybody’s attention.

7. According to the Amaravati master plan for the Seed Capital Area (SCA), the core city will be spread over 16.9 square km. Amaravati will comprise nine cities – knowledge city, financial city, health city, tourism city, government city, sports city, electronics city, justice city and education city. The capital city has been planned for about 300,000 residents. Its first phase is expected to be completed by 2018.

8. Amaravati will provide a transport hierarchy that comprises of an integrated network of Metro rail of about 12 kms, bus rapid transit of about 15 kms, downtown road of about 7 km, arterial roads and sub-arterial roads of about 26 kms and collector roads of about 53 kms, with varying rights-of-way.

9. Amaravati landscape would create world class aesthetic appeal to make city liveable and attractive. Special emphasis has been laid on development of extensive walkways and pedestrianisation, interlinked with open and green spaces with a blue and green network of more than 25 kms to promote walk-to-work environment and non-motorised transport.

10. Naidu has invited companies from Singapore, Japan, China and other countries to participate in the development of Amaravati as the state capital, which needs over $2 billion spend. With the process of designing and conceptualisation over, the real work on building the capital starts now. Naidu faces a challenge in mobilising the funds from the central government and investments from abroad.

Top waterfalls in india

Smartphones under Rs. 10,000.

In the market for a new phone? There are a lot of great options these days that won't break the bank, as phones under Rs. 20,000 can genuinely be called flagship killers. But aside from that, there are also a great number of smartphones available at a reasonable budget that can still deliver good performance. Recently, we shared our list of the best phones priced under Rs. 15,000 and there are some great options there. But what if you're on a tighter budget? Here are our favourite phones that will cost you less than Rs. 10,000.

As always, there are a few caveats that must be made clear. For one thing, although there are some really good phones at this budget, you have to be open to some degree of compromise. It's very unlikely that you're going to get a phone that is excellent at everything, but we've picked only the phones that got a 7 on 10 or higher in our rankings. There are still quite a few phones, but we've been quite strict with price as well, so even a little north of Rs. 10,000 means that you don't make the list - though we do mention a few such phones at the bottom of the list. The same is true for the date cutoff - if a phone is more than six months old, it's not going to show up here.

In addition to that, we've restricted our recommendations to only phones that we have reviewed and put through all our standard tests. There are a few phones in this budget that haven't been reviewed yet for a number of possible reasons, and we've mentioned a couple of these below as well, if we've heard generally heard good things about the phone. With all of this in mind, take a look at our top picks for phones under Rs. 10,000.

1. Xiaomi Redmi Note 3
Another November launch, the Redmi Note 3 has a full-HD display, and is powered by 1.4GHz hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor and it comes with 2GB of RAM. It's one of the top rated phones at this price, with a particularly impressive display and battery life, but the camera could've been better.

2. Meizu M2
The Meizu M2 looks good and offers great value for money but the software can be a little complicated, and camera performance should have been better. On other fronts though, it performs well, helping it make the cut.

3. Coolpad Note 3 Lite
Launched in January, this 5-inch phone is powered by 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6735 processor and it comes with 3GB of RAM. The phone packs 16GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 32GB via a microSD card. It is one of the cheaper phones on the market to include a fingerprint sensor, and it also has good battery life. Charging takes a relatively long time though, so make sure you juice up the phone before leaving home.

4. Intex Cloud Flash
Launched in November, the Intex Cloud Flash is a dual SIM (GSM and GSM) smartphone that accepts two Micro-SIM. The Intex Cloud Flash runs Android 5.1 and is powered by a 2300mAh non removable battery. It measures 145.00 x 71.50 x 6.50 (height x width x thickness) and weighs 123.50 grams. Its high points are its performance and display, but the battery life is a little disappointing.

5. Yu Yunique
Packing a 720x1280 pixel display in a 4.7-inch screen, the Yu Yunique is a good looking phone with a great display and the best part for many will be the fact that it gives you a near stock-Android experience. The camera is a bit of a letdown though.

These are our top picks for phones under Rs. 10,000, but as we mentioned, we've limited the list to phones we've actually had a chance to spend some time with and review in depth. And if you don't mind picking up a slightly older device, the Yu Yureka Plus (Review) and Lenovo K3 Note (Review) are pretty solid options as well.

Aside from the phones we have reviewed, there are a few other options that are also worth checking out. One is the Meizu M2 Note; it's the bigger brother of the Meizu M2 which is on this list, and we've received positive feedback on the phone. The Motorola Moto G (Gen 3) is another popular pick that's just above the cutoff budget, though it made our list of the best phones under Rs. 15,000.

In case you didn't see something you liked, do check out our list of best phones under Rs. 15,000 as well, because there are some great phones there priced at really close to Rs. 10,000. And if you think we've missed a great phone under Rs. 10,000

Centre imposes President's rule in Uttarakhand, Rawat says 'murder of democracy' Harish Rawat (PTI)

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Sunday condemned the imposition of President's rule in the state as a "murder" of democracy and the Constitution and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hands were dipped in the "blood" of the "trampled" aspirations of the people.

Alleging that central rule was a result of a "premeditated conspiracy" hatched by the Centre to dislodge a democratically elected Congress government in the state, Rawat also said the BJP was "thirsty for his blood

"It is a murder of democracy and the Constitution. Modi's hands are dipped in the blood of the trampled aspirations of the people of Uttarakhand," Rawat said at his first news conference here after the imposition of President's rule capping the ten-day long political upheaval in Uttarakhand after nine Congress rebels raised a banner of revolt against him and supported BJP.

"What has happened is the result of a premeditated conspiracy hatched by the Centre to dislodge a democratically elected Congress government in the state," he alleged, adding there was a "propaganda blast" against him by raking up issues relating to alleged corruption. Claiming that he had clear majority in the state assembly, Rawat said it was part of a conspiracy by the BJP to impose president's rule even before giving the state government a chance to go for a floor test in the House. The four-year-old Congress government was slated to go for floor test in the state assembly tomorrow. Rawat alleged that there was a money deal to lure the Congress rebels, adding "some people say it is Rs 1,000 crore, some say Rs 500 crore".

He said BJP had decided not to let his government stabilise from the day he took over and "slashed my head" as the first opportunity presented itself. "The way we were being given repeated threats since yesterday, the way the governor was publicly issued a threat at a press conference in Delhi it was clear things were moving towards this eventuality. That BJP was thirsty for my blood was clear from day one. They had decided at the very outset that they won't let Harish Rawat government stabilise," he added.

Accusing the Centre of always being step-motherly in its treatment of Uttarakhand as it was a Congress governed state, Rawat claimed it did not release money for reconstruction in Kedarnath and Ardhkumbh forcing a disaster-hit state to manage its affairs out of its own limited resources. "What has happened in Uttarakhand is also the murder of Baba Sahab Bhimrao Ambedkar's vision on the Constitution maker's 125th birth anniversary year. Before the Central rule was imposed, Rawat accused BJP of attacking democracy with money and muscle power to dislodge his four-year-old Congress government.

Rawat earlier had said the Centre was threatening the state with President's rule whereas "(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi projects himself as a votary of democratic federalism and autonomy of states". Accusing the Centre of engineering defections in Congress in Uttarakhand by taking advantage of a "money greedy minister" and rebel like Harak Singh Rawat and the wounded political ambition of former CM Vijay Bahuguna to dislodge his government, Rawat said he will go to people's court now and ask them to decide whether they deserved President's rule. "Most upsetting was that I had to make compromise with such a leader (Harak Singh Rawat) who used to value money above everything," he said.

Rawat said that the fact that the state government decided to bring legislation to seize unnamed properties only stimulated the process. "Harak Singh ji came to me twice and asked me not to bring legislation to seize unnamed properties," he added.

"Despite the fact that Uttarakhand gave five MPs to BJP-led government at the Centre, it chose to give the state the "gifts" of defection and President's rule. I would go to the people of the state and ask them whether what they have been handed is what they were looking for," he said. Rawat also targeted the private news channel whose editor-in-chief had done the sting operation on him saying the huge amount of wealth allegedly amassed by him should be looked into.

India’s ‘fastest train’ beats first Shatabdi by all of two minutes

The first Shatabdi Express, rolled out between New Delhi and Jhansi in 1988 by then railway minister Madhavrao Scindia to commemorate the centenary birth celebrations of Jawaharlal Nehru, took 115 minutes to reach Agra, Railway archives show.

The Gatimaan Express, with three decades worth of advancement in railway technologies and a good two years of work into it, would take 113 minutes to reach the Taj Mahal city — as per its latest, and what is being touted as its final, trial before launch.

At its inception, it was planned that Gatimaan would cover the Delhi-Agra distance in 90 minutes. This was significantly lower than the 117 minutes the Bhopal Shatabdi — currently the fastest train with top speed of 150 kmph (permissible up to 155 kmph) — takes between the two cities.

While the aim was later revised to under 100 minutes, in subsequent trials, the Gatimaan timing between the two cities was further stretched to 105 minutes, as per records reviewed by The Sunday Express. Of late, the Railways had been aiming for 110 minutes — just a seven-minute gain from the Bhopal Shatabdi.

While March 31 was a tentative launch date for the semi-high speed train, that could not be put off now till all the glitches have been weeded out and the Gatimaan is able to clock a time less embarrassing than what it is doing.

Last year there had been talk of Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagging off the train.

Officials involved with the project say that the reasons the Railways is struggling to bring down the travel time — despite 28 years of technical advances, an engine capable of clocking 200 kmph and a train carrying less coaches than a traditional Shatabdi — are not technical. They are much more basic.

The fundamental flaw in planning was the assumption that the train could maintain a speed of 160 kmph for most of its journey on a track which is not even an exclusive corridor.

In fact, the 195-km stretch from New Delhi to Agra has 19 ‘caution points’. Which means that 19 times during its short run, the train needs to reduce its speed, sometimes to as low as 60-70 kmph, even if for a few seconds. This is after weeding out of many more such traditional caution points on the route for the train. The Gatimaan loses 1.5-2 minutes each time it decelerates and then accelerates again.

The majority of the caution points involve curves, bridges and populated sections. And then there are dynamic caution points as well on account of ongoing works. Curves eat into time, while populated areas have heavy speed restrictions imposed by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS).

“Wherever in the world you see high-speed trains, they are on straight tracks. They avoid curves. But that’s not the case on this route. And each curve takes away speed,” A K Mital, Chairman, Railway Board, told The Sunday Express.

The Railways could still set a strict 90-minute target for the Gatimaan, he added, if it departed from Hazrat Nizamuddin Station in the Capital instead of New Delhi. “But then that’s not the same as starting it from New Delhi, which is the prime station of the Capital. The train loses around 10-15 minutes only to go to Nizamuddin from New Delhi. So from New Delhi we are aiming for 110 minutes,” he said.

Another major hurdle is the Mathura Yard of the Railways that is enroute. The signalling system there needs to be upgraded and made more seamless for the train to not slow down too much.

The Railways has been generous with funds for the track and signalling upgrade already carried out for the prestige product. The Northern Railway, that manages just a 58-km stretch between Delhi and Palwal, has spent Rs 60 crore so far and is slated to spend another Rs 15 crore. The North Central Railway has spent much more.

Former Railway Board chairman Arunendra Kumar, who conceived the project, said while the 90-minute target was “well within reach”, factors came in the way. “We are dealing with numerous speed restrictions because we wanted to gain the top speed speed in the existing infrastructure without compromising safety.”

In fact, the approach of the CRS, a watchdog under the Civil Aviation Ministry that needs to clear every rail project, has been criticised from the word go. Among the conditions it laid down was speed restrictions and insistence on fencing of the tracks.

Kumar says the CRS has been sceptical and conservative because like the Railways, it too has no prior experience of clearing high-speed services. “At one point we even proposed to the Chief CRS to go on a familiarisation trip to a high-speed railway abroad so that he is better informed about what we intend to do here,” he says

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LG G5 specification

LG G5 SPEC COMPARISON

	LG G5	Samsung Galaxy S7	Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	Google Nexus 6P
Display size, resolution	5.3-inch, 2,560x1,440 pixels	5.1-inch; 2,560x1,440 pixels	5.5-inch; 2,560x1,440 pixels	5.7-inch; 2,560x1,440 pixels
Pixel density	554ppi	576ppi	534ppi	515ppi
Dimensions (Inches)	5.88x2.90x0.3 in	5.6x2.7x0.3 in	5.9x2.9x0.3 in	6.3x3.1x0.28 in
Dimensions (Millimeters)	149.4x73.9x7.7 mm	142.4x69.6x7.9 mm	150.9x72.6x7.7 mm	159x78x7.3 mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams)	5.61 oz; 159 g	5.4 oz; 152 g	5.5 oz; 157 g	6.3 oz; 178 g
Mobile software	Android 6.0 Marshmallow	Android 6.0 Marshmallow	Android 6.0 Marshmallow	Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Camera	16-megapixel, 8-megapixel wide	12-megapixel	12-megapixel	12.3-megapixel
Front-facing camera	8-megapixel	5-megapixel	5-megapixel	8-megapixel
Video capture	4K	4K	4K	4K
Processor	2.15GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor	2.15GHz + 1.6GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapgradon 820 processor	2.15GHz + 1.6GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapgradon 820 processor	2GHz eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810
Storage	32GB	32GB, 64GB (varies by region)	32GB, 64GB (varies by region)	32GB, 64GB, 128GB
RAM	4GB	4GB	4GB	3GB
Expandable storage	2TB	200GB	200GB	None
Battery	2,800mAh (removable)	3,000mAh (nonremovable)	3,600mAh (nonremovable)	3,450mAh (nonremovable)
Fingerprint sensor	Home button	Home button	Home button	Back cover
Connector	USB-C	Micro-USB	Micro-USB	USB-C
Special features	Pull-out battery, two rear cameras	Water-resistant	Curved screens, water-resistant	"Pure" Android
Price off-contract (USD)	AT&T: $551, U.S. Cellular: $636, other carriers TBD	AT&T: $695, Sprint: $650, T-Mobile: $670, Verizon: $672, US Cellular: $672	AT&T: $795, Sprint: $750, T-Mobile: $780, Verizon: $792, US Cellular: $780	$499 (32GB); $549 (64GB); $649 (128GB)
Price (GBP)	TBD	£569	£639	£449 (32GB); £499 (64GB); £579 (128GB)
Price (AUD)	TBD	AU$1,149	AU$1,249	AU$899 (32GB); AU$999 (64GB); AU$1,099 (128GB)

 

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