World Economic Forum (WEF) logo is displayed during the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, on January 20, 2026
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Hyderabad:

The Andhra Pradesh government plans to encourage ‘Work From Home’, especially for women, to ensure a better work-life balance for professionals, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has said. In a post on X, Mr Naidu today said initiatives encouraging work-from-home will foster greater participation of women in the workforce.

“Andhra Pradesh is planning “Work From Home” in a big way, especially for women. First, I would like to extend greetings to all women and girls in STEM on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Today, we celebrate their achievements and commit ourselves to providing them equal and full access to growth opportunities in these fields,” Mr Naidu said in the post.

Andhra Pradesh is planning “Work From Home” in a big way, especially for women.

First, I would like to extend greetings to all women and girls in STEM on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Today, we celebrate their achievements and commit ourselves to providing… pic.twitter.com/En4g7pfEba

— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) February 11, 2025

“Now, returning to the headline – As we know, work landscape underwent a shift during the COVID-19 pandemic. With technology readily available to scale, ‘Work From Home’ gained prominence. Concepts such as remote work, coworking spaces (CWS), and Neighbourhood Workspaces (NWS) can empower businesses and employees alike to create flexible, productive work environments,” he said. “Such initiatives can help us strike a better work-life balance as well. We plan to harness these trends to drive meaningful change in AP. The Andhra Pradesh IT & GCC Policy 4.0 is a game-changing step in that direction. We’re offering incentives for developers to create IT office spaces in every city/town/mandal and supporting IT/GCC firms to generate employment at the grassroots.”

“I’m confident these initiatives will foster greater workforce participation, especially of women professionals, who will benefit through flexible remote/hybrid work options,” Mr Naidu said.

Work-from-home mode became the mainstay for most industries after the Covid-19 pandemic forced people to stay indoors. After the pandemic, many companies shifted back to work-from-office mode. Some, however, have continued with the work-from-home or hybrid modes. 

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu lauded ISRO’s successful PSLV-C60 mission, hailing it as a ‘milestone’ in India’s space exploration journey and a step closer to advancing human spaceflight capabilities.

Congratulations to @isro on the successful PSLV-C60 mission from Sriharikota, marking another space milestone! SpaDeX (Space Docking Experiment) is a pioneering mission to establish India’s capability in orbital docking, a crucial step for future human spaceflight and satellite… pic.twitter.com/CMBOTdkfwP

— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) December 30, 2024

In a post on X, Mr Naidu said,” Congratulations to @isro on the successful PSLV-C60 mission from Sriharikota, marking another space milestone! SpaDeX (Space Docking Experiment) is a pioneering mission to establish India’s capability in orbital docking, a crucial step for future human spaceflight and satellite servicing.

“This success has propelled India closer to ambitious goals like Chandrayaan-4, Moon sample return, and the Bharatiya Antariksh Station,” Mr Naidu added.

In a significant milestone, ISRO on Monday launched PSLV-C60 with SpaDeX and innovative payloads from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

ISRO’s year-end mission is historic as it seeks the rare feat of docking or merging or joining together two satellites in space. The project has been named “Space Docking Experiment” (SpaDeX).
The first stage performance is normal.

SpaDeX mission is a cost-effective technology demonstrator mission for the demonstration of in-space docking using two small spacecraft launched by PSLV. The primary objective of the SpaDeX mission is to develop and demonstrate the technology needed for rendezvous, docking, and undocking of two small spacecraft (SDX01, which is the Chaser, and SDX02, the Target, nominally) in a low-Earth circular orbit.

The technological challenge has been mastered only by a few countries and the indigenous technology used for this mission is called the “Bharatiya Docking System”.

“The success of this mission is vital for India’s future space ambitions,” Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh had said earlier.

Docking technology is key for long-term missions like “Chandrayaan-4” and the planned Indian space station. It is also crucial for the eventual manned “Gaganyaan” mission.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

As the nation mourns Dr Manmohan Singh, Andhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh has recounted how the former Prime Minister restored his father and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s security cover after a Maoist attack in 2004.

“The year 2004 was a particularly difficult time for us. Our leader Mr. Chandrababu Naidu had recently recovered from an attempt on his life after a dangerous bomb blast by Naxals near Tirupati and the @jaiTDP party had just lost the 2004 elections,” Mr Lokesh said in a post on X.

The Congress, led by YS Rajasekhara Reddy, had swept the 2004 Andhra polls, removing the TDP from power. “At this crucial time, the new state government had moved to reduce security cover to Mr. @ncbn garu. This would’ve prevented him from being with the people and representing their issues,” Mr Lokesh said.

As India mourns the passing of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, I am reminded of his large-heartedness and graciousness towards our family.

The year 2004 was a particularly difficult time for us. Our leader Mr. Chandrababu Naidu had recently recovered from an attempt on… pic.twitter.com/1v44f8buNl

— Lokesh Nara (@naralokesh) December 28, 2024

“At this time, Mr. @ncbn garu met the then-prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and personally requested him to restore security cover citing the recent attacks on his life and the heightened threat perception as was ascertained by security agencies,” he added.

Dr Singh told N Chandrababu Naidu that he was important to the nation and provided him NSG security cover despite resistance from the Congress government in the state, Mr Lokesh said.

“Regardless of the fact that we were from an opposition party, Dr. Manmohan Singh immediately said that Mr. @ncbn garu is important to the nation, and against the wishes of the then state government, gave instructions to restore full security (led by NSG commandos) to Mr. @ncbn garu. In fact, he specifically told Mr. @ncbn garu that by the time you go back to Hyderabad, NSG security cover will be ready for you,” he said.

“Dr. Manmohan Singh was a rare statesman, and as a family we owe him personally for his large heart. Fare well sir. You will be missed,” Mr Lokesh said.

Earlier, N Chandrababu Naidu said he was “deeply saddened” by Dr Singh’s death. “An intellectual statesman, Dr Singh embodied humility, wisdom, and integrity. From his economic reforms in 1991 as Finance Minister to his leadership as Prime Minister, he served the nation tirelessly and uplifted millions. His passing is a great loss to the nation. My heartfelt condolences to his family, loved ones and admirers,” he said.

Mr Naidu also paid tribute to the former Prime Minister at his Delhi home and met his family. “His remarkable legacy and service to the nation will always be remembered and continue to inspire generations,” he said.

The 92-year-old former Prime Minister died at AIIMS on Thursday night. Earlier that day, he was hospitalised after he lost consciousness at home. “Resuscitative measures were started immediately at home. He was brought to the Medical Emergency at AIIMS at 8.06 PM. Despite all efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 9.51 PM,” the hospital said in a statement.

Hyderabad:

The N Chandrababu Naidu government in Andhra Pradesh has launched a massive crackdown against social media posts targeting political leaders and their family members.

As many as 100 police cases have been registered, 39 people arrested and 67 notices issued for social media content that police say could promote conflict between groups.

Many of these posts target Chief Minister Naidu’s wife Bhuvaneshwari, his son and minister Lokesh’s wife Brahmini, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan’s daughters and also state Congress chief YS Sharmila.

Chief minister Naidu has told his party members to remain dignified in their response to the provocative posts.

The Opposition, Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSRCP, has said their activists have been served with 650 notices, 147 cases have been filed against them and 49 people have been arrested in a week.

Mr Reddy has said that Mr Naidu and the ruling TDP has not fulfilled Super Six promises made before the polls. “Why not file a 420 case against you? If questioned, they say they will file cases and make arrests. Our party leaders, activists and social media activists, including me, will definitely post against you,” he said.

Andhra Police yesterday summoned film director Ram Gopal Varma for posting morphed photographs of the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister on social media.

The filmmaker has been asked to appear before the investigation officer next week. He has told police that he would join the probe.

A case has been registered against the film director following a complaint by one Ramalingam, who has said the filmmaker’s social media posts undermined the Chief Minister, his deputy and their family members.

Amravati:

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu met with a delegation from the Adani Group to discuss investment opportunities in the state on Monday.

Taking to social media platform X, Chief Minister Naidu stated, “Met with a delegation from the Adani Group led by the MD of Adani Exports Ltd., Rajesh Adani, and the MD of Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd, Karan Adani to discuss a range of investment opportunities in Andhra Pradesh.”

“Their presentation covered projects with the potential to drive comprehensive growth across the state in key sectors such as ports, mining, ring road, IT, tourism, and AI. They also expressed their commitment to rebuilding Amaravati, as well as our vision for SwarnaAndhra Pradesh,” posted Mr Naidu on X.

Met with a delegation from the Adani Group led by the MD of Adani Exports Ltd., Mr Rajesh Adani, and the MD of Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd., Mr @AdaniKaran, to discuss a range of investment opportunities in Andhra Pradesh. Their presentation covered projects with the potential to…

— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) October 28, 2024

Earlier on October 25, following the approval of the Union Cabinet for building the 57-kilometre Amravati Railway Connectivity project on Thursday, CM Chandrababu Naidu thanked the NDA government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mr Naidu said that the project will go a long way for the state capital. He also said that they will be inviting PM Modi to lay the foundation stone for the Visakhapatnam Railway Zone.

“The construction of the railway bridge will go a long way as we want to make Amaravati one of the best cities in the country. I appreciate the central government and thank PM Modi. In Andhra Pradesh, a lot of projects worth Rs 70,000 crores are going on. We are inviting PM Modi to lay the foundation stone of the Visakhapatnam Railway Zone. I thank the Union Railway Minister and PM Modi for sanctioning this project,” Mr Naidu said.

The Union Cabinet approved the 57 km Amravati Railway Connectivity worth Rs 2,245 crore that will bring direct rail connectivity of Amaravati with Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata, along with improving the connectivity of central and northern India with southern India.

The Cabinet said during its media briefs that this project will also create accessibility to religious places such as Amaralingeswara Swamy Temple, Amaravati Stupa, Dhyana Buddha statue and Undavalli Caves and will also connect the city with Machilipatnam Port, Krishnapatnam Port and Kakinada Port.

Additionally, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the cabinet also approved the construction of a 3.2 km long bridge railway across the Krishna River that will connect Amaravati with Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Nagpur.

“A railway line for Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) has been approved today. A new 3.2 km long railway bridge will be constructed on the River Krishna for this. It will connect Amaravati with Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Nagpur,” Mr Vaishnaw said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad::

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has formed a Special Investigation Team to probe the irregularities in the Tirupati temple body amid allegations of animal fat being used to adulterate the ghee for the temple laddoos.

Earlier, the ruling Telugu Desam Party had alleged that the former Chairman of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Trust, Bhumana Karunakar Reddy, and former executive officer AV Dharma Reddy had committed several irregularities in temple management over the last five years.

The party had said they will be held accountable.

The Chief Minister had said he would “clean up” the system, alleging that the irregularities had crept in during the rule of the erstwhile YSRCP government. “Many not-so-sacred things were done at Tirumala” over the last five years, he had said.  

He had also accused his predecessor at the top post, YS Jaganmohan Reddy, of appointing people close to him as TTD board members and using it for political gains.

Last week, the Chief Minister had red-flagged a report from a state-run lab in Gujarat, which said samples of the ghee from Tirupati tested positive for fish oil, beef tallow, and lard during the rule of the erstwhile government of YS Jaganmohan Reddy.

The report was dated July 17 – Mr Reddy’s YSR Congress has pointed to, questioning the delay.

Hyderabad:

Amid the massive row over allegations that animal fat was used in the preparation of Tirupati laddus, former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling the incumbent Chief Minister N Chandrababu a “pathological liar” and accusing him hurting the beliefs of crores of people “purely for political objectives”.

The YSR Congress Party chief has said the entire country is looking at the Prime Minister and it is imperative that Mr Naidu “be reprimanded in (the) severest way for his shameless act of spreading lies”. He has demanded that the “truth be brought to light” to allay the suspicions in the minds of crores of Hindu devotees.

Mr Naidu’s TDP swept the Andhra polls this year and paved the way for Mr Reddy’s exit as Chief Minister. TDP is also a key ally of the BJP at the Centre and its support is critical to NDA’s majority in Lok Sabha after the BJP suffered a setback in this general election.

Mr Reddy has accused Mr Naidu of trying to “irreparably tarnish the sanctity, integrity and reputation of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams” and warned that this could have far-reaching consequences.

The YSRCP chief claimed that the people’s perception of the new government is “quite negative” and the Tirupati row was aimed at diverting attention from its failures.

Addressing an NDA legislative party meeting Wednesday, Mr Naidu said animal fat was used to make the sought-after laddoos given as ‘prasad’ by the Sri Venkateswara Temple under the Jagan Reddy government.  

Mr Reddy said the tanker containing the possibly adulterated ghee arrived at Tirupati on July 12, but was rejected and not used to prepare prasadams. “The robust practices in place for decades in TTD could identify the questionable quality and therefore the ghee was not used. Despite this comforting scenario, Mr. Naidu chose to callously make a remark that Tirumala Laddus were made with animal fats and not with ghee,” he wrote.

The former Chief Minister stressed the robustness of the policies and procedures of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which manages the temple. Explaining the checks to ensure the ghee’s quality, he said every tanker that reaches the temple should have certification on the purity of ghee from agencies accredited by NABL — National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories.

“Further at the temple, three samples are obtained from every tanker and the same are tested and only after the three samples pass the test would the ghee be allowed to be put to use. If it so happens that if even one of the samples turns out to be substandard, the tanker is rejected and is not allowed to pass. Therefore, the question of sub-standard material being used in the preparation of prasadams does not arise,” Mr Reddy said. He added that this process has been in force for several decades and there have been several instances when tankers were rejected.

“A responsible Chief Minister should, in fact, attempt to bring to the attention of the public the robustness of the checks and balances in place to give them comfort as to sanctity of the functioning of the TTD. The way in which Mr Naidu acted was in a manner totally devoid of social responsibility,” he said.

The alleged report, Mr Reddy said, contains some very serious disclaimers. “The report conveys that the finding would not be applicable if the milk fat belongs to various categories that are listed out in the annexure. The categories include scenarios such as milk fat being obtained from cows which received an exceptionally high feeding of pure vegetable oils, cotton or palm oils, milk fat obtained from cows that are suffering from energy deficiency, milk fat obtained from cheeses. showing increased lipolysis and so forth. Therefore, if any of the above scenarios exist, then the methodology adopted would yield an incorrect or false positive result.”

The YSRCP leader said Mr Naidu had, in “total disregard to strong religious sentiments and with the malafide intent to spread lies”, brought the issue to light in a political party meeting on September 18, more than two months after the tanker was rejected. “The inaction of Mr. Naidu for the period of two months conveys that he did not believe that the ghee was adulterated physically with animal fats and that the finding of questionable quality was made in the process of routine checks as per the protocol.”

“Sir, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu a pathological and habitual liar has stooped so low as to seriously hurt the beliefs of crores of people purely for political objectives. His actions have indeed lowered not only the stature of a Chief Minister but also that of everyone in public life and also the sanctity of the world renowned TTD and its practices. Sir, the entire Country looks to you at this crucial juncture. It is very imperative that Mr. Naidu be reprimanded in severest way for his shameless act of spreading lies and the truth be brought to light,” he wrote.

“Sir, this would help allay the suspicions that Mr. Naidu has created in the minds of crores of hindu devotees and restore their faith in the sanctity of the TTD,” Mr Reddy added.

Amaravati:

At least 17 people in Andhra Pradesh have so far been killed in rain-related incidents and subsequent floods, that have left lakhs of people scampering for daily needs in several districts. The worst affected districts included Vijayawada, NTR, Guntur, Krishna, Eluru, Palnadu, Bapatla, and Prakasam, where thousands of acres of crops have been submerged.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said the recent torrential rain and floods in Andhra Pradesh is the “biggest disaster” he has witnessed in the state in his political career.

“We had some events like Hudhud hurricane and Titli cyclone but compared to these, here the human suffering and property loss is the biggest,” he told a press conference on Monday.

How Drones Are Assisting In Andhra Floods

The state government and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have now started dropping food packets, water bottles, and other necessities for people in flood-affected areas via drones.

Earlier, drones were only used to get an aerial view of disaster-hit areas. But now, they have made the job easier, faster, and more efficient, saving fuel for choppers that were used before in relief and rescue operations.

Drones have made reporting stories from flood-hit areas that much more dramatic; aerial visuals from #Mahbubabad district #MaripeduMandal purushottamayyagudem bridge; #drones give more comprehensive view & can help in delivery of essentials #DronesInFloods#ReportingOnFloodspic.twitter.com/RAGREbrgUR

— Uma Sudhir (@umasudhir) September 2, 2024

Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh said the state government has for the first time deployed drones to deliver relief materials and food to flood-affected people.

“This has made relief operations more efficient and quick,” he wrote on X and shared a video of a drone delivering a food packet.

The GoAP, under the leadership of Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri @ncbn Garu, has for the first time ever deployed drones to deliver relief materials and food to our flood-affected people. This has made relief operations more efficient and quick.#APGovtWithFloodVictims… pic.twitter.com/AfwuFKg4J8

— Lokesh Nara (@naralokesh) September 2, 2024

Mr Naidu said eight to nine drones were used to deliver food packets — which also included biscuits, fruits, milk, and medicines — to 10,000 people on Monday and assured that up to 35 more drones would be deployed on Tuesday.

In some cases, drones were also used to drop life jackets to people stranded in flooded areas. A boy was able to come out of a flood area because of that life jacket in the Khammam district.

A month after N Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP and Nitish Kumar’s JDU helped the BJP cobble up a majority to return to power for the third time, the Modi 3.0’s Budget 2024 has earmarked key projects for the two states ruled by its friends in need — Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.

Close on the heels of the Centre ruling out any plan to grant Bihar a Special Category Status, a longstanding demand of the JDU, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today announced multiple development projects for the state.

With an aim to boost road connectivity in Bihar, the government has announced plans to develop expressways connecting Patna and Purnea, and Buxar and Bhagalpur and another connecting Bodhgaya, Rajgir, Vaishali and Darbanga. The government has earmarked a sum of Rs 2,600 crore for this purpose. Additionally, the state will also get a two-lane bridge over Ganga in Buxar district. The Finance Minister also announced a 2,400 MW power plant at Pirpainti in Bhagalpur.

The request of the Bihar government for banks to expedite funds for development shall be fulfilled, Ms Sitharaman said. The Centre also outlined plans to develop temple corridors at Gaya and Rajgir in Bihar to promote tourism. It also promised flood control structure with a financial support of Rs.11,500 crore to protect the state from floods.

Bihar is also part of the Purvodaya initiative announced by Modi 3.0 to step up development in the eastern part of the country. “We will formulate Purvodaya for all-round development of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh,” the Finance Minister said, saying that this project will focus on human resources development, infrastructure push and generation of economic opportunities in these states. The aim, she said, was to make this region an engine for attaining the goal of Viksit Bharat.

In Andhra Pradesh, where the NDA swept the recently held Assembly polls, infrastructure projects in Railways and roadways will be prioritised, the minister announced.

“Recognising Andhra Pradesh’s need for capital, to facilitate support through multilateral development agencies, Rs 15,000 crore to be arranged for Andhra Pradesh for development of capital,” she said.

The Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation Act and redressal of the concerns under it shall be expedited, the Finance Minister said.

The outlay for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar in Budget 2024 is under the spotlight against the backdrop of the critical support TDP and JDU provided to the BJP to return to power after it fell short of majority in the Lok Sabha polls this year. 

JDU had drawn fire from main Opposition in Bihar, RJD, after the Finance Ministry said no case for a special category tag for Bihar is made out. Taking a swipe, the RJD had said, “Nitish Kumar and JDU leaders must enjoy the fruits of power at the Centre and continue their drama politics on special status.” JDU had earlier said that if the Centre cannot give a special status to Bihar, they expect a special package. 

A special status ensures more central support to a backward state to expedite its growth. While the Constitution does not provide for a special status for any state, it was introduced on the recommendations of the Fifth Finance Commission in 1969. Among the states that have received a special status so far are Jammu and Kashmir (now a Union Territory), Noreastern states and hill states such as Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.