Andhra temple administration adorns deity with Rs.2.5 crores worth of cash and gold

Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Oct.22 (ANI): The administrators of a 130-year-old temple in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam District has decorated a deity of the Goddess Vasavi Kanyaka Parameswari with both Indian and foreign currency notes and gold ornaments worth Rs.2.5 crores on the occasion of the nine-day festival of Navratri.
The decoration at the Sri Kanyakaparameswari Devasthanam Temple in Visakhapatnam City was done to mark the 'Sri Mahalakshmi Avatram' of the goddess during the Navratri celebrations.
On Ashtami, the eighth day of Navratri, the goddess is worshipped as Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth.
During the nine-day-long Navratri festival, devote Hindus worship the Goddess Durga in all of her nine manifestations. Navratri began on October 13 and concludes today. It is marked by celebrations involving prayer, music and dance by both men and women.
Goddess Durga represents the feminine force which guides and destroys all evil from earth. The festival is also about the annual visit of the goddess with her children to her ancestral home on earth.
For the last 15 years, the idol of Goddess Vasavi Kanyaka Parameswari is decorated daily in different forms of Goddess Durga.
The Sri Kanyakaparameswari Devasthanam temple is dedicated to Sri Vasavi Kanyaka Parameshwari, the goddess or "kula devatha" of the Arya Vysya community as mentioned in the Vasavi Puranamulu written in Telugu during the 10th century A.D. The most famous temple of this goddess is located at Penugonda,West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh.
K. Ramakrishnan, the president of the temple's administrative wing, said, "We started with only one 1,00,000 (rupees) first and after that we are continuing 1,00,000; 200,000; 3,00,000; 4,00,000 and now yesterday we decorated Mahalaxmi avatharam with money and gold, 2.5 crore (rupees 25 million) cash and one crore (rupees 10 million) worth of gold."
The Indian currency was in the denominations of rupee 1 to rupees 1,000
The Navratri festival culminates on the tenth day, known as Dussehra, which marks victory of good over evil. 

Why We Should All Be Eating Banana Skins

Banana peel may not be the tastiest thing - but it’s reportedly really good for us. [Photo: Rex]
We all know that bananas are bursting with goodness. They’re filled to the brim with potassium and low in salt, making them great for anyone at risk of high blood pressure or a stroke and they boost digestion.
Plus, they contain plenty of iron, protect against muscle cramps during workouts, reduce swelling and even can help overcome depression due to high levels of tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin – the happy-mood brain neurotransmitter.
But it’s not just the banana itself that’s good for you. According to health nuts, the skin could be the latest “superfood”. If you can call it a food.
Although it’s usually chucked in the bin rather than eaten, scientists reckon the peel could aid weight loss and boost your immune system AND your mood.
“It contains high amounts of vitamin B6 and B12, as well as magnesium and potassium, and some fibre and protein,” Laura Flores, a San Diego-based nutritionist, told LiveScience.
Vitamin B6 helps the body’s immune system do it’s thing, improving the health or your brain and heart, and it normalises blood sugar levels. B12 also supports and brain and nervous system while antioxidents found in the skin can help speed up your metabolism – brilliant if you’re trying to lose a few pounds.

But that doesn’t mean it tastes good. Anyone who’s ever had a nibble of a banana skin will know that it’s not exactly moreish.
The easiest (and nicest tasting) way to eat it is by cutting it up and grinding it into a powder to add to your morning smoothie. Chuck in a load of other strong tasting foods, to counteract the taste of the peel and you’ll find yourself a whole lot healthier in no time.
But vegetarians be warned; most banana skins aren’t considered suitable for vegetarians as a spray-on coating designed to lengthen the fruit’s shelf life is thought to contain chitosan – a bacteria-fighting compound derived from shellfish.

Andhra Pradesh's world-class capital city

With soil from the holy sites of Jerusalem and Mecca, and water from the Ganga and Godavari, the proposed site for the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region got a sprinkling of good vibes on Wednesday as wide-eyed villagers of Uddandarayunipalem witnessed the state machinery work overtime to get things in order for Thursday’s big event.At 12:45 pm on Thursday, the foundation stone for the state’s new capital, Amaravati, will be laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Amaravati, being built on the banks of the Krishna River is India’s first greenfield smart city and could well be the precursor for more such cities. The Amaravati seed c
apital area (SCA)—as designed by Singapore’s Surbana Jurong—spread over 16.9 sq km with an 8-kilometre frontage on the Krishna, will be the core of the city, housing government offices, business districts and a population of about 3 lakh people.

Airtel 4G reaches Vizag, Vijayawada, Guntur, Tirupati and Nellore in Andhra

Telecom network operator Bharti Airtel has launched 4G services in five towns — Vizag, Vijayawada, Guntur, Tirupati and Nellore — in Andhra Pradesh.

Airtel is offering LTE 4G services on smart devices including mobile phones, dongles, 4G hotspots and Wi-Fi dongles.

Bharti Airtel launched India’s first 4G network in Kolkata in April 2012. In August 2015, Airtel 4G reached 296 towns across India.

Airtel is offering 4G services at 3G data prices. The cost of Airtel 4G data pack is Rs 25. 4G SIM comes with six months of unlimited music streaming and downloads on Wynk Music and five free movies per month for six months on the Eros Now channel of Wynk Movies.

The price of Airtel 4G Infinity Plans is Rs 999.

Samsung, Xiaomi, Motorola, Lenovo, Asus and Huawei are selling their latest 4G smartphones in India.

4G smartphone boom

Flipkart, an online platform, has sold half a million mobile handsets on 14 October. 75 percent of the phones sold during the ten hours period were 4G phones. While metros like Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai were driving the sales of 4G smartphones, Flipkart saw demand from Tier 2 cities such as Nagpur, Indore, Coimbatore, Vishakhapatnam and Jaipur.

Image Caption: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Venkatesh Vijayraghavan, CEO – Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, Bharti Airtel

Bapatla Agricultural College closed, students launch protest

The Agricultural College at Bapatla simmered with tension after Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University issued an indefinite closure notice on Friday morning, sparking protests by students.

Associate Dean P.R.K. Prasad said the decision to close the campus was taken in view of the prevailing situation and students preventing committee members probing a PG student’s suicide from leaving the campus.

M.Sc student M. Surya Rao’s death on September 26 had evoked outrage among students who had alleged foul play.

Alleging that Rao was forced to take the extreme step owing to harassment by a professor, students had been boycotting classes since September 28. “Rao was an intelligent student who topped his class.

“But, he was unable to take the abuse and humiliation by his professor. Some seed he had planted did not germinate, and the professor singled him out and abused him, forcing him to take his own life,” said a student who did not want to be named.

Meanwhile, the university’s decision to close the campus left several students in the lurch, including around 60 scholars of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) who had come from other States.

“I have come from Tamil Nadu, and we have now been served notice that the college and the hostel will remain closed indefinitely. My course has already been delayed by three months owing to administrative lapses, and now this strike will further delay my studies,” said a student of ICAR.

More than 900 students stay on the campus.

Incidentally, some girl students complained that professors had been harassing them.

APREDA Property Show from October 2

The Andhra Pradesh Real Estate Developers’ Association (APREDA) is organising its 6th Property Show at ‘A’ Convention Centre here from October 2,3,4. It brings together builders and developers, banks, housing finance companies, realty consultants, construction material manufacturers and suppliers, interior designers, architects and industry professionals.

Club to Donate Rs 10L to Guntur GGH

GUNTUR: The first meeting of the LVR & Sons Club and Reading Room executive committee, held here on Sunday, announced to donate `10 lakh for the development works of Government General Hospital (GGH) in Guntur.

Speaking to mediapersons, the committee president Rayapati Srinivas said they will hand over the donation to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who is scheduled to visit Guntur on October 2.

Stating the LVR & Sons Club and Reading Room will carry forward the initiatives like encouraging indoor and outdoor games, cultural and arts activities and also giving scholarships to meritorious students, he said they will provide scholarships to students excelling in studies at SSC, Intermediate levels and also for the meritorious students of the Guntur Medical College on October 15, marking the occasion of the birth anniversary of former Indian President and Missile man APJ Abdul Kalam.

Executive committee vice-president M Venkateswar Reddy, secretary K Nageswara Rao, treasurer D Satyanarayana and others were present.