What this would entail is that instead of giving two papers in all subjects barring the second language, now the 6 lakh-odd students will give only one paper of 100 marks each. The pattern of the new papers will be announced soon. The Exams will be conducted even on a Sunday, 12 July (English paper). According to the order signed by Subba Reddy, Director of Government Examinations, the schedule will not change even if any day is declared as a public holiday. 

Originally these exams were to be conducted between 31 March and 15 April. 

Andhra Pradesh Education minister A Suresh has said that as per Corona protocol, social distancing will be maintained inside the exam hall and the exam centres will be away from any Corona containment zones. The number of exam centres are also being increased from the earlier 2009. 

Kerala has announced its Class X exam dates in the last week of May. The three pending exams of Maths, Physics and Chemistry will be conducted on May 26, 27 and 28 respectively in the afternoon. The Class 11 and 12 exams will be conducted from May 27 to 30. 

Incidentally, the CBSE has also announced that it will conduct its pending class 12 exams through out the country between July 1 and 15. The other national board that conducts exams for ICSE Class X and ISC Class XII, said on 1 May that it intends to conduct its exams depending on the situation in the country. But it is yet to announce any tentative dates for the pending 6 papers for Class X and 8 papers for Class 12. 

Meanwhile, Telangana is awaiting the nod of the High court. Its Education department has informed the court that it is setting up an additional 2005 exam centres to factor social distancing and will also medical personnel at every centre. Telangana that has begun the evaluation work of answer scripts of Class 11 and 12 students and will conduct one pending exam on 3 June, wants to complete the class X process within June.

Now with Telangana complaining against Andhra Pradesh to the Krishna Water Board over what it alleges is an “illegal diversion of water to Rayalaseema”, the Congress has decided to hit back. Congress president Uttam Kumar Reddy has alleged that Andhra’s move has exposed KCR’s inaction and inability to thwart the project. Accusing KCR of colluding with Jagan, Reddy says this will destroy agriculture in the Krishna river basin and deprive Telangana districts like Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda, Khammam and Ranga Reddy of their rightful share of water. 

While the Congress as the opposition is within its rights to criticise the government, what it shows is the plan to beat KCR with the same stick that he used against them. Since the years of the separatist struggle, the Telangana vs Andhra dispute has been a running political theme, exploited to the hilt by the Telangana Rashtra Samiti.

Now the Congress, which is no longer a political power to reckon with in Andhra Pradesh, has decided to accuse the TRS of compromising on Telangana interests. It is the same charge that KCR has often leveled against the Congress. 

The Congress also wants to dent KCR’s positioning as the sole custodian of Telangana and the most informed voice on irrigation as a subject. The Telangana CM has often derided past irrigation projects, accusing them of compromising on the state’s interests and instead favouring coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema. 

The angst is over the Rayalaseema lift irrigation project withdrawing 3 TMC feet from Pothireddypadu scheme from Krishna river. Telangana alleges that the Andhra move is for an illegal project and violates the AP Reorganisation Act 2014. At the heart of the issue is the contention that Srisailam reservoir is a common project and neither state can initiate any additional diversion of water without consulting the other. The fear is that this diversion would affect drinking water supply to Hyderabad and also Mission Bhagiratha drinking water scheme in other districts. 

Jagan however, has denied any violation of rules, saying Andhra Pradesh was only making use of surplus floodwater. Asking Telangana to look at the issue from a humanitarian angle, Jagan said the water needs of Rayalaseema districts as well as Nellore and Prakasam districts had to be met. 

The two chief ministers had held several meetings last year in Hyderabad and Amaravati to discuss political issues as well as those pertaining to irrigation in the past. Jagan even made it a point to be present at the inaugural of the Kaleshwaram irrigation project. A phone call is perhaps all it would take to settle the dispute instead of washing dirty linen in public. 

“We wanted to give confidence to the people of the area that it is absolutely safe here. There are no chemical elements and the air is safe,” Vijayasai Reddy told Filter Kaapi Live.

This night out comes even as Andhra Pradesh Industries minister M Goutham Reddy put out distressing news for those affected by the gas leak.

“Key findings of CSIR-NEERI expert panel say that the ill-effects of gas leak may be long-lasting and victims will need periodic health check-ups. We have organised for the check-ups,” Reddy tweeted.

In another development, the Andhra Pradesh government has started shipping back 15000 MT of leftover styrene monomer to South Korea where the LG Polymers main factory is located. A preliminary probe has established that auto polymerisation of 1800 MT of styrene monomer led to emission of harmful vapors, causing loss of life. 

A senior bureaucrat in the Chief Minister’s office however, has denied any such move. Speaking to Filter Kaapi Live, he said there is no decision to shift to Vizag on 28 May. Even in the court, the government in its affidavit reiterated its commitment that it would not take any steps to move the capital until the state Legislature passed the bill relating to the decentralisation of administration and the repeal of the AP Capital Region Development Authority Act. 

But that has not prevented the chatter from doing the rounds. One version has it that Jaganmohan Reddy wishes to move cities in the wake of the LG Polymers gas leak that left 11 dead. The idea, the buzz claims, is to reassure the people of Vizag that all is well. It is also claimed that Jagan will operate out of Greyhounds Complex in Vizag. 

But given that the Andhra Pradesh administration is in the midst of handling the Covid 19 pandemic, a shift of the administrative structure would only unsettle the efforts to control the situation. 

The masks in Telangana are going traditional and weaver-friendly. The Telangana State Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society Limited has placed an order for 5 lakh masks. Three lakh of these will be up for sale while two lakh will be given away free of cost as part of CSR activity. 

“Close to 400 weavers are involved in preparing these masks,” says J Kalinga Reddy, Divisional Marketing Officer of the Cooperative Society. “We are engaged them in units in and around Hyderabad so that it is easy to procure them and transport them to our outlet in Nampally and BHEL areas.”

Work on the masks that come in attractive colours, for those who wish to ensure they match with their attire, began on 27 April. So far 2 lakh of the work order has been delivered, of which 1.5 lakh were distributed free. Of the 50000 masks that were stocked at the showroom, 20000 have been sold so far. 

The masks come in three varieties depending on the nature of the fabric used. The cheapest is the Rs 20 mask that is stitched using terricotton on powerloom. The Rs 25 variety uses printed cloth while the premium mask that costs Rs 40 uses Pochampally Ikkat/ kalamkari fabric. All the three masks are double layer masks. 

That the Edappadi Palaniswami government intends to reopen the TASMAC shops in all districts barring Chennai was a known fact for a week now. DMK’s MK Stalin argued against it as did MNM’s Kamal Haasan. The latter went to the Madras High court and secured a stay on the decision after Tamil Nadu sold 20 lakh litres of alcohol worth Rs 170 crore on a single day on 7 May, thereby scoring brownie points.

Now the Superstar stepped on to the scene with a tweet in which he asked the AIADMK government to forget about its dream of returning to power if it reopened the TASMAC shops now. Please look for better ways of filling the coffers,'' he added. This came after the Tamil Nadu government chose to appeal to the Supreme court against the verdict of the High court which it termed as a case of “Judicial overreach”.

It is strange that he chose to focus on whether the AIADMK will be able to return to power in 2021. Shouldn’t he instead spoken about how the crowds at TASMAC shops is not a risk Tamil Nadu with its very high number of cases can afford right now. Rajini ought to have focused on the people, not the party in power. 

Whether inadvertent or not, the tone and tenor of Rajinikanth’s tweet betrayed a concern for AIADMK. Just like he was concerned for Tamil Nadu in 1996 when he said even God cannot save Tamil Nadu if Jayalalithaa returns to power. 

Then came the Corona virus pandemic and the lockdown that brought everything to a standstill. Now the LG Polymers gas leak has put a question mark over the safety aspect of Vizag given the high concentration of industry in a limited area in the port city. 

Vizag was ravaged by Cyclone Hudhud in 2014 and it took some time for the sea city to get back on its feet. Aware that an unsafe tag could ground his capital plan, Jagan has asked the state Pollution Control Board (PCB) to identify hazardous factories in and around Visakhapatnam and located in densely populated areas. The emphasis is on ensuring a safe and risk-free city and ensuring they are far away from human habitations. 

Apart from constituting an investigation by a high-level enquiry team into the mishap in which both the Chairman and the Member Secretary of the PCB are involved as members, Jagan wants a comprehensive safety audit of all industry to be conducted. Prima facie, in the case of LG Polymers, it seems to be a case of laxity in standard operating procedure while recommissioning the plant after a lockdown of more than 40 days. 

Decongesting Vizag will be easier said than done as the city is home to several PSUs and pharma companies.

On the face of it, the government says the abnormal increase in liquor rates was to discourage people from consumption and also reduce overcrowding at wine shops. But the fact remains that the cash-strapped state is looking to liquor sales to boost its near-empty exchequer. Between 21 March and 20 April, as opposed to an usual monthly revenue of Rs 6000 crore, Andhra Pradesh collected a paltry Rs 50 crore. 

Which makes this a very sensible decision. If the steep hike ensures many a Bacchus-lover does not venture out to buy liquor, the government’s move would be a success. It would also mean that the government would stand to make the same amount of money with lesser sales which again makes sense when the need is to maintain social distancing. 

In Andhra Pradesh, which is working towards total prohibition by 2024, in a phased manner, the reopening of the wine shops saw unprecedented crowds throwing social distancing to the winds. All the 3468 retail outlets are owned by the state government’s Beverages Corporation Limited. Of these 2345 outlets were opened on day one.  

A few days ago, when Jaganmohan Reddy arrived to meet Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan, Raj Bhavan staffers ensured that even the chief minister sanitised his hands before stepping in. But despite the abundant precautions, four staff members of Raj Bhavan in Vijayawada have tested Covid-19 positive. As a matter of abundant caution, every staffer at Raj Bhavan was tested and four tested positive. Now according to sources in the government, the 85-year-old Governor will undergo a Corona virus test as well, his second. 

One of the staffers is reportedly the Security officer to the Governor while the others include a nurse, a cook and a housekeeping staff. Government staffers are now being routinely tested, with Andhra testing among the highest in the country. 

In contrast to the trend so far where either foreign returnees or those who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Delhi or their primary contacts were testing positive, these four employees neither have a travel history nor have come into contact with those infected with the virus. Ever since the outbreak, Raj Bhavan has locked itself in, avoiding all possible contact with the outside world to the maximum extent possible.

In fact, on 25 April, disinfection of the Governor House premises was done by spraying sodium hypochlorite using a drone. 

Incidentally, between 9 am on Saturday and 9 am on Sunday, Vijayawada recorded 52 cases of Corona virus, setting the alarm bells ringing. 12 of them were policemen who tested positive in rapid tests and their swab samples are being sent for confirmatory tests.