Chief Secretary K Vijayanand on Saturday urged citizens to actively participate in waste segregation and recycling efforts, highlighting the need to convert waste into wealth. He interacted with residents at Rajiv Nagar (63rd Division) near the Ayurvedic Hospital as part of the Swachh Andhra – Swachh Divas programme led by Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) Commissioner Dhyanachandra.
During the event, Vijayanand inspected stalls set up by VMC demonstrating household waste segregation using three-coloured bins—green for wet waste, blue for dry waste, and red for hazardous waste. He also observed how organic waste can be composted at home. Additionally, he reviewed VMC’s mosquito-control initiatives, including fogging, drone spraying, and anti-larval measures, and visited a stall promoting the ban on single-use plastics.
To raise awareness, a walkathon themed “Source to Resource” was flagged off by the Chief Secretary, covering Rajiv Nagar, Sundarayya Nagar, and Prakash Nagar.
Addressing the gathering, Vijayanand emphasised the need for a structured implementation of Swachh Andhra – Swachh Divas. He called on citizens to take responsibility for cleanliness, segregate waste at home, and support recycling efforts. He also stressed the importance of public awareness campaigns in ensuring effective waste management.
VMC Commissioner Dhyanachandra highlighted that the civic body is actively distributing three waste bins to households and ensuring proper recycling.
He reiterated VMC’s commitment to strictly enforcing the ban on plastic items below 120 microns, stating that while awareness campaigns are ongoing, enforcement measures will soon be intensified.
CS: Govt taking steps to stabilise vegetable prices
PNS n Vijayawada
Chief Secretary K Vijayanand has announced that the government is implementing measures to stabilise the prices of green and red chillies, brinjals, tomatoes, and other vegetables across the state. During a video conference with officials from the Agriculture, Marketing, Civil Supplies, and Markfed departments, he reviewed the current market prices and stressed the need to ensure minimum support prices for farmers.
Vijayanand directed officials to coordinate efforts to support farmers, particularly those cultivating tomatoes and chillies, and to monitor price fluctuations to prevent inconvenience to both farmers and consumers. He highlighted the strategy of shifting produce from high-production to low-production areas to maintain price stability.
The Chief Secretary also addressed the need to support eucalyptus and subabul farmers, instructing Industries Secretary N. Yuvraj to liaise with ITC and other companies to ensure they receive a minimum support price. Currently, subabul is priced at Rs 5,400 per tonne, while eucalyptus is at Rs 4,400 per tonne.
He further announced that Subji Coolers would be set up in all Rythu Bazaars across the state to keep vegetables and fruits fresh. These coolers, already introduced on a trial basis in some Rythu Bazaars, are designed with modern technology to function with water, even without electricity. He instructed officials to install at least one cooler in every Rythu Bazaar, with multiple units in larger markets, enabling unsold produce to be preserved for the next day instead of being sold at lower prices.
Special Chief Secretary for Agriculture B. Rajasekhar, who participated virtually, stated that the Marketing Department has already placed an order for 59 Subji Coolers, with plans for further orders to cover 112 Rythu Bazaars.
Secretary for Industries and Commerce Dr. N. Yuvraj, Commissioner of Civil Supplies Saurav Gaur, Director of Agriculture Delhi Rao, CEO of Rythu Bazaars Vijaya Sunitha, Markfed MD Dr. Manajir Jilani Samoon, and Director of Horticulture Dr. K. Srinivas also participated virtually in the meeting.
