Andhra Pradesh government which is set to bring new excise policy sometime in October is considering to run wine shops only till 6 PM. This is as part of their strategy to completely ban sales of liquor in the state which is also a promise made by AP CM YS Jagan during the election campaign.

However as things don't happen overnight, the YSRCP government wants to bring down the sales initially and then eventually abolish it. Currently, wine shops are running from 10 AM to 10 PM all over the state. Sales after 6 PM pick up a lot and so the new excise policy might target this prime time. The other aspect of this policy is to reduce the number of liquor brands. As of today, there are about 340 brands producing different flavors of liquor and a study suggested that many brands don't register proper sales.

But this strategy has many complications too. First is, the government will lose a chunk of revenue and they should also keep in mind that AP is going through severe financial stress.

The second is as the government is planning to run wine shops on its own instead of handing over to private persons. This could lead to the rise of the black market and it will put an additional burden on the excise department and officials. This policy is still under thoughtfulness and has a long way to go.

For now, Jagan has ordered the closure of all belt shops in the state and excise officials are busy following the CM's orders.





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NDA Government on Monday left CM YS Jaganmohan Reddy stunned by declaring there is no possibility of according Special Category Status to any state in the country.

Finance Minister Niramala Sitharaman told Lok Sabha that as many as 7 States including AP and Telangana placed requests for Special Category Status but the Union Government have no plans to extend such benefit to any state.

YS Jaganmohan Reddy moved the proposal of Special Category Status for AP in the first meeting with PM Narendra Modi after becoming CM. He even stressed the necessity for according SCS to AP which is facing financial crisis post bifurcation during the NITI Aayog Meeting chaired by PM. Still, Centre is adamant and has been in no mood to implement the bifurcation promise.

Release of funds to AP after the change of government gave an indication that Modi might consider Special Status demand. However, The latest statement from Centre ruled out any possibility of attaining it in the next 5 years.




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Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan has made some interesting comments at the Collector's Conference held today at Praja Vedika. Highlighting YSRCP's election manifesto, Jagan said, "I was asking a few senior officials whom I know before coming to this conference, what practices should be followed to get people's attention."

Adding, "My government has two main themes. One is transparent and friendly government and the second is the implementation of 'Nava Ratnalu' from election manifesto. Irrespective of the political party and even people who did not vote for me should also get the government benefits. Nothing matters, every deserving family should get it and that responsibility is on you all," stated Jagan.

The AP CM also advised all the Collectors to keep a big smile on their face when people approach them with their problems. "When a common man tries to reach to you, try to be positive and make sure their problem is duly addressed. When you leave this district, leave with a mark of your work. That's I needed," said Jagan.




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Back in the days, the then Congress party leader YS Rajasekhar Reddy's son YS Jagan used to be a huge fan of movie actor Nandamuri Balakrishna. When films of this action star are releasing, Jagan, the then President of Kadapa District Balayya Fans Association, used to give various ads in newspapers.

Currently, an old newspaper clip where the ad featuring Jagan's wishes for the year 2000 as Balayya fans association president, is trending on the social media. That's four years before YS Rajasekhar Reddy became CM of Andhra Pradesh. And it also says that politics and films are two different things. Jagan being a staunch supporter of Congress (then) and his favorite star being a torchbearer of Telugudesam party, there are no such differences it seems.

And someone has created an interesting meme to elevate Balayya here, as they make the character of Balayya say, "For you, he is Chief Minister, but for me, he is a Fan". Well, we have to see if this fandom will be ever evident in the current AP Assembly where Jagan is CM and Balayya is an MLA in the opposition.

Andhra Pradesh is going through severe financial stress. Despite this, the government wants to implement 'Nava Ratnalu' which is a subsidy scheme to the poor. As promised, CM YS Jagan is taking measures to implement at the earliest and now he got a little boost. A woman has reportedly donated Rs 7 crore worth land to the AP government.

But who is this woman and why did she donate? This lady is identified as Padala Kasthuri and she lives in London. Kasthuri hails from West Godavari district and she owns one acre and 10 cents of land as a remembrance of her son. Very recently Kasthuri visited her home town and decided to donate the land to the government. She met minister Cherukuvada Sri Ranganath Raju and conveyed her intentions. The minister immediately sought CM Jagan's appointment.

Getting to know about, Jagan too met her and was pleased by her gesture to donate land which is worth crore of Rupees. Jagan along with YSRCP ministers and MLAs felicitated her and appreciated her kindness.




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