AP CURRENT AFFAIRS 29-08-2025

Centre to SC: States Cannot File Writs Against Governors on Bill Assent

Context

  • The Centre informed the Supreme Court that State governments cannot invoke writ jurisdiction against the actions of the President or Governors in granting or withholding assent to bills passed by State legislatures.
  • The statement was made by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta before a five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai.

Key Highlights

  • Centre’s Position:
    • States cannot file writ petitions under Article 32 for violation of fundamental rights regarding Governor/President’s assent to Bills.
    • The President is not answerable to any court for actions taken under Article 361 of the Constitution.
    • Any direction compelling Governors or the President to act on Bills would not be maintainable.
  • SC’s Query:
    • The Court is examining whether timelines can be fixed for Governors and the President to act on Bills passed by State Assemblies.
    • The issue arose after instances of Governors delaying assent for months (e.g., Tamil Nadu case, where SC allowed the State to approach the Court if delay continued).
  • Bench Composition:
    • CJI B.R. Gavai, Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, P.S. Narasimha, and A.S. Chandrachud.

Background:

  • Article 200: Governor can assent, withhold, reserve, or return a Bill for reconsideration.
  • Article 201: Reserved Bills go to the President for final assent.
  • Article 361: President/Governors enjoy immunity from court proceedings for their official acts.
  • Issue has become contentious as several States (e.g., Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Punjab, Telangana) accused Governors of delaying assent, leading to legislative paralysis.

Salient Features of the Debate:

  1. Judicial Review Limitations: Governor/President’s discretion largely protected under constitutional immunity.
  2. Federal Tensions: Disputes between elected State governments and nominated Governors.

Supreme Court’s Role: Considering fixing a reasonable timeline for Governors/President to act.

 

 

 

 

Telugu Language Festival in Nellore (Aug 29–31)

Context

  • To mark the birth anniversary of Gidugu Ramamurthy Pantulu, revered as the father of colloquial Telugu, a Telugu Language Festival(AUG-29) will be held in Nellore Town Hall (Aug 29–31).
  • The event is organized by Seva Sahiti Cultural Organisation with support from AL Creative and Cultural Commission.
  • Former Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate the festival.

Background

  • Gidugu Ramamurthy Pantulu (1863–1940):
    • A social reformer, writer, and linguist.
    • Advocated for the use of colloquial Telugu (Vyavaharika Bhasha) instead of classical Telugu in education and literature.
    • Known as the “Pidugu” (thunderbolt) for his reformist zeal.
  • His contributions made Telugu more accessible to the masses, shaping modern Telugu literature and education.

Godavari, Krishna in Third Spell of Floods

Context

  • Andhra Pradesh witnessed the third spell of floods in the major rivers Godavari and Krishna since June 2025.
  • Heavy rainfall in upper catchment areas and upstream dam releases have increased water discharge, triggering flood warnings and impacting local communities.

Key Highlights

  • Godavari River:
    • Discharge at Dowleswaram Barrage: 5.2 lakh cusecs.
    • At Bhadrachalam, discharge reached 7 lakh cusecs; first flood warning likely when level at Cotton Barrage touches 11.75 ft with 10 lakh cusecs discharge.
    • Nearly 5.20 lakh cusecs discharged from Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage towards downstream areas.
  • Krishna River:
    • Heavy inflows recorded at Prakasam Barrage (3.97 lakh cusecs).
    • Inflows from Pulichintala (2.74 lakh cusecs), Srisailam (2.9 lakh cusecs), and Nagarjuna Sagar (2.35 lakh cusecs).
  • Flood Impact:
    • Tamileru reservoir and Gonelavagu rivulet receiving heavy inflows.
    • Flood warnings issued in Eluru, Kurnool, Nandyal, and Prakasam districts.

Background

  • Godavari and Krishna are flood-prone rivers, particularly during the Southwest Monsoon (June–September).
  • Recurrent floods in AP are linked to catchment rainfall in Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka and regulated/unregulated dam releases.
  • Floods cause displacement, crop loss, and infrastructure damage in coastal Andhra.

Salient Features

  1. Third spell of floods since June 2025.
  2. Heavy inflows due to upstream releases + monsoon rains.
  3. Multiple barrages (Dowleswaram, Prakasam, Srisailam, Nagarjuna Sagar) under high discharge.
  4. Preventive measures: flood warnings, evacuation alerts, SDRF deployment.

Benefits/Challenges

Benefits

  • Floodwaters help recharge groundwater and support reservoir storage for irrigation.
  • Opportunity for better flood monitoring systems.

Challenges

  • Threat to lives, agriculture, and infrastructure in floodplains.
  • Risk of breaches in embankments and rural habitations being cut off.
  • Economic losses due to crop submergence and transport disruption.

 

 

 

 

 

New Buildings for 4,472 Village Health Clinics in Andhra Pradesh

Context

  • The Andhra Pradesh government has announced the construction of 4,472 new village health clinics across all 26 districts.
  • The project cost is estimated at ₹1,129 crore, with 80% of funds coming from the Centre under Ayushman Arogya Kendra projects.

Key Highlights

  • Current Status of Clinics:
    • AP has 10,032 village health clinics.
    • Of these, 1,086 clinics function from government buildings, while many others are operating from rented premises.
  • New Construction:
    • 4,472 new buildings will be constructed to accommodate health clinics.
    • Expected completion timeline: 1 year.
    • Fund allocation: 60% from National Health Mission & PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, 15th Finance Commission grants for remaining costs.
  • Previous Status:
    • Earlier YSR Congress government aimed to build 8,946 clinics, but due to financial delays, only 3,105 were completed and 2,309 remained unfinished.
  • Funding Model:
    • Nearly 80% of the cost borne by Centre.
    • Out of total project cost of ₹2,524 crore, ₹1,808 crore from Centre as aid.
    • ₹755 crore from 16th Finance Commission funds for construction of 1,379 clinics.

Background

  • Village health clinics act as first-level contact points for primary healthcare delivery in rural areas.
  • Part of the Ayushman Bharat initiative, which envisions strengthening health infrastructure at grassroots.
  • Past implementation challenges included funding delays and abrupt stoppage of projects.

Salient Features

  1. Coverage: 4,472 new clinics across all districts of Andhra Pradesh.
  2. Funding: 80% by Centre, remaining by state & Finance Commission grants.
  3. Timeline: To be completed within 1 year.
  4. Integration: Linked with Ayushman Arogya Kendras for universal health coverage.

Benefits/Challenges

Benefits

  • Strengthens primary healthcare delivery at the village level.
  • Reduces burden on higher hospitals by treating basic illnesses locally.
  • Supports Ayushman Bharat vision of universal health access.
  • Creates permanent infrastructure, reducing dependence on rented spaces.

Challenges

  • Timely completion of construction remains critical.
  • Ensuring staffing, equipment, and medicine supply to clinics after construction.
  • Past record shows incomplete projects due to financial constraints.

Way Forward

  • Strengthen monitoring and fund flow mechanisms to avoid project delays.
  • Recruit and train adequate health workforce for rural clinics.
  • Ensure clinics are digitally connected under National Digital Health Mission.
  • Focus on preventive healthcare & telemedicine to maximize outreach.

About Ayushman Arogya Kendras / Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs):

Context

  • Ayushman Arogya Kendras are part of the Ayushman Bharat Programme (2018) aimed at transforming sub-centres and primary health centres (PHCs) into Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs).
  • Andhra Pradesh recently linked its village health clinic project (4,472 new buildings) with Ayushman Arogya Kendras, with 80% central funding support.

Background

  • Launched in 2018, Ayushman Bharat has two components:
    1. Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) – for primary healthcare.
    2. Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) – for secondary & tertiary healthcare insurance.
  • Vision: Provide Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) to all by 2022 (now extended).

Salient Features of Ayushman Arogya Kendras (HWCs)

  1. Infrastructure: Upgradation of 1.5 lakh existing sub-centres and PHCs into HWCs.
  2. Services Provided:
    • Maternal and child health services.
    • Communicable disease prevention and treatment (TB, malaria, HIV).
    • Non-communicable diseases (diabetes, hypertension, cancer screening).
    • Basic ENT, dental, ophthalmic, palliative and elderly care.
    • Free essential drugs and diagnostic services.
  3. Digital Health: Integration with National Digital Health Mission for e-health records.
  4. Community Focus: Involvement of ASHA workers, ANMs, and CHOs (Community Health Officers).
  5. Funding: Supported under National Health Mission (NHM) and Ayushman Bharat.
  6. Target: To make universal primary healthcare accessible and affordable.

 

 

 

 

Naidu to Redesign Welfare Schemes in Andhra Pradesh

Context

  • Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced the introduction of a Family Card for every household to log welfare benefits and redesign social welfare schemes for better transparency and efficiency.

Key Highlights

  • Family Card Initiative:
    • Aadhaar-linked Family Card will be issued to every household in AP.
    • Will record details of all government schemes availed by families.
    • Acts as a social identity document, similar to Aadhaar, but focused on welfare benefits.
    • Aims to create a family score to ensure transparency in welfare delivery.
    • Welfare benefits to be updated in real-time, based on field-level information.
    • Goal: “Re-engineering” of social welfare schemes for tailored support and efficient delivery.

Background

  • Andhra Pradesh has multiple welfare schemes covering pensions, subsidies, healthcare, and education.
  • Past experiences showed overlap, leakages, and inefficiency in benefit distribution.
  • Farmers in AP have faced distress due to volatile onion prices in recent months.

Salient Features

  1. Family Card:
    • Digital record of welfare entitlements.
    • Family-based approach instead of individual-based.
    • Transparent monitoring with satisfaction tracking.
    • Prioritizes poor and marginalized households.

Benefits/Challenges

Benefits

  • Reduces leakages in welfare schemes.
  • Ensures need-based delivery of benefits.
  • Provides relief to distressed onion farmers.
  • Stabilizes consumer prices and prevents exploitation by middlemen.

Challenges

  • Effective integration with Aadhaar and other databases.
  • Ensuring data privacy and preventing misuse of family data.
  • Long-term sustainability of procurement at support prices.
  • Infrastructure gaps in warehousing and cold storage.

 

 

 

 

Andhra Pradesh Announces ₹1,200/quintal Support Price for Onion Farmers

  • AP Govt announced ₹1,200 per quintal aid for onion farmers facing market distress.
  • Onion Relief Package:
    • ₹1,200 support price per quintal.
    • Direct procurement through state agencies.
    • Use of Rythu bazaars for consumer benefit.
    • Plans for cold storage and warehouse infrastructure.

Onion Farmers Relief:

    • State government announced procurement of onions at a support price of ₹1,200 per quintal.
    • Stocks to be purchased directly from farmers and marketed through Rythu bazaars.
    • Onion farmers should not suffer losses due to market fluctuations.
    • Emphasis on creating cold storage and warehouses to stabilize agricultural prices.