The Andhra Pradesh High Court directed the government and the AP Pollution Control Board to pay compensation to farmers affected by pollution from industries in the Patancheru industrial area before the next hearing on June 9. A division bench comprising Justice B. Prakash Rao and Justice C.Y. Somayajulu observed: "It is better to pay the compensation before the next hearing of the writ, otherwise interest will be imposed on the princial amount of compensation.'

The Rajiv Arogyasri scheme has come as a boon for the poverty stricken parents of seven-year-old Lavanya of Sanjeevapuram in Bukkara-yasamudram mandal. The little girl was suffering from congenital cardiac problems and her parents, Mr Thimmappa and Ms Bhagyalakshmi, did not have the Rs 1,00,000 required to repair her heart valves through surgery.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday directed the state government and the AP Pollution Control Board to file a report on the implementation of Supreme Court directions with regard to pollution control measures in Patancheru industrial area. While dealing with a batch of writ petitions, a division bench comprising Justice B. Prakash Rao and C.Y. Somayajulu expressed dissatisfaction over the delay in the implementation of the Apex court orders.

As the debate on food security rages on, it's worth looking at the success of Deccan Development Society (DDS), a sustainable model with woman farmers in Andhra Pradesh's Medak district. These 5,000 women from 75 villages, says DDS director P.V. Satheesh, are 'multiple-marginalised' both economically and in terms of gender and caste.

Three leopards, including two cubs, were found dead in the forests of Medak district in Andhra Pradesh on Friday. The forest officials found the carcasses of a female leopard and her two cubs in Sherkhan Palli forest area of Hathnur mandal of Medak district, some 200 km from here. The officials suspect that leopards were poisoned for their skin. The forest department has ordered a probe.

Does away with middlemen; ten States keen to replicate model The implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) through biometric smart cards in Andhra Pradesh has attracted nationwide attention, with many States planning to adopt a similar method. Financial Information Network and Operations Ltd (FINO), a Mumbai-based technology solutions provider, is presently implementing NREGS in five districts of Andhra Pradesh by paying wages through biometric smart cards. "The hassle-free mode of payment sans middlemen has become a hit with the unskilled manual labourers. Encouraged by the feedback, at least 10 other States, including Orissa, Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, are showing interest in adopting similar methods,' Mr Rishi Gupta, Chief Financial Officer and President (Sales), FINO, told Business Line over phone from Mumbai. Implementation After a successful pilot programme in eight mandals of Warangal and Karimnagar districts, the payment of pension and National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme wages are now being paid through smart cards in 259 villages