

VIJAYAWADA: The tranquil banks of the Krishna river turned into a vibrant canvas on Sunday morning as more than 300 children and youth participated in a floor painting and drawing competition at Haritha Beram Park in Vijayawada.
Organised by the District Administration and Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC), the event highlighted themes such as Swarnandhra Vision @2047, P4 policy, Swachhandhra, Save Water, and Say No to Single-Use Plastic.
District Collector G Lakshmisha lauded the participants for combining artistic flair with social awareness. “These paintings mark the beginning of a vibrant Vijayawada,” he said, announcing a series of weekly events like yoga, photography, and birding contests at various tourist spots, including Bhavani Island and Gandhi Hills.
VMC Commissioner Dhyan Chandra HM emphasised the importance of such events in spreading environmental awareness and praised the collective civic efforts that earned Vijayawada the Super Swachh League Award in the Swachh Survekshan 2024.
In the floor painting competition, G. Tanuja won first prize of Rs 10,000 for her artwork on water conservation, followed by P Yamini Vishala, V Jaswanthi, and M Suresh. In the drawing competition, MS Vaishnavi secured the top spot, with Rahil Jayan, G. Bhashyasri, and Laksh Jain following.
Lakshmisha and Dhyan Chandra awarded cash prizes, mementos, and certificates.
The event was judged by artists P Chidambareswar Rao, Kalasagar, P Ramesh, and Santosh Kumar. Several dignitaries, including officials from APTDC and AYUSH, were also present.