VIJAYAWADA: The coalition government is committed to restoring the glory of Telugu theatre, particularly mythological, social and folk art forms, Tourism, Culture and Cinematography Minister Kandula Durgesh said on Saturday.
Speaking at the oath-taking ceremony of 22 newly appointed members of the Theatre Academy under the Andhra Pradesh State Creativity and Cultural Committee at the Ghantasala Government College of Music and Dance, he urged them to actively promote Telugu art and culture across the State.
Durgesh said the government would take steps to revive the Special Artists Pension, which was discontinued by the previous government. He alleged that merging the special pension with old-age pensions had undermined the dignity of artists. After discussions with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, appropriate steps would be taken to restore the pension, he said.
He assured that the government would provide the necessary financial resources and facilities to the Academy and support artists ranging from grassroots performers to established artistes. The Minister congratulated Theatre Academy Chairman Gummadi Gopalakrishna on receiving a national award and said special programmes would be undertaken to revive traditional theatre and folk arts.
Record tobacco prices
Addressing a media conference at the Jana Sena Party office in Guntur, Kandula Durgesh said the government had ensured a record tobacco price of over Rs 300 and was providing interest-free loans and price-difference compensation to protect farmers from fluctuations in international markets.
He said the State had received only 42 per cent of normal rainfall so far. With reduced inflows from Nagarjuna Sagar, the Guntur Channel and Pattiseema, the government had launched the ‘Rythanna Mee Kosam’ programme on the directions of CM N Chandrababu Naidu. He urged farmers to adopt alternative crops and opt for commercial and inter-crops requiring less water instead of paddy.
