Tamil Nadu Chief minister and AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa has poured in all the jaw dropping benefits and free facilities in her party manifesto for assembly elections on May 16, like free mobile phone for every ration card holder and women will be sanctioned 50 percent subsidy on scooters. Though there are many to list down, here are some more highlights that caught many eyes for sure. No more EB bills for around 78 lakh people who use only 100 units of power.

All government employees will be sanctioned up to 40 lakhs housing loans, free laptops and internet for Class 11 and 12 students, Maternity assistance hiked to Rs. 15,000, Crop and long term loans will be waived for small and micro farmers, Amma Banking card will be given to avail government services.

Maternity assistance leave extended to 9 months from 3 months, Breakfast added to noon meal for school children, Public WiFi, Free set top boxes, Renovation assistance for churches and mosques, Rs 1 lakh for temples of local deities.While all political parties have been busy campaigning on promises already, AIADMK is the last one to release manifesto and campaigning only about Jayalalithaa’s government deeds.

Recently, the agri giant ITC shifted its main agri division from Telangana capital Hyderabad to Guntur in Andhra Pradesh. Even several other reputed companies are reportedly mulling shifting their main base from Hyderabad to Amaravati.

In a latest, automobile giant Ashok Leyland is planning to set up a huge body building plant in Mallavalli Village in Krishna District. The company officials have already approached the APIIC authorities and requested about 316 acres of land to spread the company’s operations.

Ashok Leyland has submitted a proposal to invest around Rs. 1,000 crores in the capital region. The APIIC has nearly 3,200 acres of government land in its land bank in the Krishna region and it is contemplating on giving away 100 acres each in Mallavalli and Peddavaram villages to Ashok Leyland.

New Delhi: When Arun Jaitley was replying during the discussion on Finance Bill on Thursday, Rahul Gandhi made an abrupt exit from Lok Sabha, raising many an eyebrow. Some members later said this happened because Jaitley was speaking on the 1% excise duty on gold jewellery and Rahul may have apprehended that the Finance Minister would take a dig at him for having taken up the cause of jewellers.

Lok Sabha in Rajya Sabha

A part from Rajya Sabha MPs who rushed to the House when Subramanian Swamy rose to speak over the Agusta issue, a good number of BJP’s Lok Sabha MPs too deemed it fit to witness the `star’ performance live from the galleries.

Several LS MPs could be seen jostling for seats in the RS gallery to listen to Swamy’s attack on political corruption in high places. Prominent among those present was ex-Karnataka CM BS Yeddyurappa.

Notwithstanding the open announcement by the Centre that there is no question of granting special status to Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is still speaking in a softer tone on the BJP.He told media on Thursday that he had spoken to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely and asked him to make an announcement as to how much financial assistance the Centre would give to the State ultimately in lieu of the special status.

“It will give some clarity as to what our next step could be,” he said.The TDP chief said there was no basis in the allegations that he had compromised with the BJP on special status issue.“We have been waiting patiently as to what we would get. I will continue my efforts to get maximum funds to the state,” he said.

He sought to turn tables on YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, saying he was being instigated by the Congress party to attack the TDP.“I am clear. There is no question of compromising on the State’s interests. The BJP leaders should take initiative in this regard,” he said.