Graft charges hit Telangana State Minorities Finance Corporation office

HYDERABAD: Irregularities to the tune of Rs 2 crore have taken place in the tender process to purchase computers for the 37 training centers of the Telangana State Minorities Finance Corporation (TSMFC).

Mr Syed Akbar Hussein, chairman of the TSMFC, brought the issue to the notice of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Mr Akbar claimed, “Before the tenders were finalised, two centers were opened and computers provided. The systems were supplied by the company which bagged the contract later.”

However, the TSMFC offcials denied the charges. They said that the contracts were awarded only after scrutinising the tenders, ensuring that only students benefitted by the scheme. The contract was given to a firm allegedly without taking into consideration the requirements of the institutes. It is alleged that the contract for computers was allotted to a company which is supplying outdated fifth generation desktop computers.

“Already eighth generation computers are in the market. A few months from now, the accessories for fifth generation computers will not be available in market,” noted the chairman.

Mr Syed Omer Jaleel, principal secretary, minorities welfare department, said that he had issued the order, asking the TSMFC to make the purchases through the Telangana State Technical Services (TSTS). “The officials are dealing with this aspect in a transparent manner,” he said.

B Shafiullah, managing director of TSMFC, said that no discrepancies had taken place in the entire tender process and everything was done in a fair manner to benefit students and the government.

“A high-level committee oversaw the tender process and the systems are being procured through GeM (government e-market),” he said.