Adluri Refutes Scam Allegation in Student Amenities’ Purchase

 Hyderabad: Social welfare minister Adluri Laxman Kumar on Friday rejected BRS leader T. Harish Rao’s charge of a Rs 2,000-crore scam in the purchase of student amenities, saying the tender value was Rs 687.78 crore and the process went through the Telangana government e-procurement portal.

“How does a Rs 687.78 crore tender become a Rs 2,000-crore scam,” Laxman asked at a press conference here, where minority welfare minister Mohammed Azharuddin was present. He called the allegations “entirely false, politically motivated and intended to tarnish Telangana’s welfare education system.”

Laxman said the tenders followed national competitive bidding, 27 bids came from across the country and contracts went only to eligible L1 bidders after technical and financial evaluation. He denied that any work was given on nomination and said no Gujarat-based company had been awarded a contract. “If there is evidence, place it before the investigating agencies,” he said.

The minister said the Congress government had given Rs 51 crore worth of works to TGLIPC, formerly Lidcap, in two years, against Rs 40.21 lakh during 10 years of BRS rule. The PMU sheet lists TGSCO for uniform cloth and bedding, TGLIPC for ties, belts and ID card holders, and TGTPC for notebooks.

Nearly 27 lakh students in gurukuls, KGBVs, welfare hostels and government institutions are to receive kits including uniforms, shoes, socks, bags, bedding, trunk boxes, PT uniforms and night dresses. The government also said diet and cosmetic charges were raised, staff dues and rentals were being cleared, and Collectors had funds for sanitation, drinking water and repairs. Azharuddin said calling the procurement a `2,000-crore scam was “a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.”