Another Fraud: TTD Caught in Fake Silk Dupatta Supply Scam

Tirupati: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is hit by yet another procurement scandal, this time over purchase of Pattu Sariga dupattas that are traditionally presented to donors, Veda Aseervachanam recipients and visiting dignitaries.

The suspected fraud involves procurement of the clothes worth around Rs 55 crore by TTD in the last 10 years from a single firm and its associates.

The TTD trust board, chaired by BR Naidu, ordered an anti-corruption bureau probe after a vigilance inquiry confirmed that fake silk was supplied in violation of tender conditions, causing financial loss to the devasthanams.

The issue came to light when the purchase committee examined a proposal to procure 21,600 silk dupattas. After the file reached the trust board, it directed the chief vigilance and security officer to verify whether the dupattas supplied under existing agreements met TTD’s strict specifications.

As per norms, the fabric must be woven entirely from pure mulberry silk, carry a Silk Mark label authenticated by the Silk Mark Organisation of India, and use tested zari free of gold and silver. Both warp and weft must contain 20/22 denier filature silk, with strands twisted, doubled, degummed, dyed and used as threads, giving a minimum count of 31.5 denier.

The fabric must have 100 ends per inch, 80 picks per inch, a width of 1 metre, a length of 2.3 metres, a double-sided 2.5-inch border, and the citation of “Om Namo Venkatesaya” in Telugu and Sanskrit with Sanku, Chakra and Namam in the centre.

The total weight must be 180g, including at least 110g of degummed and dyed silk, with the balance drawn from tested zari and border elements.

Following the board’s direction, vigilance officials collected samples from fresh stocks at the Tirupati godown and approved stocks at the Vaibhavotsava Mandapam in Tirumala.

All these dupattas were supplied by M/s VRS Export, Nagari, a long-time supplier to TTD. The samples were sent to Central Silk Board laboratories in Bengaluru and Dharmavaram for tests.

Both labs confirmed clear rule violations, reporting that the material was Polyester x Polyester instead of Silk × Silk, contradicting the tender requirements. TTD Vigilance also found that none of the samples carried the mandatory silk hologram.

Records showed that TTD had already awarded the same firm a contract for 15,000 dupattas at around Rs 1,389 per piece. The firm and its sister concerns had supplied cloth worth nearly Rs 54.95 crore to TTD between 2015 and 2025.

During a review of earlier documentation, vigilance officials noted that previous samples from the same stock, sent by the deputy executive officer (warehouse), had been approved by the CSB lab in Kancheepuram.

The latest CSB reports from Bengaluru and Dharmavaram, however, confirmed that the dupattas were polyester.

The vigilance report said the discrepancy indicated either a change of samples or possible manipulation at the laboratory level.

Concluding that the tenderer had cheated TTD by supplying cheaper polyester material, the CVSO recommended criminal action against the supplier and others involved. Based on the vigilance findings, the trust board has asked the director general of ACB to conduct a detailed probe. It cancelled the existing tenders and invited fresh tenders.

TTD orders ACB probe after vigilance confirms fake silk dupattas were supplied in violation of tender norms

Samples tested by CSB labs in Bengaluru and Dharmavaram found use of polyester material instead of pure mulberry silk.

Records show a single supplier group provided cloth worth nearly Rs 54.95 crore to TTD between 2015 and 2025.

Trust board cancels existing tenders, cites possible sample manipulation, and calls for fresh procurement