Hans News Service Hyderabad

WelfareMinister Adluri Laxman Kumar on Tuesday dismissed allegations of irregularities in the procurement of supplies for residential educational institutions, describing claims made by former minister and BRS Deputy Floor Leader T Harish Rao and senior BRS leader RS Praveen Kumar was baseless and politically motivated.

Addressing a press conference at the CLP Media Centre in Hyderabad, the Minister questioned the varying figures being cited by BRS leaders regarding the alleged scam.

“Harish Rao is alleging a Rs 2,000 crore scam, while RS Praveen Kumar speaks of a Rs 3,000 crore scam. Similarly, some media outlets aligned with the BRS are referring to it as a Rs 200 crore scam. They must first clarify the actual figure before making such allegations,” he said.

Laxman Kumar challenged Harish Rao to substantiate the allegations with evidence, stating that he would resign from his ministerial post if the charges were proven.

The Minister rejected claims that he and Minister Ponnam Prabhakar were unaware of the procurement process. He said the tender process was initiated only after a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and attended by ministers, senior officials and an IAS officer. All decisions, he said, were taken transparently and with the knowledge of the concerned ministers.

He also noted that the High Court had upheld the government’s centralised procurement policy after objections were raised against it. All tenders, he added, were processed through the state’s e-procurement portal under the supervision of senior IAS officers.

According to the Minister, e-tenders were invited on April 2 for the procurement of 27 categories of items required by students in residential educational institutions, including uniform cloth, school bags, trunk boxes, shoes and socks, bedding materials, notebooks, stationery kits, PT uniforms, tracksuits and utensils.

Providing details of the procurement process, Laxman Kumar said competitive bidding had reduced the price of bedsheets from Rs 425 to Rs 405. The procurement involved 3 lakh bedsheets, 2.29 lakh carpets, 6.49 lakh blankets and 1,500 towels, with a total value of Rs 70.86 crore.

Five companies participated in the trunk box tender, and the quoted price was reduced from Rs 1,299 to Rs 1,275 per unit through negotiations, bringing the total procurement value to Rs 41.40 crore. Three firms participated in the uniform cloth tender process, while the overall work order value stood at Rs 298.10 crore.

The Minister said the government had cancelled certain tenders where quoted prices were considered high, including those for notebooks and trolley bags. Tenders for PT uniforms and tracksuits are yet to be finalised.

Challenging the opposition to produce evidence, Laxman Kumar said, “If there has been a scam worth thousands of crores, show a file, a payment record, or any evidence before the public.” He accused the opposition of attempting to tarnish the government’s image and asserted that the administration remained committed to transparency in governance.