ACB to probe sheep scheme

Hyderabad: In a crucial decision, the State Government has decided to order a probe by the Anti-Corruption Bureau into the alleged corruption in the sheep distribution scheme which was taken up by the BRS government.

Former Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srininivas Yadav was the minister in-charge for the scheme. It is alleged that there has been misappropriation of funds meant for the payment to those from whom the government had purchased the sheep. Along with this, the ACB would also probe into the files which had gone missing from the Department of Animal Husbandry.

A case has been registered with the Gachibowli police station in the city based on a complaint filed by a farmer named Edukondalu alleging that no payment was made after procuring sheep for distribution.

The complainant alleged that 18 sheep farmers had supplied 133 units of sheep to the Telangana Animal Husbandry wing and over Rs 2 crore dues were not paid to the suppliers for over one year now. The Gachibowli police registered a case under Sections 406, 409 and 420 of the IPC.

Sources said that the funds were allegedly diverted to some benami accounts. As a result, the sheep farmers from Prakasam district were denied payments. Preliminary investigation revealed the sheep distribution contractors Moinuddin and his son Akram procured sheep from the Andhra sheep farmers in August 2023. The contractor had not deposited the money in the bank accounts of the sheep farmers.

Police suspect the role of the officials in this alleged misappropriation and included the name of two Assistant Directors of the Animal Husbandry department in the first information report. Officials said that the missing of important files and the evasion of payments raised serious doubts on the role of top officials in the office of the then minister Srinivas Yadav. The ACB, it is learnt, would question close aides of the former minister who played an important role in the Animal husbandry department before taking further action against the responsible in the entire episode.

The former minister’s OSD Kalyan was suspected to have influenced the office staff in shifting some files from the office soon after the Congress government was formed in the state. However, he rubbished the reports. The ACB would also investigate this issue.