CM terms TDP chief 'kingpin' of skill development scam

Vijayawada: Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that entire scam amount of Rs 371 crore reached TDP chief and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his men through money laundering.

Intervening in the discussion on alleged skill development scam in Assembly on Monday, the Chief Minister accused Naidu of skillfully orchestrating the scam by getting an unauthorised private note of estimates approved in the Cabinet meeting leading to the issuance of GO and then signing a totally different MoU with the unauthorised persons for looting public money to the tune of Rs 371 crore.

Chandrababu scripted and directed the scam so cunningly that the GO provisions and the MoU conditions were totally different, he said, explaining that while the Cabinet approved private note and the related GO talked of 90 per cent of the proposed total project cost of Rs 3,356 crore for the development of the skills of the youth in the state coming from the Siemens in the form of grant-in-aid, there was no mention of the grant-in-aid in the MoU.

Again, while the GO talked of 10 per cent of project cost being borne by the government in form of contribution, it was changed as financial assistance in the provisions of the MoUs.

The grant-in-aid never came from the Siemens but the TDP government hurriedly paid the 10 per cent of the project cost equaling to Rs 371cores (which includes taxes) in five tranches in a short period of three months, said the Chief Minister.

When the lower level officials objected to releasing of the 10 per cent financial aid without the grant-in-aid coming in from the Siemens, Chandrababu directed the officials to release the amount, he claimed, saying that there were note files signed by principal finance secretary and the then CS to this effect.

The Chief Minister also alleged that attempts were made to destroy these note files by the TDP government but they are dug out now with the use of shadow files from the other department. He said the Siemens company also officially told the court that it never implemented any skill development training schemes and it had nothing to with the related GO or the MoU signed by the government. Siemens also told the court in its affidavit that the arrested company officials with whom the TDP government signed the MoU never brought it to the notice of the higher management and they signed the MoU in their private capacity, he said.

The Chief Minister displayed the copies of the MoU and the GO in the House in support of his allegations.