Tadepalli, July 12 (IANS). YSRCP student wing working president A. Ravichandra alleged that the Andhra Pradesh Education Department had committed a scam of Rs 112 crore in the purchase of laptops for government schools. They demanded that the government immediately cancel the tenders, stop the procurement process and order a CBI inquiry into the alleged irregularities.
Addressing the media at the YSRCP central office in Tadepalli, Ravichandra said the government was purchasing 27,672 laptops for the computer laboratories of 3,500 government high schools. He alleged that in order to benefit private contractors by relaxing the tender rules, contracts were given in such a way that 70 percent of the supply went to Shanbe and 30 percent to Celcon.
He claimed that laptops available in the open market for Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000 are being purchased by the government at the rate of Rs 89,000 per laptop, resulting in extra payment of about Rs 40,000 per laptop. He said that this has caused a loss of approximately Rs 112 crore to the government exchequer.
Ravichandra said that the coalition government has ignored the Central government’s ‘Make in India’ and Government e-Marketplace (GeM) guidelines. He pointed out that Assam Education Department had purchased laptops with similar specifications through GeM for Rs 38,501 and questioned why Andhra Pradesh was paying more than double the price.
He alleged that the tender conditions were deliberately weakened by allowing self-declaration instead of mandatory manufacturer details to benefit private companies. Ravichandra demanded that Education Minister Nara Lokesh should explain this huge price difference and disclose the entire tender process. He urged the government to order a CBI inquiry, cancel the tenders and ensure transparent procurement of quality laptops for students. He warned that the YSRCP student wing would launch statewide protests if the government failed to take action.
–IANS
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