Hyderabad: BRS on Monday asked the central govt to investigate alleged misutilisation of Union govt funds in the procurement of smartphones for anganwadi workers by the Telangana govt under the Poshan Abhiyaan scheme.The party wrote to Union minister of women and child development Annapurna Devi alleging that there were multiple irregularities and discrepancies that raise questions about transparency, financial prudence and proper utilisation of central funds.“While anganwadi workers in Telangana are being provided with 4G mobile phones, there is widespread promotion by the ruling party’s MLAs and affiliated platforms campaigning that 5G-enabled devices are being distributed. As a responsible opposition party in Telangana, our preliminary investigation has revealed startling facts,” the representation said.It further said that preliminary comparisons with market prices indicate that the cost incurred per device was significantly higher than prevailing retail and expected bulk procurement rates.“This raises suspicion of potential financial irregularities and misuse of public funds. Union govt has allocated 11,800 per mobile, but the mobile procured costs just half the amount. When purchased from an OEM or authorised dealer, as per norms for a bulk order of 38,310 smartphones, the price would be much lower,” it added.BRS also highlighted that though the procurement reportedly involves over 38,310 devices, there was limited public disclosure regarding tender conditions, the bidding process, vendor selection and the final contract value. It also said that though the procurement was initiated by the state’s women & child welfare department, the minister concerned said that their department was not associated with the tender.The party demanded that the Union minister direct an independent audit of the tender, pricing and vendor selection; seek a comprehensive report from the state govt on specifications, procurement justification and distribution details; and recommend an investigation by appropriate central agencies, if any irregularities, were found.
