Allegations are being widely heard that governance in the Andhra Pradesh government has completely gone off track this time. It is being said from official circles that everyone in the government is acting as they please, and that accountability and responsibility are not visible even to a small extent. With multiple power centers existing in the coalition government now, it is being alleged that people are doing whatever they want, and that several matters are being carried out without even those in key positions knowing what is actually happening in the government. After the coalition government came to power, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu brought the P4 policy to the forefront, stating that it was aimed at eradicating poverty in the state. It is well known that under this Public, Private, People Partnership model, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has been saying that donations would be collected from the affluent and selected families would be lifted out of poverty.
Some companies and corporate organizations that secured large contracts from the Andhra Pradesh government have given donations to some extent for this purpose. For this, the Andhra Pradesh government appointed C.H. Naresh Kumar as the CEO of the Swarna Andhra Foundation. Not only that, to enable the effective implementation of zero poverty policies, permission was also granted last September for CEO Naresh Kumar to undertake a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While granting permission for a government official’s foreign tour is not unusual, the real issue lies here. That is, it was mentioned in the GO that the entire expenses of his foreign tour would be borne by the sponsoring agency, Equip TV. Officials say that it is in no way appropriate to have private organizations bear foreign travel expenses when traveling for a government program.
If that is one issue, officials are also saying that Naresh, who was the CEO of the Smart Andhra Pradesh Foundation, misused Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds that came for the implementation of this program on a large scale. They allege that he misused CSR funds to the tune of crores of rupees, and that later, when he stayed away from duties, he was sidelined. Officials say that all this was kept secret. Reliable sources revealed that along with finance department officials, CMO officials also tried to ensure that this entire matter did not come to the notice of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. There are allegations that, in collusion with some officials, he diverted funds received under CSR that were meant for the poor. A senior IAS officer stated that if an inquiry is conducted into this entire matter, shocking facts would come out. It is being said that even those whom Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu trusted and entrusted with P4 responsibilities are being careful to ensure that the real facts do not reach the Chief Minister. Ultimately, sources connected with this issue revealed that the CEO, along with some officials, misused on a large scale the funds of a program conceived for the poor.