AP Government Tenders: New Collection Model Raises Questions!

It appears that in the Andhra Pradesh government, he has his way and gets to do as he pleases. No one questions whatever he does. In fact, nobody even dares to ask, “What is this?” The strange thing is that he does not do any work on his own. Someone or the other operates everything from behind the scenes, while he simply enjoys himself. On the surface, however, he puts on a great show as though he is working extremely hard for the state. In the past, a power broker used to handle the entire tendering process in his department. He would collect all the money and ensure that it reached the places indicated by the minister. As a result, the minister would feel satisfied that he had managed everything without getting his hands dirty and without anyone knowing about it. But would those who paid money remain silent without revealing to whom and why they had paid it? Even so, he apparently strongly believes that his name will not come out and that the entire affair is being conducted in someone else’s name. He is believed to have already prepared a plan to claim that things happened without his knowledge if the matter ever comes out.

Ministers and officials in the government also know what is being done, why it is being done and through whom it is being done. The tendering process in the department that was previously handled by the power broker has now been entrusted to another minister. In other words, the finalisation of tenders and collections in a department belonging to one minister are being handled by another minister. This is because he has considerable experience in such matters. An IAS officer revealed that the beneficiaries of works worth thousands of crores of rupees are being decided in advance and collections are allegedly being made accordingly. This time, works worth more than nearly Rs. 10,000 crore are being allocated to various organisations. Highly reliable sources revealed that, instead of the power broker, the minister who has taken responsibility for these collections and awarding the works is allegedly collecting six per cent plus another one per cent, making it a total of seven per cent for each work.

It is being said that six per cent of the collections goes to the original minister. However, there is no clarity as to whom the remaining one per cent goes — whether it goes into the account of the minister making the collections or to someone else. Several strange developments are taking place in the Andhra Pradesh government this time. Among them, this minister’s alleged collections have emerged as a new model. There is a strong discussion among the AP Cabinet ministers themselves that perhaps there is no other minister in the country who enjoys such a comfortable position. That is why, despite large-scale corruption and irregularities allegedly taking place in the government, everyone is quietly going about their work without saying anything.