The NDA government is preparing to investigate alleged irregularities by the YSRCP government in the procurement of agricultural smart meters. The state government is planning to conduct a comprehensive audit of purchase bill payments over the last five years under DISCOM.
The YSRCP government had proposed the installation of 18.05 lakh agricultural meters worth Rs 5,692 crore. The contract was awarded to Shirdi Sai Electricals.
The NDA government alleges that the contracted company has made substantial profits without providing proper clarification on the assembly of the equipment. DISCOM even paid Rs 1,828 crore to Shirdi Sai Electricals. As per the agreement, 80 percent of the equipment should be delivered and verified at the executive engineer level within 14 days; failure to do so requires the contractor to be paid the full amount.
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According to GO148, Rs 5,692 crore was allotted for meter installation, with Rs 3,406 crore for related instruments and Rs 2,286 crore for equipment. After the central government subsidy, the state government’s share of the project cost is Rs 4,069 crore. However, DISCOM reportedly paid Rs 1,828 crore to the company even before work commenced.
-Sanyogita
