Andhra Pradesh:FIR filed in Rs 321 crore fibernet scam

The Crime Investigation Department of Andhra Pradesh has registered an FIR on the alleged irregularities in AP State FiberNet Limited, putting the sum involved at Rs 321 crore. The FiberNet project was meant to provide Internet and telephone services to all households in the state, as part of the Bharat Net project of the Government of India.The Centre initially provided a financial assistance of Rs 3,840 crore for the FiberNet project under the National Optic Fibre Network. In the FIR registered on September 9, copy of which became public on Saturday, the CID named 16 persons and two companies as the accused in the case.

Citing a complaint filed by APSFL Chairman P Goutham Reddy, the CID said Vemuri Harikrishna Prasad, the then member of the e-Governance Authority governing council, colluded with Tera Software Limited to ensure the tender for Rs 321 crore was illegally awarded to the company.The company lacked the necessary qualifications for the award of the tender, the CID FIR said. A case under various sections of Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused and the report submitted to the Special Judge for Anti-Corruption Bureau and Special Police Establishment cases.

The Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government constituted a Cabinet Sub-Committee in June 2019 to look into various "financial scandals" committed by the previous Chandrababu Naidu regime in different schemes, causing a loss running into hundreds of crores of rupees.The Cabinet Sub-Committee headed by Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath found out that the project costs were inflated by at least Rs 700 crore.Besides, a person with fake certificates was appointed as head of the project.