Four Telangana officials arrested in sheep scam

Telangana ACB Arrests Four Officials in Sheep Distribution Scam

In a major development, Telangana’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested four officials for their alleged involvement in irregularities in the sheep distribution scheme. The arrested officials were accused of colluding with private individuals to transfer public money into fake accounts. They were produced in Nampally ACB Court and sent to judicial custody till March 7.

The accused officials include Assistant Director of Kamareddy Veterinary Hospital, Ravi, Assistant Director, Animal Husbandry Department in Medchal district, Aditya, Ground Water Officer of Rangareddy district, Raghupathi Reddy, and Deputy Director, Adult Education, Ganesh.

The investigation into the sheep distribution scheme was launched in January after allegations of cheating surfaced. The scheme, which aimed to provide sustainable livelihood to traditional shepherd families, came under scrutiny following complaints from beneficiaries. The CAG report also hinted at massive irregularities in the scheme’s implementation.

Under the first phase of the Sheep Rearing Development Scheme (SRDS), each family was given 20 sheep with a unit cost of Rs 1.25 lakh on a 75 per cent subsidy. The total expenditure for the scheme’s implementation was Rs 4,980.31 crore, with 82.74 lakh sheep distributed among 3.92 lakh members of the Primary Sheep Breeders Co-operative Societies (PSBCS).

The CAG report highlighted serious deficiencies in the scheme’s implementation, including non-maintenance of beneficiary-wise files and payments made on improper/manipulated invoices. It also found instances of fake vehicle registration numbers and transportation of an unusually high number of sheep units using various vehicles.

The ACB’s crackdown on the alleged irregularities in the sheep distribution scheme underscores the state’s commitment to rooting out corruption and ensuring transparency in government schemes. The arrests of the officials involved send a strong message that corruption will not be tolerated in the state’s administration.

The ACB’s investigation and subsequent arrests demonstrate the government’s determination to hold individuals accountable for their actions and uphold the integrity of public welfare schemes. The state’s efforts to address irregularities in the implementation of the sheep distribution scheme are a step towards ensuring that such programs effectively benefit their intended beneficiaries, thereby improving the overall governance and accountability in the state.