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Chandrababu Naidu, the former Andhra Pradesh CM, was sent to judicial custody on the 23rd of September. He was arrested due to his involvement in the skill development scam by the Vijayawada ACB court on the 9th of September 2024 in the evening. He will be transferred to the Rajahmundry Central Prison. He was arrested from the RK Function Hall at Gnanapuram. Several IPC charges and the Prevention of Corruption Act against him.
Who is Chandrababu Naidu?
Chandrababu Naidu is an Indian Politician and the Leader of Opposition in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. He is the National President of the Telegu Desam Party. He was born in the Tirupati District in Andhra Pradesh in a family of an agricultural background. He started his political activities as a student union leader in Sri Venkateswara University while pursuing his post-graduation. The Chief Minister survived a terrific blast by the People’s War group near the Alipri tollgate in Tirupati. Naidu in 1994, incorporated his dairy company, Heritage Foods.
What is the Skill Development Scam?
The scam involved the diversion and manipulation of funds by issuing a fraudulent Memorandum of Association by Naidu. There was an association between the Siemens representatives and government officials. The Memorandum of Association violated many regulations. There was the presentation of dubious invoices without the exchange of goods and services. A few months after taking over his official position in 2014, Naidu suggested designing skill development courses and providing training in the state. This initiative was for the jobless and unemployed youth.
Details of the Scam
In 2014,Chandrababu decided to set-up a skill development corporation for the unemployed youth. The company would gather information and content from various educational courses and offer them in India and overseas. These courses will be accessible online to people who register with the company. The government, led by Naidu, collaborated with Siemens India to set up skill development centres. According to the MoU, Siemens will invest the remaining Rs 3,356 crore of the project’s overall cost, with the state government only contributing 10% as an aid.
The total amount spent on the project was Rs 130 Crore, another 241 crore to the other five technology and software companies. These funds were used to procure computers and software for the skill centres. The companies did not sell anything to the Andhra government.
Reports by the CID
The Criminal Investigation Department has stated that the then Principal Secretary of Finance. They also mentioned that there was also an attempt to tamper with relevant documents. Chandrababu has tweeted that nobody can stop him from saving his motherland and the people of Telangana. CID took him to the hospital for a medical check-up after he had high blood pressure.
Chaos at Naidu’s Residence
The TDP posted pictures of the commotion at Naidu’s residence on its social media account on X. The gathering distributed a video showing police on the bus door where Naidu was waiting. Furthermore, it said that The police did not respond to the leaders’ and advocates’ questions.
