It is widely being speculated that a huge scam has taken place in the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF). With no proper records being maintained of the beneficiaries of the CMRF, and a lot of discrepancies in the calculations of the funds available in the CMRF, the ACB is said to have ordered a high-level enquiry into the matter.
The ACB is said to have questioned several employees working in the CMRF division, in the Secretariat itself, and is said to have questioned 40 other employees at the ACB’s office in Gollapudi. With the ACB questioning so many employees, it is being said that a huge scale scam has taken place.
The funds available in the CMRF are released at the behest and full knowledge of the Chief Minister. In recent times, large scale donations were made to the CMRF, due to the coronavirus pandemic, as anyone who wants to donate to the government can donate only through the CMRF. Even members of the YSRCP have contributed significantly to the CMRF, by collecting funds from their constituencies, with Rs. 1 Crore as their target. Donations for free vaccine distribution were also diverted to the CMRF, and the government also allocated some amount to it. CMRF is used to help those people whose medical expenses aren’t covered by Arogyasri and those who are not in the position to afford good shelter and food.
It is being said that a person tried planned to get Rs. 110 Crores from the CMRF, by creating fake cheques in the name of a non-existent suitcase company. With the investigation now being done into this matter, it is to be seen where this will lead the ACB to.