Hyderabad: BRS senior leader and MLC Dasoju Sravan has questioned the state govt’s decision to centralize the procurement of groceries and essential commodities for lakhs of impoverished students studying in SC, ST, BC, minority, and welfare residential schools and hostels. Sravan alleged that there was a conspiracy to embezzle crores of rupees commission lies behind these centralized tenders.In a letter to chief minister A Revanth Reddy and chief secretary K Rama Krishna Rao on Saturday, the MLC said a district collector can successfully execute complex land acquisitions, manage irrigation projects worth hundreds of crores, oversee the public distribution system (PDS/Ration shops), handle housing schemes, and seamlessly conduct highly sensitive elections, lack the basic capability to procure quality red gram and cooking oil for hostels within their own districts? he questioned.Sravan said the govt was snatching away our own home-grown Telangana brand Tandur Red Gram, which holds an international Geographical Indication (GI Tag) and possesses the highest nutritional value—from the meals of poor residential students. For the personal profit of corporate contractors, plans are underway to bypass our local farmers and instead import cheap, substandard, long-stored pulses from African countries (like Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania) that carry heavy chemical and pesticide residues.As per the transparent guidelines followed by the Telangana State Food Corporation (TSFC), grocery tenders must be called once every three months (quarterly). This ensures students get fresh crops rather than stale warehouse leftovers and allows the state exchequer to benefit dynamically when market prices drop.He demanded the govt to completely scrap this highly controversial centralized grocery tender notification and restore transparent, accountable procurement through the established District Procurement Committees (DPCs).Ends.
