In a fresh development that’s stirring political circles in Andhra Pradesh, another financial irregularity from the previous YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government has come under the scanner. With Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu back in office, a slew of alleged scams is being brought to light—this time involving a massive sum allocated for training village volunteers.
The YSRCP had introduced the volunteer system as a key part of its governance model, claiming it would bridge the gap between government welfare schemes and rural households. Each volunteer was assigned to manage services for around 50 households and received a monthly honorarium of ₹5,000. While the program was promoted as a game-changer in public service delivery, recent findings suggest the benefits may have been skewed in favor of party loyalists rather than the general public.
Now, a major controversy surrounds the reported expenditure of ₹272 crore over four years, supposedly spent on training these volunteers. The contract for conducting these training sessions was given to a private firm, Ram Info. However, the current government alleges that no actual training sessions ever took place. Instead, it is being claimed that the funds were misused, potentially redirected to activities unrelated to public service.
Shockingly, there are accusations that the money earmarked for volunteer training was allegedly funneled to I-PAC, a political consultancy that played a key role in shaping YSRCP’s election campaigns. According to reports, these public funds were used to train I-PAC staff and party workers under the pretense of volunteer development.
This suspected misappropriation of public funds has elicited tough responses from the incumbent TDP-led government, with the leadership demanding an extensive inquiry. The critics believe that the volunteer system—earlier touted as a path-breaking program—was perhaps abused for the purpose of enhancing the political machinery instead of fulfilling its stated public goal.
This discovery comes in addition to a series of other reported scams associated with the YSRCP regime, such as the APPSC recruitment scam, liquor policy scandals, and other malpractices currently under scrutiny. Political experts observe that this new expose is likely to further erode the reputation of YSRCP, particularly as intra-party debates in the party gain momentum.