After Ursa Scandal, TDP Under Scanner For Anganwadi Smart TV Deal

Following its sketchy deal with Ursa Clusters, another scam seems to be in the making under the TDP government—this time under the guise of the Saksham Anganwadi Poshan 2.0 campaign.

The Central government, as part of its nationwide initiative, allocated funds to States for nutritional support for pregnant and lactating women, and children below the age of six, and to upgrade Anganwadi centres with tools to enhance early learning. As part of this initiative, Andhra Pradesh received ₹100 crore for FY 2024–25 to equip Anganwadis with smart TVs.

However, concerns have emerged that the Chandrababu Naidu-led state government may be attempting to misappropriate these funds.

There are 55,607 Anganwadi centres in Andhra Pradesh. In the first phase, the government planned to install smart TVs in 9,664 centres, with ₹25,000 allocated per unit. The tendering process was initiated in October 2024 via the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) under the oversight of the Women and Child Welfare Department.

Eleven companies submitted bids, of which six were disqualified by the tender committee. Surprisingly, instead of selecting from the remaining five, the government abruptly cancelled the tender without providing any justification, raising suspicions. Sources suggest the cancellation may have been triggered by disagreements over commission demands with the likely winning bidder.

Following a period of silence, the government in February redirected ₹25 crore from the Women and Child Welfare Department to Andhra Pradesh Technology Services (APTS), justifying the move by claiming the funds would be “wasted” otherwise.

In March, tenders were re-invited—but with significant changes in the eligibility criteria. Unlike the first tender, which required bidders to supply DLED or ELED TVs, and to have the capacity to deliver 9,800 TVs over three years with a specified operating system, the second tender dropped these requirements entirely.

Only three companies submitted bids, prompting speculation that the process was deliberately altered to favour a pre-selected vendor. The back-and-forth in the tender process, coupled with obscure decision-making, has led many to suspect another potential misuse of public funds under the TDP regime.