Latest news with #JaganMohanReddy-led
India Today
15-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
TDP Minister says Andhra liquor scam under Jagan Mohan Reddy bigger than Delhi's
Andhra Pradesh Excise Minister Kollu Ravindra alleged a massive liquor scam under the previous Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government, accusing it of disabling an automated ordering system to manually favour select liquor brands for political and financial Enforcement Directorate (ED) on May 9 registered a money laundering case in connection with the alleged liquor scam in Andhra Pradesh. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) claimed that between 2019 and 2024, a well-orchestrated Rs 3,200 crore scam was carried out under the guise of liquor policy reforms. Raj Kasireddy, dubbed primary accused, is alleged to have played a central role in the said the YSRCP dismantled the C-Tel platform, a system designed to generate orders based on supply data, and instead manually pushed 43 specific brands, allegedly to collect commissions. He claimed the previous regime even threatened and took over distilleries to manufacture its own Minister also questioned the emergence of little-known liquor brands, Aadhan, Leela, NV, V9, Sona, and Munak, which he said had no presence in the state before raised serious concerns over liquor sales worth Rs 99,413.5 crore being done entirely in cash during the YSRCP tenure, with not a single digital transaction.'Where did this money go? Whose palaces did this cash flow into?' he asked, comparing the magnitude of the alleged Andhra liquor scam to the Rs 100 crore Delhi excise case, which led to the arrest of senior political leaders including Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and K source familiar with the investigation also remarked that the scale and planning in the Andhra liquor case is even more extensive than what was seen in the Delhi Excise Policy demanded accountability, pointing out that even Sharath Chandra Reddy, brother of YSRCP MP Vijay Sai Reddy's son-in-law, was arrested in the Delhi liquor case. 'How can those involved in a far bigger scam in Andhra Pradesh escape accountability?' he it not just a financial scam but a 'crime against public health,' the Minister said substandard and unapproved liquor was pushed into the market, leading to a spike in deaths, illnesses, and dialysis new TDP government has now reintroduced transparency measures including a 'track and trace' mechanism and holograms to monitor the supply chain from bottling units to retail shops, he said. IN THIS STORY#Andhra Pradesh
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Business Standard
11-05-2025
- Health
- Business Standard
Staggering 100% surge in alcohol-related diseases during YSRCP rule: Report
The 3-member panel, which the Chandrababu Naidu government constituted to analyse the disease burden in Andhra, used the official health data from Arogyasri Press Trust of India Amaravati Andhra Pradesh has registered a staggering 100 percent increase in the cases of alcohol-related liver diseases during the tenure of Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP in 2019-2024 as compared to 2014-19, according to a report by an expert panel. The 3-member panel, which the Chandrababu Naidu government constituted to analyse the disease burden in Andhra, used the official health data from Arogyasri, a flagship scheme to provide quality healthcare services to the poor. Expressing concern over the panel's finding, Special Chief Secretary in the state's health department, Krishna Babu, said: "We find a startling increase in the number of liver and neurological patients in 2019-24 compared to 2014-19. We are quite concerned and we are analysing the data for further action." He also said the state government is in the process of setting up an advisory board, comprising national and international health experts, to further analyse the data to take preventive action. According to the panel report, as against 14026 cases of alcohol-related liver ailments in 2014-19, the number increased by 100 percent to 29369 during 2019-24 when YSRCP was in power. The cases of alcohol-related neurological disorders also registered a drastic increase of 892 percent in 2019-24 at 12663 as compared to 2014-19, when there were only 1276 cases. Asked why the expert panel was set up, Babu told PTI: "It was to analyse the disease burden in the state." It was found that four diseases pertaining to the liver, kidney, mental health and neurological disorders registered an abnormal increase during 2019-24. Earlier this week, the Enforcement Directorate filed a money laundering case to investigate an alleged liquor scam that took place in Andhra Pradesh during the previous YSRCP regime. The federal probe agency has filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to probe alleged irregularities in the sale of liquor in the state, official sources said. The ED case stems from a September 2024 FIR of the economic offences CID of the state police, they said. Sources said the agency will investigate liquor agents, vendors, among others. ED will also examine the possible involvement of government officials in this case. The ED has also been probing irregularities in the liquor trade in Chhattisgarh and Bihar. The Chandrababu Naidu government has already constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged Rs 3,200 crore liquor scam during the former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's tenure. The SIT has also arrested the main accused in the alleged liquor scam, Raj Kasireddy, Jagan's IT advisor. In its report, the SIT has alleged that the automated system of placing orders for procurement of liquor from distilleries for sale through government retail outlets was allegedly manipulated, nationally reputed brands were removed, and orders were placed on new brands way beyond the prescribed caps. Kickbacks of Rs 150 per case of cheaper brands, Rs 200 for mid-range brands, and Rs 600 per case for high-end brands were collected, it alleged. According to sources, the action of replacing nationally reputed brands with cheaper options under the guise of liquor policy reforms by the Jagan government could be one of the reasons for the spurt in cases of liver and kidney diseases. The SIT also said that even though stocks of the popular brands were available in the depots, they were not supplied to the GROs, and new orders for supply (OFSs) were not issued to those brands. National reputed brands were removed, and affiliates of the YSRCP party started manufacturing local brands like Andhra Gold Whisky, Good Friends Whisky, Dare House Brandy, Champion Special Whisky, and Hearts Desire Whisky.
Hindustan Times
11-05-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Staggering 100 percent increase in alcohol-related liver diseases during YSRCP rule: Expert panel
Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh has registered a staggering 100 percent increase in the cases of alcohol-related liver diseases during the tenure of Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP in 2019-2024 as compared to 2014-19, according to a report by an expert panel. The 3-member panel, which the Chandrababu Naidu government constituted to analyse the disease burden in Andhra, used the official health data from Arogyasri, a flagship scheme to provide quality healthcare services to the poor. Expressing concern over the panel's finding, Special Chief Secretary in the state's health department, Krishna Babu, said: "We find a startling increase in the number of liver and neurological patients in 2019-24 compared to 2014-19. We are quite concerned and we are analysing the data for further action." He also said the state government is in the process of setting up an advisory board, comprising national and international health experts, to further analyse the data to take preventive action. According to the panel report, as against 14026 cases of alcohol-related liver ailments in 2014-19, the number increased by 100 percent to 29369 during 2019-24 when YSRCP was in power. The cases of alcohol-related neurological disorders also registered a drastic increase of 892 percent in 2019-24 at 12663 as compared to 2014-19, when there were only 1276 cases. Asked why the expert panel was set up, Babu told PTI: "It was to analyse the disease burden in the state." It was found that four diseases pertaining to the liver, kidney, mental health and neurological disorders registered an abnormal increase during 2019-24. Earlier this week, the Enforcement Directorate filed a money laundering case to investigate an alleged liquor scam that took place in Andhra Pradesh during the previous YSRCP regime. The federal probe agency has filed an Enforcement Case Information Report under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to probe alleged irregularities in the sale of liquor in the state, official sources said. The ED case stems from a September 2024 FIR of the economic offences CID of the state police, they said. Sources said the agency will investigate liquor agents, vendors, among others. ED will also examine the possible involvement of government officials in this case. The ED has also been probing irregularities in the liquor trade in Chhattisgarh and Bihar. The Chandrababu Naidu government has already constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe the alleged ₹3,200 crore liquor scam during the former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's tenure. The SIT has also arrested the main accused in the alleged liquor scam, Raj Kasireddy, Jagan's IT advisor. In its report, the SIT has alleged that the automated system of placing orders for procurement of liquor from distilleries for sale through government retail outlets was allegedly manipulated, nationally reputed brands were removed, and orders were placed on new brands way beyond the prescribed caps. Kickbacks of ₹150 per case of cheaper brands, ₹200 for mid-range brands, and ₹600 per case for high-end brands were collected, it alleged. According to sources, the action of replacing nationally reputed brands with cheaper options under the guise of liquor policy reforms by the Jagan government could be one of the reasons for the spurt in cases of liver and kidney diseases. The SIT also said that even though stocks of the popular brands were available in the depots, they were not supplied to the GROs, and new orders for supply were not issued to those brands. National reputed brands were removed, and affiliates of the YSRCP party started manufacturing local brands like Andhra Gold Whisky, Good Friends Whisky, Dare House Brandy, Champion Special Whisky, and Hearts Desire Whisky.
India Today
29-04-2025
- Business
- India Today
Probe reveals national brands killed to enable Rs 3,200 crore Andhra liquor scam
With the return of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to power in Andhra Pradesh in June and the exit of the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government, the state's controversial liquor policy has come under renewed scrutiny. The recent arrest of Raj Kasireddy — IT Advisor to the former Chief Minister — has revealed more details in the alleged liquor SIT claims that between 2019 and 2024, a meticulously planned Rs 3,200 crore scam was carried out in Andhra Pradesh under the guise of liquor policy to his remand note accessed by India Today, Kasireddy, who is named Accused No. 1, played a central role in orchestrating a conspiracy that favoured obscure local liquor brands while eliminating established national players. The probe alleges this scheme generated monthly kickbacks of Rs 50–60 crore over a five-year period. A source familiar with the investigation remarked that the scale and planning in the Andhra liquor case is even more extensive than what was seen in the Delhi Excise Policy BRANDS PURGED, LOCAL LABELS DOMINATERaj Kasireddy, arrested by the SIT on April 21 at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, has been dubbed the kingpin of the operation. He and other accused individuals allegedly conspired to maximise profits by ousting nationally known liquor brands and flooding the market with their own labels. As a result, consumers were left with no real choice in available to the SIT, the market share of leading liquor brands plummeted from 53% to just 5.3%, while local and newly introduced brands came to dominate the shift was facilitated by dismantling the state's integrated online stock management system, C-Tel: which previously connected retail shops, depots, and the AP State Beverages Corporation Limited (APSBCL) for transparent day-to-day excise operations. In its place, a manual 'Offer for Sale' (OFS) system was introduced, allegedly manipulated to disadvantage existing OFS system was tweaked in a way that the older suppliers' market share would be reduced. The new policy enabled weekly OFS to new suppliers, and stock limits were lifted, claims the probe agency. While popular brands witnessed a rout due to policy changes, the probe also claims the quality of the new liquor brands was in question, raising concerns about the liquor KICKBACKS, SHADOW NETWORKDocuments from the investigation show that the conspirators, including suppliers and distillery owners, relied on VPNs and encrypted platforms like Signal, as well as virtual international phone numbers, such as +1(914) 370 6001, to evade detection and avoid leaving digital SIT claims that Kasireddy personally received the collected kickbacks before passing them on to senior YSRCP average, Rs 50–60 crore was collected every month. Through discriminatory practices implemented as part of the conspiracy, certain brands experienced exorbitant sales. For example, brands linked to ADAN and LEELA suppliers in Andhra Pradesh were granted excessive OFS in violation of standard procedures, while previous leading brands like PERNOD RICARD were denied OFS,' reads the SIT's remand KICKBACK SYSTEM, MONEY LAUNDERINGEvery month, approximately 30 lakh cases of Indian-made liquor and 10 lakh cases were sold, thus the kickbacks were staggering. The SIT claims that the kickback for each bottle of liquor sold was fixed as per their grade and cheaper brands, Rs 150 per case was collected; for mid-range brands, Rs 200; and for premium labels such as Teachers and 100 Pipers, the figure reached Rs 600 per case.A sophisticated network of shell companies, over-inflated raw material payments, bullion accounts, and hawala channels were allegedly employed to funnel and obscure the flow of illegal proceeds.
