Hydrabad, Dec 27: The Rs 70 Crore scam which broke almost four days back holds the State’s AIDS control body responsible for not showing adequate authentic bills to prove the expenditure incurred by the Control body over the last year. It is being alleged that out of 70 40 crore belong to Benami NGOs. 

The scam unfolded four days ago when the Telengana State Aids Control Society( TSACS) seems to be mixed up in a scam after officials failed to produce bills to National Aids Control Organisation NACO on funds it had released to the state in the year 2015-16 financial year. 

The TSACS officials were attending a high level meeting with NACO’s top financial officers in New Delhi and failed to show them bills of expenditures incurred over the last couple years. 

“ An enquiry has been set up and action will be taken if people are found guilty of misappropriation of funds. We are hereby looking into the matter and gathering all proof required”, commented Vakati Karuna commissioner of health and family welfare for the state of Telengana. 

According to reports, Rs 113 crore were released by NACO between August 2014 till December 2015 for the purpose of carrying out HIV prevention drives besides paying off salaries of close to a hundred contract employees but the officials failed to account for close to Rs 70 crore. The non transfer of funds to NGOs and non implementation of computerised financial management software system by TSACS is the epicentre of the scam. 

Insiders are claiming that corrupt officials could have created fraud benami NGOs beneficiaries and the money could have been shifted in these illegal accounts. With close to 117 NGOs working in the twin states in coordination with TSACS and 58 working directly as prevention tools they have been the worst hit as most of their employees haven’t been paid for the last two years. 

According to sources, close to 830 contract officials working in various districts in over half a dozen divisions like ART centres, basic services, district aids prevention control units, Integrated counselling and testing centres among others have not been paid their arrears and hikes for two years.