Cabinet greenlights ACB probe into E-race scam

Hyderabad: The Telangana State Cabinet has decided to hand over the case of Formula-E race scam to ACB. This assumes importance in the wake of permission granted by Governor Jishnu Dev Varma to prosecute former MAUD minister KT Rama Rao.

The cabinet has asked State Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari to write to the ACB on Tuesday instructing the probing agency to move further and act.

The cabinet discussed the progress regarding the investigation into the scam in detail and felt that further action against those involved in the entire episode of payment of Rs 55 crore to a private agency to conduct the race in Hyderabad during the BRS rule last year should be probed.

Former Special Chief Secretary of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Arvind Kumar and a few more officials would also be questioned as part of the probe. Greenko, Mahindra Racing and other partners are also likely to receive notices from the government once the ACB takes up the probe against the role of KTR in the misuse of funds for car racing.

The probing agency which had some preliminary work has found out that the then BRS government paid money to the agency without seeking the approval of the Finance wing and also violated the RBI norms in the maintenance of public exchequer.

The state cabinet also approved to distribution of white ration cards to all eligible from Sankranti festival and also pay the first installment of Rs 6,000 to landless agriculture labourers on December 28.

Chief Minister A Revnath Reddy informed his cabinet colleagues the government’s readiness to fulfill the promise of Rs 12,000 annual benefit to the workers every year and the mobilization of funds from various sources by December end. The RoR (Record of Rights) Bill 2024 would also be introduced in the assembly and enacted the same in the ongoing session.