TDP MLA Buys SUV At Subsidized Price In Proxy Name, Exposed

Amaravati: In yet another case of misuse of power by the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members, the central government scheme to offer subsidy to vehicles for unemployed youth from SC/ST communities, initiated by the National Scheduled Castes Finance & Development Corporation (NSCFDC) has been meddled with.

TDP MLA from Pamarru, Uppuleti Kalpana, is currently using a vehicle sanctioned to her benami, Dagani Kranthi Kiran, under the scheme.

The TDP legislator is using the vehicle, worth Rs 20 lakhs bearing the registration number AP 16 TP 0661, with an MLA sticker on it, as against the compulsory yellow coloured number plate, originally intended for a taxi vehicle. According to Andhra Pradesh government's Transport Department database, the SUV was registered at Gudivada RTA office on March 1, 2018.

However, this is not a one-of-its-kind violation of rules by MLA Kalpana. The TDP leader has been in the news over her involvement in several irregularities in the past, including purchase of land at discounted prices and procuring personal loans in the name of her proxies.

Benefitters under the central government scheme are provided a subsidy of 35% on the vehicle cost, while the remaining 65% can be availed through bank loans. But, the TDP government claims credit for the scheme by claiming it is a state government initiative, in addition to posting a "Thank You CM sir" sticker on the vehicles.

Earlier, a senior TDP leader made news after buying an Innova vehicle in his driver's name under the scheme.