New Delhi, September 17
Suman Bose, the former Managing Director of Siemens Industry Software India Ltd, strongly refuted claims of irregularities in the Skill Development project in Andhra Pradesh during Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu’s tenure. The former MD of the company interacted with the media on Sunday, revealing key details regarding the project.
Suman Bose mentioned that 213,000 students have received training and secured jobs under this program. He also revealed that a 90:10 agreement was established as part of the global marketing strategy. The former MD stated that the Skill Development project aimed not only to address high-end engineering skills but also the mid-range and low-range skill sets. He further explained that initially, 36 centers were set up, but this expanded to over 40 locations with the establishment of more than 200 labs.
Mr. Bose elaborated that the contract entailed building, operating for two years, providing support for one year, and subsequently transferring it to the government after all phases were completed. Discussing the project’s progress, Suman Bose noted that Andhra Pradesh, primarily an agricultural state, differed from others where the IT sector had significantly expanded. The State government, led by the then Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, envisioned preparing the workforce alongside developing industrial infrastructure. In line with this vision, the company conducted research to identify gaps and aligned with the state government’s industrial policy.
Suman Bose expressed his surprise at the stance of APSSDC (Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation), as Siemens had received a letter of commendation from the MD of APSSDC in 2021, while the case against the company was registered the same year. He disclosed that 40 centers, fully documented and inventoried, were handed over to the government in 2021.
Regarding KPMG’s report, which cited the Skill Development project in Andhra Pradesh as a highly successful case study, Suman Bose pointed out that the comprehensive project information had consistently been overlooked. He emphasized that the investigation agency had never visited any of these centers or verified the projects but was labeling the project as fraudulent.
Suman Bose clarified that the scope of the Skill Development project encompassed end-to-end delivery, not merely supplying hardware and software. He strongly asserted that Siemens had successfully led this project with its partners and an ecosystem of hundreds of partners engaged in project delivery. He likened the situation to conducting an investigation into a murder while the alleged victim is alive, emphasizing the baselessness of the allegations.
Addressing Siemens’ contribution to the project, Suman Bose clarified that their involvement took the form of discounts, not a flow of money. He questioned how corruption could occur through discounts. While APSSDC represented the government in creating an industry infrastructure in the state, Siemens served as the technology partner, translating the government’s vision into reality. Siemens also supplied products and software, given the project’s extensive scope, which could not be executed by a single company. DesignTech’s role was that of a system integrator, responsible for integrating all components, including software, hardware, and faculty, over the years.
Against the backdrop of the arrest and detention of N. Chandrababu Naidu, Suman Bose quoted the former CM’s statements from 2014 during their interaction. “When we developed Hyderabad, not all those who received training worked there. They spread across the world, becoming the state’s ambassadors. We aim to do the same—train individuals who may not all find employment in AP but will become ambassadors worldwide, attracting investments. When KIA Motors invested in AP, we were honored to train their personnel.” Quoting Naidu’s statements, he asserted that the former CM had been unjustly charged, as there was no corruption in the project.
Furthermore, Suman Bose highlighted that such allegations had a detrimental impact on the lives of the 213,000 students who had received training under the program.
