Tirupati: The ambitious ‘Aadudam Andhra’ sports initiative, launched to foster grassroots sports development in the state during the previous YSRCP government, is now un-der a cloud of controversy following allegations of financial mismanagement, poor-quality sports equipment, and po-litical meddling. A comprehensive vigilance inquiry, launched to probe the alleged misuse of public funds, is expected to reach final stages in August.
The Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (Saap) has point-ed to a massive scam worth Rs 60-65 crore in the imple-mentation of the programme, which was rolled out in De-cember 2023 in the name of promoting sports such as cricket, volleyball, kabaddi, kho-kho, and badminton from village to district levels.
Saap chairman A Ravi Naidu, speaking to The Hans India, stated that the district-level vigilance inquiry has been completed and a state-level probe is currently in progress, with the final report expected anytime in August. “We have identified irregularities in procurements, cash incen-tives, food supplies, medals, and publicity. The final report will shed light on the lapses and name the individuals re-sponsible,” he said.
The state government had sanctioned Rs 25,000 per man-dal, municipality, and assembly constituency, and Rs 10,000 per ward and village secretariat to conduct the sports events, amounting to Rs 81 lakh for Chittoor district and Rs 83 lakh for Tirupati district alone.
However, the kits provided — including bats, balls, shuttle rackets, t-shirts, and corks — have been widely criticised by players for their substandard quality. Several partici-pants across various levels reported that the equipment was unusable after just a single game. Complaints of the leftover kits not reaching local schools, as per government orders, have added another layer of concern, sparking questions over their possible diversion.
Adding to the controversy are claims of political interfer-ence in the selection of winners during the programme’s contests. There are accusations that the YSRCP govern-ment allegedly influenced the results to benefit its party loyalists. Vigilance officials are also examining reports that cash prizes earmarked for winners were either delayed or not credited at all, pointing to possible misappropriation of funds.
Vigilance authorities are now finalising their comprehen-sive report, which will be submitted to the government very soon. Sources indicate that the findings could trigger administrative or legal proceedings against those found guilty.
