VIJAYAWADA: Former Managing Director of Siemens Industry Software India Ltd Suman Bose has refuted the allegations of irregularities in the skill development project launched during the tenure of former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Interacting with the media in New Delhi on Sunday, he mentioned that 2,13,000 students had received training and secured jobs under the programme.
He also revealed that a 90:10 agreement was reached as part of the global marketing strategy. 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. He disclosed that 40 centres, fully documented and inventoried, were handed over to the government in 2021.
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 the project with its partners and an ecosystem of hundreds of partners engaged in the project delivery. He likened the situation to conducting an investigation into a murder, while the alleged victim is alive, emphasising the baselessness of the allegations.
On Siemens’ contribution to the project, Bose clarified that their involvement took the form of discounts, not a flow of money. He questioned how corruption could occur through discounts. On the arrest of Naidu, Bose said the former Chief Minister was unjustly charged as there was no corruption in the project.
