Hyderabad: Appealing to Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan to evaluate the sheep distribution scheme, Forum for Good Governance on Friday submitted a representation to her to direct the Chief Secretary to evaluate the scheme by an appropriate agency to ensure no problems and to ensure the intended benefits are achieved. President of forum Justice Reddappa Reddy said, "The State government claimed that during the last three years 3.74 lakh sheep units, at the cost of Rs 5,000 crore, were distributed to the shepherd community.

In the second phase, starting from August 2021 3.50 lakh sheep units costing Rs 6,000 crore, are going to be distributed. The government said that it had sanctioned Rs 11,000 crore to the first and the second phase put together in three years. But at close look of the scheme there is no relation between the claim of the government and the ground reality." Vice-president MV Krishna Reddy said the Telangana State Sheep and Goat Development Co-operative Federation Ltd was grounding the second phase at an estimated cost of Rs 6,000 core. Of which Rs.5,000 core will be a loan from the National Co-operative Development Corporation (NCDC).

The loan carries an interest rate of about 11 per cent. With high interest, the first and second phase loan amount of Rs 9,000 core will come to Rs 15,000 crore in next six-seven years, which the taxpayers have to pay." He said the government claim of Rs 11,000 crore "is not correct. In some cases, without purchasing sheep it was shown as purchased.  In these three years the cost of sheep meat has doubled because of the shortage of meat. If the sheep distribution scheme is successful there would have been surplus meat available in the market controlling the price, Reddy pointed out. 

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