HYDERABAD: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) State General Secretary Dr. R.S. Praveen Kumar levelled allegations against the Congress government over the functioning of the Telangana Overseas Manpower Company (TOMCOM), alleging that candidates seeking overseas employment were made to pay substantial fees but many were not placed in jobs as promised.
Addressing a press meet at Telangana Bhavan, Dr. Praveen Kumar accused the government of failing to fulfil its promise of a job calendar and alleged that irregularities had occurred in the overseas recruitment process. He demanded a refund of the fees paid by affected candidates and called for criminal and cheating cases against Labour and Employment Minister Vivek Venkataswamy. These were allegations made by the BRS leader and were not independently verified.
Questions Raised Over Germany Recruitment
Dr. Praveen Kumar said TOMCOM was established in 2014 under the then BRS government led by K. Chandrashekar Rao, with the stated objective of helping Telangana youth secure overseas employment through a government-supported process and protecting them from fraudulent recruitment agents.
He alleged that the current recruitment initiative for Germany, involving technical, warehouse, nursing, construction-related, mechatronics and driving jobs, raised serious concerns. According to him, candidates were asked to pay approximately ₹4.1 lakh each and underwent German-language training for six months in Hyderabad with assistance from the Goethe-Institut.
He further alleged that candidates were subsequently asked to pay an additional ₹20,000 for booking the B1-level German-language examination, with some sent to Chennai for the examination at their own expense.
Alleged Discrepancies in Recruitment Documents
The BRS leader claimed that candidate agreements and certain employment-related documents carried the name of a private company, Fair Street, rather than TOMCOM. He questioned the arrangement and asked why candidates who had paid through a government-linked recruitment process were being directed to approach the private company for refunds.
According to Dr. Praveen Kumar, hundreds of candidates joined the programme and some cleared the B1 German-language examination, but only a small number were allegedly sent to Germany. He also recounted the case of a candidate who, he claimed, returned to India after allegedly being assigned work different from what had been promised.
These claims require independent verification, including examination of recruitment agreements, payment records, placement figures and the responses of the organisations concerned.
Demand for Refunds and Accountability
Dr. Praveen Kumar demanded that the government ensure the return of fees paid by affected candidates and clarify the responsibilities of TOMCOM and Fair Street. He also questioned the decision to involve Fair Street, alleging that another company, Magic Billion, had previously been associated with the recruitment initiative.
Criticising the government’s employment commitments, he said the Congress had promised two lakh jobs and a job calendar before the elections but had failed to meet those expectations. He also listed several alleged scams involving different departments and projects, presenting them as examples of what he described as a pattern of governance failures.
Calls for Transparency
The BRS leader urged the government to explain the overseas recruitment process, disclose the number of candidates trained and placed, clarify the role of the private recruitment company, and establish a mechanism to resolve complaints and refund eligible candidates.
The allegations could not be treated as established findings without supporting records and responses from the government, TOMCOM, Fair Street and the minister concerned.
