The Maharashtra government will now purchase products made by jail inmates and ex-Army personnel without any competitive bidding. The State on Tuesday decided to make these two exceptions to its new procurement policy.
Chief Secretary Swadheen Kshatriya said the policy will give preferences to the products made in these two categories. “Technically, it is difficult to have a competitive bidding. We also want to grant an exemption to them on compassionate grounds,” he told The Hindu .
The State Cabinet had passed the procurement policy six months ago, making it mandatory to e-tender every work order over Rs. 3,00,000. A decision has also been taken to probe all purchases made by various departments over the past 15 years .
This is being seen as a move by the government to corner political opponents over charges of corruption. “While this is a challenging task, it is important for us to study this paradigm shift made in the way we make purchases,” said Mr. Kshatriya.
Senior officials said passing the policy will also ensure Maharashtra to be part of the Global Procurement Initiative (GIP), an international quality index aimed at curbing corruption in government spending in developing countries. Run by the United States Trade and Development Agency, the GIP promises to train State officials in making smarter, longer-term investment in infrastructure projects.
However, while this is likely to streamline the tendering process, it is being read as a tacit way for American firms to gain an upper hand over China in competing for big-ticket contracts related to government schemes like smart cities and industrial corridors.
