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| RTI exposes scam worth crores in Directorate of Health Services, RDD Jammu | | Activist alleges scam of more than Rs 500 cr in GeM purchase | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Apr 30: Renowned RTI activist Balvinder Singh on Saturday alleged that Government e- market system (GeM) has been misused and it has turned into a big scam.
Addressing a news conference here Singh said, “To remove existing malpractices in the system due to buyer-seller interaction and to increase transparency and efficiency (time & cost) of procurement, Government of India had brought GeM system on December 8, 2017 and made it mandatory for every department to buy and hire services through GeM only.”
Singh claimed that because of the number of shortcoming in the GeM system as on date, “approximately 20 % to 50% commission is involved in the transaction made through GeM and official data shows annual turnover of JKUT tob e around Rs 2200 crore.”
He said, “One of his RTI filed in the Directorate of Health Jammu revealed how the person made incharge of GeM made procurements deceiving the state exchequer amounting to crores of rupees annually by purchasing items 30% to 300 % higher than the prevalent market rates.”
Singh got quotation of rate on 12.03.2022 for the purchase of One Ultrasound Machine BPL Model E-Cube 5 @ 991200, with three years warranty, which DHS purchased 6 such Machines @Rs 13,18000, total coasting 79,06000 vide Contract No. 511687710463117 Dated : 07.09.2020 (30% higher than the existing market rate) one and half year ago thus deceived the state exchequer amounting to Rs. 18 lakhs.
The DHS purchased eight RADICON-BINOCULAR POLARIZING MICROSCOPE @Rs 58300 including taxes on 23rd Dec 2020 vide Contract No.511687769910866 Dated: 23.02.2022, amounting to Rs. 4,66,400 (53% higher from the market rate) whereas Activist got Quotation for the same Microscope on 11.3.2022 @Rs 37816 only, including taxes, and DHS again deceived the State exchequer to the tune of Rs.163,872.
Again DHS purchased Compatible cartridges of different make and mark at more than 100% to 500% higher rates from the existing market rates. RTI Reply reveals that DHS purchased Compatible Cartridge of HP 88A @Rs. 4800 which is available in the market @ Rs 630 and Singh got the quotation from the same shopkeeper who supplied Cartridges to DHS vide Contract No. 511687729949805 Dated; 22.11.2020. Pen drives, any make Sandisk/Micron/Toshiba, which are easily available in the market 32 GB @Rs 400 & 16 GB @ Rs 360.
The DHS purchased 16 GB Pen Drive @ Rs 1050 (higher than the cost of 32 GB), vide Contract No.GEMC-511687721769549 dated 06.01.2022, & 32 GB @ Rs 850. GB vide Contract No. GEMC-511687779983942 Dated :30.11.2020. it is worth mentioning here that Person Incharge GeM purchase in DHS has purchased only from five to six selected vendors during the last so many years.
Similar is the case with Rural Development Department whereby one very interesting revelation was made in the reply received from two BDO offices BDO Mandal PHallian & BDO Akhnoor. Lime powder purchased by BDO Phallain Mandal through Gem is 70 % higher than the rate on which BDO Akhnoor purchased direct from shop) whereas both of them purchased lime powder more than 50 to 70% higher than the prevailing market rates.
Reply from BDO Akhnoor reveals that he purchased 248 bags of lime powder (each bag of twenty kg) @ Rs. 12,(50% higher than the prevailing market rate) not through GeM but direct from the shop, total amounting to Rs. 59520 whereas Singh got the quotation from the nearby shops @Rs.8.
Whereas One Secretary Panchayat of Block Phallain Mandal purchased 14,000 Kgs of Lime powder , through Contract No.511687769297240, Dated:01.03.2022, from one shopkeer of main Bazar Samba @ Rs. 15.99 (70% higher than the prevailing Market Rate) as the Same shopkeeper agreed to give it to the Activist @Rs.9.35 and thus BDO panchayat Phallain Mandal Deceived the State Exchequer to the tune of Rs. 92960 in a minor purchase of Rs. 223860.
Balvinder Singh said that this is the tip of the ice berg and if the said system is prevalent in other States of the country then the scam amount can go upto thousands of crores annually.
He demanded CBI probe into the whole purchase made through GeM by every Govt department during the last five years. |
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