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Govt rejects Congress's claim, says GeM most transparent platform
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SME Times News Bureau | 25 Apr, 2017
Refuting allegations of irregularities against the Governnment
e-Marketplace (GeM) levelled by the Congress, the government on Monday
said GeM is a transparent, digital public procurement portal and the
opposition charges are based on forged letters.
On Friday,
Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala on the basis of letters written
by eight BJP members of parliament alleged "a massive scam" in the GeM
portal due to "irregularities and malpractices". He said the rates on
GeM for procurement are more than the rate contract, as a result of
which the government bears a loss of crores of rupees.
"Department
of Commerce strongly denies the baseless, motivated and malafide
charges levelled by Randeep Surjewala against GeM," Commerce Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters here.
Explaining that the
prices quoted in the GeM are dynamic which favour the government, while
the fixed rate contract (RC) applies for a period of 1-2 years,
Sitharaman cited the recent acquisition of 54,000 smartphones for women
aanganwadi workers in five states through GeM.
"The price at
which these handsets were procured were the lowest in the market and
resulted in a saving of Rs 7 crore," Sitharaman said.
"Member of
Parliament Ajay Nishad has already denied in writing having written the
said letter and says it is a forgery. Besides, theletters of Ajay
Nishad and Lok Sabha MP Ashok M. Nete are exactly similar," the minister
said.
Also, the letters written by the Lok Sabha members Harish
Dwivedi, Arjun Lal Meena, Alok Sanjar, Rajesh Verma, Radheshyam Biswas
and Kaushal Kishore, have all put in the similar request of extension of
software, storage, networking, security items on DGS&D (Directorate
General of Supplies and Disposal) Rate Contract, she said.
"Facts
clearly indicate that there are vested interests operating behind this
malicious campaign against GeM and in all likelihood, it appears to be
the handiwork of certain interested groups who have been badly hit owing
to discontinuation of RC," Sitharaman added.
Noting that the
government has made a saving of over Rs 100 crore on the total
procurement of around Rs 450 crore that has taken place so far through
GeM, Sitharaman said: "Government as a policy is reducing the items on
fixed rate conttr5act and bringing them on GeM."
"Already over
100 items have been put in the e-marketplace. In the process, the
interest among sellers and vendors has increased in GeM."
She said that as and when the fixed contracts expire for items, these would be transferred to the GeM.
"Besides, GeM will go to all states, so that state government procurement can be done through it," she added.
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