Punjab: The Punjab government is hesitant to procure 28,515 smartphones for Anganwadi workers to track beneficiaries under the centrally funded Poshan Abhiyaan (Nutrition Mission). The suspension of two IAS officers and the transfer of two others in connection with the delay in procuring the smartphones have brought to light political and bureaucratic hurdles. Punjab and West Bengal are the only two states that have failed to procure the necessary devices to track approximately 12 lakh beneficiaries under Poshan 2.0. The scheme aims to provide supplementary nutrition to children, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls. Most states have already received their second replacement of the devices. As per the rules, smartphones are allowed to be replaced every four years.
Funds released 8 years ago
However, eight years have passed since the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development released approximately Rs 27 crore, with the central and state contributions fixed at a 60:40 ratio. This grant was given to the state’s Social Security and Women and Child Development Department. In the last days of the Congress government led by Charanjit Singh Channi in 2021, the state’s Social Security and Women and Child Development Department entrusted the task of procuring the necessary smartphones to Punjab Infotech.
Cost escalation
It took Infotech almost three years to float tenders for 4G-enabled smartphones. When the order for the devices was about to be placed, there was a change of mind at the top level, and the requirement was changed to 5G-enabled devices, citing better technology. This change increased the procurement cost from approximately Rs 34 crore to approximately Rs 60 crore, including the state’s 40 percent share. A government official said that the Punjab government decided to bear the additional cost. But when the selected vendor for supplying the agreed 5G devices stated that the agreed devices were not in production, Infotech canceled the order and initiated the tendering process again. Meanwhile, instructions were issued by the government to restart the canceled tender, and the opinion of the Advocate General (AG) was sought. This led to other bidders approaching the court, and an adverse order was passed against the procurement. It has emerged that Infotech did not follow the proper procedure while seeking approval from the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), the national public procurement portal, to restart the previous tender. Commenting on the matter, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Raja Warring alleged that the suspension of two senior IAS officers without any stated reason shows that they had “apparently refused to comply with some illegal orders of the government.” He further alleged that “the smartphones could be used elsewhere for party surveys.”
Punjab: Significant delays in purchasing cell phones under the nutrition campaign.
