MUMBAI: A day after TOI reported on procurement of interactive LCD panels from China for students of state-run training institutes at an inflated cost, the Maharashtra minister for skill and vocational training Mangal Prabhat Lodha set up a committee to inquire into the purchases.
The department of vocational education and training (DVET) has also sent a letter to the vendor (a copy is with TOI), demanding an explanation into why made-in-China panels were sent to hundreds of classrooms in Industrial Training Institutes and demanded that they be replaced.
“The state government is setting up a panel to inquire the details of these purchases. Whether the state rules were followed for procurement or not, and if not, who is guilty must be found. The report must be submitted within 15 days,” said Lodha in his order. ITI commissioner N Ramaswamy has been appointed to inquire into the procurement.
The DVET imported LCD panels worth crores made by BenQ, a company from China, a country that is not promoted on the government e-marketplace . What raised eyebrows is the fact that the department in its tender had mandated certain certification, throwing all Indian manufacturers out of the race, but what was eventually imported into the country did not have those certificates. The price paid for each panel is allegedly far above the average rate. Minister Lodha in his order also said the current procurement committee is being disbanded and a new panel would be constituted.
The department of vocational education and training (DVET) has also sent a letter to the vendor (a copy is with TOI), demanding an explanation into why made-in-China panels were sent to hundreds of classrooms in Industrial Training Institutes and demanded that they be replaced.
“The state government is setting up a panel to inquire the details of these purchases. Whether the state rules were followed for procurement or not, and if not, who is guilty must be found. The report must be submitted within 15 days,” said Lodha in his order. ITI commissioner N Ramaswamy has been appointed to inquire into the procurement.
The DVET imported LCD panels worth crores made by BenQ, a company from China, a country that is not promoted on the government e-marketplace . What raised eyebrows is the fact that the department in its tender had mandated certain certification, throwing all Indian manufacturers out of the race, but what was eventually imported into the country did not have those certificates. The price paid for each panel is allegedly far above the average rate. Minister Lodha in his order also said the current procurement committee is being disbanded and a new panel would be constituted.
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