Purchase of Fateh kits under lens
CHANDIGARH: The purchase of ‘Fateh kits’, which are being provided by the Punjab government to Covid-19 patients, has come under scrutiny with the National Health Mission (NHM) awarding the purchase of kits worth Rs 20 crore without following the due tendering process.
Also, Grand Way Incorporation, a Ludhiana-based firm which was given the purchase order, doesn’t have the drug licence — a mandatory condition to participate in the tendering process. A Fateh kit contains a digital thermometer, a steamer, a pulse oxymeter, vitamin C limcee and zinc tablets, vitamin D3 capsules, Ayush kwath, dolo and other medicines.
NHM director (finance) Neeraj Singla said the purchase was made in emergency as Covid cases were rising and the department did not have the kits to distribute it to the patients. The purchase order was given on May 7. The NHM had invited the tenders for the purchase of kits on April 29, it is learnt. The tender was cancelled because four companies quoted the same price at the rate of Rs 1,780 per kit. The NHM officials claim that the tender was cancelled because all four bidders deliberately quoted the same price.
“Since new tendering would have taken more time and we wanted kits immediately, one of the companies, which earlier provided 50,000 kits Rs 1,095 apiece agreed to supply us kits at Rs 1,195 apiece. The pandemic has taken such a turn that we needed to buy the kits urgently,” said Singla. The firm was given the earlier purchase order on April 19 of supplying 50,000 kits through tendering. It did not have the mandatory drug licence while participating in the bidding process at that time also.
NHM director Kumar Rahul said the condition of having drug licence is not necessary and the company can make purchases from third party as the kit contains several items in non-medicine category. “Since the tender was cancelled, the other bidders will also be given the purchase order,” he said. Attempts to contact Grand Way Incorporation did not yield any result.
LUDHIANA-BASED FIRM GIVEN PURCHASE ORDER WITHOUT FOLLOWING DUE TENDERING PROCESS