Rlys’ new procurement policy focuses on cutting emissions

THE NEW POLICY WILL HELP RAILWAYS INITIATE THE PROCESS OF BRINGING GREEN ISSUES TO THE CENTRE OF ITS OPERATIONS

‘Sustainable procurement’ is the new buzzword for the Indian Railways.

The Indian Railways, which annually spends an estimated ₹30,000 crore on procurements and spends an equal amount on purchase of material to implement projects, has adhered to the guiding principle of L-I (lowest bidder) in past decades. Even as initial costs of material purchased have been low, the life-cycle costs and environmental damage has often found to be heavy.

Attempting a key change in the way it does its business, the Railways has initiated the process of bringing green concerns to the centrality of its operations. “This will come about either through the adoption of a new policy on procurements, or through amendments to existing rules”, said AK Tiwari, advisor (environment). The move follows last month’s release of the New Procurement Manual by the finance ministry, which all central government departments and ministries are required to adopt.

Even as India has been a signatory to the 2015 United Nations Framework for Climate Change (called the Paris Agreement), the record of the Greenhouse Gas Emission (GGE) mitigation plans of the state-owned transporter has been feeble.

Europe, the US, China and South Korea adopted the sustainable procurement policies more than a decade ago. However, the Indian Railways has not even conducted a comprehensive study to determine the level of its total annual emissions.

“The Indian Railways can make a small beginning by deciding to use paint with reduced lead content or through purchase of ICT products (computers, printers, photocopiers and office stationary) that meet the Bureau of Energy Efficiency standards”, said ministry official Sanjay Kumar, who was awarded the 2017 sustainable procurement award by a US firm.