No pencils for kids but UP splurges on premium pens
The Uttar Pradesh government that claims to be cash- strapped when it comes to providing basic amenities, including stationary for schoolchildren, has been found to be splurging on expensive pens for officials. Children in government schools this year have not been provided stationary due to lack of funds.
According to informa- tion received from sources, the secretariat administration department has purchased branded high- cost pens worth around ` 3 lakhs in just four months. The premium range of pens is apparently meant for use by top officials but no one is ready to confirm the same. For instance, in March, the department purchased 33 pens worth ` 33,000 and in June a sum of ` 1.5 lakhs was spent on purchase 123 premium pens. Interestingly, the cost of pens purchased in March is ` 33,000 but the amount paid to the suppliers is around ` 78,000. In June, the cost of pens purchased is ` 1.5 lakhs but the payment made is ` 2 lakhs.
The pens bought by the secretariat administration department include premium ranges like black GT RB, golden body and CTRB gun metal pens.
None of the officials in the department were will- ing to say where the premium pens had gone and for whom the purchases had been made. Mr Prabhat Mittal, secretary in the department, feigned complete ignorance about it and said, “It has been just a few days since I took over this post and I have no knowledge about this.” However, a source in the department said that the expensive pens had been purchased on request from the chief minister’s secretariat and the chief secre- tary’s office. “The orders for these pens were given verbally and we had no time to pursue the normal purchase policy of inviting quotations for purchases above ` 20,000. The pens were sent to the chief minister’s residence, chief minister’s secretariat, chief secretary’s office and to some other important officials. We do not know if the chief minister and the chief secretary are even aware of this,” the source added.