The Madhya Pradesh government has clarified on its public distribution system improvement contract, which has been bagged by IT services firm HCL Infosystems. The company has outbid software giant like TCS and ITC Infotech. A section of the media has reported that the state government officials have “benefited” the company by putting norms aside and have ignored the other competitors on trivial issues.
“As far as my information goes there was clear transparency in the bidding and e-tendering process. Only one local newspaper has raised the issue but I don't see any issue in the tendering process,” Ashok Das, principal secretary food and civil supplies corporation told Business Standard adding, “anyone can visit our website and self-assess the transparent tendering process and read terms and conditions of RFQ documents. It has been wrongly reported that there is a Central fund involve in it.”
According to a well placed source, “the vendor firm will have to identify bogus ration cards, identify and register beneficiaries and issue bar coded coupons. This will involve Rs 362 crore.
The company, however, will get Rs 100 per person for identification and registration. Another Rs 84 crore state subsidy for five years will be granted under the Mukhyamantri Annapurna Yojna to ensure foodgrains to the poor. Thus this is a pay for itself project.”
To check corruption and ensure regular foodgrains supply through the Public Distribution System (PDS), the state government will not only issue bar coded coupons to each ration card (after few years Unique Identification Cards) so that there will be no cash transactions but also make the PDS shops open each day instead of occasional opening.