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Time of India
a day ago
- Health
- Time of India
Buy consumables, medicines through Central Procurement Agency: Delhi govt to state-run hospitals
New Delhi: The Delhi government has directed all state-run hospitals to buy consumables and medicines through the Central Procurement Agency (CPA), a move which will allow doctors to spend more time on patient care , according to officials. Earlier, hospitals either used to make direct purchases or used the cart feature on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal, which led to inflated prices , the officials said. Going forward, hospitals will have to submit their demands to the CPA, which will assess the urgency of supply and coordinate the procurement process on behalf of the hospitals. Direct purchase of medicines will no longer be permitted in any government hospital, they said. "It has come to the attention of the minister, Health and Family Welfare, that certain hospitals and institutions have been procuring medical devices, consumables, equipment and machinery through direct purchases or by using the cart feature on the Government e-Marketplace portal," the order stated. "This practice has led to inflated prices, significant price discrepancies and raises serious concerns of audit non-compliance," it said. The CPA will be responsible for the purchase of medicines, consumables, medical devices, machinery and equipment. It will carry out procurement based on the requirements submitted by hospitals, institutions and health centres across Delhi. This decision has been taken to allow doctors and medical staff to focus their time and energy on patient care instead of administrative processes. As a result, patients will receive better and more dedicated healthcare services, the officials said. Any violation of these directions will be taken seriously and appropriate action will be taken by the concerned authority, they said. It must be ensured that all procedures are carried out strictly in accordance with the established rules so that transparency and accountability in the system are maintained. PTI
Hindustan Times
22-05-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
RTI reveals ₹46.59L spent on salaries for vacant Sector 31 Group Home
An RTI query has revealed that the Chandigarh administration has spent ₹ 46.59 lakh in staff salaries for the Group Home in Sector 31 during 2024–25—despite the facility still being non-operational. The disclosure has sparked concerns among parents and caregivers of persons with mental illness, intellectual disabilities, and autism spectrum disorder, for whom the home was built as a long-term residential care facility. Filed by 78-year-old BK Chadha, a parent of a boy with mental illness, the RTI reply from the social welfare department stated that 18 staff members—including one manager, nine security guards, six safai karamcharis and two malis—were deployed at the facility on July 15, 2024. Hired through a manpower agency via the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal, the staff continues to draw salaries amounting to ₹5 lakh per month, even though the home has not welcomed a single resident since its completion in July 2024. The prolonged delay in operationalising the Group Home, the controversial ₹20 lakh security deposit for admission and the absence of trained caregiving staff have drawn sustained criticism from the public. Another RTI filed by Harsharan Kaur, a Sector 37-D resident, disclosed that 216 representations were submitted in 2024–25 concerning the Group Home. Among these, 37 came from family representatives and independent mental health professionals who are part of the governing and executive bodies of the UTTHAAN Society—tasked with overseeing the facility's operations. Following an interim order from the Punjab and Haryana high court urging a review of the security deposit clause, a meeting of the 13-member governing body headed by the UT advisor is expected soon. 'We are seeking time from the advisor for the governing body meeting. As of now, our stance on the security deposit remains the same. We are examining the court order and will see what can be done,' said Palika Arora, director, social welfare and secretary of the governing body. Despite the controversy, the social welfare department went ahead with its admission process. A public notice invited applications by April 10, 2025, and 33 entries were received, including from economically weaker sections (EWS). These applicants have begun a mandatory 45-day medical assessment at the Mental Health Institute, Sector 32, and GRIID, Sector 31, starting May 7. The department confirmed that the assessment schedule remains unchanged and will be followed by a 45-day day-care programme before full residential enrolment begins.
Mint
20-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
With India-UK FTA talks concluded, India to introduce global tendering for public procurement
New Delhi: India is preparing to roll out global tendering features on the government's digital commerce portal that will allow British firms as well as all other global firms to bid for government tenders, a senior official said. The move on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal follows the successful conclusion of negotiations for the India-UK free trade agreement (FTA). These features are currently unavailable on the platform, used by state and central government departments agencies to buy and sell goods and services. Once introduced, they will enable British and other foreign suppliers to participate in tenders floated by Indian government buyers. The global tendering feature will open the platform to international suppliers, while a 'rate contract' option will allow government buyers to purchase goods and services at pre-approved prices for a fixed duration—ranging from three months to a year—reducing the need for repeated bidding, according to GeM chief executive officer (CEO) Mihir Kumar. 'We are working on it, and these features will be added to the GeM portal in the coming months,' said Kumar. He did not specify a timeline for the rollout. At present, procurement of global goods and services by the government is carried out directly by individual departments, which enter contracts with overseas suppliers on their own. These transactions are done outside the GeM portal, as the platform currently does not support global tendering. According to a policy paper from the UK government, India has granted 'legally guaranteed access' to its vast government procurement market under the FTA. This will enable British businesses to bid for around 40,000 Indian government tenders annually, valued at an estimated £38 billion. However, economic think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) has cautioned that allowing UK firms to participate in India's central government procurement tenders could potentially crowd out Indian micro,small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which depend heavily on preferential access to such contracts. The UK move follows a similar agreement with the UAE. 'Under the deal, British firms can bid for Indian tenders, and those with at least 20% UK content will be classified as class 2 local suppliers under India's Make in India policy. This effectively extends preferential treatment, originally intended for domestic firms, to foreign suppliers,' said Ajay Srivastava, co-founder of GTRI. A rate contract is an agreement between a buyer and a seller to supply goods or services at a fixed price for a specified period. Once the contract is in place, the seller has to deliver the items at the agreed rate, even if market prices rise during the contract period. Procurement through the GeM portal is mandatory for all central government ministries and departments. The platform is targeting transactions worth ₹ 7 trillion in 2025-26, up from ₹ 5.42 trillion in 2024-25. Currently, 40-50% of annual government procurement is conducted through GeM. 'We will focus on states this year. We have to increase the footprint of states,' Kumar said, adding that the platform now has over 164,000 primary buyers and 42,000 active sellers, offering more than 10,000 product categories and over 330 services. He said GeM is looking at some large-scale tenders, including ₹ 5,000 crore worth of equipment for the Akash Missile System to ₹ 5,085 crore for vaccines. The platform also supports specialized services such as drone-as-a-service for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), geographic information systems and insurance solutions covering over 13 million lives, as well as wet leasing of chartered flights and CT scanners—demonstrating its adaptability in handling complex, mission-critical procurements.
New Indian Express
19-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Government sets ball rolling for global tender through GeM
The government has set the ball rolling for allowing foreign vendors to participate in government procurements in India. The Government e-Marketplace (GeM), the public procurement portal, is planning to launch global tender through the portal, most likely in the current financial year. It is to be noted that India has agreed to allow UK businesses to participate in government procurement under the recently concluded India-UK trade agreement. Under the agreement, UK firms can now bid for tenders, and those with just 20% UK content will be treated as 'Class 2 Local Suppliers' under India's Make in India policy. This could increase competition for Indian suppliers without them getting a similar access in the UK.
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Business Standard
19-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
GeM to add global tendering, rate contract features on its portal
The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is set to soon introduce global tendering and rate contract functionalities on its platform to raise global competition for public procurement orders, a senior official said on Monday. The addition of global tendering will allow international suppliers and vendors to participate in public procurement processes. Officials at the GeM indicated that the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is among one of the factors prompting the development of a global tender facility on the portal. However, CEO Mihir Kumar clarified that work on the global tender feature was already underway and would have proceeded regardless of the FTA. "The global tender feature was at work, and the same would have been launched even without the UK treaty," stated Kumar. While addressing the media, Kumar said that the Government is working to add these features related to global tendering. Currently, these functionalities are not available on the GeM portal, which is the primary online platform for central ministries and departments to procure goods and services. Alongside global tendering, GeM is also working on introducing rate contracts — pre-negotiated price agreements that enable government buyers to procure goods and services over a specified period without repeated bidding. This feature is expected to streamline procurement and reduce administrative delays, particularly for frequently purchased items. Kumar also revealed that the government is exploring the possibility of bringing works — such as road and building construction and the establishment of large infrastructure facilities — onto the GeM platform, which currently supports only goods and services. Launched in 2016, the GeM portal is mandatory for central government ministries and departments for procurement and is rapidly becoming the backbone of India's digital procurement ecosystem. So far, it has facilitated transactions worth ₹5.42 trillion in FY24, and aims to touch ₹7 trillion in FY26, said Kumar. The portal currently accounts for 40–50 per cent of annual government procurement and is now focusing on increasing participation from states. 'We will focus on states this year. We have to increase the footprint of states,' Kumar added. GeM boasts over 1.64 lakh primary buyers and 4.2 lakh active sellers, offering more than 10,000 product categories and over 330 services. Eight states — Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Uttarakhand, and Chhattisgarh — have made GeM usage mandatory.
