Questions raised on the process of purchasing shoes for soldiers posted in Siachen
– Photo : Amar Ujala
Expansion
A case of alleged irregularities in the purchase process of shoes has come to light in the Ministry of Defense. In this regard, a whistleblower has sent a complaint e-mail to the Prime Minister, Defense Minister, Chief of Army Staff, Defense Secretary and ADGPI, in which he has alleged that the rules set in the tender process were ignored to benefit a particular company. The accuser is a retired army colonel, who is always vocal on corruption cases. He alleges that the MGS Branch (Master General of Sustainance Branch, Procurement) of the Ministry of Defense had issued a Request for Purpose (RFP) for the supply of multipurpose boots in September 2023. The MGS Branch has violated the RFP policies in this process. He has demanded a ban on the purchase process in this matter and strict action against the culprits.
Complaint to Prime Minister, Defense Minister
In this case, the complainant, retired army colonel Amit Kumar, told Amar Ujala in an exclusive interview that he has placed before the Defense Ministry the case of serious corruption committed by the MGS branch in the shoe purchase process. He has complained about this matter to the Prime Minister, Defense Minister, Chief of Army Staff, Defense Ministry and Defense Secretary and has demanded a high-level investigation into the matter, cancellation of the tender process and strict action against the guilty officers. Amar Ujala has his complaint letter. In which he has written, “This is a formal complaint and legal notice. Nothing is above the country and there should be no apology for corruption or corrupt conduct. Prima facie, this is a case of violation of RFP policies, which is a serious crime. That too, especially when bulk purchases are being made, because it is the money of the general public, so this matter should be investigated.”
23,582 pairs of shoes are to be purchased
According to Colonel Amit Kumar, the MGS Branch (Master General of Sustainment Branch, Procurement) of the Defense Ministry had issued a tender for the purchase of multipurpose shoes on September 14, 2023. In this, tenders were invited from original equipment manufacturers for the supply of shoes. Under this bulk purchase process, 23,582 pairs of shoes are to be purchased, the value of which was around Rs 20 crore. Amar Ujala has a copy of that Request for Proposal (RFP). The companies participating in this tender were required to provide 21 pairs of shoes as samples for user trials. Only those companies could participate in this tender, whose average turnover of three years was more than Rs 1000 crore. It is necessary for them to be an Indian firm or PSU. Such foreign firms which have manufacturing in India. Those OEMs then outsource the products in their own name/brand. The OEM must have a wholly owned Indian subsidiary with manufacturing facilities. Only these companies are eligible to participate in this tender.