This led other bidders to take the matter to court, resulting in a legal order against the procurement process.

Punjab Smartphone Row: Two IAS Officers Suspended Over Poshan Abhiyaan Procurement Delay

A massive delay in purchasing 28,515 smartphones under the Centre-funded Poshan Abhiyaan has led to the immediate suspension of two top Punjab IAS officers and the transfer of two more senior officials. Despite funds being released eight years ago, Punjab and West Bengal remain the only states that have failed to provide these tracking devices for nearly 12 lakh beneficiaries, including children and pregnant women.

While Punjab Infotech was assigned the procurement task in 2021, a staggering three-year gap followed before the agency finally invited bids for the project. A late decision to switch from 4G to 5G technology saw project costs jump from Rs 34 crore to approximately Rs 60 crore. Further complications arose when a selected vendor could not supply the devices, leading to a cancelled tender and subsequent legal challenges after the government attempted to revive the process through the Advocate General’s opinion.

This led other bidders to take the matter to court, resulting in a legal order against the procurement process. Investigations revealed that Punjab Infotech bypassed mandatory protocols on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal while attempting to restart the previously scrapped tender.

Punjab Congress Chief Amrinder Raja Warring criticised the move, claiming the lack of assigned reasons suggests the officers were targeted for refusing 'illegal diktats’. He also raised concerns that the delayed devices could be misused for conducting party-related surveys.

Source: The Tribune