New Delhi: The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), which is the nodal agency for the “Make in India” push has flagged 40 per cent of high-value government tenders over the last three years, terming them as “non-compliant” with rules that which promote Make in India in government procurement, reported The Indian Express.
The DPIIT found the tenders non-compliant with rules framed under the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order that prohibit tenders that restrict or discriminate against domestic suppliers.
The discrimination can happen either by specifying foreign brands or setting eligibility conditions around turnover or production capability that may put domestic firms at a disadvantage.
But be it lifts or CCTV cameras, medical supplies and desktop computers, government records show that departments were turning to foreign brands citing the reason that these made better economic – and quality –sense than domestic brands.
In February 2023, DPIIT found that while 1,750 high-value tenders over Rs. 1 crore for services, Rs. 50 crore for goods, and Rs. 100 crore for works were floated since October 2021 by procuring entities of the central government, 936 of these tenders – valued at Rs 53,355 crore – were non-compliant with the 2017 rules.
By November 2024, the number of high value tenders that didn’t conform to the rules promoting Make in India increased to 42 per cent of the 3,590 tenders scrutinised with a value of Rs. 63,911 crore.
