‘Bicycles procured under GeM, followed transparent process’

New Delhi: Rejecting the Aam Aadmi Party’s allegation of irregularities, Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Wednesday said that bicycles were procured under the Vidya Vahini scheme through the government e-marketplace (GeM) following a transparent bidding process. Sood said more than 3,000 girl students had received bicycles in the first phase of the scheme and dismissed questions being raised over the procurement process. “Our bicycles are bought from GeM. GeM has been a transparent portal for 10 years,” Sood said.

He said bids floated on the portal were subject to prescribed parameters and that a bid could not proceed if it contained a restrictive clause or if a complaint against it remained unresolved.

Sood also sought to explain the procurement process by comparing it with the purchase of consumer products, saying the government was required to follow the prescribed tender process rather than approach a particular manufacturer or vendor.

His remarks came amid criticism from the opposition over the quality and price of bicycles being distributed to students under the scheme.

The opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has alleged that the bicycles were bought at an inflated price.

Sood also attacked AAP for criticising the BJP government’s welfare measures, including the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana, under which eligible women are being provided Rs 2,500 per month.

He said the government had been able to implement several measures that had been discussed or promised earlier, including the bicycle distribution scheme.

Sood claimed the Delhi government had undertaken more than 150 policy interventions in its first 16-17 months in power and said the BJP government had maintained a “constructive” approach during the Assembly session.