Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Amid allegations of irregularities in Rs 100-crore procurement process of interactive panels, the School Education Department has delegated authority to district collectors to amend rules for purchasing interactive panels. Harjinder Singh, director State Education Center, has issued an order in this regard. Earlier, a committee was formed to set criteria for quality purchases of these panels.
However, allegations surfaced that officials at the State Education Center manipulated the process to favor a specific company. BJP state executive member Vijay Sharma filed a complaint with the Economic Offenses Wing (EOW), alleging the tender issued by the department included clauses that benefited a particular company.
Prominent multinational companies reportedly could not meet the tender requirements, which then raised concerns with School Education Minister Uday Pratap Singh, alleging the tender was tailored to exclude them. On November 18, the EOW summoned officials of the State Education Center along with relevant tender documents. Subsequently, the department issued supplementary orders to amend the tender conditions. The state-level procurement committee decided in a meeting on December 6, to send tender specifications and additional terms and conditions to district collectors.
Collectors are authorised to amend these specifications as needed, provided the changes ensure high-quality materials and adherence to competitive practices. The procurement will be conducted through the GeM (Government e-Marketplace) portal, with district collectors required to complete the process by the year-end, and must adhere to Madhya Pradesh’s procurement rules. The director also clarified that the project involves the installation of 4,310 smart classrooms across 1,960 secondary schools and 390 Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose hostels.
