The eligibility criteria in the tender wanted the participating units to have a minimum turnover of Rs 200 crore, which surely keeps the MSME units out of its ambit.
The G-13 association of bicycle manufacturers has written a letter to the director of secondary education, Rajasthan, where they have questioned the move keeping the pre-condition of turnover of at least Rs 200 crore consecutively for three years and termed it a move taken under pressure from some forces.
Speaking on the issue, General Secretary of United Cycles and Parts Manufacturers Association (UCPMA), Rajeev Jain told KNN that an enquiry should be set up to get on to the bottom of each and every tender to expose the corruption in the bidding process.
He questioned, “When the government has fixed the standards to purchase a cycle then why there is need for a turnover?”
“It is that only four big companies are playing the game. This is a complete fixing between the government officials and top companies,” alleged Jain.
According to a media report, the office-bearers of G-13 association said if the MSME industry is able to get the tender, Rajasthan government will end up saving at least Rs 15 crore because the price of the bicycle made by them is at least Rs 500 less as compared to the product manufactured by large companies.
Agreeing with the G-13 official, UCPMA General Secretary said, “If you can get the same quality of bicycle at cheaper price then why does the government want to lose money? Our question is that if the government is getting a cycle for Rs. 2700 from MSMEs then why they are ready to purchase a cycle costing Rs. 3400?”
“They are totally wasting the public money,” he added.
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