EoI to be invited for ration scheme

The state Cabinet on Tuesday approved inviting an Expression of Interest (EoI) for the Take Home Ration (THR) scheme. According to sources, the tender will be floated for supply of THR worth '1,200 crore. Meanwhile, the Federation of women’s self-help groups have accused the Cabinet of favouring three giant bidders, who allegedly have indirect control over the women and child welfare department.

Under the THR scheme, breakfast and readymade lunch will be supplied to children aged six months to three years, children aged three to six years who are light weight and pregnant women at home.

Senior officials from the department said that the SC had directed that food be provide to anganwadis via women’s self-help groups and not food supply contractors. It was pointed out during the Cabinet meeting that bidders needed to be selected on technical and not commercial grounds, or else contractors would grab tenders by quoting low costs.

The Cabinet also gave its nod to calling e-tenders through EoI based on technical bid grounds while rejecting calling e-tenders based on commercial bids.

However, Sanjana Ghadi, president, Federation of Women’s Self-Help Groups, alleged the decision would favour three bidders who had sole control over the department. “It’s a big ploy to remove women’s self-help groups from the competition, as the EoI has asked that several certificates including excise be submitted, which nobody has. The financial conditions are also too extreme to be be met by such groups,” she said.

Ms Ghadi said if they had been informed about the conditions before drafting the bid document, they could have managed to join together 10 such groups and invest in purchasing extruder machines.

Meanwhile, minister for women and child welfare Pankaja Munde said the Cabinet decision was taken after a thorough discussion. She said a committee of secretaries of various departments had been appointed and the decision of the panel was submitted to the chief minister and then the Cabinet. “It is a historical decision which has focused only on nutrition, and the allegations are baseless,” said Ms Munde..