Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 28: The Federation of Chambers of Industries of Kashmir (FCIK) today urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene in the Agriculture Department’s mixed tendering system, claiming it sidelines local manufacturers.
A spokesperson raised concerns about the potential negative impact of the Agriculture Department’s mixed tendering process under the Kisan Khidmat Ghar scheme of the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP). “The department has combined two distinct product categories-furniture and electronics-into a single tender, which may reduce the number of qualified bidders for either category,” he said.
This, he argued, could lead to inferior products being delivered at inflated prices, undermining the principles of transparent and competitive public procurement. “Our members in the furniture sector lack the infrastructure to meet the requirements for electronic items, which may result in inadequate bids or no qualified suppliers at all,” he added.
The spokesperson also pointed out that the supply of furniture falls under 358 reserved items for Micro and Small Enterprises, as per the Union Government’s Public Procurement Policy under the MSME Act of 2006.
He said FCIK expressed concern that tenders floated by the Agriculture Production Departments in Budgam and Srinagar, which combine furniture and electronics procurement, have sparked alarm among furniture manufacturers. Similarly, tenders in Bandipora, Baramulla, and Anantnag imposed stringent qualification criteria, effectively excluding local manufacturers.
He further said FCIK plans to take the issue to the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister to ensure local manufacturers are not overlooked in the ambitious 5000-Crore HADP.
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