Govt tightens layers of accountability

Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister, Arun Jaitley, has stressed on the importance of procedural fairness in public procurement and award of contracts.

This can be ensured through transparency and fairness that enable a State to act in the best interest for its citizens in terms of price, quality and service delivery and help avoid elements of nepotism and corruption in public procurement, he said.

Jaitley highlighted the special measures taken by the Indian Government to bring in greater transparency, fairness and efficiency in public procurement through a series of measures including launch of the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) for online purchases of common use items.

In addition to having its own rules and regulations relating to public procurement in the Government, the layers of accountability at various levels in the Government have also been tightened, he said.

Jaitley delivered the Inaugural Address at the 5th South Asia Region Public Procurement Conference held in New Delhi 5-7 Feb 2018.

He noted the evolution of public procurement in the last century and emphasized its significance in delivery of public services in democratic societies in the larger interest of the citizens.

Jaitley said that as South Asia is the fastest growing region, the relevance of public procurement is of key importance to all.

Its objective is to enable the Heads of Public Procurement and other key stakeholders in the eight South Asian countries to meet and learn from one another and from experts in the field of public procurement.

The Conference is held under the auspices of the South Asia Region Public Procurement Network (SARPPN), which is sponsored and facilitated by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Islamic Development Bank. fii-news.com