Yes and No.
Yes, because GeM (Government e-Marketplace) has enabled entire security forces right down to unit level to procure the items directly.
There is no delay and the troops have their requirements provided for in time. Commanding Officer is directly responsible for the operational preparedness of the unit as well as their comfort. In the earlier system he had no say on procurement and had to accept whatever was supplied. He did not even have the right to reject the items if found to be defective / below standard.
This way security forces have benefited a lot.
“No” because GeM (Government e-Marketplace) has taken the power away from the procurement chain and has dried up the commissions. The chain does not have power over anything and hence the security forces are still putting a lot of objections to undermine GeM (Government e-Marketplace).
A simple example is a First Aid Kit. The composition of the kit differs based on the number of injuries it caters to, number of people it caters to and the type of injuries it caters to.
Operational Commanders need to have complete control after certain kits have been formalized. GeM (Government e-Marketplace) has standardized the kits but the same does not suit the medical personnel of security forces since it completely takes away the power from them and indirectly the commercial aspect of it.
A Commanding Officer buys the kits directly from GeM (Government e-Marketplace) and does not need medical sanction for the same item over and over again.
Author:
Col.(Retd) Sanjay Pande(Managing Director, Kshemin Global)
Combat veteran, spent 25 years in the Indian Army. Post retirement, founded Kshemin in 2012. Kshemin Technologies develops products for ‘Frontline Combat Casualty Management’ and Kshemin Global helps clients sell their products and services to the Government.
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