RJD MP seeks probe into medical purchase pricing, fund oversight
RJD MP seeks independent probe into medical purchases at inflated price
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Patna — Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Sudhakar Singh on Sunday raised concerns over the transparency behind government medical purchase procedures in Bihar, and questioning how supply prices are fixed for state hospitals and demanding stricter oversight on the use of public funds.
"Why there was a huge difference between the market rate and the government purchase rate and who is responsible for it?" he asked while talking to media persons on the alleged irregularities in the purchase by the Bihar Medical Services and Infrastructure Corporation Limited (BMSICL). Taking a note of the allegations that biodegradable bags and bins for microwave were purchased at several times the market rate, health minister Nishant Kumar had earlier assured that the matter will be thoroughly investigated..
"The documents mention 57 purchase orders issued between April 2024 and April 2026. These compare the amount of pay}
Q } ri a Sudhakar Singh ments made by BMSICL and the market price of the same volume. For 57 purchase orders, non-GST payment is about 2258.92 crore and about 2305.53 crore with GST, while the market value of the same amount will be around 224.70 crore and 229.05 crore respectively. From this difference, itis clear that the government exchequer has suffered a loss of about 2276.38 crore," the RJD MP said.
Questioning the tender process of BMSICL during 2023-24 for purchase of goods related to medical waste management, he said an independent inquiry was required to unravel the truth behind "loot of public money" as it involved the examination at
VAEIVMS INVES, Vid. UMUSLS Lau, administrative approval, financial sanction, technical specifications, manufacturing cost, warranty, transportation and expenditure authorisation.
The RJD MP from Buxar said there ought to be transparency in determining the price of an item in government procurement, market rate verification, the reason behind change in the terms of tender and what kind of financial and technical check was done at the departmental level before issuing such a large quantity of purchase orders.
"If certain technical and financial qualifications were deemed mandatory while issuing a tender for the purchase of a device, what was the need to change those terms after the pre-bid meeting? Was this change made with the aim of giving equal opportunity to all potential bidders or did it create a situation in favour ofa particular company," he asked. Singh has also flagged the audit process, which overlooked the huge price difference in the purchase of BMW bins and biodegradable bags despite accounts examination.
About the Author
Arun Kumar is a veteran journalist and Associate Editor with Hindustan Times, based in Patna. For more than three and a half decades, his reporting has chronicled Bihar's complex political landscape, university and educational reforms, landmark judicial rulings of the Patna High Court, administrative governance, and social shifts across the state. Known for deep investigative reporting and source-grounded accountability journalism, he is a recipient of the prestigious K.C. Kulish Journalism Award and the Keshav Bhatt Journalism Award, and is an LDM Fellow.