Allegations of favouritism and procedural violations hit Tripura’s Tribal Welfare Department over TRESP laptop procurement. Sources claim conditions were tailored for a single brand, raising corruption concerns in the World Bank-funded Tripura Rural Economic Growth and Service Delivery Project (TRESP).
Serious allegations of procedural violations and favouritism have surfaced against the Tripura Tribal Welfare Department over its procurement of laptops for the World Bank-funded Tripura Rural Economic Growth and Service Delivery Project (TRESP). Officials and suppliers allege that the department deliberately framed the tender conditions to favour a particular brand, bypassing established procurement norms and fair competition principles.
According to official sources, the department issued two separate purchase orders through the Government of India’s GeM (Government e-Marketplace) portal—one for 115 laptops and another for 53 laptops—intended for officials associated with the TRESP project. However, soon after the tender was floated, multiple bidders raised red flags, claiming that the eligibility criteria were “unusually restrictive” and designed to exclude most reputed Indian and international brands from fair participation.
Conditions Designed for One Brand
Suppliers revealed that instead of standard quality assurance certifications approved by Government of India agencies, the department imposed a set of foreign-origin certifications, including FCC, UL, CE, Energy Star 8.0, EPEAT India, BIS, MIL-Std 810 G/H, and Linux certifications (Ubuntu/Red Hat/SUSE).
Experts noted that many of these certifications are issued by U.S.-based regulatory bodies, and are rarely demanded by Indian government departments. The inclusion of these particular standards effectively narrowed the competition to a single qualifying brand.
“In normal government procurements, quality assurance is judged by BIS or equivalent Indian certifications. By demanding these foreign-origin certificates, the department ensured that only one OEM could qualify,” said a source closely involved in the bidding process.
Turnover Clause Raises More Questions
Further doubts were raised over a financial eligibility clause that required participating Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to have an annual average turnover of ₹2,000 crore or more during the last three financial years, certified by a Chartered Accountant with a valid UDIN.
According to standard GeM norms, a purchaser can seek OEMs with turnover up to 400 times the total tender value. Given that the TRESP laptop order was valued at approximately ₹1.5 crore, the turnover requirement should have been in the range of ₹400–600 crore—making the ₹2,000 crore stipulation highly irregular and unjustified.
“This condition was excessive and clearly framed to disqualify smaller yet competent manufacturers,” said a bidder. “It reeks of deliberate manipulation to ensure one brand’s monopoly.”
Bidding Process Under Scrutiny
Sources confirmed that eight bidders participated in the process. However, only two suppliers were eventually approved—and both firms were owned by the same individual.
“This is not just coincidence,” said a source. “It’s a calculated move to make it look like competition existed when, in reality, it was a one-man operation. The price quoted per laptop—around ₹96,000 each—was significantly higher than standard market rates for equivalent configurations.”
The laptops purchased at such inflated rates, sources say, were high-end gaming-grade systems, unsuited for the routine clerical tasks for which they were meant. “It’s absurd to spend nearly ₹1 lakh on laptops for administrative use,” said one insider. “This raises serious questions about transparency and intent.”
Ignored Complaints and Silence from Authorities
Bidders who flagged these irregularities claimed that they had registered their grievances on the GeM portal soon after the tender process began. However, they received no response from either the GeM authorities or the Tribal Welfare Department.
Even after multiple written and verbal representations, no corrective steps were taken to revise the tender or address the complaints. “The Director, Secretary, and even the Minister were informed, but they remained silent,” said a supplier.
Officials further alleged that the department could have used the Proprietary Article Certificate (PAC) route if it specifically intended to buy laptops from one brand. “But choosing open bidding while secretly favouring one brand is nothing short of corruption,” an aggrieved bidder added.
Call for Investigation
As allegations mount, pressure is growing for a transparent inquiry into the procurement process. Civil society groups and opposition leaders are expected to demand a CAG or Vigilance probe into the irregularities.
Experts emphasize that since the TRESP is a World Bank-funded project, strict accountability standards apply—and any breach could have international implications for Tripura’s governance and transparency record.
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If proven true, the episode could mark one of the most glaring examples of procurement malpractice under the state’s welfare sector in recent years, undermining public trust in digital governance mechanisms like GeM.
