The State Government has decided to ban public procurement from budget provision of current financial year 2014-15 from February 15, 2015 onwards.The Finance Department has issued a circular in this context from Mantralaya (Mahanadi Bhavan) to Chairman Revenue Board, all the departments, Divisional Commissioners and District Collectors. Circular states that public procurement will be completely banned after February 15.
After this date, procurement will be done only with the approval of Finance Department. Circular reads that these permanent instructions have been issued with the aim of maintaining financial condition of the departments. But it has been often seen that many departments hastily procure unnecessary goods in the last month of financial year, just to utilise the remaining funds. This causes unnecessary expenses to the Government.
Keeping this scenario in view, the State Government have imposed ban on public procurement from provisioned amount of budget of financial year 2014-15 from February 15, onwards. This ban will not be applicable on the Vidhan Sabha Secretariat. Any relaxation in the context will be permitted by Finance Department only.
As per the circular, the ban imposed by State Government will not be applicable on funds of Central Regional Scheme, centrally sponsored schemes, Foreign-aided scheme, subsidies provided on recommendation of 13th Finance Commission, NABARD funded schemes and projects under Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Plan, and current projects of construction departments.
Besides, the ban does not apply on jails, hospitals running under Government and State Employee Insurance Scheme, food, clothing, medicines and other relevant expenses of hostels and ashrams of various departments, food grains and transportation expenses for nutritious meal provided in anganwadi centres, procurement of country liquor from distilleries, petrol-diesel and vehicle repair expenses, stationery material and miscellaneous expenses of upto Rs 5000, and procurement of food and provision goods for Rajbhavan Secretariat.