New Delhi: The principle of “Be Indian, Buy Indian” first appearance In 2017, when the BJP-led NDA government completed three years. It got an impetus with the implementation of the COVID restrictions in 2020, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized pitch for local products.
But after five years of paperwork to buy an Indian or acquire a foreign one, Indian scientists are very upset.
They point to what they claim is a lack of quality control Government e-Marketplace (GeM)The need for accuracy in scientific instruments, and excessive delays in marking purchases of proprietary items to make the case for easier procurement criteria.
according to a count First released in 2017, all publicly funded research and patient care institutions, when purchasing equipment or consumables, give preference to ‘Made-in-India’ products. Therefore, researchers need to first check the availability of those objects on GeM.
If they are available, the purchase must be from an Indian manufacturer. If not, a process called ‘Global Tender Inquiry (GTE)’ is set in motion, which begins with paperwork and forms at the researcher’s level, which is then processed by the research institute in line with the secretary of that ministry. sent to the ministry. The right to consent is being given.
The current system has been relaxed from the initial requirement of approval for foreign procurement at the level of the cabinet secretary, but researchers say the delay continues.
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Health issued a list A number of items exempt from GTE, but scientists say most of the devices on the list are for diagnostic purposes, leaving researchers at the mercy of bureaucratic red tape.
The 128 items on the list range from robotic surgery systems to transcranial Doppler. last year, a Exception Parts of existing equipment were given for those that need repair, but faculty from leading research institutions say much still needs to be done to make procurement easier.
A researcher at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) told ThePrint on condition of anonymity that “India does not make high-end research equipment”.
“Getting discounts for these is an exercise in futility. Hence the attempt by IISc and IITs to set up health research institutes only with alumni grants,” said the researcher.
“We can’t even buy Dell or HP desktops at Ames…Unknown [Indian] Companies have emerged to make substandard desktops, microscopes and sell them at throwaway prices to the government… Half of them do not even work at the time of installation and are being replaced by substandard materials. Work is affected, research is affected, patient care is affected,” said the researcher.
“Even procurement through research grants has to go through GeM having ‘Made-in-India’ and ‘lowest bidder’ clauses,” the researcher said.
“Cannot buy quality research equipment like flow-cytometers, cell sorters etc. I am struggling to buy equipment. I’m exhausted and disappointed enough to throw in the towel.”
ThePrint reached out to GeM via email for comment, but did not receive a response till the time of publication of this report. An email to the Department of Expenditure in the Finance Ministry, which monitors transactions under GeM, has yet to comment.
This article will be updated upon receipt of response.
Read also: ‘Another setback’ – Scientists worried about removal of GST exemption on science equipment
‘Lack of quality’
Several researchers ThePrint spoke to alleged a lack of quality and durability in ‘Make-in-India’ (MII) products.
A senior scientist at an IIT cited his experience buying a microtome, a machine used to examine thin sections of tissue under a microscope, to explain why he and his colleagues went about purchasing GeM. are upset. section.
“A few years back, I got microtoms made abroad for Rs 18 lakh. That was before the ‘Make-in-India’ purchase ban came into force. The one I bought at GeM came for half the price but their service is very bad. I have written several times for repairs, but there is no response, ”said the scientist.
“My only recourse now is to go to court. The question is, should I do this or should I focus on my research.
Calling multiple products available on GeM”MakeshifterThe item, the scientist said, is that while these pieces of equipment are simply put together, there is no assurance of performance. “They claim performance they fail to accomplish but who is checking? The IIT scientist added.
GTE requests are sent to the education ministry, he said, four times a year. “If you miss that window for some reason, you’re stuck again for three months,” he said.
in a long twitter thread Tagging the handle GeM_Support, Dr. Santosh Chauhan, Scientist and DBT-Welcome Fellow and European Molecular Biology Organization Global Investigator at the Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, explains the importance of “precise and highest quality control” in terms of equipment.
“Even an error of 0.1 percent is sometimes a disaster for scientific data. Such devices have been made after many years of research by some of the top companies in the world. Due to the MII clause, these companies cannot compete in the bidding (even if they bid, they will lose),” he wrote.
“There are some local companies that have assembled such devices with some very low quality cheap products that are made in India (they are 50% MII qualified) and are bidding,” he said.
Like the AIIMS researcher, Chauhan also cites the low quality of such equipment and how his hard-earned money is being lost on the purchase of cheap products.
“We have to buy these low-quality equipment from someone who is sitting 2,000 km away from me in Rajasthan for example. In almost all cases no one comes for repair. They also know that after a few emails, we won’t be able to do much,” he wrote.
‘Still waiting for approval’
A researcher at a Chandigarh-based institute said that his laboratory had started the paperwork for procuring the proprietary reagent from a foreign company in April this year as the current rate contract was due to expire in June 2022. “We are still waiting for the approval to come. ,” said the researcher.
“This is for a chemical. There are many instances when people are waiting two years to buy a particular device. The main problem with GeM is that there is no quality control,” said the researcher.
“Take for example the biosafety cabinets that we use to work so particles don’t leak out. There are a few hundred available on GeM but none of them NSF-Certified. NSF is a global standard of certification but we have to buy only what is available on GeM. If an accident happens, who will take the responsibility?” he asked.
(Edited by Jinnia Ray Chowdhury)
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