Revanth Reddy defends centralised procurement for student supplies

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy defended the state’s centralised procurement system for student supplies, stressing accountability and transparency. He directed officials to complete distribution by June 15, and appoint nodal officers at the mandal level.

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday defended the government’s centralised procurement system for student supplies, amid allegations of corruption and delays.

A deadline of June 15 was set for the officials to complete distribution across departments, including Education, Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Backward Classes (BC) and Minority Welfare.

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A coordination committee will be constituted to streamline work across departments and ensure transparency in the process. Nodal officers will be appointed at the mandal level to monitor distribution.

At a review meeting here, the Chief Minister said the system was introduced to improve accountability and remove irregularities seen under the earlier decentralised model, where departments handled procurement separately. He claimed that the new system would benefit students, but not suppliers and also enable the government to ensure supply of quality products.

He directed officials to ensure timely supply of essential items such as uniforms, notebooks, school bags and other materials to students in government schools and hostels. He said payments to suppliers should be cleared only after delivery.

To address concerns over delays, Revanth Reddy asked officials to ensure smooth supply to schools and hostels and verify that every student receives all items. He also called for documentation of distribution through photos and videos, apart from collecting feedback from students on quality.