Punjab to procure goods from Central government portal

To bring transparency in public procurement, the Punjab government on Wednesday gave its nod to state procurement agencies to use the Central government portal, Government e-Marketplace (GeM), for direct online purchases of goods and services. A decision in this regard was taken here by the Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, on a proposal of the Finance Department.

An official spokesperson said the procurement of common use goods and services by government buyers under the Central GeM, launched by the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals, would help the state improve transparency into the system.

The Cabinet also gave a go-ahead to issue a notification in this regard after amending the Punjab Financial Rules, Volume II to insert Rule 7-A in Appendix 8.

The new rule envisages that the Central GeM be used by the state government departments or government agencies for direct online purchases.

The Cabinet also approved full extension of the government's 'Guardians of Governance' scheme to three more districts and its partial roll-out in other districts in the second phase.

The scheme will be fully implemented in the three districts of Gurdaspur, Patiala and Pathankot.

The scheme, aimed at ensuring efficient and effective implementation of government schemes at the grassroots, is now being extended in a phased manner across the state after its successful implementation in five districts in the first phase.

It is meant to harness the available pool of distinguished ex-servicemen to oversee the implementation of various schemes and programmes of the government so that relief and assistance reaches the needy and is not dissipated due to inefficiencies and leakages.

Nearly 2,000 'Guardians' are proposed to be engaged at various levels under the scheme.

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