AAP seeks probe into purchase of ‘Fateh Kits’

Writes to Lokpal, Punjab, demanding immediate investigation in the alleged scam by the state government

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab affairs co-incharge Raghav Chadha on Tuesday wrote a letter to Lokpal, Punjab, demanding an immediate and prompt investigation in the alleged scam by the state government in purchase of ‘Fateh Kits” for Covid-19 patients.

Punjab affairs co-incharge Raghav Chadha.

In his letter, Chadha alleged that the Congress government purportedly embezzled crores of rupees in the purchase of ‘Fateh kits’ used for the treatment of Covid patients. The alleged massive scam was nefariously executed in the procedure of inviting, acquiring and executing the bids for Covid-19 medical consumables and essential medical equipment kit as numerous overpriced bids were accepted by the government leading to humungous losses to the state exchequer, he alleged.

“Under this scam, the price of the medical kits which was supplied to the people during the Covid pandemic was consistently raised in a well thought out manner by repeatedly inviting one tender after another despite the fact the first tender was valid for a period of 180 days,” reads the letter.

Chadha claimed that the first tender was awarded at ₹837 per kit, but after ordering only few thousand kits from the vendor at a higher price of ₹940, a new tender was floated and pursuantly allotted the tender to another vendor at ₹1,226 per kit. The vendor did not even legitimately fulfil the criterion of having a medical license but was still chosen to deliver the kits to the government, he said.

The AAP leader said the government procured 50,000 “Fateh Kits” as per the price of ₹1,226.40 through the second tender and then another order of 1, 50,000 kits at ₹1,338.40 per kit was placed to the same vendor. The government was evading its accountability, he said, demanding a thorough investigation.