On both counts, many businesses that were substantial suppliers to the government faced existential hurdles, and it is believed the country lost out on quality suppliers.
It is not that the government was insensitive to these issues. For instance, the PRAAPTI portal (Payment Ratification and Analysis in Power Procurement for bringing Transparency in Invoicing of Suppliers) did much to track and improve the payments by electricity distribution companies to power generators, along with a series of hard-hitting consequences by the power ministry for delayed payments. From time to time, the government also attempted to improve payments to small and medium enterprises by a variety of directives and penalties.
However, the real systemic attack on this state of affairs happened under the leadership of T V Somanathan (now Cabinet Secretary) during his tenure in the finance ministry. On October 29, 2021, the Department of Expenditure in the Ministry of Finance issued a notification innocuously titled "General Instructions on Procurement and Project Management." Unlike other government announcements on reforms, this was uncharacteristically understated and was indeed, a classic case of "reform by stealth."
Bu hikaye Business Standard dergisinin November 15, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Business Standard dergisinin November 15, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
NTA to be restructured, will only focus on higher edu entrance exams
The NTA will not conduct any recruitment exams from 2025, instead will only focus on higher education entrance tests, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on Tuesday.
Digital scams: NPCI lists 'tricks' to watch out for
With incidents of online frauds, including 'digital arrests' on the rise, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) that oversees India's retail payment systems has issued an advisory outlining steps to protect users against such scams.
Data breach, regulatory uncertainty hurdles in AI implementation: Deloitte
As Indian companies implement artificial intelligence (AI) in systems and processes, cyberattacks, data breaches and regulatory uncertainty about the new technology have become a concern, according to a survey.
Four of 10 in rural, semi-urban India prefer UPI: Report
Only about four out of ten users in rural and semi-urban India have the country's real-time payments system, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), as a preferred mode of transaction, with about two only preferring cash, according to a joint report by EY and CII.
IBA seeks training sessions by CBI to tackle bank fraud
The Indian Banking Association (IBA) has suggested to the finance ministry to direct public sector banks (PSBs) to organise regular training sessions by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for bankers to enhance vigilance and prevent fraud.
BITTER CHILL PILL
LNG, or chilled natural gas, is a $29 billion opportunity. So, what is keeping the sales low?
Assess employment growth prospects, infra before investing
The weighted average price of newly launched projects in the top 30 Tier-II cities surged by up to 65 percent between December 2023 and October 2024, according to a recent report by PropEquity.
Booster dose for Piramal Pharma on growth hopes
JM Financial initiates coverage on the stock with a 'buy' rating
LARGECAP CUTOFF LIKELY TO TOUCH ₹1 TRILLION
The market capitalisation (mcap) cutoff to qualify for mutual funds' (MFs') largecap universe is likely to go up for the fifth consecutive time to touch the ₹1 trillion mark for the first time.
Oberoi Realty: On a strong growth foundation
Oberoi Realty is a Mumbai-focused real estate player across residential, retail, hospitality, and social infrastructure.