Shillong: The All Garo Hills Agri-Horti Suppliers Association wants change. They submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on November 3. The group represents decades of local partners who handle state developmental programs. They want the government to clean up its procurement acts.
Suppliers acknowledge the Meghalaya Procurement Preference Policy for Micro and Small Enterprises from 2020. This framework draws from the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act of 2006. "The policy embodies the Government’s objective of ensuring greater participation of Meghalaya-based enterprises in public procurement while maintaining transparency, competitiveness and value for public money," the association stated. Despite these rules, internal execution remains broken.
Implementation varies wildly between departments. This inconsistency hurts local businesses and slows down critical state projects. The association now demands fair competition and better oversight. Their list of requirements includes decentralizing tender administration and delegating more administrative power to local officials. They also want time-bound procurement and the uniform adoption of approved departmental rates. To improve efficiency, the group suggested direct implementation of some schemes to bypass current bureaucratic traps.
Comments