Laptop purchase: Opposition screams scam, Congress says no

Bengaluru: The House Committee constituted by the State Legislative Council to probe the alleged irregularities in laptop purchases in the last two years, is reportedly trying to bulldoze the opinions of non-Congress members claiming that no scam had happened in the deal.

Besides, it was also alleged that the ruling Congress party which has a majority of members in the committee, wanted the panel to wrap up its investigation as early as possible to enable the state government go ahead with its ambitious plans of distributing 1.5 lakh laptops to first year students of BA. B.COM, B.Sc, engineering and medical courses during the first or second week of December. 

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had announced 'Laptop Bhagya' in the 2017-18 State Budget to woo youth. Hitherto, the government had supplied laptops to thousands of students belonged to the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes and now the same scheme would be extended to other categories of students. 

The Legislative Council formed the House Panel after both the BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) members smelt a rat in the purchase of laptops in 2015-16 and 2016-2017 and contended that Department of Higher Education had reportedly procured each laptop at a cost of around Rs 60,000 which was very high compared to the prevailing market price. This alleged irregularity was exposed by a senior officer of the department and he was subsequently shunted out.

A panel member who preferred anonymity, told Deccan Chronicle that the first meeting of the House Committee was held last week to begin the probe. From the beginning, he ruling Congress members reportedly argued that no irregularity had happened in the purchase of laptops in  2015-16 and 2016-17. They went on to add that the department was yet to call tenders for the supply of laptops to general category students, this year and it would be done in a transparent manner. Out of seven members, four belong to the Congress and the remaining to the BJP.

The member said the opposition members reportedly produced documents to prove that the department concerned had purchased laptops at higher rates than the current market value thus causing loss to the state exchequer.  

The ruling party members were said to be not ready to believe that the laptops supplied to the SCs/STs students developed problems thus making them junk. An officer reportedly visited the colleges and interacted with the students who however complained of faults in the new laptops.