Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused the Modi government of perpetuating a system of exclusion through its policies and asked why 'Bahujan' entrepreneurs are being excluded from the country's largest public contracts.
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said he asked the government in Parliament that out of the Rs 16,500 crore worth of public works contracts awarded last year, how many were secured by businesses owned by Dalits, Adivasis, and Backward Classes.
"Their response was deeply concerning - the government does not maintain any data regarding this matter," he said in a post in Hindi on Facebook.
"The policy mandates that, under the public procurement process, 25% of purchases must be made from MSMEs, of which 4% is earmarked for Dalit and Adivasi entrepreneurs. However, when it comes to the largest and most lucrative contracts --public works -- the government claims that this is not 'mandatory'," Gandhi said.
"This is not merely an administrative oversight. It is a deliberately engineered system of exclusion perpetuated through the Modi government's policies that undermines social and economic justice," Gandhi said.
He asserted that the question is straightforward -- why are Bahujan entrepreneurs being excluded from the country's largest public contracts.
In his questions to the government in Lok Sabha on April 2, Gandhi had asked the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs about the total number and value of public works and infrastructure contracts awarded by the Central Public Works Department and under urban infrastructure schemes of the Ministry during the last five years, year-wise.
He sought to know about the total number and value of such contracts awarded to enterprises owned by persons belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) during the last five years, year-wise.
Gandhi had also asked whether the government has met the existing sub-target of four per cent procurement from SC/ST owned businesses, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor.
He had also asked whether the government proposes to introduce procurement targets from OBC owned businesses and/or enhance procurement mandates for SC/ST owned enterprises in public works and infrastructure contracts, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor.
In his written answer to Gandhi's questions, Minister of State in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu had given a year-wise number and value of public works and infrastructure contracts awarded.
Sahu had said there is no existing mechanism to ascertain the contracts awarded to enterprises owned by persons belonging to SC, ST and OBC.
"All the above contracts fall under Works Contract. So, no such information is available as it is not mandatory for Works contract," he had said.