‘Scam’ in hiring 914 data entry operators, firm faces FIR
The vigilance branch has found that a tender of Rs 31.23 crore to hire data entry operators on a contractual basis was awarded to the firm for one year, and nowhere does the contract with the Delhi Police state that the firm can charge money from candidates.
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The incident took place in Bharat Garden area. Eight months after 914 private data entry operators (DEOs) were hired to man the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) and other police services, the Delhi Police Crime Branch has registered an FIR against the firm that provided the manpower. This comes after police received a complaint from the vigilance branch alleging that the firm had charged Rs 25,000 per applicant for the job.
A senior police officer said the vigilance branch investigated the allegations after one of the applicants, a resident of Burari, approached the Crime Branch. “He alleged that a firm, M/s GA Digital World Web Pvt Ltd, which got a contract from the Delhi Police for providing data entry operators in districts/units, had charged Rs 25,000 from him on the pretext of giving him a job,” an officer said.
When contacted, the firm refused to comment on the matter.
The vigilance branch has found that a tender of Rs 31.23 crore to hire data entry operators on a contractual basis was awarded to the firm for one year, and nowhere does the contract with the Delhi Police state that the firm can charge money from candidates.
“After receiving an inquiry report from the vigilance department, an FIR under IPC sections 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) was registered at the Crime Branch earlier this month. No arrest has been made so far,” the officer said.
The Indian Express accessed the documents related to the tendering process and found that the Ministry of Home Affairs had on October 15, 2020, given its approval to the then police chief to hire 914 DEOs for CCTNS work in police stations and higher officers for a one-year pilot project.
An e-bid was invited on the Government e-Market (GeM) portal and 225 firms participated, out of which 71 firms qualified for the financial bid.
According to an officer, with several firms quoting the same rates, a committee was formed to decide the criteria to pick the firm. “Six firms were shortlisted and finally the tender was awarded to the current one,” the officer said.
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The selection process, though, raised eyebrows within the MHA, which advised the Delhi Police on June 14, 2021, not to exercise such criteria in the future.
“The selection of L-1 firms among the technically qualified responsive bids must be done in a fair, transparent and equitable manner to allow a level playing field. If the department has any reservations on capability or soundness of the firm, specific qualifying criteria… and the firm’s eligibility may have been decided at the technical evaluation stage, not after opening of financial bid. Therefore, the selection of L-1 firm eliminated other bidders by putting specific criteria by the purchase committee after opening the financial bid may not be convincing. It may not be prudent to apply any screening criteria of technical or qualifying nature after the opening of the financial bids. It is advised that in future cases, the final selection if any be made through the randomised algorithm derived by Government e-Market (GeM)… for qualified vendors,” the letter states.
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