How Mill Made Bed Sheets are being replaced from Handloom secretly by NR—A Scam in the happening

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It is a common knowledge that for uplifting the #Handloom Sector, where poor weavers earn their lively hood by hand woven #textile upholstery, Indian Railways makes it a point to procure only Handloom Bedsheets under the able supervision of Ministry of Textiles.

With these instructions, all #ZonalRailways float tender to their requirements either in #IREPS or #GEM portal for catering their requirements, which is a forecasted projection duly covering materials that are required to be scrapped, additional holding of AC Coaches etc. to name a few.

Northern Railway (NR) is using the Handloom Bed Sheets for all their Classes of AC Services with an annual forecasted requirement of around 4,80,000 Bedsheets and these are purchased through GEM Portal.

Though adequate stocks are available in #Stores Depots/#Coaching Depot Units, and there is no crisis in making the Handloom Bed Sheets un-available, it is understood that a selected group of #traders in connivance with officials of #RailwayBoard and #NorthernRailway have floated an Open #Tender No. 10255033A opened on 06-06-25 for 31,96,656 Nos Premium Mill Made Bed Sheets, with tailor made Eligibility Criteria for a select few, which have been estimated at a cost of around ₹400.00 Crore against existing Handloom Bed Sheets where adequate stocks are available at the holding points in Northern Railway and their Annual Cost of Expenditure is around ₹14.50 Crore. The bid document is uploaded for a review by any common man.

NR Tend 10255033A.pdfDownload

The other interesting part is how a normal forecasted requirement of Northern Railway being 4,80,000 Bed Sheets Per Annum suddenly jump 7 times to prepare #contracts for an experimental use of premium mill made bed sheets, even though there is no necessity to spend tax payers’ money on a concept to fill in the pockets of a few corrupted officials.

The point of contradiction to be in hurry for finalization of the so called Premium Mill Made Bed Sheets raises eye brows on these accounts, which will surely culminate into a #CBI enquiry or an #Audit observation from #CAG.

  1. Is there any failure in arranging Handloom Bed Sheets?
  2. Was any shortfall of Handloom bed sheets reported?
  3. Why Premium Mill Made Bed Sheets for a whopping 31.96 Lakhs Bed Sheets is required for purchase, when a parallel purchase have already been made for Handloom Bed Sheets and adequate stocks are available with all Coaching Depot Units in NR.
  4. Is #Accounts who play a major part in vetting estimates, processing Payments are also in this gambit, since no one can approve a huge quantity of Premium Mill Made Bed Sheets for the purpose of favouring a few #powerloom textile mills on experimental basis.
  5. Who are the beneficiaries in this total project and how only one #Railway i.e. NR is going for this Premium Mill Made Bed Sheet tender, while all other Railways are continuing with Handloom Bed Sheets.

As we investigate further, a #Scam in the happening is unfolding and if no remedial measures taken to control this change-over #specification from Handloom to Mill-Made by GM-NR and PFA-NR, the corrupt officials will be laughing all their way to the Bank.