(ET)
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has asked government departments and public sector units to avoid choosing foreign products and brands at a time when the government is trying to boost domestic manufacturing through PM Narendra Modi’s flagship ‘Make in India’ programme launched at the start of his tenure. “Complaints are being received, alleging that government entities are indicating foreign make/ brands and/or restrictive conditions in their tenders, thereby excluding local manufacturers from bidding process,” principal secretary to the prime minister Nripendra Misra wrote in a January 3 letter to all secretaries. He wrote that such specifications violate government procurement and financial rules that were specially amended in May 2017 to push local content in government purchases.
