Ex-IAS Officer flags lapses in School Uniform supply
Shimla, Nov 28,
Serious questions over public procurement and financial oversight have resurfaced in Himachal Pradesh after former IAS officer Dr. Arun Sharma exposed two controversial transactions in his book ‘Frauds in Files’.
Sharma devotes an entire chapter to irregularities in the Education Department and the School Uniform Scheme, detailing how state funds were allegedly misused during the Jai Ram Thakur–led BJP government.
According to the disclosures, the school uniform supply contract—traditionally executed through the Civil Supplies Corporation—was in 2018 awarded in favour of a fictitious representative claiming to be from Reliance. Sharma states that the so-called representative had no legitimate link with the company.
The re-allotment of the contract resulted in non-supply of uniforms to children that year, as the entire procurement process collapsed under fraudulent documentation. Sharma describes it as a glaring example of how state funds were disbursed without basic vendor verification, implying potential collusion and deliberate manipulation.
In the same chapter, Sharma highlights an earlier incident in Nahan district involving the procurement of shuttlecocks for schools. Items that cost only a few hundred rupees in the open market were purchased through the Handloom and Handicrafts Corporation at more than four times the price.
After the discrepancy surfaced, the excess amount was refunded to the Education Department, but recommended punitive action was quietly dropped. Sharma argues that burying such cases fostered a culture of impunity within the system.
Both episodes, he writes, reflect deeper administrative lapses that plagued the School Uniform Scheme since its inception during the Prem Kumar Dhumal government.
The scheme struggled for continuity as controversies mounted—from failed sample tests to allegations of inflated rates and manipulated tendering during subsequent administrations, including the Jai Ram Thakur regime.
In response to these long-standing issues, the current government led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has discontinued the procurement model altogether. The state has shifted to a direct benefit transfer mechanism, providing cash directly to beneficiaries to purchase uniforms. Officials say this approach eliminates middlemen, enhances transparency, and prevents recurrence of past scandals.
Sharma’s revelations have reignited demands for deeper scrutiny of procurement practices and for fixing accountability for financial irregularities that impacted schoolchildren and public funds alike.
About the Author
The HimachalScape Bureau comprises seasoned journalists from Himachal Pradesh with over 25 years of experience in leading media conglomerates such as The Times of India and United News of India. Known for their in-depth regional insights, the team brings credible, research-driven, and balanced reportage on Himachal’s socio-political and developmental landscape.
