On August 20, 2018, Mr. Siya Ram Chaubay, Section Officer (NIPER), Department of Pharmaceuticals, sent an email to the Directors of all NIPERs, including me, regarding the formation of a Common Purchase Committee (CPC) for all NIPERs. The stated objective was to ensure uniform application of Government Rules and purchase procedures across NIPERs, and to enable better negotiation through a consortium for procurement of items such as software, databases, journal subscriptions, chemicals, labware, lab consumables, etc.
However, what came as a major surprise to me—Dr. Raghuram Rao Akkinepally—was the statement: “Availability of expertise at one NIPER can be utilized by the other NIPERs.”
Through this CPC, the Department of Pharmaceuticals effectively designated NIPER Raebareli as the nodal institute for handling purchases on behalf of all NIPERs. This decision was perplexing for several reasons:
- NIPER Raebareli had no permanent campus.
- Its faculty lacked experience in participating in purchase committees.
- Only NIPER Mohali had established and robust purchase procedures in place, supported by three separate Standing Purchase Committees (SPCs):
- SPC-I for consumables
- SPC-II for non-consumables
- SPC-III for emergency purchases
- No other NIPER had such a comprehensive framework.
Yet, the Department of Pharmaceuticals chose to entrust this responsibility to Dr. S.J.S. Flora of NIPER Raebareli. Notably, it was well known to the Department and to Mr. Rajneesh Tingal, Joint Secretary, that Dr. Flora had been declared ineligible for the post of Director at NIPER Mohali. Despite this, and in apparent violation of norms (as all NIPERs are governed by the same NIPER Act), he was appointed as Director of NIPER Raebareli.
I had conveyed to the Department that forming a centralized CPC would likely delay procurement processes across all NIPERs. Scheduling regular CPC meetings would be difficult due to geographic dispersion and the availability of committee members. Moreover, it would hamper the ability of individual NIPERs to make urgent or emergency purchases promptly.
Prof. Shyam Sundar Sharma of NIPER Mohali also expressed concern. He pointed out that the purchase committees at NIPER Mohali included senior professors, Assistant and Associate Professors, and staff from the Finance and Purchase sections. He suggested that other NIPERs could replicate this successful model. He raised pertinent questions about the constitution of the CPC, anticipated delays, the cost burden of organizing centralized meetings, and so on. He rightly noted that each IIT maintains its own purchase committee.
When I was unlawfully removed from my post, Dr. S.J.S. Flora was given additional charge of NIPER Mohali. The message was clear—he was willing to unquestioningly follow the Department’s directives.
This entire episode demands a thorough investigation:
- Why was NIPER Raebareli chosen to oversee procurement for all NIPERs despite lacking a permanent campus (a situation that persists even today)?
- Why was a CPC formed under NIPER Raebareli, which had no experienced faculty or infrastructure for such responsibilities?
- Why was Dr. Flora—whose faculty team was newly recruited and inexperienced in high-value procurement, entrusted with the CPC?
- Why was NIPER Mohali, the only institute with an established and functioning purchase system, sidelined?
A comprehensive audit must be conducted of all purchases made during Dr. Flora’s tenure through the CPC. This should include:
- Comparing market prices of instruments versus purchase prices paid by the CPC.
- Evaluating prices paid by the CPC against historical procurement costs.
- Assessing whether the CPC offered any real value or benefits to the NIPER system.
Only then will the true picture of the CPC’s functioning and effectiveness emerge.
