Members of the Opposition Congress on Thursday demanded that the government order an inquiry into why the prices of laptops given to degree students at government colleges had doubled from ₹14,290 in the previous year to ₹28,320 now.
Participating in a debate on the State Budget in the Legislative Assembly, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah termed the doubling of prices a “scam”. He argued that only a thorough probe could bring out the truth of the matter. A total of 1,916 laptops have been purchased by paying a higher price of ₹13,380 per laptop, and this will cost the State exchequer an additional ₹145 crore.
Mr. Siddaramaiah demanded a probe by a competent authority into the matter. JD(S) leader Bandeppa Kashempur too supported the Congress demand.
In response, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa said the laptop prices had been fixed by the State Cabinet headed by H.D. Kumaraswamy of the previous JD(S)-Congress coalition government on June 6, 2019, and the BJP government was only carrying out the task of distributing them.
Congress member and former Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar intervened, saying that there should be a probe irrespective of which government procured the laptops. “The entire House, including yourself, will be guilty if an inquiry is not ordered,” he told the Chief Minister.
Mr. Siddaramaiah explained that the Congress had, through RTI, sought details of the laptop purchase, but the authorities concerned had evaded giving a direct reply to the query on why the prices went up.
Generally, the prices of electronic goods such as laptops come down in the competitive electronics market. The same company had delivered laptops at ₹14,290 the previous year, the Congress leader said.
In the wake of the cut in Union government grants and funds to the State, the government should be economical in its expenditure and should crack down corruption, he said.
