Govt to buy 163 vehicles for RAB directly from Pragati Industries
The approval ties RAB's vehicle purchase to a revised capacity project, with phased delivery planned.
The government has decided to procure vehicles for the Rapid Action Battalion through the direct purchase method without inviting tenders, approving the acquisition of three jeeps, 100 patrol pickup trucks and 60 air-conditioned microbuses from state-owned Pragati Industries Limited.
The decision was given a policy-level approval at a meeting of the Advisory Council Committee on Economic Affairs held at the Secretariat today (27 January), with Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed in the chair.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan said the committee approved the proposal to procure the vehicles through the direct purchase method instead of the open tender method.
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Responding to questions on the rationale behind the decision, Nasimul Gani, senior secretary of the home ministry, said the government intended to keep public funds within state-owned entities.
When asked whether the vehicles would be delivered ahead of the upcoming national election, Nasimul Ghani clarified that the approval was not an election-driven one.
"Only policy approval has been given today. The procurement process will take time and the vehicles will arrive much later, in phases," he added.
Sources present at the meeting said the home ministry placed the proposal for procuring the vehicles directly under the revised RAB capacity enhancement project, which subsequently received policy approval from the committee.
