The AG said stricter conditions were laid down to ensure qualify food for the children.
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has refused to stay the tender for supplying sathu maavu (health mix) to anganwadis across TN. Justice R Suresh Kumar concurred with the submissions of Advocate General (AG) R Shunmugasundaram that the conditions to submit the tender for supplying the health mix, worth Rs 799 crore, to 38 districts were not arbitrary and the authority issuing the tender was empowered to decide on the conditions. The AG said stricter conditions were laid down to ensure qualify food for the children.
The petition, filed by food supplier Shiva Ganga Enterprises, questioned the pre-qualification condition of having supplied the item for a value of Rs 20 crore over the previous three years. The tender was issued by the director of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) by a notification on November 7, 2022. The petitioner stated that the conditions set out for pre-qualification with respect to experience, value of products already supplied, BIS certification and shelf life were illegal, arbitrary and malafide and sought a stay on the tender.
