- The contract for designing IT solutions and revenue model of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham project has been awarded to Ernst & Young, a British company.
- Despite repeated warnings and instructions from the PMO, certain government officials are working towards the advancement of their own goals rather than that of the nation’s.
- Ernst & Young would get 27 crore rupees per annum for designing revenue model and IT solutions for the premises.
Almost one and a half years ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi outlined his vision for the Indian economy, in his iconic ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ speech. However, certain bureaucrats, government employees and businesses are very slow in adopting the vision of Prime Minister Modi to work towards an atmanirbhar India. Despite repeated warnings and instructions from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), it seems the permanent establishment (read bureaucracy) of the country is working towards the advancement of its own goals rather than that of the leader of the country.
Also read: Modi government lays the groundwork for reclaiming Kashi Vishwanath Mandir
The senior bureaucrats, who very often want plump jobs at multinational companies (MNCs) for their children and grandchildren, do not hesitate in putting their interests before the nation’s interests. In order to place their family members at MNCs, they deliberately award appealing contracts to foreign companies instead of betting on homegrown players.
In a decision that is a perfect example of the reason behind the aforementioned frustration, the contract for designing IT solutions and revenue model of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham (Corridor) project has been awarded to Ernst & Young, a British company. The Kashi Vishwanath Dham will be managed by the Kashi Vishwanath Trust (KVT) board, which has decided to award the project to the British company.
Talking to TOI, the board’s chairman and divisional commissioner Deepak Agrawal said, “E&Y was appointed consultant through tender process for preparing a model for operations and maintenance of KV Dham in mid-October. The company gave its first presentation before us today. We have made some suggestions in the proposed model which will be incorporated in the next presentation on November 10. Till then, the process for calling request for proposal (RFP) and expression of interest (EOI) will be completed.”
The government has spent 700 crore rupees in the modernization of the Kashi Vishwanath Mandir complex, and post-modernisation, it is going to be one of the landmarks that will represent India to the world. Indian IT consultants like TCS, Wipro, and Infosys, are known and respected around the world, but the trust chose to award the project to a foreign company.
Forget awarding the project to a foreign company, the trust should not have even allowed non-Indian companies to bid for it. The trust is expected to generate revenue worth thousands of crore rupees in the coming years, and this money can be further used for dharmic causes in Varanasi and other cities around the country.
“The trust looks after the affairs of KV Temple through donations that can be used for the temple only. The area of campus has now expanded to 5 lakh square feet in which 23 major buildings, including Mandir Chowk, guest houses, multipurpose hall, clinic and hospice, pilgrim facility centres, 70 shops, Varanasi gallery and museum, cafeteria and toilets are being constructed,” said Agrawal.
Ernst & Young would get 27 crore rupees per annum for designing revenue model and IT solutions for the premises. The British company, which is one of the big four accounting firms, has an annual revenue of more than 40 billion dollars, and is among the biggest taxpayers to the government of the United Kingdom. The Indian bureaucrats are working to make the UK richer instead of dedicating their life to eradicating poverty from India.
The management of the Kashi Vishwanath Trust could have spent more money for the same, because there will be no shortage of revenue given the generosity of Hindus, but rather, it chose to award the contract to a British company.
If such flagship projects, which have less revenue but huge public visibility and brand recognition, are given to foreign companies, the dream of atmanirbhar India will not be achieved even in a generation. The Prime Minister’s office, as well as the Chief Minister’s offices (CMO) across the country, should probably issue a strict advisory that if such projects go to foreign companies, the job of the bureaucrats would be in danger. Unless these bureaucrats have the fear of losing jobs, they will not work towards achieving the goal of atmanirbhar India, because their family members need jobs at rich MNCs, and they need hefty kickbacks.