GS4 · UPSC Mains
You are the managing director of a pharmaceutical company. Your company has won a tender for supply of generic affordable medicines to the state health department. In order to win the tender, you had kept the profit margins very low. However, after winning the tender, you got a call from the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Health Minister for a 2% cut in the total purchase of goods. You tried to meet the Health Minister in this respect, but he also hinted at doing the job as per the instructions of the OSD. You cannot refuse to go ahead with the tender because of the risk of losing your 5% security deposit. Further, the firm can be blacklisted for not fulfilling the obligations of the approved tender. Some of the options to deal with the situation are given below. Evaluate the merits and demerits of each of these options. (a) Follow the advice of the minister and comply with the demands of the OSD. (b) File a police complaint against the OSD for corruption. (c) Tip the media anonymously about the issue to build pressure on the concerned Minister. (d) Leave the allotted tender. Also, not limiting to the options given above, suggest the course of action you will take, giving appropriate reasons.
GS4 · Case studies on the above issues
| Topper | Rank | Source | Copy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archit Dongre | — | Vision | p.34 |
| Pakshal | — | Vision | p.32 |
| Arun Malviya | — | VisionIAS | p.34 |
| NEHAA K | — | VisionIAS | p.34 |
| Sudipa Dutta | — | Vision | p.33 |