Reiterating its earlier direction, the Uttar Pradesh government has asked all its departments and public sector undertaking (PSUs) to mandatorily procure 11 cloth items from UP Handlooms Corporation Limited, UPICA and UP Khadi and Village Industries Board till March 31, 2025.
The order issued Thursday, however, does not cover police uniform. The items that are covered include suiting and shirting, cotton carpets for beds, huckaback towels, saris and dhotis, bedsheets and pillow covers, curtains and tapestry works, blankets, carpets, woolen uniform, and gauge bandage and cotton cloths.
The state government had first issued such orders on October 26, 1998. They were extended from time to time and the last such order was issued on July 24, 2019 that remained effective only till March 31, 2022.
The organisation supplying the items will have to register on the GeM portal. The supplying organisation has been allowed to charge 5.5 per cent of the procurement value as the administrative/supervisory charge. For woolen blankets, the procurement would be made through open bids.