BENGALURU: At a time when practically everyone is suffering on account of the Covid-19 pandemic and when government resources are drastically down, a few vested interests in the government sought to loot the treasury on a mindboggling scale.
TOI estimates that if the order for renting about 30,000 bedsets for Covid care centres at Rs 800 a bedset for a day had gone through, then the government would have paid about Rs 210 crore more than it should have, assuming the bedsets are used for 100 days. The total cost of the order would have been Rs 240 crore.
Rates much lower on furniture rental portals
On furniture rental portals like Furlenco and Rentomojo, rates are a fraction of what the government was willing to pay. On these sites, a wooden single bed, mattress, bedsheet and pillow cover can be rented for as low as Rs 600 to 900 a month, or Rs 20 to Rs 30 a day. If you include a quilt, chair and other essentials from other vendors, TOI estimates that the total for the package the government was going for would not be much more than Rs 100 a day.
RentoMojo has on display a single metal-frame bed that can be rented for Rs 319 a month, or Rs 10 per day. That’s roughly the kind of bed that the government is getting, but without design elements. On the site, a single coir and foam mattress of 4” can be rented for Rs 199 a month. On Appliancesonrent-.com, a plastic chair can be rented for Rs 100 a month.
In the Indian Railways’ AC coaches, you can get a package of a blanket, two bedsheets, a pillow, pillow cover and towel for Rs 25 for a day. That’s about Rs 750 a month, though normally if you are renting for a longer period, you will get lower rates. The government order seems to be for three sets of bedsheet, towel, pillow cover and floor mat. An executive, who did not want to be named, said government charges may include laundry charges, and staff cost for pickup and delivery of items to the multiple locations Covid care centres are in.
Taking into account all of that, TOI estimates that the entire package would not cost much more than Rs 3,000 a month, or about Rs 100 a day. But for the outcry and the CM’s intervention, the government would have paid eight times more — Rs 24,000 a month.
TOI estimates that if the order for renting about 30,000 bedsets for Covid care centres at Rs 800 a bedset for a day had gone through, then the government would have paid about Rs 210 crore more than it should have, assuming the bedsets are used for 100 days. The total cost of the order would have been Rs 240 crore.
Rates much lower on furniture rental portals
On furniture rental portals like Furlenco and Rentomojo, rates are a fraction of what the government was willing to pay. On these sites, a wooden single bed, mattress, bedsheet and pillow cover can be rented for as low as Rs 600 to 900 a month, or Rs 20 to Rs 30 a day. If you include a quilt, chair and other essentials from other vendors, TOI estimates that the total for the package the government was going for would not be much more than Rs 100 a day.
RentoMojo has on display a single metal-frame bed that can be rented for Rs 319 a month, or Rs 10 per day. That’s roughly the kind of bed that the government is getting, but without design elements. On the site, a single coir and foam mattress of 4” can be rented for Rs 199 a month. On Appliancesonrent-.com, a plastic chair can be rented for Rs 100 a month.
In the Indian Railways’ AC coaches, you can get a package of a blanket, two bedsheets, a pillow, pillow cover and towel for Rs 25 for a day. That’s about Rs 750 a month, though normally if you are renting for a longer period, you will get lower rates. The government order seems to be for three sets of bedsheet, towel, pillow cover and floor mat. An executive, who did not want to be named, said government charges may include laundry charges, and staff cost for pickup and delivery of items to the multiple locations Covid care centres are in.
Taking into account all of that, TOI estimates that the entire package would not cost much more than Rs 3,000 a month, or about Rs 100 a day. But for the outcry and the CM’s intervention, the government would have paid eight times more — Rs 24,000 a month.
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