A free hand

• The government has issued orders allowing scientific institutions to bypass the Government e-Marketplace (GEM), a Commerce Ministry initiative aimed at prioritizing made-in-India equipment.

• GEM mandates all government purchases to be routed through the GEM portal, with a mandate to buy from vendors offering the lowest price.

• The bypass was viewed as a “landmark” initiative to promote ease of doing research and development.

• The default option was for individual scientific institutions to make their choices regarding the vendors they procure.

• The difference in purity within common salt is critical to scientific research and pharmaceuticals manufacture, leading to some vendors being more reliable and preferred.

• The lack of fidelity to original experimenter’s methods and materials can lead to experiments being junked halfway or crimped on experimental ambition, resulting in a net loss of resources, time, and effort.

• India’s scientific ministries are unique in being led by scientists, a recognition that science itself is unfettered and must be specially nurtured for its usefulness.