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By:

Rajendra Joshi

3 December 2024 at 3:50:26 am

Procurement first, infrastructure later

Procurement at multiples of market price; equipment before infrastructure; no accountability Kolhapur: Maharashtra’s Medical Education and Public Health Departments have been on an aggressive drive to expand public healthcare infrastructure. Daily announcements of new centres, advanced equipment and expanded services have reassured citizens long denied dependable public healthcare. Procurement of medical equipment, medicines and surgical supplies is reportedly being undertaken at rates two to...

Procurement first, infrastructure later

Procurement at multiples of market price; equipment before infrastructure; no accountability Kolhapur: Maharashtra’s Medical Education and Public Health Departments have been on an aggressive drive to expand public healthcare infrastructure. Daily announcements of new centres, advanced equipment and expanded services have reassured citizens long denied dependable public healthcare. Procurement of medical equipment, medicines and surgical supplies is reportedly being undertaken at rates two to ten times higher than prevailing market prices. Basic economics dictates that bulk government procurement ought to secure better rates than private buyers, not worse. During the Covid-19 pandemic, equipment and consumables were procured at five to ten times the market rate, with government audit reports formally flagging these irregularities. Yet accountability has remained elusive. The pattern is illustrated vividly in Kolhapur. The Dean of Rajarshi Shahu Government Medical College announced that a PET scan machine worth Rs 35 crore would soon be installed at Chhatrapati Pramilaraje (CPR) Government Hospital for cancer diagnosis. But a comparable machine is available in the market for around Rs 6.5 crore. A senior cancer surgeon at a major cancer hospital in western Maharashtra, where a similar machine was recently installed, remarked that the gap between what his hospital paid and what the government is reportedly paying was enough to make one ‘feel dizzy’. The label of a ‘turnkey project’ does not adequately explain a price differential of this magnitude. High Costs CPR Hospital recently had a state-of-the-art IVF centre approved at a sanctioned cost of Rs 7.20 crore. Senior fertility specialists across Maharashtra note that even a modern IVF centre with advanced reproductive technology equipment typically costs between Rs 2.5 crore and Rs 3 crore. The state’s outlay is reportedly approaching Rs 15 crore. Equipment arrived in June 2025 and lay idle for months owing to indecision about the site. Similarly, digital X-ray machines approved for CPR Hospital and a government hospital in Nanded; available in the market for roughly Rs 1.5 crore; were reportedly procured at Rs 9.98 crore per unit. Doctors in CPR’s radiology department, apprehensive about being drawn into potential inquiries, reportedly resisted accepting the equipment. One departmental head was transferred amid disagreements over signing off on the proposal. What’s Wrong These cases point to a deeper structural failure: Maharashtra has perfected what might be called the ‘equipment first, infrastructure later’ model. In any public hospital, the administrative sequence ought to be: identify space, create infrastructure, sanction specialist posts, and only then procure equipment. Compounding the procurement paradox is a parallel policy decision. On 20 December 2025, the state government decided to introduce radiology diagnostic services through a Public-Private Partnership model (PPP). Following this, an order issued on 6 February 2026 authorised private operators to provide PET scan, MRI and CT scan services at six government medical college hospitals: in Pune, Kolhapur, Miraj, Sangli, Mumbai and Baramati. CPR already has a 126-slice CT scan machine and a 3 Tesla MRI scanner, with another CT scan proposed. If the PPP arrangement proceeds, the hospital could simultaneously run one PET scan machine, two MRI scanners and three CT scan machines. Medical experts warn this could lead to unnecessary diagnostic testing simply to keep machines occupied, thus exposing patients to excess radiation while government-owned equipment gathers dust. A similar pattern was seen during the pandemic, when the Medical Education Department spent hundreds of crores on RT-PCR machines, only to award swab-testing contracts to a private company. Many of those machines remain unused today.

Dev Diwali: The Diwali of the Gods

Dev Diwali falls on the full moon day (Purnima) of the Hindu month of Kartik — known as Kartik Purnima — and this year, it is on 5th November.


In Varanasi (Kashi), it is celebrated about fifteen days after Diwali. The name means “the Diwali of the Gods,” marking the day when deities are believed to descend to the Ganga, whose ghats glow with countless lamps.


Mythological significance

One legend says that on Kartik Purnima, Lord Shiva destroyed the demon Tripurasura and his triple fortress, symbolising the triumph of good over evil — celebrated as Dev Diwali.


Another belief holds that on this night, the gods descend to bathe in the sacred Ganga at Kashi, where thousands of lamps illuminate the ghats in their honour.


The month of Kartik is considered deeply sacred — a holy dip (snan) in the Ganga is said to cleanse sins and bestow merit.


Dev Diwali thus unites mythology, ritual, and purification — celebrating victory, divine descent, and spiritual light.


Rituals and traditions

Even if you’re not in Varanasi, many Dev Diwali traditions can be observed wherever you are.


Kartik snan (holy bath): The day begins before sunrise with a sacred dip (snan) in the Ganga or any holy river, believed to wash away sins and prepare devotees for evening worship.


Deep daan (lamp offering): The most striking ritual — over a million diyas light up ghats, temples, rooftops, and boats, symbolising light’s triumph over darkness. Lamps also honour the gods and the river. At home, devotees light diyas at entrances, shrines, or under sacred trees like the Peepal.


Ganga aarti, evening ceremony: At dusk, the ghats — especially Dashashwamedh Ghat — glow with the grand Ganga Aarti. Priests raise massive brass lamps as conch shells echo and chants fill the air. The river shimmers with floating diyas and fireworks, watched from ghats and boats alike.


Pujas and worship: Special pujas honour Lord Shiva for his victory over Tripurasura, Goddess Lakshmi for prosperity, and Lord Vishnu in some traditions. Homes and temples are decorated with rangoli, flowers, and lamps, with special aartis offered throughout the day.


Processions, culture, charity: In Varanasi, colourful processions carry deities to the river amid music and dance. Acts of charity — feeding the poor, donating lamps, or helping light the ghats — are considered especially meritorious.


Symbolism, deeper meanings

Light and darkness: Like Diwali, Dev Diwali celebrates light — but here it shines beyond homes, illuminating the gods, the river, and the sacred city itself.


Purification and renewal: The holy bath, lamp lighting, and prayers symbolise cleansing past karma and renewing one’s spiritual intent.


Divine descent: It is believed that the gods descend to bathe in the Ganga, and devotees honour them — creating a sacred link between heaven and earth.


Triumph of good: The legend of Tripurasura’s defeat reaffirms the triumph of righteousness and the balance of cosmic order.


Community and place: In Varanasi, the festival turns the ghats into a vast spiritual stage where thousands gather in shared light and devotion.


Celebrations beyond Varanasi

Even away from Varanasi, you can embrace the spirit of Dev Diwali wherever you are.


On Kartik Purnima, cleanse your home, decorate with rangoli and lamps, and after sunset, light diyas at your shrine, doorway, or near a sacred plant.


Offer a simple puja — flowers, a mantra, or a quiet prayer of gratitude for light and life. If possible, take a symbolic dip or wash your hands and feet in a nearby water body.


Share the light — gift diyas, exchange sweets, or do a small act of charity. As Kartik ends, pause to reflect on renewal and your intentions for the days ahead.


Regional variations

While Varanasi remains the heart of Dev Diwali — with its glowing ghats and crowds — many towns and homes mark Kartik Purnima with lamps, deepdaan, and river rituals on a smaller scale.


Traditions may vary — the number of lamps, deities honoured, or timing of aartis — yet the spirit is the same. True to its name, Dev Diwali is the gods’ festival of light — more devotion than display, a quiet celebration of purity and faith.


At home, light 11 or 21 diyas, gather loved ones, share prasad, and tell the story of the festival. If possible, visit a local riverfront or temple, or join an aarti online. End the evening with an act of kindness or charity — feeding someone or donating food — in the true spirit of Dev Diwali.


A deeply spiritual yet luminous festival, Dev Diwali unites divine descent, purification, and light. On this night, Varanasi’s ghats shimmer with countless lamps mirrored in the Ganga — a reminder that even in darkness, the light of faith endures.


Happy Dev Diwali to you!


(The writer is a tutor based in Thane.)

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