July 22: The government has decided to give the contract of printing excise duty stickers to the state-owned Janak Shikshya Samagri Kendra (JSSK).

The took such decision as the excise duty stickers started running out of stock.

The finance ministry agreed to the proposal of Inland Revenue Department to print the stickers, which are primarily used in alcoholic and tobacco products, at JSSK.

The department proposed handing the responsibility to JSSK as they are running out of time to issue global tender.

This is not the first time JSSK has been given such responsibility. Earlier, the stickers printed by the state-owned organisation was found to be of sub-standard. Therefore, the government later chose foreign company for the purpose.

An official at the department said that they have decided to give the contract to JSSK for the time being and will side-by-side also  issue global tender. The department has also formed a study committee to initiate the procurement process. The committee will present its report within 15 days and the department will take action according, said the source requesting anonymity.

The government had been printing 40 different kinds of stickers in foreign countries through global tender process. However, the process has been halted after a parliamentary committee initiated a probe into alleged irregularities in the procurement process. The house panel has been discussing whether to hand the contract to foreign company or to print the stickers in the country itself since a long time.