SRINAGAR, Sept. 22 -- The Jammu and Kashmir government follows a transparent and rule-based mechanism for awarding contracts, including works where the accepted bid is lower than the departmental estimate, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary informed the Legislative Assembly on Monday.

Replying to a question by MLA Mehraj Malik during Question Hour, the Deputy Chief Minister said departmental estimates are prepared in accordance with the applicable Schedule of Rates, site conditions, approved technical specifications and quantities, while prevailing market rates are also considered wherever required.

He said all estimates undergo technical scrutiny and are approved by the competent authority as per prescribed rules and procedures....