Who Is Sarthak Sidhant? Student Launches Public Portal With 1.66 Crore Government Procurement Records

Class 12 student Sarthak Sidhant, who recently drew national attention for analysing the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) digital evaluation tender, has launched a public portal containing around 1.66 crore records from the Government of India's Central Public Procurement (CPP) Portal.

Announcing the initiative on X, Sidhant wrote, 'Transparency needs to be accessible. From today, it is.' He said the database was created after scraping procurement records from the government's CPP Portal over the past two weeks, making them easier for citizens, journalists and researchers to search and analyse.

Who Is Sarthak Sidhant?

Sarthak Sidhant is a Class 12 student who gained nationwide recognition after examining CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system and procurement documents related to the digital evaluation of Class 12 answer sheets.

His analysis began after obtaining scanned copies of his own answer sheets and noticing discrepancies in the marks awarded. As more students raised concerns about transparency, he examined multiple CBSE tender documents available in the public domain. CBSE OSM System Row: Class 12 Student Sarthak Sidhant Appears Before Parliamentary Panel, Flags Alleged Tender Irregularities (Watch Video).

According to Sidhant, he identified changes in eligibility criteria, certification requirements and performance clauses across different versions of the tender documents, raising questions about transparency in the procurement process.

His findings later reached Parliament, where he appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education to present his observations.

What Is the New Procurement Portal?

The newly launched portal contains approximately 1.66 crore procurement records archived from the Government of India's Central Public Procurement (CPP) Portal. Rahul Gandhi Lauds 18-Year-Old Sarthak Sidhant for ‘Exposing’ CBSE-OSM Discrepancies, Calls It ‘Victory of Youth Over Government’ (Watch Video).

Sarthak Sidhant Launches Public Procurement Portal

Sidhant said the initiative aims to make public spending data more accessible for independent analysis by citizens, journalists and researchers. He also encouraged users to download the database and examine the records themselves, calling it 'the beginning' of a broader transparency initiative.

Why Does It Matter?

The portal is intended to simplify access to government procurement data that is already publicly available but often difficult to search and analyse.

Supporters say easier access to procurement records could improve transparency, encourage independent research and strengthen public accountability by enabling deeper scrutiny of government spending.

The initiative has also sparked discussion about the role young researchers can play in using publicly available government data to promote transparency and informed public debate.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 28, 2026 11:25 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).