Government e-Marketplace Achievements: Nearly Rs 10 Lakh Crore in Public Procurement Since 2016

The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal has facilitated public procurement worth nearly Rs 10 lakh crore over eight years. Launched on August 9, 2016, GeM allows central government ministries and departments to purchase goods and services online. Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the portal for creating opportunities for entrepreneurs, particularly from MSMEs, startups, and SC, ST, and OBC communities. He also highlighted its role in empowering women.

GeM's impact has been significant since its launch. It enables central and state ministries, departments, Public Sector Enterprises (PSUs), Autonomous Bodies, Panchayats, and Cooperative Societies to procure common-use goods and services. Starting with a procurement value of Rs 422 crore in 2016-17, it exceeded Rs 4 lakh crore last fiscal year.

Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada informed the Rajya Sabha that over 1.63 lakh women-led micro and small enterprises (MSEs) and 25,000 startups have registered on GeM since its inception. This underscores the platform's role in fostering entrepreneurship among diverse groups.

P K Singh, CEO of GeM, noted that more than 1.5 lakh government buyers are purchasing goods and services from around 23 lakh sellers across India. These transactions cover 11,523 product categories and 327 service categories without intermediaries. As of August 8, procurement reached Rs 1,92,433 crore, a 136% increase over the same period last year.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) significantly enhances product comparison and price discovery for government buyers on GeM. Buyers can use QR codes on the GeM website to view 3D models of over 300 products via mobile devices. AI also supports market intelligence, product similarity analysis, price gap analysis, anomaly detection, and identifying potential collusion among buyers and sellers.

The portal has promoted social inclusion by supporting women, tribal communities, SC/ST MSMEs, startups, artisans, weavers, craftsmen, self-help groups, farmer producer organizations (FPOs), and Cooperative Societies through "vocal for local" GeM outlet stores and market interventions.

Service Procurement Growth

Service procurement on GeM has accelerated with Rs 3.91 lakh crore worth of services bought since its inception. In the current fiscal year alone, service procurement has reached Rs 80,493 crore. The platform offers a wide range of services including transportation, logistics, waste management, webcasting, and analytical services.

GeM has fully integrated with the eGram Swaraj portal to empower rural India by streamlining the procurement process for Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) as buyers on GeM. The portal now features an interactive multi-lingual eLearning Management System (LMS) in 12 regional languages including English and Hindi to help government buyers, sellers, and service providers train in navigating the portal.

Global Standing of GeM

Currently, government departments, ministries, public sector units (PSUs), state governments, and central armed police forces are authorised to conduct transactions through this portal. The range of products available includes office stationery to vehicles with major categories like automobiles, computers, and office furniture.

KONEPS from South Korea is currently the largest such platform globally while GeM holds the second position worldwide. The Government e-Marketplace continues to set new records in public procurement while promoting inclusivity and leveraging technology for enhanced user experience.