{"id":43819,"date":"2025-05-21T19:12:43","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T13:42:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=43819"},"modified":"2025-05-22T11:11:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T05:41:11","slug":"gem-celebrates-8th-incorporation-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/21-05-2025\/gem-celebrates-8th-incorporation-day","title":{"rendered":"GeM Celebrates 8th Incorporation Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Government e Marketplace (GeM)<\/strong>, India\u2019s national public procurement portal, marked its <strong>8th Incorporation Day.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government e-Marketplace<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>GeM is a one stop portal <strong>to facilitate online procurement <\/strong>of <strong>common use Goods &amp; Services<\/strong> required by various <strong>Government Departments \/ Organizations \/ PSUs.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It was launched in <strong>2016<\/strong>, and is operated by the <strong>GeM SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle)<\/strong>, a 100% government-owned company under the <strong>Ministry of Commerce and Industry.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Aim: <\/strong>To enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The purchases through GeM by Government users have been authorized and made <strong>mandatory by the Ministry of Finance <\/strong>in 2017.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Core Principles of GeM<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"accce3\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"662\" height=\"199\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Core-Principles-of-GeM.png\" alt=\"Core Principles of GeM\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-43838\" style=\"--dominant-color: #accce3; width:576px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Core-Principles-of-GeM.png 662w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Core-Principles-of-GeM-300x90.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 662px) 100vw, 662px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>GeM: Transforming Public Procurement in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>GeM\u2019s user base<\/strong> has seen a<strong> threefold increase<\/strong> in recent years, with over 1.64 lakh primary buyers and 4.2 lakh active sellers now onboard.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The platform offers more than <strong>10,000 product categories and over 330 services<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Over 10 lakh Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs), 1.3 lakh artisans and weavers, 1.84 lakh women entrepreneurs, and 31,000 startups are now part of the GeM ecosystem.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Expansion of Role:<\/strong> GeM\u2019s role in advancing national priorities was underscored by key transactions, including \u20b95,000 crore worth of equipment for the Akash Missile System and \u20b95,085 crore in vaccine procurement.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The platform is also enabling complex services such as drone-as-a-service for AIIMS, GIS and insurance for over 1.3 crore lives, and wet leasing of chartered flights and CT scanners.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nationwide Adoption:<\/strong> GeM has now been adopted across all 36 States and Union Territories, with Uttar Pradesh leading the way.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Eight states\u2014including Maharashtra, Manipur, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Uttarakhand, and Chhattisgarh\u2014have mandated GeM usage.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Significance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Transparent and Efficient Procurement: <\/strong>GeM aims to reduce human intervention in government purchases, ensuring transparency, efficiency, and speed. It minimizes corruption and delays in procurement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cost Savings: <\/strong>Competitive pricing has resulted in lower procurement costs for the government.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Boost to MSMEs &amp; Startups:<\/strong> Significant amount of the orders on GeM are from MSMEs, promoting small businesses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Digital Process: <\/strong>The entire process, from vendor registration to payment, is done online.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Security and Audit Trails: <\/strong>Built-in mechanisms for data security, digital signatures, and audit trails to ensure accountability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Limited Awareness and Adoption: <\/strong>Many government officials and potential vendors, especially in rural areas and among MSMEs, are unaware or lack training on how to use the platform effectively.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There is a resistance to change from traditional procurement methods.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Quality Control and Standardization: <\/strong>Ensuring consistent quality of products and services is difficult, especially when a large number of vendors are involved.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lack of standardized specifications for some products and services.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Delays in Payments: <\/strong>Although the platform supports timely payments, in practice, delays by government departments in processing payments discourage sellers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Logistics and Delivery Challenges: <\/strong>Vendors often face logistical difficulties in delivering goods across vast geographies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Technical Issues and Platform Stability:<\/strong> Users sometimes face issues such as system crashes, slow interface, or bugs, especially during high-traffic periods.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Regulatory and Policy Bottlenecks:<\/strong> Inconsistent application of procurement rules across departments leads to inefficiency.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives to Improve GeM<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>SWAYATT (Startups, Women &amp; Youth Advantage Through e-Transactions)<\/strong>: The portal committed to enhance ease of doing business and establish direct market linkages to annual public procurement for startups, women entrepreneurs, Micro &amp; Small Enterprises (MSEs), Self Help Groups (SHGs) and youth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Startup Runway 2.0: <\/strong>It<strong> <\/strong>is an opportunity for Startups to showcase their innovative products and services to Government buyers and engage in public procurement.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>GeM has created a dedicated marketplace category for all Startups to list their products and services, irrespective of their <strong>DPIIT-certification<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Womaniya initiative:<\/strong> To showcase products made by women entrepreneurs and women self-help groups [WSHGs].<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>GeM is collaborating with various stakeholders from the <strong>Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises [MSME]<\/strong> ecosystem with special focus on entrepreneurs from the <strong>Scheduled Caste\/ Schedule Tribes [SC\/ ST].<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The SARAS Collection: <\/strong>It is a pristine handcrafted collection of handicrafts, handloom textiles, office d\u00e9cor, furnishings, accessories, event souvenirs, personal hygiene and care products from top of the line SHGs in India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The platform&#8217;s strategic initiatives have significantly contributed to the <strong>ease of doing business<\/strong> and enhanced participation in government procurement.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As GeM continues to evolve, it remains committed to its vision of creating a sustainable, open, and competitive marketplace, driving India&#8217;s progress towards <strong>inclusive and transparent public procurement practices.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pib.gov.in\/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2129647\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>PIB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Government e Marketplace (GeM), India\u2019s national public procurement portal, marked its 8th Incorporation Day.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Government e-Marketplace<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">GeM is a one stop portal to facilitate online procurement of common use Goods &#038; Services required by various Government Departments \/ Organizations \/ PSUs.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">It was launched in 2016, and is operated by the GeM SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle), a 100% government-owned company under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Aim: To enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The purchases through GeM by Government users have been authorized and made mandatory by the Ministry of Finance in 2017.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/21-05-2025\/gem-celebrates-8th-incorporation-day\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43819"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43839,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43819\/revisions\/43839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}