New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) An AI-driven Government-e-Marketplace (GeM) platform would help buyers and sellers make more intelligent use of the procurement process and the latest technologies, according to Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.
He said this will also make public procurement more efficient, cost-effective, transparent and competitive.
Addressing the 10th Foundation Day celebration of GeM here, Goyal emphasised strengthening last-mile access through GeM’s Suvidha Kendras by expanding registration, cataloguing, training and grievance redressal across districts and deeper use of Artificial Intelligence for price intelligence, price sanity and marketplace integrity.
The minister also called for the integration of states, public enterprises, panchayats and cooperatives into a seamless national procurement ecosystem; greater focus on credit and sustainability through scaling GeM Sahay and TReDS linkages and mainstreaming sustainable procurement; and university outreach to bring young innovators and new buyers onto the platform.
Today, GeM has a community of more than 25 lakh sellers and over 1.37 lakh buyer organisations.
The platform has facilitated cumulative procurement of over Rs 20 lakh crore through more than 3.78 crore orders.
It now has 12.28 lakh Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs), which have fulfilled orders worth more than Rs 9 lakh crore, accounting for 45.6 per cent of cumulative GMV.
More than 2.24 lakh women-led MSEs have fulfilled over 50 lakh orders valued at more than Rs 1 lakh crore, while 42,242 startups have secured orders worth more than Rs 65,633 crore.
“We are proud of how far we have come. Yet what truly defines GeM is not only the scale we have achieved, but the spirit with which we continue to improve—listening, refining and remaining responsive to the needs of those who use the platform,” said GeM Chief Executive Officer, Mihir Kumar.
GeM also launched a dedicated nationwide five-digit short code “14550” for its help desk. It will make it easier for buyers, sellers and other stakeholders to access support and identify official GeM communications.
“At the function, I also launched the customised My Stamp, 5-digit Short Code, and the GeM booklet to mark the milestone. In my address, I congratulated all stakeholders, including MSMEs, women, artisans, and others, for the glorious decade, as 10 years ago GeM changed the way the Indian government buys,” said Goyal in a post on X.
—IANS
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