Government e-Marketplace (GeM):
Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs Piyush Goyal called upon Government e-Marketplace (GeM), public procurement portal to expand its scope and include more participants in GeM portal for public procurement of both Products & Services.
- GeM is an online marketplace that was launched in 2016.
- Objective: To ensure that public procurement of goods and services in India (done by government bodies) worth more than Rs. 5 lakh crore annually is carried out through the online platform.
- It has been developed by the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposal (DGS&D) with technical support of the National E-Governance Division (NEGD), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
Benefits of GeM:
- Transparency: GeM eliminates human interface in vendor registration, order placement, and payment processing, to a great extent.
- Efficiency: Direct purchase on GeM can be done in a matter of minutes.
- Secure and safe: GeM is a completely secure platform and all the documents on GeM are e-Signed at various stages by the buyers and sellers.
- Savings to the Government: The transparency, efficiency, and ease of use of the GeM portal has resulted in a substantial reduction in prices on GeM.
