Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal has called for the development of a new, user-friendly and artificial intelligence-enabled platform to make public procurement in India more efficient, transparent, competitive and cost-effective.
Addressing the 10th Foundation Day celebrations of the Government e Marketplace (GeM) at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, Goyal said the next phase of GeM should focus on using advanced technologies to help government buyers and sellers make smarter procurement decisions.
Five Priorities for GeM’s Next Decade
The Minister outlined five key priorities for strengthening GeM as it enters its second decade. A major focus will be on improving last-mile access through GeM’s Suvidha Kendras. These centres are expected to expand support for registration, cataloguing, training and grievance redressal across districts, particularly helping smaller enterprises participate more effectively in government procurement.
Artificial intelligence will also play a larger role in the platform. Goyal stressed the need for greater use of AI for price intelligence, price sanity checks and maintaining marketplace integrity. Such capabilities can help buyers assess prices more effectively while improving transparency and competition.
Another priority is creating a seamless national procurement ecosystem by bringing States, public sector enterprises, panchayats and cooperatives into a more integrated digital framework.
The government also intends to strengthen access to finance and promote sustainable procurement. This includes expanding linkages between GeM Sahay and the Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS), while encouraging environmentally responsible purchasing practices.
University outreach will form the fifth priority, with the objective of attracting young innovators, entrepreneurs and new buyers to the public procurement ecosystem.
GeM Records Massive Growth
Launched on August 9, 2016, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, GeM was established with the vision of using technology to create a transparent and efficient public procurement system. Over the past decade, the platform has grown from a digital marketplace into a nationwide procurement ecosystem connecting government organisations with businesses.
GeM now has more than 25 lakh sellers and over 1.37 lakh buyer organisations. The platform has facilitated cumulative procurement exceeding ₹20 lakh crore through more than 3.78 crore orders.
Micro and Small Enterprises have emerged as major beneficiaries. Around 12.28 lakh MSEs are registered on the platform and have fulfilled orders worth over ₹9 lakh crore, accounting for 45.6 per cent of GeM’s cumulative Gross Merchandise Value.
Women-led enterprises have also gained significant access to government markets. More than 2.24 lakh women-led MSEs have fulfilled over 50 lakh orders valued at more than ₹1 lakh crore. Meanwhile, 42,242 startups have secured government orders worth over ₹65,633 crore.
Technology at the Centre of Transformation
Technology has remained central to GeM’s development, with digital processes improving transparency, traceability and ease of transactions. Integration with other government digital systems has further streamlined procurement and related processes.
GeM CEO Shri Mihir Kumar said the platform’s progress was not defined only by its scale but also by its continued efforts to listen to users, refine its systems and respond to their changing requirements.
The Foundation Day event featured a film highlighting GeM’s 10-year journey and its expanding impact across India. A customised My Stamp was also launched to mark the milestone, recognising GeM’s contribution to digital governance, Ease of Doing Business and the growth of Indian enterprises.
New Helpdesk Number Launched
GeM also introduced a dedicated five-digit nationwide Helpdesk number, 14550, providing buyers, sellers and other stakeholders with an easily identifiable channel for assistance. The number is mapped to the existing Helpdesk infrastructure to ensure continuity of services.
As GeM moves into its second decade, the emphasis is shifting from simply expanding the platform to increasing its overall impact. The next phase will focus on advanced technology, wider participation, procurement intelligence, faster processes and greater value for public expenditure.
The broader objective is to make government procurement more accessible and predictable for Indian businesses while giving government buyers a smarter, data-driven purchasing experience. GeM aims to further strengthen India’s digital public procurement ecosystem and establish it as a trusted global benchmark in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat.
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Author: Shivam
Shivam Dwivedi is a senior journalist with extensive experience in research-driven journalism, policy communication, and multi-platform storytelling. His areas of interest include international relations, defence, science & technology, education, urban development, agriculture, spirituality, and environmental sustainability. His work focuses on in-depth analysis, public discourse, and impactful narratives across governance and development sectors, with a strong commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Contact: [email protected]
