Government e Marketplace marks 10 years with AI-driven procurement focus

At the 10th Foundation Day of the Government e Marketplace (GeM) in New Delhi, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal announced plans to launch a new, user-friendly, and AI-enabled platform to enhance public procurement efficiency, transparency, and competitiveness.

Since its inception in 2016, GeM has evolved into a unified digital ecosystem connecting government buyers with enterprises. The platform has facilitated cumulative procurement exceeding ₹20 lakh crore through more than 3.78 crore orders. Notably, the platform's growth has accelerated significantly, with ₹10 lakh crore in procurement occurring in the first eight years, followed by another ₹10 lakh crore in just the last two years.

Key statistics from the platform include: - Over 25 lakh sellers and 1.37 lakh buyer organizations. - 12.28 lakh Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) have fulfilled orders worth over ₹9 lakh crore. - More than 2.24 lakh women-led MSEs have participated. - Over 42,000 start-ups have conducted business worth approximately ₹66,000 crore.

Goyal outlined five strategic priorities for the next decade: strengthening last-mile access via Suvidha Kendras, utilizing Artificial Intelligence for price intelligence and marketplace integrity, integrating states and cooperatives into a seamless national ecosystem, focusing on credit and sustainability through GeM Sahay and TReDS, and increasing university outreach to engage young innovators. Additionally, a new nationwide five-digit helpdesk short code, 14550, was launched to support stakeholders.