Context
Recently, government verify that it will take the fresh initiative to woo states and public sector units to seek to double their purchase of goods and services through the portal to breach the Rs 60,000 crore mark in FY23.
Key points
- As per the latest data , total procurement through the Gem portal surged a record Rs1 trillion in FY22, having A 160% Jump over the previous year.
- Gem officials have drawn up a list of 11 key states for targeted interventions in FY23 to encourage them to procure more through the portal.
- The states included in the list are Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, MP, Karnataka, and Gujrat.
- In FY22, UP led the pack of states with the purchase of Rs.11,275 crore followed by Gujrat, Maharastra, Bihar, and Odisha.
About Gem(Government e-marketplace)
- Gem portal was launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Industry and commerce to provide a new-age online platform for the procurement of goods and services by all the central government ministries, departments, public sector firms, state government.
- Apart from procurement access this portal also aimed to improve transparency in the purchases.
- The Chinese products are not allowed to be sold on the portal which also encourages local entrepreneurs.
- The portal is being developed by DGS&D with the technical support of the National e-Governance Division ministry.
- As per the rules-driven for the Gem portal, it is mandatory for CPSEs and central government ministries and departments to procure goods from the portal and it is voluntary for the states.
- It also embedded with the features of e-bidding and reverse e-auction that further facilitate the government users to achieve the best value for their money.
- The government also taking steps to encourage the states to procure more from the portal to bring transparency to the public procurement system.
- Services like transportation, logistics, and waste management can also be accessed through this national public procurement portal.
