Daijiworld Media Network- New Delhi

New Delhi, May 6: The Union government has stepped up its reform agenda in public procurement through the Government-e-Marketplace (GeM), focusing on transparency, anti-cartel safeguards, and expert-driven interventions aimed at empowering both buyers and sellers.

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, chaired a high-level meeting with GeM officials and stakeholders, outlining a strategic roadmap for enhancing the digital procurement platform.

Taking to social media platform X, Goyal stated, “Outlined a forward-looking roadmap focused on enhancing procurement, accelerating state-wise expansion, facilitating flexible payments, and inclusive credit access, aimed at empowering both buyers and sellers on the platform.”

Key reforms discussed included strengthening anti-cartel measures, developing a more intuitive user interface, and deploying domain experts to improve the efficiency and credibility of the procurement ecosystem.

Launched in 2016, GeM serves as a unified online portal for government procurement, offering a wide range of products and services at competitive rates. Over the years, it has evolved into a comprehensive digital procurement solution, bringing transparency and savings to government buying.

Notably, in FY 2024-25, GeM facilitated the outsourcing of over one million manpower resources and helped issue health, life, and personal accident insurance to more than 1.3 crore individuals across various government departments.

Introduced in January 2022, the Insurance Services category on GeM has enabled swift and cost-effective policy procurement, further strengthening the government's move towards digital governance.

With an emphasis on inclusive participation and ease of access, the GeM platform continues to redefine public procurement in India, playing a pivotal role in the government’s commitment to reform, perform, and transform.