In February 2025, Government e-Marketplace (GeM), Department of Commerce(DoC), Ministry of Commerce and Industry(MoC&I) celebrated 6 years of Startups, Women & Youth Advantage through e-Transactions (SWAYATT) initiative at its headquarters in New Delhi, Delhi.
- The initiative was launched on 19th February, 2019 by the MoC&I, which aimed to promote the participation of women-led enterprises and youth in public procurement.
- It is part of GeM’s foundational pillar of social inclusion which is committed to improve ease of doing business and establish direct market linkages to annual procurement for startups, women entrepreneurs, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and youth, especially those from backward sections of the society.
GeM Signed MoU with FICCI-FLO:
During the event, GeM signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with New Delhi (Delhi)-based FICCI-Ladies Organisation (FLO), a division of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry(FICCI).
- Through this MoU, GeM aims to provide direct access for women entrepreneurs with government buyers, sans intermediaries, will further ensure better product prices, generating job opportunities and promoting inclusive growth.
- This collaboration will extend adequate means of training, onboarding and linkages, which will empower local businesses, create inclusive economic growth, improve competition and boost value addition in public spending.
About GeM:
i.It is an online platform for public in India that was launched on August 9, 2016 by the MoC&I with the objective of creating an inclusive, efficient, and transparent platform for the buyers and sellers to implement procurement activities in a fair and competitive manner.
ii.The procurement is done on GeM portal through government authorised users and it is made mandatory by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) by adding a new Rule No. 149 in the General Financial Rules, 2017.
iii.The platform has been developed by GeM Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), designated as the National Public Procurement Portal as Section 8 company registered under the Companies Act, 2013.
Key Progress Made by GeM:
i.GeM addressed the challenges of ‘access to market’, ‘access to finance’ and ‘access to value-addition’ through proper e-market linkages in public procurement, which enabled startups to complete orders worth Rs 35,950 crore.
ii.Women entrepreneurs account 8% of the total seller base on GeM with a cumulative 1,77,786 Udyam-verified women MSMEs registered on the GeM portal, having completed a cumulative order worth Rs 46,615 crore.
Key Targets:
i.GeM has set an ambitious target of onboarding 1 lakh Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), MoC&I-registered startups onto the portal.
ii.GeM aims to double the number of women entrepreneurs on its portal and to increase their percentage share in overall procurement of the country from the current 3.78%, by fostering strategic collaborations and capacity-building efforts with last-mile MSMEs, SHGs, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs),among others.
About FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO):
President- Joyshree Das Verma
Headquarters- New Delhi, Delhi
Established- 1983
About Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I):
Union Minister- Piyush Goyal (Constituency- Mumbai North, Maharashtra)
Minister of State (MoS)- Jitin Prasada (Constituency- Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, UP)
