New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) Government e Marketplace (GeM) observed its Incorporation Day 2026 on Saturday, marking its continued role in supporting India’s public procurement by enhancing transparency, efficiency and technology-driven governance, an official statement said.

The portal now hosts over 1.36 lakh government buyers and nearly 25 lakh sellers and service providers, with nearly 72 per cent of active sellers comprising micro and small enterprises, the statement from the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said.

During FY26, over 11 lakh MSEs on GeM received over 51 lakh orders worth Rs 2.36 lakh crore, with women-led MSEs securing orders exceeding Rs 28,000 crore.

Scheduled caste or scheduled tribe (SC/ST) entrepreneurs received orders exceeding Rs 6,000 crore, and startups won orders worth over Rs 19,000 crore.

These figures reflect the platform’s role in widening access to government procurement and supporting entrepreneurship, the statement added.

As part of the incorporation day events, GeM organised a series of stakeholder engagement and knowledge-sharing initiatives.

It began a vendor assessment workshop on May 15, 2026, to enhance clarity on vendor assessment processes and documentation requirements for prospective OEMs.

A “GeM Manthan” will be held on May 21, 2026, under the theme “Enriching the GeM Marketplace”, the ministry said.

The e-marketplace will also organise a brainstorming session with Defence Services representatives on May 22, 2026 to deliberate on process improvements and technological interventions aimed at strengthening alignment with Defence procurement and operational requirements.

“GeM was created with the vision of building a transparent, efficient and inclusive digital procurement platform for Government and its agencies. Today, it continues to support Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Vocal for Local by connecting domestic enterprises with government procurement opportunities,” said Chief Executive Officer, GeM, Mihir Kumar.

The Government e-Marketplace Special Purpose Vehicle was incorporated on May 17, 2017 to develop, manage and maintain the GeM platform.

The platform has become a major digital public procurement platform, promoting ease of doing business and wider market access for sellers across the country, the statement noted.

It saw increased participation from Class-1 local suppliers across sectors such as pharmaceuticals, transportation, construction equipment, furniture, textiles and medical consumables.

—IANS

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