About Government e-Marketplace (GeM)

• GeM is a one-stop National Public Procurement Portal to facilitate online procurement of common use Goods & Services required by various Central and State Government Departments/Organizations/Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
• It was launched in 2016 to bring transparency and efficiency in the government buying process.
• It is a 100 percent government-owned company setup under the aegis of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• In 2017, the government made it mandatory for all the departments and ministries to source goods and services from the GeM.

Significance of GeM:

• GeM has taken this significant step to promote ‘Make in India’ and ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat’.
• The Marketplace has facilitated entry of small local sellers in Public Procurement, while implementing ‘Make in India’.
• GeM is enabling quick, efficient, transparent and cost-effective procurement, especially when government organizations require products and services urgently to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Why in News?

The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has made it mandatory for sellers to specify the country of origin while registering new products on the portal, , a move aimed at promoting Atma Nirbhar Bharat (Self-reliant India).

The platform has also enabled a provision for indicating the percentage of local content in products in order to promote local goods.

In addition to these steps, Make in India filter has now been enabled on the portal. Buyers can choose to buy only those products that meet the minimum 50 per cent local content criteria.