Country of Origin Made Mandatory on GeM

• 24 Jun 2020

Why in News

Government e-Marketplace (GeM), a Special Purpose Vehicle under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has made it mandatory for sellers to enter the Country of Origin while registering all new products on GeM.

• GeM has taken this significant step to promote Make in India and Atma Nirbhar Bharat initiatives.

Key Points

• Provisions:
  
  • Indication of the Local Content: GeM has enabled a provision for indication of the percentage of local content in products.
    
    • Now, the Country of Origin as well as the local content percentage are visible in the marketplace for all items.
  • Make in India Filter: This new filter has been enabled on the portal so that the buyers can choose to buy only those products that meet the minimum 50% local content criteria.
    
    • They can also switch on a new Make in India filter to see products that match their preferences on local content.
• Significance of GeM:
  
  • Promotion of the ‘Make in India’ Initiative: Since its inception, GeM has continuously worked towards promotion of the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
  • Entry of Small Local Sellers: The Marketplace has facilitated entry of small local sellers in Public Procurement, while implementing ‘Make in India’ and MSME Purchase Preference Policies of the Government in the true sense.
  • Transparent and Cost-effective Procurement: 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.
  • Promotion of Atma Nirbhar Bharat: GeM has been promoting the Atma Nirbhar Bharat policy, introduced in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, meant to encourage self-reliance and boost small Indian manufacturers.

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 operates under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• The procurement of goods and services by Ministries and the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) is mandatory for goods and services available on GeM.
• It also provides the tools of e-bidding and reverse e-auction to facilitate the government users achieve the best value for their money.
• At present, GeM has more than 15 lakh products, around 20,000 services, and more than 40,000 Government buyer organizations.

Source: PIB