The Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and startups will be taken into the fold of national public procurement portal, Government e Marketplace (GeM).

The GeM, which is offering end to end solutions for all procurement requirements of both State and Union Governments, has proposed to interact with the SHGs, which are producing various products.

Similarly, start ups, which are also scaling up their business coverage with varieties of products and services, will be roped in by the GeM.

Not only SHGs and start ups, the GeM will interact with artisans, craft persons and MSMEs, which constitute local seller ecosystem to take them onboard and make local products available on national market place, said a senior official in the GeM.

Local producers are producing unique products and providing newer services, which are not available with the GeM.

So the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has decided to start interaction with SHGs, start pps, artisans, craft persons and MSME sector to take them on board to widen their coverage in national market, said a senior official.

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has advised the GeM authorities to increase its offerings and try to cater to the growing needs of the buyers’ specific requirements of products and services.

Accordingly, GeM Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Talleen Kumar has decided to talk to SHGs, start ups and other local sellers for their niche products and take the procurement to next level.

This will be mutually beneficial for local sellers and the GeM as more products and services will be available in national public procurement portal and the small players will get into national market place, said the official.

Sellers from the local level will not only get national exposure, for which they are striving hard but also there will be hardly any expenditure for marketing their products, said he.

Since last three years, the GeM has been operating and has transformed public procurement in the country by leveraging technology and making procurement contactless, paperless, and cashless, said  CEO, GeM, Kumar.

During last three years, the GeM has done over Rs 40,000 crore of transaction with more than 40,000 buyers organisations in its fold.

By this start ups, artisans and craft persons can increase their volumes of transaction, said the official.