GeM Platform Highlights Small Business Success
On its seventh anniversary, the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) shared testimonials from small business owners who have used the platform to scale. The CEO of Pahal Industries credited GeM for his company's growth, while Mitra Electricals noted it enabled their expansion from Gujarat to a nationwide presence. The posts celebrate the platform's role in providing opportunities to micro, small, and medium enterprises.
- Since its inception in 2016, the GeM portal has processed government procurement worth over ₹17.33 lakh crore. The platform currently has more than 1.5 lakh government buyers and over 62 lakh registered sellers and service providers. - In a move to benefit small sellers, GeM revised its fee structure, making 97% of all transactions free from any charges. Orders valued up to ₹10 lakh now have zero transaction fees, while charges for high-value transactions have been reduced by up to 96%. - The platform has specific initiatives to promote inclusivity, such as "Womaniya" for women entrepreneurs and Self-Help Groups, and "Startup Runway" to help new and innovative MSMEs win government contracts. As of early 2025, startups on the platform had fulfilled orders worth ₹35,950 crore. - Ajay Bhadoo was appointed as the new CEO of Government e-Marketplace, effective March 3, 2025. His appointment comes as GeM plans a major upgrade to create a "future-ready" platform capable of handling five to ten times its current data load. - To address credit access challenges for sellers, the "GeM SAHAY" scheme was launched, providing a platform for instantaneous, collateral-free loans at the point of order acceptance. - Beyond procurement, GeM also facilitates the disposal of government assets through a "Forward Auction" module. This digital bidding process for assets like e-waste and vehicles has handled auctions worth over ₹2,200 crore between December 2021 and November 2025. - The platform is integrating with other major national digital commerce initiatives, including the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and India Post, to streamline logistics and expand market access for its sellers. - The share of the services sector in GeM's total Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) has seen significant growth, accounting for 65% of the total GMV as of August 2024.
