In the financial year 2022-2023, the procurement of goods and services from the government portal, Government e-Marketplace (GeM), has crossed the Rs 2 lakh crore mark, which is a remarkable achievement, according to Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.

At a function in Mumbai today, he highlighted the role of GeM as a digital tool in the public and national interest. ”The GeM is a symbol of the speed with which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken the country forward through modern technology,” he added.

Goyal congratulated GeM and its strong ecosystem of buyers and sellers, whose unwavering support has been pivotal in achieving this historic feat.

The minister added that the Prime Minister desired that the government departments run at the highest levels of integrity and transparency, with the participation of people from the remotest corners of the country and enabled women entrepreneurs, startups and the MSME sector to participate in a fair and equitable manner in government procurements.

“I am confident that the GeM will grow faster, the future is very bright. I would like to appeal to more and more vendors to join GeM so that they too get a chance to participate in the government procurement process,” he said.

After the GeM portal was launched in 2017, business worth about Rs 400 crore was done, and in the second year, GeM did business of about Rs 5800 crore. The business through GeM has grown from around Rs 35000 crore two years ago and tripled last year to Rs 106000 crores, the minister informed.

Goyal also mentioned that India has crossed total exports of $750 billion for the financial year 2022-23 and the final figure was expected to cross $765 billion.

The G20 Trade and Investment Working Group Meeting, held in Mumbai recently, also saw positive discussions, he said. The minister said that now India has got the Presidency of the G-20, it was a great opportunity to showcase the achievements of the rapidly developing New India to the world.

Speaking about the Foreign Trade Policy 2023 released in New Delhi yesterday, he said this has been welcomed by industry and trade. A sense of stability was reflected in the foreign trade policy, he added.