Jharkhand ranks 10th in country in GeM business transactions: Official

Ranchi, Jan 19 (PTI) Jharkhand ranks 10th in the country in business transactions on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal, its CEO Mihir Kumar said here on Monday.

Over the past nine years since GeM's inception, entrepreneurs, traders, sellers, and buyers from Jharkhand have transacted business worth more than Rs 45,000 crore, he said.

This figure is expected to rise in the near future as they gain access to vast marketplaces across the country, Kumar said, while addressing a session of 'GeM Excellence' here.

The session was organised by GeM to promote transparent, efficient, and technology-driven public procurement in Jharkhand.

During the session, traders and entrepreneurs of the state shared their experiences and challenges in doing business through the GeM portal.

"Jharkhand ranks 10th in the country in business transactions on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), but this ranking can be improved. Various departments of the Jharkhand government have procured an array of goods and services through GeM. We expect a rise in procurement from the state through the GeM portal," he said.

Kumar further said that the objective behind the session was to take feedback from the traders and buyers in order to make GeM more effective, stronger, and impartial.

More than 40,000 sellers and 4,600 buyers from Jharkhand have already been registered on the portal. The state government has made procurements worth Rs 7,900 crore through more than 1.5 lakh orders since GeM's inception in 2016. Of this, sellers have received orders worth Rs 3,172 crore, of which Rs 2,346 crore went to Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), an official said.

Ameet Kumar, Commissioner of the Commercial Taxes Department, Jharkhand, said, "GeM is the best platform for government procurement of goods and services. Since 2017, we have been procuring goods and services in Jharkhand through the GeM portal." He said that in 2024, the state government introduced the Jharkhand Procurement Manual for goods and services, which clearly provides for procurement through GeM, describing the platform as effective, transparent, and impartial.

It offers access to a large number of buyers from across the country and includes provisions that give priority to MSMEs from Jharkhand.

"We have gathered here to make procurement more effective through this workshop. Traders and entrepreneurs will share their experiences and challenges, which will help make the GeM portal more inclusive and stronger for future procurements," he added.

Jharkhand government organisations have cumulatively procured goods and services through the GeM portal, benefiting both the buyer organisations and sellers in the state, the commissioner said. PTI RPS RPS ACD