New Delhi: Government e Marketplace (GeM) recently commemorated six years of Startups, Women & Youth Advantage through the eTransactions (SWAYATT) initiative at its New Delhi headquarters.
SWAYATT is the portal's initiative to enhance the ease of doing business and establish direct market linkages to annual public procurement for startups, women entrepreneurs, Micro & Small Enterprises, Self Help Groups and youth, especially those from backward sections of society.
On this occasion, GeM signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry Ladies Organisation (FICCI-FLO) – an all-India forum representing over 9,500 women entrepreneurs, an official statement said.
By means of this partnership, GeM intends to provide direct access for women entrepreneurs with government buyers, sans intermediaries, thereby ensuring better product prices, spurring hyper-local job creation and igniting inclusive growth. By extending adequate means of training, onboarding and linkages, this collaboration is set to empower local businesses, create inclusive economic growth, enhance competition and boost value addition in public spending, the statement added.
CEO GeM L Satya Srivinas said that at the time of the launch of SWAYATT, only about 6300 women-led enterprises and almost 3400 startups were onboarded on GeM.
"Since then, the platform has grown manifold. Addressing the challenges of access to market, access to finance and access to value-addition through proper e-market linkages in public procurement, GeM has enabled startups to fulfil orders worth ₹ 35,950 Crore. Women entrepreneurs comprise 8 per cent of the total seller base on GeM, with a cumulative 1,77,786 Udyam-verified women micro, and small enterprises (MSE) registered on the GeM portal, having fulfilled a cumulative order value of ₹46,615 Crore," added Srinivas.
FICCI–FLO president Joyashree Das Verma said that digital platforms like GeM have democratised access to opportunities for women entrepreneurs.
Reiterating the importance of this collaboration towards value chain development and enhanced opportunities to women-led MSEs through advocacy, outreach and mobilisation, she stressed upon training as an imperative in expanding the reach of the GeM portal among affiliated members of the association.
With an ambitious goal of onboarding one Lakh Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade registered startups onto the portal, GeM is determined to become a vibrant startup ecosystem in public procurement. Through meaningful collaborations and capacity-building efforts with last-mile women micro and small enterprises (MSEs), FPOs, SHGs, Startups, and Cooperatives, GeM envisions doubling the number of women entrepreneurs on the portal and increasing their share percentage in overall procurement of the country from the current 3.78 per cent, the statement added.
