India’s Government e Marketplace (GeM) is preparing for its next phase of growth with a stronger focus on artificial intelligence, wider participation and more efficient public procurement. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal outlined the platform’s priorities as GeM marked its 10th anniversary at an event held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
Goyal called for GeM to become more user-friendly and increasingly powered by AI, with the objective of making government purchasing more efficient, competitive, transparent and cost-effective. He said the platform’s second decade should build on its progress while making procurement more accessible to businesses and government organizations across the country.
The minister identified five key areas for GeM’s future development. These include improving last-mile access, expanding the use of AI, bringing more state governments and public sector enterprises onto the platform, strengthening access to credit and sustainable procurement, and increasing engagement with universities.
Since its launch on August 9, 2016, GeM has developed into a major digital marketplace for public procurement in India. The platform connects government buyers with businesses and has expanded considerably in both participation and transaction volume over the past decade.
GeM currently has more than 2.5 million sellers and over 137,000 buyer organizations. Collectively, these participants have completed procurement exceeding $222.22 billion through more than 37.8 million orders, highlighting the platform’s growing role in government purchasing.
Micro and small enterprises have emerged as major participants on GeM. More than 1.228 million MSE sellers are registered on the platform and have fulfilled orders worth over $100 billion. These businesses account for approximately 45.6% of GeM’s cumulative gross merchandise value, demonstrating the platform’s contribution to expanding market opportunities for smaller companies.
Women-led businesses have also established a substantial presence. More than 224,000 women-led MSEs have completed over 5 million orders with a combined value exceeding $11.11 billion.
Startups are another important part of GeM’s expanding ecosystem. A total of 42,242 startups have obtained government orders worth more than $7.29 billion through the platform.
As GeM enters its second decade, the government’s focus is shifting toward deeper technology integration and broader participation. The emphasis on AI, financing, sustainability and inclusion is expected to shape the platform’s next stage while supporting a more accessible and competitive public procurement ecosystem.
