GeM Seller Samvad 2024 Ushers New Opportunities in Uttarakhand

The GeM Seller Samvad 2024 in Dehradun empowered local entrepreneurs and sellers through training and support, enhancing their engagement with digital procurement. The initiative aligned with GeM's inclusivity goals, aiming to expand its reach and overcome procurement challenges faced by Uttarakhand-based entities, fostering growth in the region.

The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) orchestrated a transformative boot camp titled GeM Seller Samvad 2024 Uttarakhand at the IRDT Auditorium in Dehradun, focusing on empowering local entrepreneurs, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), and sellers. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry emphasized that the initiative, part of GeM's inclusivity pillar, aimed to tackle challenges unique to Uttarakhand-based sellers while promoting broader adoption of the digital procurement platform.

The event attracted more than 60 sellers and service providers, offering them comprehensive training to navigate the platform's features and functionalities. Stakeholders were guided through vital milestones in their seller journey, with real-time solutions offered during a dedicated Q&A session. A GeM helpdesk was established to provide instant support, while a registration campaign successfully enlisted new sellers and service providers onto the platform.

Uttarakhand hosts around 20,000 registered sellers and service providers on GeM, including over 10,500 Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) and more than 1,900 women-led enterprises. To date, these sellers have executed orders worth over Rs8,950 crore for government buyers nationwide. Approximately 5% of this volume emanates from the state's MSEs, highlighting their significant contribution to the market ecosystem.

The Seller Samvad initiative sought to expand GeM's footprint while enhancing capacity-building measures in Uttarakhand. AV Muralidharan, Chief Buyer Officer (State), underscored the importance of these activities in raising awareness and strengthening the digital competencies of local sellers and service providers. Through such programs, GeM aims to dismantle traditional procurement barriers, equipping local businesses with essential tech-driven tools for business-to-government opportunities.

Launched in 2016 under the Prime Minister's 'Minimum Government, Maximum Governance' vision, the Government e-Marketplace is a unified digital solution facilitating the seamless procurement of goods and services for central ministries, state departments, public sector enterprises, panchayats, and cooperatives. GeM continues to reshape public procurement, enhancing transparency, efficiency, and inclusivity in the process.

(With inputs from agencies.)