New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) Procurement of goods and services from government portal GeM has crossed Rs 1 lakh crore so far this fiscal on account of an increase in buying activities by different ministries and departments, an official statement said on Wednesday.

The Government e-Market (GeM) portal was launched on August 9, 2016, for online purchases of goods and services by all the central government ministries and departments.

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"GeM achieves milestone within 145 days in 2023-24 against 243 days in 2022-23," the commerce ministry said.

It said that the contribution of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), central ministries and state governments has been 54 per cent, 26 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively.

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"Additionally, GeM's efforts to foster inclusivity and accessibility have been commendable. The platform's integration with e-Gram Swaraj to streamline Panchayat-level procurement exemplifies its commitment to reaching last-mile sellers and optimising costs at the grassroots level of administration," it added.

In 2021-22, the procurement value stood at Rs 1.06 lakh crore. It crossed Rs 2 lakh crore last year and this year, it may cross Rs 3 lakh crore.

GeM has over 63,000 government buyer organisations and over 62 lakh sellers and service providers offering a wide range of products and services.

Currently, government departments, ministries, public sector units, state governments, and central armed police forces are allowed to carry out transactions through this portal.

The portal provides a wide range of products from office stationery to vehicles.

Automobiles, computers and office furniture are some of the major product categories.

Services, including transportation, logistics, waste management, webcasting and analytical, are listed on the portal.

South Korea's KONEPS is the largest such platform in the world.

Currently, GeM stands at the third position after Singapore's GeBIZ.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)