New Delhi, Mar 31 (PTI) Procurement of goods and services from government portal GeM has crossed Rs 2 lakh crore this fiscal on account of an increase in buying activities by different ministries and departments.

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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"Excellent! @GeM_India has given us a glimpse of the energy and enterprise of the people of India. It has ensured prosperity and better markets for many citizens," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet.

Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said GeM is emerging as a trusted platform for buyers and sellers.

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"A true GeM of India! A landmark achievement for the nation as @GeM_India crosses Gross Merchandise Value of Rs 2 lakh crore in 2022–23," Goyal said in a tweet.

In 2021-22, the procurement value stood at Rs 1.06 lakh crore.

The top states that are buying from the portal include Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.

GeM has over 63,000 government buyer organisations, over 6 crore 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, web casting 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)