New Delhi, Feb 8 (KNN) The Government e Marketplace (GeM),  the national public procurement platform of Ministry of Commerce and Industries, and Competition Commission of India (CCI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enable a fair and competitive environment in the e-Marketplace.  

The MoU was signed on 6 February, 2019 during which both CCI and GeM appreciated the importance of advanced analytical tools and processes for identification of malpractices like cartelization.

In order to pool their knowledge of the public procurement domain for detection of Anti-competitive practices, the MoU has been signed, according to an official statement.

GeM plays a vital role towards promoting procurement from the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Procurement through the GeM is expected to touch Rs 25,000 crore in the current financial year, as against Rs 5,000 crore last year.

Meanwhile, while addressing the Global Procurement Summit held on the same day, GeM's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Radha Chauhan said the online platform for central and state government departments has set a procurement target of Rs 1.5 lakh crore for purchase of goods and services in the next 4-5 years. The Summit was organized by AIMA.

The procurement from GeM will reach Rs 25,000 crore by March-end this year, Chauhan said.

Besides, she said 26 per cent of the procurement on the platform is done from MSMEs and more than half of the orders go to them.

GeM is a state-of-the-art national public procurement platform of Ministry of Commerce and Industries that has used technology to remove entry barriers for bonafide sellers and has created a vibrant e-marketplace with a wide range of goods and services.

CCI is a statutory body of the Government of India, responsible for enforcing the Competition Act, 2002 throughout India and to prevent activities that have an adverse effect on competition.

Chairman of CCI, A.K. Gupta, CEO of GeM, S. Radha Chauhan, Members of CCI, U.C. Nahta and Sangeeta Verma were present on the occasion along with officers of CCI and GeM.

According to the Public Procurement Policy, the Public sector companies are mandated to source 25% of their annual procurement from MSEs. Further, out of the 25% procurement mandated from MSEs, 3% is reserved for women entrepreneurs. (KNN Bureau)