Uttar Pradesh earns praise from Piyush Goyal for effective use of Centre’s GeM portal

The Uttar Pradesh government has earned praise from the centre for its efforts in promoting transparency, efficiency and inclusivity in public procurement through the GeM.

 

GeM is the government’s e-marketplace through which procurements are made in a faceless and transparent manner.

 

In a letter addressed to the state’s chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, commended the state’s contribution to the success of the portal through which goods and services can be purchased.

 

Goyal stated that the state government has demonstrated a clear commitment to adopting the GeM portal, as evident in the order issued on 26 November 2024. This decision has not only brought transparency to the procurement process but has also given a boost to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), women entrepreneurs, persons with disabilities (Divyangjans), and startups. He expressed the wish that UP would serve as a ‘model’ for other states as it had shown what could be achieved in ‘Digital India.’

 

Between the financial years 2000-01 and 2024-25, the total purchases made by the state on the portal touched ₹65,221.78 crores. 

 

As per figures shared by the Minister, the state’s urban development department led the procurement with orders worth ₹11,588.28 crore. This was followed by the Information Technology and Electronics Department and the Medical Education Department.

 

In 2024 itself, UP adopted the portal completely for all kinds of procurements, thereby becoming the first state in the country to do so. It has fully integrated its procurement procedures with GeM rules, prohibiting all bids that do not follow these rules. In fact, any deviation from these rules would result in automatic disqualification from conducting business with the state government. In cases where collusion of any sort is suspected, bids can also be sent for probes.

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