The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has emerged as a pivotal platform in India’s public procurement ecosystem, empowering Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs), women-led businesses, SC/ST enterprises, and startups to access government contracts competitively. According to official data released by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, small enterprises account for a substantial share of total government procurement on GeM, demonstrating the platform’s capacity to drive inclusive economic growth while ensuring transparency and efficiency.
As of November 30, 2025, more than 11.25 lakh MSE sellers were registered on the GeM platform. These enterprises have cumulatively secured government orders valued at Rs 7.44 lakh crore, contributing nearly 44.8 per cent of the total order value transacted through GeM. This performance has exceeded the mandated annual procurement target of 25 per cent for MSEs, highlighting the platform’s effectiveness in promoting smaller enterprises in public markets.
Participation by women-led enterprises has been steadily increasing on the GeM platform. Currently, over two lakh women-owned MSEs are actively transacting through GeM, collectively securing orders worth Rs 78,066 crore. This growth has been facilitated by targeted initiatives such as the Womaniya programme, which focuses on onboarding women entrepreneurs, providing training, and enhancing access to procurement opportunities.
Officials emphasise that these measures are instrumental in bridging the gender gap in public procurement and supporting women-led economic participation.
The Ministry of Commerce & Industry noted that GeM facilitates inclusive procurement through platform features aligned with national policies. These features include dedicated filters to identify products offered by MSEs, women-led, and SC/ST enterprises. Eligible sellers also enjoy purchase preference and relaxations in requirements such as Earnest Money Deposit, turnover, and prior experience, ensuring broader participation while maintaining transparency and accountability in government procurement processes.
The impact of these inclusive measures is evident in real-time transactions across diverse sectors. In November 2025, a women-led clean energy firm from Vadodara supplied renewable energy solutions worth over Rs 53 crore to the Department of Heavy Industries. Simultaneously, an SC/ST-owned enterprise from Nagpur delivered surveillance infrastructure valued at Rs 29 crore for the Central Government. Additionally, a Mumbai-based startup secured technology service contracts worth ₹191 crore within a short period of scaling operations, demonstrating GeM’s role in supporting startups and emerging businesses in entering government procurement markets.
Experts highlight that GeM’s digital platform enhances transparency, efficiency, and traceability in public procurement while enabling enterprises from varied regions and communities to access government markets. By integrating digital processes with policy objectives under Digital India and Atmanirbhar Bharat, GeM ensures that procurement is not only inclusive but also aligned with India’s broader economic and technological goals.
Officials also emphasised the importance of regional participation in government procurement. Enterprises from diverse states are increasingly leveraging GeM to participate in public procurement, reflecting a shift toward a more decentralised and equitable procurement ecosystem. For instance, SC/ST and women-led enterprises from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities are now successfully securing high-value contracts, a development that has widened the economic base for smaller communities and historically marginalised groups.
The growth trajectory of MSEs, women-led enterprises, and startups on GeM underscores a paradigm shift in government purchasing, focusing on inclusion, access, and empowerment. The platform not only enables fair competition but also serves as a strategic tool for policy implementation, ensuring that government procurement objectives dovetail with social and economic development goals.
Through initiatives like Womaniya and targeted support for SC/ST enterprises, GeM is redefining the public procurement landscape by ensuring that smaller businesses, women entrepreneurs, and startups are no longer peripheral players but central contributors to government supply chains. The platform’s success has prompted continuous upgrades, training modules, and awareness campaigns to encourage greater participation, thereby sustaining momentum toward an inclusive and digitally enabled procurement ecosystem.
As public procurement continues to evolve, GeM’s model demonstrates how digital platforms can empower marginalised groups, promote entrepreneurship, and align with national development initiatives. With growing numbers of enterprises successfully transacting on the platform, GeM is expected to play a critical role in enhancing economic participation, supporting innovation, and strengthening India’s MSE sector, making government procurement a driver of inclusive growth and regional development.
