A conference on Government e-Marketplace (GeM) under the theme ‘Governance for Growth’ was held at Hotel Japfu, Kohima on 31st January 2022. The conference was organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce, and attended by entrepreneurs from across the State.
One stop Government e-Market(GeM) Place is a platform where common user goods and services can be procured. GeM aims to transform the way in which procurement of goods and services is done by the government ministries and departments.
Commissioner & Secretary, Department of Industries & Commerce, Nagaland, Kekhrievor Kevichusa, IPoS said that for central government, purchase from GeM is compulsory but it is not yet compulsory in Nagaland. It is still at a level of onboarding sellers and departments as buyers. He stated that more sensitization is needed on GeM not just for the government but for handholding the prospective sellers also.
Kekhrievor said that GeM came about because earlier the central government faced a lot of problem in purchasing from DGS&D due to artificial or unrealistic prices, service delivery and after sale services. In GeM after sale service is now made easy as sellers from bigger cities have now tied up with local vendors who can assist them. He pointed out that this is one issue which the State will face if it goes for large scale buying, so the government is trying to bring local sellers on board first and buy local also.
Kekhrievor said that through GeM, the Department of Industries & Commerce is also interested in the handloom and handicraft sector to access the market beyond Nagaland without having a retail store in other parts of India. He called on the local entrepreneurs and government departments to avail this opportunity to sell local and buy local, and requested the ICC for help and support in registration of local entrepreneurs.
Chief Executive Officer, Investment & Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN), Alemtemshi Jamir, IAS (Retd.) emphasizing on the role and scale that e-commerce will play in the growth of economy, pointed out that at present seven of the top ten world’s richest people are dealing in e-commerce business. He lamented that majority of the people are not aware of the implication or opportunities of e-commerce, and encouraged the entrepreneurs to register in GeM.
Jamir said that Yellow Chain was set up by IDAN for small business to sell their services and goods, but at present miniscule number (around 400-500) have registered. He shared that some business are doing quite well in Yellow Chain and added it can become bigger when everyone is involved. He further exhorted the young entrepreneurs to be more aware, efficient, absorptive, receptive and adaptive to the rapid changes taking place in the market economy.
Joint Director, MSME Development Institute, Dimapur, Ministry of MSME, Government of India, Tali Longchar, IEDS explained the importance of registering in GeM. Numerous corporations and organisations gave virtual presentations on GeM.
(Nouneseno, IA)
