To push for 'Make in India', GeM mandates sellers to mention 'country of origin'

The government procurement portal GeM has made it mandatory for sellers to mention 'country of origin' on products they wish to sell through the platform, a move aimed at promoting Aatma Nirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India), a senior official said on Tuesday.

Government e-Marketplace (GEM) has also enabled a provision for indication of the percentage of local content in products with a view to promote Make in India.

"GeM has taken a significant step towards Aatma Nirbhar Bharat and has made it mandatory for sellers to enter the country of origin while registering all new products on GeM," the portal's CEO Talleen Kumar told PTI.

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Sellers, who had already uploaded their products before the introduction of this new feature on GeM, are being reminded regularly to update the country of origin, with a warning that their products will be "removed" from the platform if they fail to update the same, he said.

"With this new feature, now, the country of origin as well as the local content percentage are visible in the marketplace for all items. More importantly, the Make in India filter has now been enabled on the portal. Buyers can choose to buy only those products that meet the minimum 50 percent local content criteria," he said.

Kumar said that since its inception, GeM is continuously working towards promoting 'Make in India' initiative and the portal has facilitated entry of small local sellers in public procurement.

Earlier this month, the government modified public procurement norms to give maximum preference to companies whose goods and services have 50 percent or more local content, a move aimed at promoting ''Make in India'' and making the country self-reliant.

The revised public procurement (Preference to Make in India), Order 2017, has introduced a concept of Class-I, II and non-local suppliers, based on which they will get preference in government purchases of goods and services.

GeM is also coming up with a more dynamic, transformational and vibrant portal by adding advanced features such as powerful search engine, revamped brand and product approval process and faster creation of categories for goods and services through tender analysis.

Government e-Market (GeM) portal was launched in August 2016 for online purchases of goods and services by all the central government ministries and departments.

Government departments, agencies and public sector units can now procure products made by tribal communities from the GeM portal as it has added over 4,000 such items, including paintings, handmade showpieces and statues.

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 currently the top product categories. Services, including transportation, logistics, waste management, web casting and analytical, are listed on the portal.

So far, 3,94,461 sellers and service providers are registered with the portal to sell 18,30,688 products and several services.