Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : The Fourth edition of the National Public Procurement Conclave(NPPC), organized by Government e Marketplace [GeM], in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry [CII] for two days,was inaugurated online by Piyush Goyal, Union Commerce and Industry & Railways Minister on August 9, 2020, to coincide with the anniversary of GeM Establishment Day.The theme of NPPC is “Technology enabled Government Procurement – Towards efficiency, transparency, and inclusiveness”,
Lauding the success of GeM in becoming a game changer in the Government procurement, Goyal called upon more and more buyers and sellers to join the system. Expressing the confidence that GeM will be able to unlock the value and save money for the nation’s development, he said that it has helped in transparent, seamless, easy, efficient, and faster procurements. He said that the Government’s decision to ask the buyers to give interest for delayed payments in GeM is a significant step. At the same time, he also cautioned the unscrupulous sellers from pushing the poor quality goods or charging exorbitant prices, as they will not only be blacklisted from the GeM portal but from the entire Government ecosystem.
Goyal welcomed the offer from the CII to partner with GeM and expand the reach to the nook and corner of the country. He said that GeM has the advantage of being seamless, transparent, open and efficient and technology-driven, and this will gain momentum if more and more buyers and sellers join the system. More procurement orders will lead to more sellers joining it, leading to more competition, and availability of quality products at cheaper prices.
The Minister said that the Government has been making continuous efforts to reach out to all sections of the society, especially the marginalised ones, who were denied basic amenities for a long time. He said that the Government procurement is very large and has to be efficient. “Every penny saved is penny earned,” Goyal said, according to a PIB release. The greater competition and efficiency helps the Government save money which is then used for the public good, and reach out to those who deserve this.
“ Technology leads to Transparency which leads to Trust, which helps in Transformation of the country. We have moved from Corruption to Clean Government which has raised the confidence of people and that is leading to greater Commerce within the country and internationally,” Goyal added
The Minister said that as the television media’s success is measured by TRP ratings, the Success of GeM can be measured by Trust (Of people in government procurement), Reliability (In supply of quality products at low cost and timely manner) and Prosperity (of the nation and the people). He said that maximum efficiency comes from the minimum government, and e-process in procurement is a step in this direction. The Minister announced that GeM and Indian railways are working earnestly to integrate the latter’s procurements with the former.
The key features of this year’s online conclave include a detailed overview of the enhanced version of GeM – GeM 4.0, followed by virtual panel sessions on role of MSMEs, Startups, Women Entrepreneurs, Weavers & Artisans, Information Technology, Defense and Railways in Public Procurement.