SWAYATT Initiative under GeM

SWAYATT Initiative: SWAYATT is a government initiative under Government e-Marketplace (GeM). SWAYATT Initiative is important for UPSC Prelims Exam 2023 and UPSC Mains Exam (GS Paper 2- Government Schemes and Initiatives for development of various sectors).

SWAYATT Initiative in News

The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) held a function to commemorate the success of “SWAYATT” initiative in New Delhi. Smt. Radha S Chauhan, Secretary, Ministry of Personnel and Training was the Chief Guest.

• Mercy Epao, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Government of India & Shri Sanjeev Gautam, Director SFAC (representing the Farmer Producer Organisations) graced the occasion as guests of honour.

What is SWAYATT Initiative?

SWAYATT is a government initiative to promote Start-ups, Women and Youth Advantage Through eTransactions on Government eMarketplace (GeM).

• Background: The SWAYATT initiative was launched in February 2019 on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) Platform.
• Parent Ministry: SWAYATT scheme is being implemented under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• Mandate: SWAYATT scheme aims to bring together the key stakeholders within the Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem to Government e-Marketplace the national procurement portal.
• Key Objectives: SWAYATT Initiative is to promote the inclusion of various categories of sellers and service providers on the portal by-
  • Taking proactive steps to facilitate their training and registration,
  • Developing women’s entrepreneurship, and
  • Encouraging the participation of the MSME sector and startups in public procurement.

SWAYATT Performance

The CEO, GeM informed about the progress made so far in promoting social and financial inclusion by way of registering more than 8.5 lakh Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) on GeM portal. These MSEs have been able to get business of over Rs. 1.87 lakh crore spread across 68 lakh+ orders. This has resulted in-

• Women Empowerment: SWAYATT led to more than 1.45 lakh women MSEs fulfilling 7.32 lakh orders worth 15,922 Crore using GeM platform.
• SC/STs Empowerment: SWAYATT initiative resulted in approximately 43000 SC/ ST MSEs delivering 1.35 lakh+ orders worth 2,592 Crore on the GeM portal so far.
• Access to Farmers: 105 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) can now sell more than 200 Agri products directly to the Government through GeM.

What is Government e-Marketplace (GeM)?

Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is a dynamic, self-sustaining and user-friendly portal for making procurement by Government officers. It is an online platform for public procurement in India.

• Ministry: GeM Initiative was launched on August 9, 2016, by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, GoI.
• Development of GeM Portal: Directorate General of Supplies and Disposal (DGS&D) with technical support of the National eGovernance Division (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) has developed a GeM portal for procurement of both Products & Services.
  • Government e-Market (GeM) is hosted by the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposal.

Government e-Market (GeM) Objectives

Government e-Marketplace (GeM) aims to create an open and transparent procurement platform for government buyers. GeM also aims to facilitate online procurement of common-use Goods and Services.

Government e-Marketplace (GeM) Advantages

For Buyers	For Sellers
Rich listing of products for individual categories of Goods/Services Search, Compare, Select and Buy facility Buying Goods and Services online, as and when required. Transparent and ease of buying A continuous vendor rating system User-friendly dashboard for Buying and monitoring supplies and payments Easy Return policy	Direct access to all Government departments. One-stop shop for marketing with minimal efforts. One-stop shop for bids / reverse auction on products/services. New Product Suggestion facility available to Sellers Dynamic pricing: Price can be changed based on market conditions Seller friendly dashboard for selling and monitoring of supplies and payments Consistent and uniform purchase procedures

SWAYATT FAQs

1. What is SWAYATT Initiative?

Ans. SWAYATT is a government initiative to promote Start-ups, Women and Youth Advantage Through eTransactions on Government eMarketplace (GeM).

2. When was the SWAYATT Initiative launched?

Ans. SWAYATT Initiative was launched in February 2019 on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) Platform.

3. What is Government eMarketplace (GeM)?

Ans. Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is a dynamic, self-sustaining and user-friendly portal for making procurement by Government officers. It is an online platform for public procurement in India.

 Government e-Marketplace (GeM) | GeM Portal touches INR 1 Lakh Crore in Procurement