Ajay Bhadoo appointed CEO of Government e Marketplace (GeM)

The 1999-batch Indian Administrative Officer of Gujarat cadre, Ajay Bhadoo, has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Government e-Marketplace (GeM). Ajay Bhadoo has been appointed, effective from 3rd March 2025. He succeeded L Satya Srinivas. 

An additional secretary in the Department of Commerce, Union Ministry of Commerce, is given the additional charge as the CEO of the Government e Marketplace. Thus, Ajay Bhadoo in addition to being the additional secretary in the Department of Commerce, will also be the CEO of the Government e-Marketplace.

Who Manages the  GeM?

• The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is managed by GeM Special Purpose Vehicle.
• The GeM Special Purpose Vehicle is owned by the government of India and has been set up under section 68 of the Companies Act 2013.

Under Which Ministries is the Government e-Marketplace (GeM)?

• The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) comes under the Department of Commerce, Union Ministry of Commerce.

About Government e-Marketplace (GeM)

The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) was launched by the government of India on 9th August 2016 by the government of India as a National Public Procurement Portal.

It is an end-to-end online market where the ministries /departments of the central and the state government, their public sector enterprises, and autonomous bodies procure their goods and services.

Aim of GeM

• The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) was introduced by the government to introduce transparency and efficiency in public procurement and reduce corruption and inefficiency.
• The GeM has a list of approved sellers that bid for government orders, and the buyers (government bodies) can select the right product at the right price.
• This makes the whole process transparent, and the government can buy goods and services at a competitive price.
• This will reduce wasteful expenditure of the government and is expected to reduce the fiscal deficit of the governments.

Success of the GeM

• During 2023-24, the total Gross Merchandise Value on the Government e-marketplace was Rs  4 lakh crore as compared to Rs 422 crore in 2016-17.
• More than 12070 product categories and 320 service categories are offered on the portal.
• It has a vast network of more than 1.5 lakh Government buyers and 21 lakh sellers and service providers.
• More than  89421 Panchayats and 760 Cooperatives procure their goods and services through the GeM portal
• Around 50% of the goods and services on the portal have been sourced from marginalized seller segments such as Artisans, weavers, craftsmen, MSEs, especially women-led and SC/STs, Self-Help Groups(SHG), Farmer Procurement Organisations (FPO), and Startups.

Partnership with TCS 

The government of India  has selected the Tata Consultancy Services as a strategic partner to upgrade the electronic infrastructure of the Government e-Marketplace and make  it a world class public procurement platform with improved transparency, efficiency, and greater inclusivity.