FICCI FLO, under the leadership of the 42nd National President of FLO, Ms. Poonam Sharma, hosted a virtual session, “How To Use The GeM Portal Effectively To Grow Your Business,” focusing on guiding members about registering and listing products and services on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal. Officials from the GeM ministry, Mr. Anurag Avasti, Chief Manager, Ms. Jyoti Bajpai, and Ms. Dipti Chaudhry, joined the interactive session to interact and guide FLO members.
This virtual session was organized under the FLO MSME Assist cell, led by National Initiative Head, Ms. Sucheta N Shah, and co-chair Ms. Ruby Garg. Known for her entrepreneurial efforts, Ms. Poonam Sharma talked about the importance of the GeM portal in boosting business growth. She stated that the Government e-Marketplace is crucial for women entrepreneurs to do business with government ministries, departments, and PSUs.
Their online portal provides a transparent, efficient, and inclusive marketplace for participating in government procurement and secure orders across sectors. It is suitable for MSMEs, women entrepreneurs, and startups in India. More than 2 lakh women-owned MSEs are currently active on the GeM portal and have secured cumulative orders worth Rs. 78,066 crore.
The collaboration between FICCI FLO & GeM facilitated access to government procurement opportunities for the attendees. Ms. Jyoti and Ms. Dipti provided insights into the GeM portal’s features, registration process, onboarding support, product and service listing, bidding, and maintaining compliance for new users.
The government e-marketplace has increased women’s participation in public procurement through initiatives, such as Womaniya. It focuses on onboarding, training, and improving access to procurement opportunities for women entrepreneurs and startup owners. Ms. Jyoti urged FLO members to register through the Womaniya portal after fulfilling document requirements and product listing.
Women entrepreneurs and other business owners can list their goods and services on GeM, as per different categories such as electronics, IT (laptops, desktops), medical equipment, furniture, stationery, home decor, catering services, financial services, general goods, logistics, and much more. Also, the GeM portal is like a one-stop shop for bidding, dynamic pricing, and a strong vendor rating system.
Ms. Jyoti and Ms. Dipti revealed that individuals with existing marketplaces and e-commerce websites can register as service providers on GeM.
Sellers should submit their Aadhar card, PAN number, GST details, email ID, and mobile number to successfully register with GeM. After registration, a seller needs to go through other stages, such as profile application, vendor assessment, brand approval, cataloguing, and applying for tenders to sell directly to government buyers.
At the end of the session, Ms Jyoti and Ms. Dipti shared their contact details with attendees and encouraged them to connect with them for further assistance. Also, FLO members will receive help from the GeM officials through a dedicated WhatsApp group.
More than 75 attendees became a part of this insightful session about using the GeM portal for business growth. This virtual session is a testament to FICCI FLO’s mission towards economic and social empowerment of women by promoting entrepreneurship and professional excellence.