New Delhi [India], January 15 (ANI): The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) marked seven years of its flagship Womaniya initiative, a programme designed to strengthen the participation of women-led Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) in public procurement.

'Aligned with national priorities such as Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Make in India and Vocal for Local, the Womaniya initiative reflects the Government's commitment to gender-inclusive economic growth and demonstrates how policy, platforms and partnerships can work together to transform participation into prosperity,' a release said.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, as of January 14, more than two lakh women-led MSEs are registered on the GeM portal. These enterprises secured public procurement orders exceeding Rs 80,000 crore, representing 4.7 per cent of the total order value on GeM, since its inception on January 14, 2019.

This figure surpasses the mandated three per cent procurement target for women-owned and women-led enterprises. The initiative aims to address limited market access for women entrepreneurs and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) by providing a transparent and fully digital interface that eliminates intermediaries and reduces entry barriers.

Chief Executive Officer of GeM, Mihir Kumar, stated that the programme has emerged as a flagship initiative enabling women-led enterprises to scale their businesses through resilience and credibility. He noted that policy-enabled digital procurement through the GeM portal 'played a key role in nurturing women entrepreneurship and advancing gender inclusion in public procurement.'

Kumar further emphasised the importance of 'price discovery and product comparison for government buyers' and the need for entrepreneurs to understand procurement patterns and Government Financial Rules (GFR).

The commemorative event, held at Jeevan Bharti Building in New Delhi, included addresses by Joint Secretary (SME), Ministry of MSME, Mercy Epao; Chief of Staff, UN Resident Coordinator's Office, Radhika Kaul Batra; and Country Programme Manager, UN Women India, Suhela Khan.

The speakers focused on the necessity of institutional access, capability building, and sustained policy support. They also underscored the need for promoting gender-responsive public procurement to advance women's economic participation.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between GeM and the Women's Collective Forum (WCF) to strengthen institutional support. Additional Chief Executive Officer, GeM, Ajit B Chavan, and Chief Community Officer, WCF, Richa Sharma, signed the agreement.

The partnership focuses on building awareness of business-to-government opportunities, supporting onboarding, documentation, and product listing, and enhancing participation through structured training and field-level coordination. (ANI)