SWAYATT COMPLETES 7 YEARS ON GeM
Why in News?
- The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) celebrated seven years of the SWAYATT initiative.
- The initiative aims to promote inclusive public procurement by enabling startups, women entrepreneurs, youth, Self Help Groups (SHGs) and Micro & Small Enterprises (MSEs) to participate in government procurement.
WHAT IS SWAYAT?
- SWAYATT stands for Startups, Women and Youth Advantage through e-Transactions.
- It was launched on 19 February 2019.
- The initiative was designed to democratise government procurement by allowing small and emerging enterprises to sell goods and services directly to government buyers through GeM.
OBJECTIVES OF THE SWAYAT INITIATIVE
- The initiative focuses on solving three major challenges faced by small enterprises:
- Access to Markets
- Access to Finance
- Access to Value Addition
- Through the digital procurement platform of GeM, sellers can directly connect with government departments and public institutions.
- This reduces entry barriers and middlemen in procurement processes.
TARGET BENEFICIARIES
- The SWAYATT initiative supports several groups, including:
- Startups
- Women Entrepreneurs
- Youth Entrepreneurs
- Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs)
- Self Help Groups (SHGs)
- Last-mile sellers in rural areas
- The goal is to ensure greater participation of underrepresented groups in government procurement.
GROWTH OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
- Women-led enterprises have seen significant growth through the platform.
- Key figures:
- Order value increased from ₹1,265 crore in FY 2018–19
- Reached ₹83,323 crore by FY 2025–26
- Order volume increased from:
- 1,01,530 orders to 44,48,894 orders
- This shows the rising participation of women entrepreneurs in government markets.
GROWTH OF STARTUPS ON GeM
- Startups have also benefited greatly from the initiative.
- Key figures:
- Order value increased from ₹497 crore in FY 2018–19
- Reached ₹54,005 crore by FY 2025–26
- Order volume increased from:
- 17,434 orders to 5,30,578 orders
- This reflects the growing role of startups in public procurement.
SPECIAL FEATURES ON GeM SUPPORTING SWAYATT
- GeM has introduced dedicated storefronts to improve visibility of small enterprises.
- Important initiatives include:
- Startup Runway – a special marketplace for startup products and services
- Womaniya – a dedicated platform for women entrepreneurs
- These features help government buyers easily discover innovative and diverse suppliers.
ROLE OF GeM
- GeM is an online platform that enables government organisations to procure goods and services digitally.
- Benefits include:
- Transparency in procurement
- Efficient and faster purchasing
- Direct market access for sellers
- Reduced corruption and middlemen
- It connects lakhs of government buyers with sellers across India.
IMPORTANCE OF SWAYATT INITIATIVE
The initiative has helped:
- Promote inclusive economic participation
- Support women and startup entrepreneurship
- Increase digital participation in public procurement
- Create opportunities for grassroots enterprises
- It shows how technology-driven procurement systems can expand economic opportunities.
CONCLUSION
The SWAYATT initiative, launched through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), has significantly improved access to government procurement for startups, women entrepreneurs and small enterprises. With over ₹83,000 crore orders by women entrepreneurs and more than ₹54,000 crore orders by startups, the initiative demonstrates how digital platforms can make public procurement more inclusive, transparent and accessible, supporting India’s broader goal of inclusive economic growth.
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