The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) marked six years of its SWAYATT initiative, highlighting its role in empowering startups, women entrepreneurs, and young business owners in public procurement.
Launched in 2019, SWAYATT has been instrumental in increasing the participation of women-led enterprises and small-scale businesses in government contracts.
The initiative is rooted in GeM’s commitment to social inclusion, ensuring that startups, micro and small enterprises (MSEs), self-help groups (SHGs), and young entrepreneurs, especially from marginalised sections, have direct market access.
It aims to enhance ease of doing business and simplify government procurement for these groups. Over the years, SWAYATT has focused on training and onboarding last-mile sellers, fostering women entrepreneurship, and encouraging small businesses to compete in the public sector.
As part of the celebration, GeM signed an agreement with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry Ladies Organisation (FICCI-FLO), a national forum representing over 9,500 women entrepreneurs.
This partnership seeks to provide direct access for women entrepreneurs to government buyers, eliminating the need for intermediaries.
The collaboration is expected to improve pricing, create local employment opportunities, and promote inclusive growth. By offering training, onboarding, and market linkages, the initiative aims to boost competition and maximise value addition in public spending.
At the time of SWAYATT’s launch, only around 6,300 women-led enterprises and 3,400 startups were part of the GeM platform. Today, the number has expanded significantly, reflecting the initiative’s success.
GeM CEO L Satya Srinivas highlighted that addressing key challenges such as market access, financing, and value addition has been central to the platform’s growth.
He noted that startups on GeM have completed orders worth ₹35,950 crore, while women entrepreneurs make up 8 per cent of the total sellers on the platform. Currently, 1,77,786 Udyam-verified women micro and small enterprises are registered, fulfilling orders worth ₹46,615 crore.
FICCI-FLO President Joyashree Das Verma spoke about the transformative role of digital platforms like GeM in providing opportunities for women entrepreneurs. She emphasised the importance of training, outreach, and mobilisation to expand the reach of GeM among women-led enterprises.
Through this partnership, women entrepreneurs are expected to gain better visibility and access to government contracts, strengthening their market presence.
SWAYATT has introduced dedicated storefronts such as "Startup Runway" and "Womaniya," which help startups and women entrepreneurs gain visibility among government buyers.
By breaking down traditional entry barriers, the platform now supports over 29,000 startups, offering them significant business opportunities in the government sector.
GeM has set an ambitious target of onboarding one lakh startups registered under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). It envisions becoming a dynamic marketplace for startups in public procurement.
The platform is also working towards doubling the number of women entrepreneurs and increasing their share in overall government procurement from the current 3.78 per cent.
Through collaborations, training programmes, and capacity-building efforts, GeM aims to create a more inclusive economic ecosystem.
By engaging last-mile women entrepreneurs, farmer producer organisations (FPOs), SHGs, cooperatives, and micro-businesses, the platform seeks to enhance participation in public procurement.
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