The procurement of goods and services through government's portal GeM has crossed Rs 4 lakh crore so far this fiscal due to higher buying activities by various ministries and departments, a senior government official said on Friday.

The Government e-Market (GeM) portal was launched on August 9, 2016, for online purchases of goods and services by all central government ministries and departments.

"As of March 28, the procurement has crossed Rs 4 lakh crore. It is historic," GeM CEO P K Singh told reporters here.

He said that defence sector buyers are buying several goods and services from the platform.

"Assembly of BrahMos missile is being done through GeM as a service contract. In defence, right from supplying eggs up to the missile parts is being done through the portal," Singh said.

In 2021-22 the procurement value stood at Rs 1.06 lakh crore and it crossed Rs 2 lakh crore last financial year.

He said that procurement of services from the portal has jumped from Rs 66,000 crore in 2022-23 to Rs 2.05 lakh crore so far this fiscal.

Similarly, goods worth Rs 1.95 lakh crore have been bought from the platform till March 28 this fiscal.

About the possibility of opening up the portal for consumer at large, Singh said that is a very different ecosystem altogether.

"Yes we will be mulling over, we are preparing for that, we should be prepared for that if the government so desires. If feasible, if practical, we will do a small pilot in this area as well in the coming years, if the approvals are in place," he said.

He informed that several countries from Africa and South East Asia are showing keen interest in GeM.

"We can provide consultancy services also and can also set up similar platform for them. We have queries from several quarters. They have seen and studied our systems," Singh added.

He added that they want to develop GeM as a unified procurement portal of the country.

Currently, only goods and services are allowed on the platform and "we want to include works contract also and if it will come, it will be a big hit", he said.

Further, he said that a dedicated page for election related goods and services like catering and webcasting services are there on the portal.

About engagement with states, he said states/Union Territories such as Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Odisha, Bihar, Assam, and Uttarakhand have placed significant procurement orders in the current fiscal.

"The contribution made by central entities including ministries and CPSEs has also greatly spurred the procurement. These organizations have contributed to nearly 85 per cent of this Rs 4 lakh crore milestone," he said, adding, ministries such as coal, power, petroleum and their subsidiaries have emerged as the highest procuring entities at the central level.

GeM has over 1.5 lakh government buyers and over 62 lakh sellers and service providers offering a wide range of products and services.

Currently, government departments, ministries, public sector units, state governments, and central armed police forces are allowed to carry out transactions through this portal.

The portal provides a wide range of products from office stationery to vehicles. Automobiles, computers and office furniture are some of the major product categories.

Services, including transportation, hiring of helicopter services, logistics, waste management, webcasting and analytical, are listed on the portal.

South Korea's KONEPS is the largest such platform in the world. GeM stands at the third position after Singapore's GeBIZ.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.