GS2 · Governance

GeM turns 10: cumulative GMV over ₹20 lakh crore

Battle IAS current affairs title card: GeM turns 10: cumulative GMV over ₹20 lakh crore (GS2 · Governance, 7 August 2026)
Battle Brief

The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) completes ten years on 9 August 2026, the Commerce Ministry said on 7 August. Cumulative GMV has crossed ₹20 lakh crore through more than 3.78 crore orders. An IIT Delhi study of FY 2023-24 to 2025-26 estimates a net social saving of ₹1,76,411.46 crore. MSEs account for 45.6 per cent of cumulative GMV.

Fact File

Released
7 Aug 2026, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Ten years on
9 Aug 2026
Cumulative GMV
over ₹20 lakh crore; 3.78 crore orders
Annual GMV
₹422 crore (FY 2016-17) to over ₹5 lakh crore (FY 2024-25 and 2025-26)
MSE share
over ₹9.07 lakh crore, 45.6% of cumulative GMV
IIT Delhi study
net social saving ₹1,76,411.46 crore
In the news

GeM’s first decade: what happened?

The first ₹10 lakh crore of orders took GeM more than eight years. The next ₹10 lakh crore came in under two. That speed-up is the story of this release, along with an outside study on how much money the platform saves.

  • Profile-completed sellers grew from 3,339 to 25.45 lakh; buyer organisations from 1,707 to 1.37 lakh.
  • Registered MSEs rose from 2,424 to 12.25 lakh.
  • Over 2.24 lakh women-led MSEs fulfilled orders worth over ₹99,147 crore; 42,242 startups got orders worth over ₹65,633 crore.
  • In a comparison of 101 items with other e-marketplaces, GeM was cheaper for 74.3% of items (spend-weighted saving 13.6%).
  • AI and ML tools look for cartelisation, collusion and order splitting.
Back Story

What did GeM change for sellers?

  • Transaction charge cut from 0.50% to 0.30%.
  • Orders up to ₹10 lakh carry no transaction charge, so 97% of orders pay no fee.
  • Fee capped at ₹3 lakh; vendor assessment fees cut by up to 92%.
  • In an Axis My India survey (interim), 92% of buyers were satisfied and 67% of sellers reported higher business.
Why examiners care

Why does GeM’s first decade matter?

  • Public money: Measured savings strengthen the case for buying through GeM.
  • MSEs: Nearly half of all GeM business has gone to small firms.
Exam Radar

What can Prelims ask on GeM’s first decade?

  • GeM: launched 9 Aug 2016; ten years on 9 Aug 2026.
  • Cumulative GMV over ₹20 lakh crore; MSE share 45.6%.
  • Transaction charge 0.30%; nil up to ₹10 lakh.
  • IIT Delhi study: FY 2023-24 to 2025-26.

How to use this in Mains

GS-II Governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance

  1. As per PIB (2026-08-07): geM completes ten years on 9 Aug 2026 with cumulative GMV above ₹20 lakh crore; an IIT Delhi study estimates ₹1.76 lakh crore net social savings.
  2. GeM makes public buying transparent and opens it to small firms.
Quotable data point

GeM completes ten years on 9 Aug 2026 with cumulative GMV above ₹20 lakh crore.

PIB: Commerce: GeM decade, 7 Aug 2026

Exam angle

UPSC

Prelims: GeM.

Practice MCQs

Original practice questions (not PYQs).

Practice · UPSC

As per the GeM decade release (Aug 2026), Micro and Small Enterprises account for roughly what share of GeM's cumulative GMV?

Answer (c) & explanation

PIB (Commerce), 7 Aug 2026.

Quick questions

Questions students ask about this

How much business has GeM handled?

Cumulative GMV of over ₹20 lakh crore through more than 3.78 crore orders, as of August 2026.

What did the IIT Delhi study find?

A monetised benefit of ₹86,571.69 crore and a net social saving of ₹1,76,411.46 crore over FY 2023-24 to 2025-26.

Which orders are free of GeM transaction charges?

Orders up to ₹10 lakh, which make up 97 per cent of all orders.

Keep studying

Go deeper

Official source: PIB: Commerce: GeM decade, 7 Aug 2026

facts from cited sources only; faculty review pending