1-Apr-2023: Piyush Goyal lauds GeM crossing Gross Merchandise Value of ₹2 lakh crore in 2022–23
In the financial year 2022-2023, procurement of goods and services from government portal Government e Marketplace (GeM) has crossed the Rs 2 lakh crore mark. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal highlighted the role of GeM as a digital tool in the public and national interest.
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Shri Piyush Goyal congratulated GeM and its strong ecosystem of buyers and sellers, whose unwavering support has been pivotal towards achieving this historic feat. The Minister added that the Prime Minister desires that the Government departments run at the highest levels of integrity and transparency, with participation of people from the remotest corners of the country and enables women entrepreneurs, startups and the MSME sector to participate in a fair and equitable manner in government procurements.
After the GeM portal was launched in 2017, business worth about Rs 400 crore was done, and in the second year, GeM did business of about Rs 5800 crore. The business through GeM has grown from around Rs 35000 crore two years ago and tripled last year to Rs 1 lakh 6 thousand crores, the Minister informed. Growing to Rs 2 lakh crores in 5 years shows that this experiment of the Prime Minister has been successful, he further stated.
India has crossed total exports of 750 billion dollars for the financial year 2022-23 and the final figure is expected to cross 765 billion dollars.
As on 31st March 2023, GeM has recorded a staggering ₹ 2 lakh crore of Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) in FY 2022-23. Cumulatively, GeM has surpassed the ₹ 3.9 lakh crore GMV since inception, with the overwhelming support of its stakeholders. The total number of transactions on GeM has also crossed 1.47 crore. GeM is catering to the diverse procurement needs of over 67,000 government buyer organisations. The portal features over 11,700 product categories with more than 32 lakh listed products, as well as over 280 service categories with more than 2.8 lakh service offerings. Based on various studies, the minimum savings on the platform are about 10%, which translates into a savings of ~ ₹ 40,000 crore worth of public money.
16-Mar-2023: Border Roads Organisation opens strategic Zoji La Pass after a closure of only 68 days
Border Roads Organisation (BRO) opened strategic Zojila Pass on the Greater Himalayan Range on 16 March 2023. The pass at 11,650 feet which acts as a gateway between Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir was kept open for traffic till January 06, 2023 through relentless snow clearance operations amidst tough weather conditions, ensuring that the Pass remained closed for only 68 days this year as compared to 73 days last year and 160-180 days in the yesteryears.
Since the first week of February, 2023, the snow clearance operations were undertaken from both sides of the pass by Project Beacon and Vijayak, located in J&K and Ladakh respectively. After sustained efforts, the connectivity across Zoji La Pass was initially established on March 11, 2023. Thereafter, efforts were made to improve the road conditions to create safe passage of vehicles.
Likewise, Razdan Pass which provides the only road connectivity between the Gurez Sector and the Kashmir Valley has also been successfully reopened on 16 Mar 2023 after a gap of just 58 days. Other important passes at Sadhna, Pharkiyan Gali and Zamindar Gali have been kept open throughout the winter season.
Speaking on the occasion, Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry, VSM, DGBR commended the Karamyogis of Project Beacon and Project Vijayak in achieving this feat. Early opening of the Zojila and Razdan Passes will facilitate augmentation of supply of essential goods and services for people of Ladakh and Gurez Valley.
13-Mar-2023: Recycled steel used in different sectors
The total quantity of recycled steel used in various sectors including construction, automobile and infrastructure sectors etc., in the country is approximately 30 Million Tonnes (MT).
The overall utilization of the steel scrap in the steel sector in India is around 25% of the input material used.
Material Recycling Association of India has organized conferences with recyclers all around the world to provide them to come together on a common platform. It helps in bringing business to India and generates awareness regarding recycling and its positive impact on environment.