In the monthly radio programme, ‘Mann ki Baat’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Indian farmers, small entrepreneurs, MSME sector, weavers, engineers and artisans and said that reaching the unprecedented target of US $400 billion or ₹30 lakh crore worth of exports was possible only due to their hard work.
PM Modi also lauded the collective efforts of small businesses of India and said that they are playing a major partnership role in public procurement via Government e-Marketplace or GeM.
Prime Minister made a call for ‘local for global’ in his Mann ki Baat programme which was broadcasted on March 27, 2022. Praising the nation for crossing the exports target figure of ₹30 lakh crore, Modi said that although achieving the target for merchandise exports may seem like a matter related to the economy, more than the economy, it was related to the capability of India and the potential of India.
He said “Today, India has reached US $400 billion. In a way, this means the demand for items made in India is increasing all over the world. Another meaning is that the supply chain of India is getting stronger by the day,’’ the PM said. The Prime Minister had earlier called the achievement of reaching the export target a ‘key milestone in our Aatmanirbhar Bharat journey.’ The merchandise export target increased by 37 percent during FY 22 (April 2021- March 2022) from US $292 billion in FY21, according to government data. It is interesting to note that about half of India’s exports come from the MSME sector which the government plans to take to 60 percent by FY 25.
In the latest episode of the Mann ki Baat programme, PM Modi also highlighted the success of GeM or Government e-Marketplace portal as during the past year, the government had purchased items worth more than ₹1 lakh crore through the portal and even small entrepreneurs were playing a major partnership role in procurement through the portal.
PM Modi said in his talk that “Around 1.25 lakh small entrepreneurs and small shopkeepers from every corner of the country have sold their goods directly to the government. There was a time when only big companies could sell goods to the government…Now even the smallest of shopkeepers can sell one’s goods to the government on the GeM portal.’’
What is the GeM Portal?
According to Vikaspedia, Government e-Marketplace (GeM) was launched in 2016 and is a one-stop portal to facilitate online procurement of common use Goods & Services required by various Government Departments / Organizations / PSUs. GeM aims to enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement. It provides the tools of e-bidding, reverse e-auction and demand aggregation to facilitate the government users to achieve the best value for their money.
GeM currently has 40 lakh sellers and nearly 60,000 buyers with 97.52 lakh orders processed with a transaction value of ₹2.20 lakh crore so far.
PM Modi had also tweeted earlier that the GeM platform is especially empowering MSMEs, with 57 percent of order value coming from the MSME sector.
Modi called the farmers, artisans, weavers, engineers, small entrepreneurs, MSME sector the basis of its (India’s manufacturing) strength and accredited the success of Make in India to them. He also appealed to businesses and individuals to make the local ‘global’ and augment the prestige of the products further.
Mentioning goods such as leather products from Hailakandi in Assam, handloom products from Osmanabad, fruits and vegetables from Bijapur, black rice from Chandauli, Prime Minister said that the export of all of these goods is increasing and mentioned that an array of new products were being sent to new countries.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the need for yoga and cleanliness and urged children to take up water conservation issues on a war footing. The Prime Minister also called upon every citizen to make his contribution towards saving every drop of water.
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