Govt keen to use AI in GeM to make it more effective: Goyal

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said the Centre is keen to use Artificial Intelligence in the Government e-Marketplace procurement process to make it more effective and sought industry cooperation to achieve this.

The commerce and industry minister also asked the industry to share if they are facing any issues of harassment and stressed that these would be openly addressed. “Goyal remarked that our TRP in public procurement is: Trust, Reliability and Prosperity. He mentioned that Government is keen to use Artificial Intelligence in GeM procurement process to make it more effective and sought industry cooperation to that end,” the commerce ministry said in a statement.

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Goyal urged the industry to play the role of whistleblower in instances of the wrong declaration in terms of indigenisation of products put up on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM). This would help in transparency in the procurement process, which encourages domestically made goods and services, the minister said. “Goyal remarked that our TRP in public procurement is: Trust, Reliability and Prosperity. He mentioned that Government is keen to use Artificial Intelligence in the GeM procurement process to make it more effective and sought industry cooperation to that end,” the commerce ministry said in a statement.

Recalling one of the 5 prans given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address, Goyal spoke about getting rid of the colonial mindset and stated that the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) will engage with the Industry to ensure the use of domestic standards in various sectors of manufacturing. He was speaking at the inauguration of the “Conclave on Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order, 2017” here to sensitise stakeholders about the order.

Addressing the conclave, the minister expressed confidence in the capability of the local industry and congratulated them for their active participation in this growth journey. The “Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order, 2017 (PPP-MII Order, 2017)” has been issued pursuant to Rule 153 (iii) of General Financial Rules, 2017 as an enabling provision to promote the local industry by providing them preference in public procurement.

The order is applicable to the procurement of goods, services and works by central ministries/departments, their attached/ subordinate offices, autonomous bodies controlled by the Centre, government companies, their joint ventures and special purpose vehicles.