Agartala: The Tripura government has been recognised by the Centre for its sustained push towards digital and transparent public procurement through the Government e‑Marketplace (GeM), officials reported on Tuesday. The state received the accolade in the GeM Sustained Adoption category during GeM’s 10th anniversary event at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
What was awarded and who accepted it
Tripura’s citation was accepted by Dr Akinchan Sarkar, Additional Secretary, Finance Department, Government of Tripura, who received the honour from Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, according to Northeast Today.
The event brought together senior officials, including Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Telecommunications S. Krishnan and GeM CEO Maher Kumar, along with representatives of central and state governments and other public procurement stakeholders.
Why the recognition matters
The award highlights the state’s steady increase in government purchases routed through the GeM platform. Adoption of GeM is intended to boost transparency, efficiency and value for money in public procurement by standardising vendor onboarding, catalogue-based buying and online tendering.
For Tripura the recognition signals progress on three practical fronts:
- Administrative efficiency: more departments using a single online portal for routine purchases reduces paperwork and manual delays.
- Auditability and transparency: online records create an auditable trail, limiting scope for discretionary practices.
- Market access for suppliers: GeM provides a platform where registered sellers can bid for government contracts, widening competition.
Officials’ stated intent and next steps
Tripura’s government said it would continue to strengthen GeM usage across departments with a focus on efficient and transparent procurement through digital platforms, the report added. No new targets or timelines were announced at the ceremony.
Officials at the event emphasised that sustained adoption requires ongoing training of state buyers, improvements in catalogue management, and technical integration with state financial systems—measures that help convert the platform’s features into measurable savings for exchequers and better compliance.
Attendance and significance at the national event
GeM’s 10th anniversary celebration offered a forum for states to compare progress and for central ministries to highlight best practices in digital procurement. The presence of senior central executives and the GeM leadership underlined the platform’s prominence in the government’s wider e‑governance agenda.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Award | GeM Sustained Adoption |
| Occasion | GeM 10th anniversary, Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi |
| Tripura representative | Dr Akinchan Sarkar, Additional Secretary, Finance Department |
| Union dignitary | Piyush Goyal, Union Commerce and Industry Minister |
What this means for businesses and citizens in Tripura
Wider adoption of GeM typically expands access for registered small and medium enterprises to supply government departments, potentially increasing order flows for local sellers who complete vendor registration and meet catalogue norms. For citizens, improved procurement discipline can translate into better service delivery and more prudent use of public funds.
Traders and local suppliers interested in engaging with government purchases are advised to check GeM’s onboarding criteria, maintain up‑to‑date product catalogues and require support from industry associations or the state procurement cell for training on bid submission and compliance.
Context: GeM’s role in public procurement
Launched as a centralised online procurement platform, GeM aims to replace fragmented purchasing processes with a unified digital marketplace for government buyers and sellers. Recognition for sustained adoption indicates not only that a state has increased transactional volume on the platform but also that it has pursued organisational steps to mainstream digital procurement.
Tripura’s acknowledgement at the national event places it among other state and central entities that the GeM leadership singled out for progress. The state has committed to deepen usage across departments, a move that procurement analysts say should be accompanied by capacity building and closer monitoring to realise measurable fiscal gains.
Details of Tripura’s procurement volumes through GeM, departmental adoption rates and any estimated savings were not disclosed in the report from the event.
