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Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
From Rs 422 cr to Rs 5.43-lakh cr: A Government ‘startup experiment' is redefining public procurement
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Government e-Marketplace, the platform for India's small and medium enterprises to sell to the government, has seen tremendous growth in terms of GMV (Gross Merchandise Value), number of sellers as well as leveraging technology to optimise the public procurement ecosystem. In an interaction with ET Digital, Ajit B Chavan , Additional CEO and Chief Seller Officer at GeM talks about how the organisation aims to onboard more Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) through partnerships and programs and its entrance into the state and regional excerpts:GeM is a startup experiment of the government of India. Our GMV in 2016 was Rs 422 crores in 2016, we have reached Rs 5.43 lakh crores in the last financial year and it is ever growing. So in terms of GMV, it has really multiplied more than 1000 times. We have also reached about a good amount of inroads into three tiers of governments, that is the central government and its organisations, as well as the state governments and the local we are very conscious about the fact that there is a huge number of MSEs available in the market who might be wanting to do business with GeM, and we are not satisfied with the numbers that we have. So yes, we are trying to take proactive steps towards onboarding them in terms of aligning with various MSME and MSE organisations and associations. So they are our MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) partners, and we are having regular meetings and workshops with them to ensure that more and more MSEs come. We also have a very good working relationship and collaborations with the Ministry of MSME, where we do combined programs to ensure that you know not only MSEs, but women-led MSEs, SC/ST-led MSEs, startups, divyang and other weavers, artisans, all of them, as part of our inclusion mandate, are on board with the GeM Sahay app has been a transformative intervention at GeM. We had done a pilot, and we now rolled out the India skill program. Its official launch is also awaited. The idea is small ticket loans, collateral free for the proprietors currently. Later on, the length and breadth of the program will involve all the sellers of the platform. The endeavour is to give a collateral free short ticket and short duration loan of up to Rs 10 lakh within 10 minutes time, preferably at very competitive rates. So the impact would actually be very far reaching when the India skill program is launched in terms of empowering the small MSEs to participate in more and more bids onto the are in the process of onboarding as many lending partners as possible. It works on the highest level of FinTech architecture. There is also a specific focus on the banking partners, so that the cost of lending comes down and more beneficiaries are being on board. So once you have beneficiaries who are willing to take up this program, and when there are lenders who are willing to lend onto the platform, it's one step closer to the empowerment of micro and small is basic economics, it is about the seller base. The larger the seller base, the more the supply, the more competitive is the pricing. So there are studies which say every additional seller in a bit reduces the price by 0.5%. So that is point number one. Then there is a healthy mix of technology tools- Lot of business analytics, AI/ML (Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning) use cases have been deployed to ensure that price discovery is optimum. It is a democratic place. So more and more sellers from across the country are able to participate. And by virtue of that, and by virtue also of technology, in terms of breaking the buyer-seller collision, we are able to provide a very good pricing to our customers, that are our buyers. And very conservative, documented estimates say that at least 10% savings has been accrued to our buyers. So if we are talking about a cumulative GMV of Rs 14 lakh crores, you can just imagine the kind of impact in terms of cost efficiencies that this platform has been able to bring whatever is required for the buyers to make a very informed decision, be it in terms of what has been the price at which the product or a similar product that has been transacted on the platform? or what is the price at which, in certain cases, the price at which this similar product is available outside of the marketplace? That information has been made available using advanced analytics. It's a continuous, ongoing work. We have come out with a very interactive chat bot, where a lot of queries, a lot of resolutions would be done by the chat bot. So this chat bot is available in about 12 Indian languages and the idea is basically to empower the chat bot to make it so good and user-friendly to enable more interfacing. Be it buyer or seller, just make best use of technology for their day-to-day if you are referring to the Land Border Sharing Declaration, which came into being in 2020, then yes, it has, it has definitely helped in terms of propelling the Make in India, philosophy of the government. In terms of sellers, it does mean that seller has to go through a certain amount of scrutiny to ensure that they are in compliance with the land border sharing, in terms of, control of ownership, where the established sellers are incorporated, and we make sure that we have mechanism on the platform where we ensure that this important policy is implemented we are moving towards a unified public procurement, largest unified public procurement, end-to-end platform. Towards that, we are required to integrate with a huge number of databases, huge number of buyer ERPs (Enterprise Resource Planning). Currently, if I am not mistaken, we have almost 75 integrations to create innovation, be it integrations with the Aadhaar database, PAN database, or MCA database or BIS database, or even ERPs of certain important Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). So this is an ongoing course, this is an ongoing business. This is an ongoing pitch, also for the government of India and its organisations. It's not mandatory yet but we have a pitch made to all the states. All the states have signed up MOUs with us. We have also added cooperatives as a buyer. We are continuously in touch with our buyers. We have nominated senior level officers who will go into the states, and this year, we'll probably have a much more extensive outreach with our stakeholders, especially other than the central government a very basic level, if you just imagine the amount of paper we have saved through our online procurement system and the amount of carbon footprint it would have generated otherwise. We processed about 72 lakh orders last year. A good number of them are bids. And it has been happening for eight years. We take our responsibility towards sustainability very seriously. We are in touch with the MOEF (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) as other standard making bodies so that we can introduce more and more sustainable year our focus would be more on the state outreach. So states are going to be a very important integral part of our GMV growth business. Of course, CPSE (Central Public Centre Enterprises) and the central government account for almost a majority of our GMV. So then the next step is the local self governments. Then we are also trying to get more and more cooperative buyers. Apart from that, we are trying to see if we can give more modalities of purchase and then add rate contract. So probably three, five years down the line, we would emerge as the world's largest public procurement World MSME Day , on June 27, 2025, ET Digital will also open registrations for its sixth edition of the ET MSME Awards 2025. The coveted award programme celebrates India's top MSMEs for their achievements and contribution to the nation's economic development.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
‘Namaskar from Space': Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla beams message from Axiom-4
Read more on ► Subscribe to ET Digital for the latest video updates. It's free! - 'Namaskar from Space': Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla beams message from Axiom-4
Time of India
17-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Air travel is inherently stressful, want to reduce passenger anxiety: Hoi's Dhruv Godara
Hoi was started as a travel-tech platform to revolutionise the airport experience for modern travellers. Launched initially in 2018 as a B2B platform, it evolved into a comprehensive airport concierge and was relaunched in 2023 with enhanced features. Hoi played a pivotal role during the COVID-19 pandemic by enabling contactless airport operations through an omnichannel presence spanning mobile app, website, and airport kiosks/tablets. In a conversation with ET Digital, Dhruv Godora, Deputy CEO, Hoi says since its relaunch, the platform has offered a range of smart solutions designed to ensure seamless and stress-free journeys. Currently operational across major airports across India, including Delhi, Goa, and Hyderabad, Godora says the platform transforms traditional airport processes into efficient digital experiences. Edited excerpts. The Economic Times: What is the idea behind starting Hoi and when did it start? Dhruv Godara (DG): At Hoi, we are trying to aggregate door-to-door services for an air traveller's journey meaningfully. Starting first with digitalising services at the airport and then radially spanning on both sides of it — from planning your travels, to the subsequent booking of travel, and guiding you on how to get to the airport, getting you to the airport, and then your experience beyond. It's about enhancing the traveller's experience from their point of departure to their destination, aggregating the entire value chain and putting it onto a single platform. It essentially becomes a super app for air travellers, which is our core vision. This comes from the insight that air travel is inherently stressful. You need to arrive hours in advance, go through security checks–it's not like regular travel. We saw an opportunity in the increasing digital penetration to reduce passenger anxiety by offering them a platform that simplifies their journey. Live Events Currently operational across major airports across India, including Delhi, Goa, and Hyderabad, Godora says the platform transforms traditional airport processes into efficient digital experiences. Once passengers engage with the platform, it reduces stress, making them more open to exploring other services. For example, we can offer e-commerce features like pre-ordering items, making it more comfortable to commerce at the airport. Our approach creates value for airports, the air travel ecosystem, and passengers alike. We launched our first product in 2020, just before the COVID wave hit. That period brought an immediate need for digitised commerce at airports, and we adapted our concept accordingly. ET: What do you mean by commerce within the airport? DG: Commerce within the airport includes services like food and beverages (F&B) and booking COVID tests. These were powered by Hoi during that time. Luckily, we had already onboarded the GMR Group of airports as a client, and we offered to digitise everything for them without affecting the commerce at the airport. Passengers could order F&B on the platform and collect it from outlets without direct contact. This started generating significant volume, with about 1,500–1,600 orders per day initially. Now we handle upwards of 2,000–3,000 orders daily across categories. ET: How did the focus expand beyond the airport? DG: After digitising airport services, we realised the need to extend our services beyond the airport. To create a larger impact, we started focusing on engaging travellers before they even arrive at the airport. This includes helping users plan itineraries, then subsequently book those itineraries, track flights, and navigate to the airport. Slowly and steadily, we are aggregating services across the entire travel spectrum. For planning itineraries, we are starting with flights and gradually expanding to travel planning. For example, if someone is travelling to Dubai, we will guide them on attractions and help plan their journey. By the end of the year, we aim to introduce the first AI-powered travel agent in the industry. Users will simply share their destination, budget, and dates, and the platform will generate a customised itinerary, allowing them to pick, choose, and book everything directly. We will source supply from various providers, but the core engine and intelligence is ours. ET: So, you run on the premise that airport services are fragmented and want to consolidate all of it into an app. What other technological aspects are you working on for airports like F&B? DG: Almost everything at the airport can be digitalised. Beyond F&B and retail, we are working on features like guided navigation within the airport. For example, users can find the nearest lounge or restroom through smart maps on our platform. Additionally, we are aggregating cab services and other transport options onto the platform, which is expected to roll out in the next quarter. ET: What are the challenges in expanding to new airports and what is your relationship with the GMR Group? DG: Each airport has its own set of systems and infrastructure. Integration is a challenge as we need to work with their flight operations database, IT infrastructure, and other unique setups. For instance, GMR Group provides access to Delhi, Hyderabad, and New Goa airports, and in the future, it will be Nagpur and Visakhapatnam as well, but integrating with other airports requires significant effort to align with their infrastructure and systems. GMR Group is our client. They onboarded us in 2020 to manage their passenger experience platform, and we have been working with them since. ET: How has Hoi funded its operation and what is the tech that powers the platform? DG: We are a bootstrapped company. Our initial contract with GMR Group gave us the runway to develop and deliver our services. Hoi operates on a microservices architecture, making it modular and scalable. We launch each vertical as a microservice, allowing seamless cross-platform integration. Our platform can power kiosks, mobile apps, and third-party websites, enabling flexibility and distribution. For example, we have partnered with OTA platforms to extend our reach. ET: What are your user numbers and engagements? How has the app performed? DG: Currently, we have a user base of over 1.5 million, with 1.3 lakh app downloads. While I can't comment on transaction numbers, these figures highlight the platform's traction. You can access the services through our partners, the airport kiosk, or the airport's website, besides the app. It's all a single backend in the background. ET: How do you address the challenges of entering the aviation sector? What challenges do you face when expanding to new places like Nagpur and Visakhapatnam and what kind of information do you need from airports? DG: In the aviation industry, there are strict regulations, and acquiring airport partnerships requires engaging in formal bidding processes and conducting extensive due diligence. When it comes to expansion, it's largely about integrations. Each airport has its own systems, and we need to integrate with multiple components like their operational database to access flight schedules. We also work with the airport's IT infrastructure, which varies significantly. For example, some airports are not fully digitalised. We first need to assess their digital readiness and then integrate our platform with their systems. This process can be time-consuming, as maintaining these integrations is equally challenging. The information that we need from airports includes flight-related data points such as boarding gates and schedule updates, which are typically available only through the airport or airlines. Additionally, for e-commerce aggregation at airports, we need to push passenger orders to the airport's IT system so they can track and report them. All these integrations take considerable time to implement effectively. ET: Why should users choose Hoi over others? You also mentioned a travel itinerary as a future prospect. What other plans do you have? DG: Hoi integrates all travel-related services into one app, eliminating the need for users to switch between multiple platforms. This convenience and meaningful aggregation set us apart. Beyond the travel itinerary, our future services include, flight and hotel bookings, aggregating car providers to facilitate airport transfers, enhancing services within the airport, such as lounge access, meeting resources, and enabling Wi-Fi connections through the platform and post-arrival services, like providing smart baggage trackers that allow real-time tracking of luggage. We're also working on partnerships for lost and found solutions, similar to item-tracking technologies like Apple's AirTags. ET: What are some best practices from international airports that you'd like to replicate in India? DG: Some of the best airports globally, like Singapore's Changi, are digitally advanced. They aggregate all their services in a user-friendly and discoverable way. For instance, Changi and Schiphol excel at digital aggregation, where passengers can easily find and access services. Zurich Airport also stands out in making passenger services seamlessly accessible. Our aim is to replicate this approach for Indian airports, making services digitally aggregated, easily discoverable, and eventually scaling this model internationally.
Economic Times
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
‘This is Terroristan, not just Pakistan': Jaishankar slams EU's stand during Operation Sindoor
India's EAM S. Jaishankar, speaking in Brussels, hit back at Europe's calls for restraint, urging them not to preach security to India. He labeled Pakistan as 'Terroristan' and stressed zero tolerance for terrorism. His remarks follow EU comments during Operation Sindoor, warning against falling for nuclear blackmail.► Subscribe to ET Digital for the latest video updates. It's free! - More Videos @ ETTV - For business news on the go, download ET app: ET on:► Facebook - ► Twitter - LinkedIn - Instagram - Show more 02:05 01:54 03:05 02:10 06:56 02:13 01:46 04:42 03:33 03:52 01:57 10:21 03:21 03:06 04:27 04:51 01:50 01:54 04:10 02:46 03:02 05:44 09:11 32:01 10:19 02:16 03:13 11:01 03:10 08:06 20:07 03:23 05:30 02:35 02:01 03:04 05:58
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
‘This is Terroristan, not just Pakistan': Jaishankar slams EU's stand during Operation Sindoor
India's EAM S. Jaishankar, speaking in Brussels, hit back at Europe's calls for restraint, urging them not to preach security to India. He labeled Pakistan as 'Terroristan' and stressed zero tolerance for terrorism. His remarks follow EU comments during Operation Sindoor, warning against falling for nuclear blackmail.► Subscribe to ET Digital for the latest video updates. It's free! - More Videos @ ETTV - For business news on the go, download ET app: ET on:► Facebook - ► Twitter - LinkedIn - Instagram - Show more Show less
