Celebrating Six Years of SWAYATT Initiative
The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) recently celebrated the sixth anniversary of its SWAYATT initiative, which stands for Startups, Women & Youth Advantage through eTransactions. The event took place at GeM’s headquarters in New Delhi on February 19, 2025. Launched in 2019, SWAYATT aims to enhance the participation of women-led enterprises and youth in public procurement. This initiative is part of GeM’s broader commitment to social inclusion and aims to simplify the business landscape for startups, women entrepreneurs, and micro and small enterprises (MSEs).
Objectives and Impact of SWAYATT
SWAYATT was designed with a clear mission: to invigorate the participation of women and youth in public procurement. The initiative focuses on creating direct market linkages for these groups, particularly those from underprivileged backgrounds. By facilitating training and onboarding for last-mile sellers, SWAYATT aims to develop women entrepreneurship and encourage small-scale businesses to engage in government procurement.
Since its inception, SWAYATT has made significant strides. Initially, only about 6,300 women-led enterprises and 3,400 startups were registered on the GeM platform. Today, the numbers have grown exponentially. The initiative has successfully addressed challenges related to market access, finance, and value addition, enabling startups to fulfill orders worth ₹35,950 Crore. Women entrepreneurs now represent 8% of the total seller base on GeM, with 1,77,786 Udyam-verified women MSEs registered on the platform, collectively fulfilling orders worth ₹46,615 Crore.
Partnership with FICCI-FLO
On the anniversary, GeM signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry Ladies Organisation (FICCI-FLO). This partnership aims to provide women entrepreneurs with direct access to government buyers, eliminating intermediaries. By doing so, GeM hopes to ensure better pricing for products, stimulate local job creation, and promote inclusive growth.
The collaboration will also focus on training and onboarding women entrepreneurs, empowering them to navigate the GeM platform effectively. Smt. Joyashree Das Verma, President of FICCI-FLO, emphasized the importance of digital platforms like GeM in democratizing access to opportunities for women entrepreneurs. She highlighted that training is crucial for expanding the reach of the GeM portal among affiliated members of the association.
Future Goals and Vision
Looking ahead, GeM has ambitious plans for the SWAYATT initiative. The platform aims to onboard 1 lakh registered startups from the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. GeM envisions becoming a vibrant startup ecosystem in public procurement. This goal includes meaningful collaborations and capacity-building efforts with last-mile women MSEs, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), Self Help Groups (SHGs), and cooperatives.
GeM also aims to double the number of women entrepreneurs on its platform and increase their share in overall procurement from the current 3.78%. By dismantling entry barriers and providing opportunities, SWAYATT is set to empower more than 29,000 startups, ensuring that they have a fair chance to compete in the public procurement space.
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