CM Sai: Chhattisgarh Wins GeM Sustainable Procurement Award
Synopsis
Chhattisgarh has won the GeM Sustainable Procurement Award after state purchases on the Government e-Marketplace grew 113% to ₹3,935 crore in one year, with orders to women, SC/ST, and startup vendors rising sharply, CM Vishnu Deo Sai announced.
Key Takeaways
Chhattisgarh received the GeM Sustainable Procurement Award , a national recognition for transparent digital public purchasing.
State GeM procurement grew 113% in one year, reaching ₹3,935 crore .
Micro and small enterprises received ₹1,800 crore in orders through the platform.
Competitive bidding saved the state ₹130 crore in 2025-26 .
Procurement from women entrepreneurs rose 97% , from SC/ST vendors 108% , and from startups 178% .
CM Vishnu Deo Sai framed the award as proof that transparent, inclusive procurement drives the state's development agenda.
Chhattisgarh has just earned a national prize for the very thing most states struggle to prove — that government money is being spent cleanly. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai announced on 11 August 2026 that the state has been conferred the GeM Sustainable Procurement Award, recognising its rapid, inclusive expansion of digital public purchasing through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) platform.
Posting in Hindi, CM Sai framed the honour as validation of a deliberate shift: 'पारदर्शी खरीदी, सशक्त उद्यमिता' — 'transparent procurement, empowered entrepreneurship'. The numbers behind that phrase are striking. State government purchases routed through GeM grew 113 per cent in a single year, reaching ₹3,935 crore. Of that, ₹1,800 crore in orders went directly to micro and small enterprises. Competitive bidding on the platform generated ₹130 crore in savings for the state exchequer in 2025-26 alone.
Who actually benefited — and by how much
The headline growth figure matters, but the composition of that growth is the real story. Procurement from women entrepreneurs rose 97 per cent. Orders placed with Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe vendors jumped 108 per cent. Purchases from startups surged 178 per cent. In a state where tribal communities make up a substantial share of the population, those last two numbers carry particular weight — they suggest the platform is pulling vendors into formal commerce who would otherwise be invisible to government buyers.GeM's national design, Chhattisgarh's local execution
The Government e-Marketplace was launched by the Government of India in August 2016 as a direct answer to opacity in public procurement — a portal where departments buy, vendors compete, and every transaction leaves a digital trail. States were encouraged to shift purchasing onto the platform to curb leakages and widen the supplier base. The policy intent was always there; consistent execution at scale has been the variable. Chhattisgarh's award signals that its state machinery has moved procurement volume onto GeM at a pace that the centre considers nationally exemplary. For CM Sai — who took office in December 2023 — the recognition arrives as his administration builds its governance record ahead of the next electoral cycle. Transparent procurement is not a glamorous campaign issue, but savings of ₹130 crore in a single financial year, redirected to the exchequer rather than lost to inefficiency, translate into real fiscal headroom. The next test is whether these gains compound. Central government reviews of GeM utilisation across states will determine whether Chhattisgarh's trajectory holds — or whether the award marks a peak rather than a baseline.Point of View
Lending it credibility that goes beyond state-level optics. The sharp growth in orders to SC/ST and startup vendors is politically significant in Chhattisgarh, where tribal welfare is a perennial electoral flashpoint — it lets the BJP government point to data, not just intent. More broadly, the figures feed into the Centre's ongoing effort to use GeM as a tool for formalising the MSME sector and widening inclusive sourcing. Whether the momentum is structural or driven by a one-year push ahead of recognition will become clear in subsequent state finance reports.
NationPress
11 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the GeM Sustainable Procurement Award?
The GeM Sustainable Procurement Award is a national recognition given by the Government e-Marketplace to states that demonstrate transparent, digital, and inclusive public procurement practices on the GeM platform.
By how much did Chhattisgarh's GeM procurement grow?
Chhattisgarh's government purchases through GeM grew 113 per cent in one year, reaching ₹3,935 crore , according to CM Vishnu Deo Sai's announcement.
How much did Chhattisgarh save through GeM competitive procurement?
Competitive bidding on GeM saved Chhattisgarh ₹130 crore in the financial year 2025-26 .
Did women and SC/ST entrepreneurs benefit from Chhattisgarh's GeM procurement?
Yes. Procurement from women entrepreneurs rose 97% , from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe vendors by 108% , and from startups by 178% , according to CM Sai's post.
What is the Government e-Marketplace (GeM)?
GeM is an online public procurement portal launched by the Government of India in August 2016 to digitise government buying, increase transparency, and widen vendor participation including MSMEs and marginalised entrepreneurs.
