GeM, UN Women Partner To Boost Women In Public Procurement

24 Nov 2025 CW Team

The partnership focuses on promoting gender-responsive procurement by increasing sourcing from women-led businesses under GeM’s Womaniya initiative. The MoU was signed by UN Women India Country Representative Kanta Singh and GeM Additional CEO Ajit B. Chavan, with GeM CEO Mihir Kumar presiding over the ceremony. He said the collaboration reinforces GeM’s commitment to expanding access to public procurement and supporting market linkages for women entrepreneurs.

GeM, the national public procurement portal for Central and State Ministries, Departments, PSUs and autonomous bodies, continues to foster transparent and inclusive procurement. Through the platform, women entrepreneurs and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) can supply products directly to government buyers. To simplify onboarding, GeM has created broad product categories covering handicrafts, handloom goods, jute and coir items, bamboo products, organic foods, spices, accessories, home décor and office furnishings.

Under the MoU, UN Women will design training materials, recommend global best practices, share success stories and help develop validation criteria for women-led enterprises. It will also promote the Womaniya – #VocalForLocal Outlet Store, support onboarding of UN programme participants, encourage MSME Udyam Registration, mobilise women trainers and connect women entrepreneurs with mentors and relevant institutions.

GeM will conduct training sessions, sensitise government buyers, highlight the achievements of women entrepreneurs and organise onboarding workshops. It will also develop training resources in regional languages, build partnerships for entrepreneurship and decent work opportunities, engage women trainers and connect women-led businesses with Government Labs and R&D institutes to support product development and market readiness.

Together, GeM and UN Women aim to advance gender-responsive procurement, strengthen hyper-local market linkages and support progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 5 — Gender Equality and the Empowerment of All Women and Girls.

The MoU signing was attended by officials from the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office (UNRCO) India, senior representatives from both organisations, and members of trade associations including Laghu Udyog Bharti, PHDCCI and SEWA Bharat. The ceremony took place at the GeM office in the Jeevan Bharti Building, New Delhi.

Government e-Marketplace (GeM), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UN Women to strengthen the participation and empowerment of women entrepreneurs from the informal sector within India’s public procurement ecosystem. The partnership focuses on promoting gender-responsive procurement by increasing sourcing from women-led businesses under GeM’s Womaniya initiative. The MoU was signed by UN Women India Country Representative Kanta Singh and GeM Additional CEO Ajit B. Chavan, with GeM CEO Mihir Kumar presiding over the ceremony. He said the collaboration reinforces GeM’s commitment to expanding access to public procurement and supporting market linkages for women entrepreneurs. GeM, the national public procurement portal for Central and State Ministries, Departments, PSUs and autonomous bodies, continues to foster transparent and inclusive procurement. Through the platform, women entrepreneurs and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) can supply products directly to government buyers. To simplify onboarding, GeM has created broad product categories covering handicrafts, handloom goods, jute and coir items, bamboo products, organic foods, spices, accessories, home décor and office furnishings. Under the MoU, UN Women will design training materials, recommend global best practices, share success stories and help develop validation criteria for women-led enterprises. It will also promote the Womaniya – #VocalForLocal Outlet Store, support onboarding of UN programme participants, encourage MSME Udyam Registration, mobilise women trainers and connect women entrepreneurs with mentors and relevant institutions. GeM will conduct training sessions, sensitise government buyers, highlight the achievements of women entrepreneurs and organise onboarding workshops. It will also develop training resources in regional languages, build partnerships for entrepreneurship and decent work opportunities, engage women trainers and connect women-led businesses with Government Labs and R&D institutes to support product development and market readiness. Together, GeM and UN Women aim to advance gender-responsive procurement, strengthen hyper-local market linkages and support progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 5 — Gender Equality and the Empowerment of All Women and Girls. The MoU signing was attended by officials from the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office (UNRCO) India, senior representatives from both organisations, and members of trade associations including Laghu Udyog Bharti, PHDCCI and SEWA Bharat. The ceremony took place at the GeM office in the Jeevan Bharti Building, New Delhi.

Infrastructure Urban

02 Jun 2026

VECV Sales Rise 7.8 Per Cent In May 2026

VE Commercial Vehicles recorded sales of 7,978 units in May 2026, compared to 7,401 units in May 2025, registering growth of 7.8 per cent. This included 7,789 units from the Eicher brand and 189 units from the Volvo brand.Eicher branded trucks and buses reported sales of 7,789 units during the month, up 7.3 per cent from 7,258 units a year earlier. In the domestic commercial vehicle market, Eicher sales rose 9.1 per cent to 7,375 units from 6,758 units in May 2025.Exports declined 17.2 per cent to 414 units from 500 units in the corresponding month last year. Volvo Trucks and Volvo Buses recor..

Infrastructure Urban

02 Jun 2026

Table Space Strengthens DESYN Leadership Team

Table Space has announced strategic leadership appointments within DESYN, its integrated Design and Build business, as it looks to strengthen operations across key enterprise and GCC markets in India. DESYN was launched as a strategic extension of Table Space’s workspace solutions portfolio to meet rising demand for agile, high-quality and rapidly deployable enterprise workspaces.Shruti Ookabhoy has joined DESYN as Executive Director and will lead the Design vertical, focusing on design capability, operational excellence and team development across markets. She brings over 22 years of experi..

Infrastructure Transport

02 Jun 2026

Concord Associate Bags Rs 2.79 Bn Kavach Order

Concord Control Systems said its associate company, Progota India, has received a Rs 2.79 bn domestic order from Indian Railways for the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of on-board Kavach 4.0 loco equipment.The order is scheduled for execution within 12 months and strengthens Concord’s role in India’s railway safety and signalling ecosystem. Kavach is India’s indigenous automatic train protection system, designed to improve operational safety by helping prevent signal passing at danger and reducing collision risks.Gaurav Lath, Joint Managing Director, Concord Control Syst..