GeM, CSC e-Governance Services, postal department ink pact

Public procurement platform GeM, CSC e-Governance Services and Department of Posts on Wednesday signed an agreement for mobilisation and capacity-building of last-mile government buyers, sellers and service providers in public buying.

CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, monitors the implementation of CSC scheme.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was conceived after the successful integration of GeM and India Post on May 5, the commerce ministry said in a statement.

With this integration, it is now possible for all last-mile government buyers, sellers and service providers to avail the logistics services and facilities over the Government e Marketplace (GeM) through the India Post facilities located in the remotest parts of India.

Nearly 4.5 lakh Common Service Centres (CSCs) and about 1.5 lakh India Post offices across the country will be trained to assist the buyers, sellers, service providers, product catalogue upload, order acceptance, fulfilment and invoice generation functionality on GeM portal, it said.

Rates for packaging materials and shipment of packages through Speed Post and Business Parcel through India Post website, online, print and office communication channels will be shared with CSCs.

''Department of Posts will conduct 'Train-the-Trainer' training programs related to various postal products and services such as Speed Post and Business Parcel,'' it said.

The department will ensure the availability of India Post packaging material including boxes, tapes, bubble-wrap, flyers and air sacks in-store at nearest post offices for CSCs.

Besides, GeM will institute a rewards and incentives program for top-performing CSCs and Post Offices.

Last-mile stakeholders include local bodies and Panchayati Raj institutions.

GeM CEO P K Singh said this partnership will leverage and utilise the online and physical infrastructure of CSCs and India Post Offices to ensure the inclusion and participation of last-mile stakeholders on GeM.

The MoU will address the twin challenges of access to markets and access to finance faced by under-served seller groups and align the untapped entrepreneurial energy of last-mile producers and service-providers in rural India with local government buyers, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)