On the occasion of World Environment Day, a new product category of Green Room Air Conditioners was launched on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) under the Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) program.

What is Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP)?

• SPP is a process by which public authorities seek to achieve the appropriate balance between the three pillars of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental – when procuring goods, services or works at all stages of the project.
• These three pillars are called Triple Bottom Line.
• The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has been active in the promotion of Sustainable Public Procurement at national, regional and global levels since 2005.

Why need SPP?

• Public procurement spend in India is nearly 15-20% of its GDP.
• Introducing SPP to this huge quantum of government procurement will further complement the country’s climate policy objectives.
• This innovation can provide financial savings for government buyers and will meet evolving environmental challenges by moving towards a circular economy.

Back2Basics: Government E-Marketplace

• The GeM is a one-stop National Public Procurement Portal to facilitate online procurement of common use Goods & Services required by various Government Departments / Organizations / PSUs.
• It was launched in 2016 to bring transparency and efficiency in the government buying process.
• GEM aims to enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement.
• It is a completely paperless, cashless and system driven e-marketplace that enables procurement of common use goods and services with minimal human interface.
• It provides the tools of e-bidding, reverse e-auction and demand aggregation to facilitate the government users to achieve the best value for their money.
• The purchases through GeM by Government users have been authorized and made mandatory by the Ministry of Finance by adding a new Rule No. 149 in the General Financial Rules, 2017.
• It has been developed by Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (Ministry of Commerce and Industry) with technical support of National e-governance Division (MEITy).

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