UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — GeM Achieves ₹18.4 Lakh Crore GMV, Emerges as Key Digital Public Procurement Platform

Q1. The requirement that Central Government Ministries and Departments must procure available goods and services through GeM is mandated under which one of the following?

  • A. Rule 149 of the General Financial Rules, 2017
  • B. Section 149 of the Companies Act, 2013
  • C. Rule 141-A of the General Financial Rules, 2005
  • D. Rule 173 of the General Financial Rules, 2017

Q2. The GeM SPV is incorporated as a 'Section 8 company'. In the context of the Companies Act, 2013, this term denotes which one of the following?

  • A. A company formed to promote objects of public utility on a non-profit basis, which is prohibited from paying dividends to its members
  • B. A one-person company owned by a single government nominee
  • C. A company in which the Central Government holds at least 51% of the paid-up share capital, by definition
  • D. A statutory corporation created directly by an Act of Parliament

Q3. The GeM Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) was incorporated as a Section 8 company under which one of the following?

  • A. Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • B. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
  • C. Ministry of Cooperation
  • D. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)

Q4. GeM's cumulative Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) of ₹18.4 lakh crore was announced by the Press Information Bureau in which year?

  • A. 2023
  • B. 2024
  • C. 2025
  • D. 2026

Q5. As per the April 2026 announcement on GeM's performance in FY 2025-26, which of the following are correctly stated?

  1. Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) executed 68% of the total orders on GeM.
  2. MSEs accounted for 47.1% of the total GMV.
  3. More than 11 lakh MSEs received orders worth ₹2.36 lakh crore.
  4. Procurement by State Governments declined during the year.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 1 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q6. Which one of the following is designated as the lead authority for deciding the validated list of cooperatives to be onboarded on GeM (in consultation with GeM SPV)?

  • A. Ministry of Cooperation
  • B. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • C. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
  • D. Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

Q7. The mandate of GeM was expanded to allow Cooperatives to procure as buyers on the platform through the approval of which authority, and in which year?

  • A. The Union Cabinet, in 2022
  • B. The NITI Aayog Governing Council, in 2020
  • C. The GST Council, in 2022
  • D. The Ministry of Cooperation by executive order, in 2019

Q8. GeM's growth is tracked using 'Gross Merchandise Value (GMV)'. In this context, GMV denotes which one of the following?

  • A. The total value of orders (goods and services) transacted through the platform over a given period
  • B. The net revenue earned by GeM SPV from transaction charges levied on sellers
  • C. The savings accrued to the exchequer relative to manual tendering
  • D. The cumulative value of goods listed but still unsold on the portal

Q9. Among India's Digital Public Infrastructure platforms, which one is operated by a Section 8 company functioning under the Department of Commerce?

  • A. Government e-Marketplace (GeM)
  • B. Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)
  • C. Unified Payments Interface (UPI)
  • D. CoWIN