UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — GeM Strengthens Digital, Transparent and Inclusive Public Procurement in India’s Governance Ecosystem

Q1. In the context of public procurement in India, the Government e-Marketplace Special Purpose Vehicle (GeM SPV) is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. A statutory body constituted under a special Act of Parliament administered by the Department of Expenditure
  • B. A Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Ministry of Finance
  • C. A Section 8 (not-for-profit) company incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013, under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry
  • D. An attached office of the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D)

Q2. Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is operationalised through the GeM Special Purpose Vehicle, a Section 8 (not-for-profit) company set up under which one of the following Ministries of the Government of India?

  • A. Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
  • B. Ministry of Finance (Department of Expenditure)
  • C. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • D. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

Q3. With reference to the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), consider the following entities: 1. Central Government Ministries and Departments 2. Cooperative Societies 3. Private sector companies for their commercial procurement 4. State Public Sector Undertakings Which of the above are correctly identified as eligible buyers permitted to procure through the GeM portal?

  1. Central Government Ministries and Departments
  2. Cooperative Societies
  3. Private sector companies for their commercial procurement
  4. State Public Sector Undertakings
  • A. 1 and 4 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q4. The Government e-Marketplace (GeM), which operates the Womaniya, Startup Runway and SC/ST Hub linkages for inclusive public procurement, functions as a Special Purpose Vehicle (Section 8 company) under which one of the following ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
  • B. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • C. Ministry of Finance
  • D. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

Q5. As reported in 2025–26, which one of the following figures most closely represents the cumulative Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) achieved by the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) since its inception?

  • A. ₹5.4 lakh crore
  • B. ₹8.69 lakh crore
  • C. ₹15 lakh crore
  • D. ₹18.4 lakh crore

Q6. Which one of the following Ministries/Departments of the Government of India is the nodal authority that notified the Public Procurement Policy for Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) Order, 2012?

  • A. Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
  • B. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • C. Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance
  • D. Department of Public Enterprises, Ministry of Finance

Q7. Under the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order, 2017, the term 'Class-I local supplier' refers to a supplier offering goods or services that have:

  • A. local content equal to or more than 50%
  • B. local content between 20% and 50%
  • C. local content of less than 20%
  • D. local content equal to or more than 75%

Q8. Which one of the following is the designated national online portal for public procurement of common-use goods and services by Central Ministries, made mandatory under Rule 149 of the General Financial Rules, 2017?

  • A. Central Public Procurement Portal (CPPP)
  • B. Government e-Marketplace (GeM)
  • C. Public Financial Management System (PFMS)
  • D. e-National Agriculture Market (e-NAM)

Q9. Government e-Marketplace (GeM), constituted as a Section 8 company, functions under the administrative control of which one of the following?

  • A. Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance
  • B. Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
  • C. Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • D. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

Q10. Among the following categories of sellers on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), which one contributed the single largest share of cumulative order value as reported in 2025?

  • A. Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs)
  • B. Startups registered under the Startup Runway
  • C. Women-led enterprises onboarded through Womaniya
  • D. Central Public Sector Enterprises acting as sellers

Q11. In the context of the GeM–MSME ecosystem, the term 'TReDS' refers to which one of the following?

  • A. An RBI-regulated electronic platform that enables financing of MSMEs' trade receivables from corporate and government buyers through competitive bidding by multiple financiers
  • B. A SEBI-regulated depository for listing equity instruments issued by MSMEs on a dedicated SME exchange
  • C. A SIDBI-administered credit guarantee fund that underwrites collateral-free term loans extended to micro and small enterprises
  • D. A scheme of the Ministry of MSME for time-bound electronic refund of GST and direct taxes to registered Udyam units
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