Govt procurement portal asks sellers to specify country of origin

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s platform for online procurement of goods and services by government departments — the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal — has made it mandatory for sellers to clarify the country of origin while registering any new product. The GeM portal also has a ‘Make in India’ filter now to allow buyers to choose products that meet the minimum 50% local content criterion, the ministry announced Tuesday.

A senior official told The Indian Express that the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPITT) is also actively examining a proposal put forth by a group of traders that the ‘country of origin’ tag be made a must for products listed on private e-commerce platforms as well.