Government eMarketplace (GeM) commemorates the success of SWAYATT (GS Paper 3, Economy)
Why in news?
- Recently, a function was held to commemorate the success of “SWAYATT”, an initiative to promote Start-ups, Women and Youth Advantage Through eTransactions on Government eMarketplace (GeM) in New Delhi.
Achievements:
- The progress made so far in promoting social and financial inclusion is by way of registering more than 8.5 lakh Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) on GeM portal who have been able to get business of over Rs. 1.87 lakh crore spread across 68 lakh+ orders.
- More than 1.45 lakh women MSEs have fulfilled 7.32 lakh orders worth 15, 922 Crore and approx. 43K SC/ ST MSEs have delivered 1.35 lakh+ order worth 2,592 Crore on the GeM portal so far.
- GeM ramped up the presence of the underserved seller groups such as MSEs, women, Divyangjan and tribal entrepreneurs, Startups, self-help groups, artisan and weavers etc. and giving them direct access to the Government Procurement.
SWAYATT:
- The initiative to promote “Start-ups, Women and Youth Advantage Through eTransactions” (SWAYATT) on GeM was first launched in February 2019.
- The intent of SWAYATT 2019 was to promote inclusiveness of various categories of sellers and service providers on the portal, by taking proactive steps to facilitate their training and registrations of such specific category of manufacturers and sellers, develop women entrepreneurship and encourage participation of MSME sector and Start-ups in public procurement.
Government e Marketplace (GeM):
- GeM is a Section 8 company setup under the administrative control of the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, for procurement of goods and services by Central Ministries, State Departments, PSEs and Autonomous Bodies.
- Social inclusion is a core value at GeM and we are focused on increasing participation from under-served sellers who face challenges in public procurement.
Scheduled Tribes panel requisitions FRA action reports from SC
(GS Paper 2, Governance)
Why in news?
- In the middle of a face-off with the Environment Ministry over the new Forest Conservation Rules (2022)potentially diluting the Forest Rights Act, 2006, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes has now secured FRA implementation reports of all States and Union Territories by invoking its Constitutional powers to approach the Supreme Court directly.
Background:
- After the Union government introduced the new FCR, the panel wrote to the Environment Ministry in September, asking that they be put on hold because they would violate provisions of the FRA, which ensures that ownership of forest land remained with tribespeople and other traditional forest dwellers, who live off the forest and its resources.
- In response, Environment Minister insisted that the rules were framed under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and that the panel’s apprehension was “not legally tenable”.
- The commission recently wrote to the Supreme Court Registrar, invoking powers under Clause 8d of Article 338A, to seek all materials filed before the court in connection with a batch of petitions challenging the constitutionality of the FRA.
Claim over forest land:
- According to data tabled in Rajya Sabha in December 2022, title rights had been issued against just 50% of the claims over forest land made under the FRA as of June 2022, with maximum pendency and rejection seen in cases of individual claims, a little over half of which had been rejected or left pending. However, in community claims, titles were given to 60% of the claimants.
- Among the documents that the panel has now requisitioned from the Supreme Court are FRA implementation reports filed by all States and Union Territories, the number of claims rejected, the process and reasons for rejection, and the action taken against claimants whose applications were rejected.
- While hearing the case, the three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court had in 2019 noted that in thousands of cases, eviction had not been carried out despite rejection of claims and ordered all State governments to carry out evictions as soon as possible.
- But later, the SC stayed its earlier order and called for all rejection records of claims under FRA.
What’s next?
- The Commission was looking to review the overall implementation of the FRA at the ground level, examine rejection of titles and encroachments on forest land. It will propose recommendations to further secure the rights of tribespeople, under its Constitutional mandate.
