GS PAPER III: Indian Economy and issues relating to Planning, Mobilization of Resources, Growth, Development and Employment.

Context: New product category of Green Room Air Conditioners launched on Government e-Marketplace (GeM) to mark the World Environment Day.

More about news:

• The addition of Green Room Air Conditioners on GeM is another example of GeM being a futuristic and technology driven platform, focusing on environmental, social and economic pillars of sustainable public procurement
• This innovation can provide financial savings for government buyers and will meet evolving environmental challenges by moving towards a circular economy.
• The purchase of Green RACs shall be a voluntary approach.
• The GeM portal will enable and encourage all central and state government agencies to buy efficient and environment friendly green ACs, thereby paving a way for Sustainable Public Procurement in India.
• Green Room Air Conditioner integration within the public procurement system is a catalyst for market transformation towards sustainable cooling.

National Resource Efficiency Policy (2019)

• The Government of India is taking proactive steps towards a circular and green economy.
• In March 2018, the Ministry of Finance constituted a Task Force on Sustainable Public Procurement.
• Additionally, the draft National Resource Efficiency Policy (2019) includes the agenda of Sustainable Public Procurement, that suggests establishing green procurement guidelines providing information on resource efficiency criteria to be used in the procurement processes for the prioritized products/service categories.
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in collaboration with other partners is supporting the Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) initiative of the Government of India with initial focus on three prioritized product categories including paper, disinfectant and Green Room Air Conditioners.
• SPP is a key element in attaining a wide range of goals in strategic spending and implementation as a policy instrument to support programmes in priority areas and formulating national sustainable development strategies.

About GeM portal:

• The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is a government-e-commerce portal.
• It is a one-stop to enable easy and smooth online procurement of the Consumer Goods & Services that are needed by various Government Departments, Organizations, Military and PSUs in India.
• GeM is a completely paperless, cashless and system driven e-market place that enables procurement of common use goods and services with minimal human interface.
• GeM eliminates human interface in vendor registration, order placement and payment processing, to a great exten
• Being an open platform, GeM offers no entry barriers to bonafide suppliers who wish to do business with the Government.

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1724823

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