MSME Ministry engages 30 CPSEs to boost procurement from SC/ST enterprises
The government has urged Central Public Sector Enterprises to strengthen vendor registration, product matchmaking and handholding support to help SC/ST-owned micro and small businesses access public procurement opportunities.
The meeting, held on November 5 at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi, focused on the mandatory 4% procurement target from SC/ST MSEs under the government's Public Procurement Policy.
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has held a round table discussion with 30 Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) to review procurement from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe-owned micro and small enterprises (SC/ST MSEs) and identify measures to improve their participation in government purchases.
The meeting, held on November 5 at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi, focused on the mandatory 4% procurement target from SC/ST MSEs under the government’s Public Procurement Policy.
The discussion was chaired by Mercy Epao, Joint Secretary, Ministry of MSME. Ajit Chavan, Additional Chief Executive Officer of the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), S.S. Acharya, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), and senior officials from the Ministry, Department of Public Enterprises and NSIC participated.
Major CPSEs attending the meeting included BHEL, BEL, NTPC, Airports Authority of India (AAI), BEML and Coal India Limited.
Focus on vendor development and procurement access
The discussions examined challenges faced by CPSEs in meeting the procurement target, shared practices followed by better-performing enterprises and explored ways to improve coordination among National SC-ST Hub offices, GeM and CPSEs.
Epao highlighted initiatives under the National SC-ST Hub (NSSH) scheme to support and handhold SC/ST entrepreneurs. She said public procurement from SC/ST MSEs in FY 2025-26 had increased more than 36-fold since the scheme’s inception.
She also outlined the Entrepreneur Awareness and Special Vendor Development Programme (EA&SVDP), an initiative intended to create awareness among SC/ST MSEs and connect them with potential buyers in CPSEs.
The Joint Secretary urged CPSEs to prepare internal action plans to achieve the procurement target and strengthen support through vendor registration and enlistment, product and service matchmaking, regional-level engagement and handholding assistance.
GeM expands digital facilitation
Chavan highlighted measures introduced by GeM to facilitate the participation of SC/ST MSEs in government tenders. These include dedicated marketplace filters to help buyers identify sellers belonging to these categories.
He called for greater engagement with sellers across different sectors, particularly services and industrial segments, to widen access to procurement opportunities. He also encouraged CPSEs to seek assistance from GeM’s designated nodal officer for vendor handholding.
The round table provided a platform for CPSEs to exchange experiences, identify procurement gaps and explore collaboration with the National SC-ST Hub through vendor development programmes, capacity-building initiatives and digital facilitation.
The discussions also covered ways to strengthen procurement opportunities for women-owned MSEs.
