54 govt departments fail to appoint GeM nodal officers

Several departments have not yet appointed a GeM nodal officer, a prerequisite for monitoring and reporting procurement activity, the circular said.

New Delhi

Officials said the monthly reports are intended to help the government track spending patterns and vendor engagement.

Delhi’s finance department has issued a circular stating that 54 departments and offices in the government have not appointed Government e-Marketplace (GeM) nodal officers or submitted mandatory monthly procurement reports, despite repeated instructions given through the centralised online portal.

The GeM is an online procurement platform of the Union government designed to bring transparency and efficiency to government purchases by enabling direct procurement from listed vendors. The Delhi government had earlier announced that all its departments would carry out procurements through GeM, except in specified cases, in order to streamline purchasing and reduce intermediary involvement.

In the January 29 circular, the finance department directed all departments under the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) to submit monthly details of procurements made through GeM as well as non-GeM purchases using a form developed by the department’s IT cell. The report is required to be submitted on or before the 10th of every month and must be routed strictly through the designated nodal officer of the department concerned.

“Several departments have not yet appointed a GeM nodal officer, a prerequisite for monitoring and reporting procurement activity,” the circular stated, further directing them to immediately nominate or depute a nodal officer to ensure timely submission of reports.

The finance department also sought details of the appointed nodal officers, including their designation, contact number and official email ID, for record and monitoring purposes.

Some departments that have not complied so far include the Legislative Assembly, multiple district courts, the principal accounts office, the directorate of small savings, central and district jails, and several major government hospitals and medical institutions. Among healthcare facilities are GB Pant Hospital, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Maulana Azad Medical College, Dr BSA Medical College and Hospital, Guru Gobind Singh Hospital and Attar Sain Hospital.

The list also includes administrative and service delivery departments such as the health and family welfare department, directorate of health services, directorate of women and child development, directorate of social welfare (SC/ST), urban development department, public works department, transport, food and civil supplies, information technology and administrative reforms department.

“The Google Form-based reporting system has been introduced to ensure uniformity, accuracy and timely compilation of monthly procurement data across all departments. Any difficulty in submitting the information through the form could be flagged with the IT cell of the finance department,” an official from the finance department said.

“Previous communications and audit observations have highlighted delays and inconsistencies in procurement reporting by several departments, which is why centralised and time-bound disclosures are needed from all departments,” the official added.

Officials said the monthly reports are intended to help the government track spending patterns, vendor engagement and compliance with procurement norms.