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Central Public Sector Enterprises gathered in the national capital to assess and accelerate their procurement compliance under the mandated four per cent target reserved for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Micro and Small Enterprises, according to the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).
The Ministry of MSME convened the review session at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre on November 5, 2026. Chaired by Joint Secretary Mercy Epao, the round table brought together officials from the Ministry, the Department of Public Enterprises, the National Small Industries Corporation, and the Government e-Marketplace to address operational hurdles and examine compliance under the Public Procurement Policy. A total of 30 public sector undertakings, including Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited, NTPC, Airports Authority of India, BEML, and Coal India Limited, attended the consultations. The deliberations focused on structural bottlenecks faced by buyers, the adoption of successful institutional practices, and methods to strengthen coordination among enterprises, GeM, and National SC-ST Hub offices. Reviewing the impact of policy interventions, Joint Secretary Mercy Epao outlined the assistance extended to enterprises under the National SC-ST Hub scheme, noting that sustained outreach expanded the footprint of disadvantaged suppliers within state procurement networks. Public procurement from SC/ST MSEs registered an increase of more than 36 times in the financial year 2025-26 since the inception of the scheme, Epao stated during the address. Epao introduced the Entrepreneur Awareness and Special Vendor Development Program, an initiative designed to build commercial linkages between smaller suppliers and industrial buyers across the country. She urged CPSEs to formulate internal action plan to achieve the target and also provide support in terms of Vendor Registration/Enlistment Procedure, Product/Service Matchmaking, Regional/Local Connect of CPSEs with SC/ST MSEs and Handholding support. Speaking on marketplace integration, Government e-Marketplace Additional Chief Executive Officer Ajit Chavan outlined the digital measures deployed to facilitate tender access for small businesses. He informed about various measures taken to facilitate SC/ST MSEs in tender participation including identification of SC/ST MSE sellers through dedicated marketplace filters. He encouraged CPSEs to utilize the services of the Nodal Officer appointed by GeM for handholding support. The review concluded with discussions between participating enterprises and leading public sector buyers to address procurement shortfalls. Participating agencies agreed to deepen collaboration with the National SC-ST Hub through targeted vendor development drives, supplier training sessions, and expanded digital onboarding frameworks to raise procurement volumes from SC/ST and women-owned micro and small enterprises. (ANI)
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