CONTENTS
- Skill India Digital (SID) Platform
- Government e-Marketplace
Skill India Digital (SID) Platform
Context:
The Ministry of Skill Development recently launched the Skill India Digital (SID) platform.
Relevance:
GS II: Government policies and Interevntions
Skill India Digital (SID) Platform
- Purpose: SID serves as India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for skill development, education, employment, and entrepreneurship.
- Objective: It aims to consolidate various skilling initiatives, offering skill development and entrepreneurial support to individuals.
- Development: Developed by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) in collaboration with industry partners, part of the World Bank-assisted Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) program.
- Alignment: The platform aligns with the G20 framework for building Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and supports the digital economy.
Features:
- Offers 264+ skilling courses from 42,623 centers across India.
- Available for download on App Store and Google Play Store.
- Supports multiple Indian languages and uses Aadhaar-based eKYC for secure access.
- User-friendly interface adaptable to various devices.
- Utilizes Aadhar-enabled facial recognition, AI, and machine learning to recommend customized courses.
- Integrates government training programs at both Central and State levels.
- Introduces Digitally Verified Credentials (DVCs) for secure skills and qualification presentation.
- Provides Digital CVs with personalized QR Codes for easy access to individual skills and experiences.
Government e-Marketplace
Context:
Ministry of Defence leads as top procurer on Government e-Marketplace (GeM); Contributes 16 percent of the overall Gross Merchandise Value
Relevance:
GS II- Government policies and Intervention
About Government e-Marketplace (GeM)
Nodal: Ministry of Commerce and Industry
- The Government e Marketplace (GeM) was launched on August 9, 2016.
- To create an open and transparent procurement platform for Government buyers.
- A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) by the name of Government e- Marketplace (GeM SPV) was set up as the National Public Procurement Portal
- It has been developed by Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (Ministry of Commerce and Industry) with technical support of National e-governance Division (Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology).
- It is a completely paperless, cashless and system driven e-market place that enables procurement of common use goods and services with minimal human interface.
- At present, the platform is open for procurement by all government buyers: central and state ministries, departments, public sector enterprises, autonomous institutions, local bodies, etc.
- As per existing mandate, GeM is not available for use by private sector buyers.
- Suppliers (sellers) can be from across all segments: government or private.
The following are the objectives of the online platform:
- Easier availability of various goods and services for the government buyers.
- Create transparency in public procurement.
- Cost saving on government expenditure.
- Achieve and promote cashless transactions.
