NEW DELHI (PTI): The Indian Army has been adjudged as the top organisation among the central government departments for procurement on Government e-Marketplace (GeM) for financial year 2022-23, officials said on Monday.

Vice Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General M V Suchindra Kumar received the prestigious award on behalf of the Army on Monday.

Approximately 16,000 buyers (in the context of the Army) are registered on GeM, the officials said, adding that on an average, 60,000-80,000 transactions take place every month. The maximum of up to two lakh transactions took place in March in 2022-23, they said.

The Army took to Twitter to share the information.

#IndianArmy has been felicitated with platinum award for standing as Top Organisation (Central) on the Government e-Marketplace #GeM (GMV) for the financial year 2022-23. Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar #VCOAS received the prestigious award on behalf of the #IndianArmy today at #NewDelhi. #IndianArmy remains committed towards achieving transparency, efficiency and inclusivity in public procurement in line with the #DigitalIndia initiative of the Nation. #IndianArmy #OnPathToTransformation," it said in a tweet.

Earlier, in another tweet, the Army had said it was adjudged as the "best organisation in the Ministry of Defence" for procurement on GeM for the financial year 2022-23.

It put out another tweet subsequently, updating the caption.

The concerted efforts of all entities have manifested in the "exponential increase" in the procurement in successive years, a senior official said.

"In pursuance of the PMO's overarching objective to enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement, since the inception of GeM, the Indian Army has been earnestly working towards 100 per cent procurement of all goods and services on GeM," he said.

The Army has achieved the top position in spite of several challenges, the officials said.

"These include intermittent Internet accessibility in remote areas.... Training of manpower down to sub-unit levels for expeditious procurement, given the sheer size of the Army," the official said.

The procurement target for FY 2023-24 is "Rs 10,000 crore and is expected to be Rs 15,000 crore due to the on-boarding of maximum goods and services," the official said, adding that putting in place a robust and efficient complaint and grievances redressal mechanism for responsive procurement is also under consideration.