Chhattisgarh to roll out e-way bill on June 1 for intrastate movement

The Chhattisgarh government has decided to implement generation of e-way bill for intrastate movement of goods from June 1.

The Union government had made it compulsory to generate an e-way bill for interstate movement of goods from April 1. Karnataka state was the first to make the system operational.

“The Chhattisgarh government will be holding a series of workshops for traders and transporters to make them aware about the new system,” the state’s commercial tax department officials said. Besides divisional headquarters, workshops will also be held at the block level, they added.

The e-way bill system would involve carrying electronic waybills by transporters while moving goods exceeding Rs 50,000 in value and ensure seamless movement of goods across state borders. The system under the goods and services tax (GST) promises faster movement of goods through a seamless portal-driven payment system without transport carriers having to wait at state borders.

Officials said the implementation of the new system was crucial as the government believed it to be a key measure to plug revenue leaks. It is expected that trade and industry will be further facilitated insofar as the transport of goods is concerned, thereby eventually paving the way for a nationwide single e-way bill system, officials added.

They added that prior to the introduction of the e-way bill, India’s logistics costs were far higher than those in key economies, cutting the competitiveness of Indian goods and adding to costs for the consumer. The new system promises to contribute significantly towards adding to the productivity and efficiencies in the economy.