GST Council clears e-way bill mechanism; to be rolled out by June 1

Agencies

December 17, 2017

New Delhi, Dec 16 : In a bid to plug gaps, the GST Council today decided to implement the e-way bill mechanism throughout the country by June 1 after reviewing the readiness of the IT network.

Under the e-way bill system, goods worth more than Rs 50,000 have to be pre-registered online before they can be moved from one state to another.

The 24th meeting of the GST Council, held today through video conferencing under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, discussed the implementation of the e-way bill system in the country after reviewing the readiness of hardware and software for its launch, an official statement said.

"Till such time as the national e-way Bill is ready, the states were authorised to continue their own separate e-way Bill systems," it added.

However, it was represented by the trade and transporters that this is causing undue hardship in the inter-state movement of goods and therefore, bringing in an early all- India system of the e-way bill has become a necessity.

As per the schedule of implementation, the nationwide e- waybill system will be ready to be rolled out on a trial basis latest by January 16, 2018, the Finance Ministry statement said.

Trade and transporters can start using this system on a voluntary basis from January 16.

Subsequently, the rules for the implementation of nationwide e-way bill system for inter-state movement of goods on a compulsory basis will be notified with effect from February 1, 2018.

This will bring uniformity across the states for seamless inter-state movement of goods, it said.

The e-way bill mechanism has been introduced in the GST regime to plug tax evasion loopholes. Tax evasion was one of the reasons cited by the government for the fall in revenue collection in October.

The GST revenue for October stood at Rs 83,346 crore, the lowest since the implementation of the new indirect tax regime from July 1.

It was significantly lower than the September figure of Rs 95,131 crore.

"While the system for both inter-state and intra-state e-way Bill generation will be ready by January 16, the states may choose their own timings for implementation of e-way Bill for intra-state movement of goods on any date before June 1, 2018," the statement said.

There are certain states which already have a system of the e-way bill for intra-state as well as inter-state movement and some of those states can be early adopters of the national e-way bill system for intra-state movement also, it noted.

"But in any case, the uniform system of e-way Bill for inter-State as well as an intra-state movement will be implemented across the country by June 1," it added.

According to Deloitte India Senior Director R Muralidharan, the mechanism will not only help the tax authorities monitor the inter-state and intra-state movement of goods but also cut transportation time by reducing the loss of time at check posts.

Further, this is expected to help the dealers who do inter-state transactions in multiple states as the e-way bill process will now be common across states, he said.

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‘No constitutional approval required’: RSS chief says ‘India already a Hindu nation’

News Network

December 22,2025

Kolkata: Stressing that India is a "Hindu nation," Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said that no constitutional approval is needed as it is the "truth".

Addressing an event marking 100 years of the RSS, Bhagwat said that India is, and will remain, a Hindu nation until Indian culture is appreciated in the country.

"The Sun rises in the east; we don't know since when this has been happening. So, do we need constitutional approval for that, too? Hindustan is a Hindu nation. Whoever considers India their motherland appreciates Indian culture, as long as there is even one person alive on the land of Hindustan who believes in and cherishes the glory of Indian ancestors, India is a Hindu nation. This is the ideology of the Sangh," he said at the '100 Vyakhyan Mala' program of RSS in Kolkata.

"If Parliament ever decides to amend the Constitution and add that word, whether they do it or not, it's fine. We don't care about that word because we are Hindus, and our nation is a Hindu nation. That is the truth. The caste system based on birth is not the hallmark of Hindutva," he added.

RSS has always argued that India is a "Hindu Nation," given the culture and majority's affiliations to Hinduism. However, 'secular' was not originally part of the Preamble of the Constitution, but it was added along with the word 'socialist' by the Constitution (42nd Amendment) Act, 1976, during the Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Bhagwat also urged people to visit the organisation's offices and 'shakhas' to understand its work, so that what he dubbed as the “false perception” of the organisation as anti-Muslim can be dispelled!

Bhagwat said that people have understood that the organisation advocates for the protection of Hindus, and are "staunch nationalists," but not anti-muslim.

"If there is a perception that we are anti-Muslim, then, as I said, the RSS work is transparent. You can come anytime and see for yourself, and if you see anything like that happening, then you keep your views, and if you don't see it, then you change your views. There is a lot to understand (about RSS), but if you don't want to understand, then no one can change your mind," Bhagwat said.

He said, but anyone unwilling to learn cannot be helped.

"After seeing, people have said that you are staunch nationalists. You organise Hindus, and you advocate for the protection of Hindus. But you are not anti-Muslim. Many people have accepted this, and those who want to know more should come and see the RSS for themselves," he said.

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