E-way bill generation, a key indicator of economic activity in the country, has seen a steady rise as restrictions have been eased following the first two phases of strict lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 4.27 crore e-way bills were generated in June 2020 against average of 5.3 crore per month of the pre-COVID-19 period, a Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) press release said.
Further easing of restrictions, which the government has labelled Unlock 2.0 and began in July, is likely to see the collection figures rise higher.
E-way bill is required to be generated by a registered GST taxpayer for the movement of goods if the value of the consignment is more than Rs 50,000 for inter-state movement. For intra-state movement, limits vary from state to state.
The release stated: “The e-way generation which used to be around 20 lakh a day, in regular times, had drastically come down after the enforcement of the lockdown.
“March 2020 witnessed the steepest fall in e-way bill generation plunging to a low of approximately 0.50 lakh on 25th March, the lowest figure on the first day of the nation-wide lockdown.”
However, the collection figures have been on the rise with restrictions on movement being eased by the union government.
“June 30, the last day of Unlock 1.0 ended with the generation of18.32 lakhs e-way bills with a value of over Rs. 54,500 crore, which is the highest since the enforcement of the lockdown,” the GSTN release added.
First Published: Jul 5, 2020 6:00 PM IST
