Intrastate e-way bills see rise, interstate bills dip

While intrastate e-way bills continued to grow even in the pandemic year of FY21, interstate bills registered a decline. Textiles was the top sector generating e-way bills last fiscal.

At 37.55 crore, intrastate e-way bills registered a marginal growth of 1.65 per cent from 36.94 crore in

FY20. However, the restrictions across state borders during the nation-wide lock-down and even during unlock phases interstate eway bills saw a decline by 7 per cent from 25.94 crore in

FY20 to 24.13 crore in FY21. Gujarat was the top state to produce the highest number of interstate eway bills, while Maharashtra generated the highest intrastate bills, as per government data.

However, Karnataka was the top state to verify eway bills followed by Gujarat and Kerala.

Textiles continued to be the top sector generating eway bills even in FY21, but there was a decline of 21 per cent in the number of bills from 8.20 crore in

FY20 to 6.47 crore in FY21. In FY20, the sector had seen a growth of 15 per cent in e-way bill generation. Electrical machinery and equipment, machinery and mechanical appliances, iron and steel articles and automobiles were the other top e-way bill generating sectors. Among them, electrical machinery and equipment as well as machinery and mechanical appliances continued to register growth.

E-way bills meant for both exports and imports were down in line with the decline in overseas trade in FY21.

Bills for imports fell 15 per cent, while exports were down 4.7 per cent. About 98 per cent of the

61.68 crore e-way bills generated in FY21 were meant for road transport, while one per cent each used them for rail and air transport.

A large chunk of bills were meant for shorter distances. Around 44 per cent of the bills were generated for transporting goods for less than 100 km. Another 14 per cent for distance between 100 and

200 km.