Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Labour and Employment Shri Bhupender Yadav today launched the National Transit Pass System (NTPS) pan-India to facilitate the seamless transit of timber, bamboo, and other forest produce across the country. Currently, the transit permits are issued for transport of timber and forest produce based on state specific transit rules.
The NTPS is envisioned as a “One Nation-One Pass” regime, which will enable seamless transit across the country. This initiative will streamline the issuance of timber transit permits by providing a unified, online mode for tree growers and farmers involved in agroforestry across the country, contributing to the ease of doing business.
In order to create awareness and showcase the applicability and ease of using NTPS, special Pan Indian vehicles carrying forest produce were flagged-off by Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav today.
Two vehicles carrying timber and other forest produce from Gujarat and Jammu & Kashmir were flagged-off which are bound for West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. The QR coded transit permits generated under NTPS will allow check gates across various states to verify the validity of the permits and allow seamless transit.
On the occasion of the flag-off event, Bhupender Yadav expressed that this marks a historic achievement with the nationwide implementation of the NTPS. He said NTPS will help strengthen the journey towards greater transparency which is Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji’s guarantee for India’s development.
Yadav said this initiative is poised to facilitate the seamless transportation of timber and various forest products across the country. He said its impact extends beyond merely encouraging agroforestry and tree farming; it also promises to incentivize the entire value chain.
