One Nation, One Pass: Forest produce portal gets 24K applications

Transit permits are issued for tree species that are regulated, while the users can self-generate No Objection Certificates for exempted species

The government’s One Nation-One Pass initiative, launched on December 29 to facilitate the seamless transit of timber, bamboo, and other forest produce across the country, received a total of 23,723 applications, according to data from the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

Of these applications, 7,171 no-objection certificates (NOCs) and 14,061 transit permits (TPs) were issued.

However, 1,218 TPs are pending government clearance, while 1,169 TPs were rejected.

Although the ministry's National Transit Permit System (NTPS) data doesn't specify reasons for rejection, a ministry official said they usually occur due to incorrect or incomplete information provided in the applications.

Prior to the introduction of NTPS, the transit permits were issued for transport of timber and forest produce based on state-specific transit rules.

The NTPS offers seamless online transit permit generation and management of records for both inter-state and intra-state transportation of timber, bamboo and other forest produce obtained from various sources like private lands, government-owned forest and private depots.

A total of 10,878 permits were generated for West Bengal, making it the state with the highest number of permits issued under the initiative. After West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir farmers generated 8,144 permits, while Madhya Pradesh obtained 4,173. The remaining 104 permits were generated for Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, and Lakshadweep.

Transit permits are issued for tree species which are regulated, while the users can self-generate NOCs for exempted species.

Currently, 25 states and union territories have embraced the unified permit system, streamlining interstate business operations for producers, farmers, and transporters.

During the flag-off event on December 29, Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for MoEFCC, emphasised that the influence of the NTPS goes beyond promoting agro-forestry and tree farming. He highlighted that it holds the potential to incentivise the entire value chain associated with the transit of forest produce.

Each state maintains a distinct list, outlining the produce that is exempted from transit regulations and those that are not exempted.

Bamboo, populus spp (poplar), populus acacia nilotica (kikar), apple and cherry, among others, produced outside the forest are exempted from TPs in Jammu and Kashmir. However, transportation of bamboo is prohibited in approximately 14 districts of Madhya Pradesh, including Khandwa, Chhindwara and Sidhi. Poplar is exempted from TPs in both states.
 

The online mechanism also simplifies the application process by clearly indicating which product necessitates a TP and which only requires an NOC.

In 2017, the government initially proposed a pan-Indian bamboo permit in response to persistent challenges arising from fragmented regulations on forest produce.

The complex system of state-specific TPs, marked by bureaucratic hurdles and frequent delays, was impeding the potential growth of rural economies. They were also creating obstacles for sustainable forest management.

Subsequently, in 2018, the government issued an advisory highlighting 10 commonly-grown agroforestry species. They include milia dubia (malabar neem), khejri (prosopis spp) and poplar, among others, which were exempt from felling and transit permits.