NEW DELHI: India’s goods movement picked up in September ahead of the festive season, with electronic permits for shipments within and across states rising to their highest monthly level so far in fiscal year 2027 (FY27).
E-way bill generation rose 7.2% year-on-year to 141.53 million in September, according to government data released on Thursday. The increase also marked a 1.8% rise from August, when 139.09 million e-way bills were generated.
September’s tally was the highest in FY27, extending a broadly steady rise from 133.37 million in April to 136.08 million in May, 136.77 million in June and 139.79 million in July, before easing marginally to 139.09 million in August.
The increase comes amid India’s festive season, which has begun and is expected to peak around Diwali in November and extend through Christmas in December.
Interstate movement continued to outpace the overall growth. Interstate e-way bills rose 8.2% year-on-year to 49.85 million in September from 46.09 million a year earlier, while intra-state bills increased 6.6% to 91.64 million from 85.92 million.
Sequentially, interstate e-way bills rose 3.7% from 48.09 million in August, while intra-state bills increased 0.7% from 91.00 million.
August generation had risen 7.7% year-on-year to 139.09 million. September’s growth was therefore slightly slower than in August and below the double-digit increases recorded in some earlier months.
“The steady increase in e-way bill generation suggests that goods movement has remained resilient, with the festive season likely providing additional support to trade and logistics activity,” said Pankaj Dikshit, executive director and chief AI and data officer, Cygnet.One, a tax technology and financial digital transformation solutions provider. “The stronger growth in interstate e-way bills is also consistent with continued movement of goods across state borders, although e-way bill volumes should be read as an indicator of activity rather than a direct measure of economic growth.”
GST momentum
E-way bills are required for the movement of goods above a prescribed value threshold, subject to specified conditions and exemptions. The electronic permits capture the movement of goods across the country and are widely tracked as a high-frequency indicator of goods movement, domestic trade and GST compliance.
The latest data comes alongside strong in September. Gross GST revenue rose 14.7% year-on-year to ₹2.04 trillion, while gross domestic GST revenue increased 10.1% to ₹1.38 trillion. GST revenue from imports rose 25.9% to ₹65,525 crore from ₹52,031 crore a year earlier.
The September numbers also come as the GST Network continues work on changes to the e-way bill system aimed at strengthening compliance and improving the traceability of goods movement.
GSTN had earlier deferred proposed changes to the e-way bill system, giving businesses, transporters and GST software providers more time to prepare. The proposed changes included additional validations and other measures aimed at improving compliance and strengthening the linkage between goods movement and GST reporting.
Separately, the Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT) has introduced an allowing taxpayers to seek the transfer of appeals involving an identical question of law pending before different benches of the tribunal, as reported by Mint on 3 October.
Taxpayers with multiple GST identification numbers (GSTINs) linked to the same permanent account number (PAN) can identify appeals involving an identical question of law pending before different benches and file a single transfer application, according to the updated standard operating procedure (SOP) reviewed by Mint.