Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Labour and Employment Bhupender Yadav on Friday launched the National Transit Pass System (NTPS) pan-India to facilitate the seamless transit of timber, bamboo, and other forest produce across the country. NTPS is a “One Nation-One Pass” regime, which will enable seamless transit across the country.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change stated that 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. NTPS offers seamless transit permits, managing 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.

To mark the occasion, the Union Minister also flagged off two vehicles carrying timber and other forest produce from Gujarat and Jammu & Kashmir which are bound for West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. The QR coded transit permits generated under National Transit Pass System will allow check gates across various states to verify the validity of the permits and allow seamless transit.

Bhupender Yadav expressed that NTPS 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.

Ashwini Kumar Choubey, the Minister of State for MoEFCC, emphasized that the National Transit Pass System is a game-changer for agroforestry and trees outside the forest. Launched to streamline the transit of timber and other forest products, it is expected to enhance the ease of doing business in this sector.