Guwahati: Assam will develop an integrated online system to collect forest royalty, GST and other charges.Forest and environment minister Jayanta Mallabaruah said the proposed system would allow traders to complete all formalities online, including payment of royalty, GST and other statutory charges, and generation of transit passes (TPs). Payments will be made directly to the treasury.The minister was speaking after a review meeting with divisional forest officers, range officers and officials of the finance and tax departments on the implementation of the amended Assam Minor Minerals Concession Rules and introduction of a transparent, technology-driven system for collecting forest royalty and GST.The meeting discussed ways to streamline the movement of forest produce, prevent revenue leakage and strengthen compliance through a fully digital ecosystem.Speaking to the media, Mallabaruah said the govt was committed to developing an integrated online mechanism to collect forest royalty, GST and other applicable charges without manual intervention.“The objective is to establish a transparent, efficient and technology-driven system where genuine traders can conduct business without unnecessary delays or harassment while ensuring that the govt receives its legitimate revenue,” the minister said.He said the platform would combine royalty payment, GST compliance and TP generation into a single online process. “Under the new system, transit passes will only be generated after the successful payment of the prescribed royalty, District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT) charges wherever applicable, and GST, thereby eliminating opportunities for tax evasion and under-reporting,” he added.Mallabaruah said forest conservation and better revenue collection would be pursued together through technology, inter-departmental coordination and stakeholder participation.He said the reforms would create a transparent, efficient and citizen-friendly system while protecting Assam’s forest resources and ensuring rightful revenue for the state.
