Chemists for exemption from e-way bill

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 12

The Punjab Chemists’ Association today sought exemption from the e-way bill on the drugs and allied pharmaceutical items. In a letter to the GST Commissioner, Punjab, it pointed out that drugs were an emergency and life saving item and applying e-way bill would cause delay in supplying medicines at designated places. This would lead to interruption in regular supply of life saving drugs.

Surinder Duggal, general secretary of the association, said the Central Government had introduced the e-way bill for monitoring the movement of goods transported from one place to another. It would be applicable from February 1. He said the association, which represented around 20,000 chemists in the state, pointed out that the drugs were an emergency and life saving item and many times the emergency drugs valuing more than Rs 50,000 were required by ill-patients urgently.

Duggal said there was a three-tier distribution system in the pharmaceutical trade. The medicines are made available in the remotest areas and in every nook and corner of the state. He said the implementation of the e-way system on the drugs would cause undue delay in reaching of medicines and designated places.