Amid apprehension of the West Asia crisis impacting consumption demand, e-Way bill generation rose 12 per cent in April as compared to the corresponding month of last fiscal, data from GST Network showed. However, it is 5 per cent lower on month-on-month basis.
Data showed, total e-way bull generation was 13.34 crore in April this year as against 11.93 crore in April last year and an all time high of 14 crore in March this year. The latest number of e-way bill generation could have some impact on GST collection in May, data for which will be out on June 1. However, actual collection depends on actual consumption as GST is destination-based. Also, services and movement of goods beyond a certain threshold are not included in e-way bill generation.
Meanwhile, officials say, the trend is normal and implies that war in the West Asia has not impacted the demand much as of now. Experts also think so. Manoj Mishra, Partner at Grant Thornton Bharat, said that the 12 per cent year-on-year growth in e-way bill generation for April 2026 reflects continued resilience in underlying economic activity, healthy movement of goods, and sustained formalisation of trade and supply chains under GST.
That said, the moderation compared to March figures appears largely seasonal in nature. March typically witnesses elevated business activity driven by year-end sales push, inventory adjustments, and closure-related activities by companies. “With the beginning of the new financial year in April, a sequential cooling-off in volumes is a normal trend and does not necessarily indicate a slowdown in consumption or trade momentum. Overall, the e-way bill data continues to signal stable domestic demand and improving tax compliance trends, especially across manufacturing, logistics, and consumption-linked sectors,” he said.
An e-way bill is an electronic document generated on a portal, evidencing the movement of goods. It also indicates whether tax has been paid for the moving goods. As per Rule 138 of the CGST Rules, 2017, every registered person involved in the movement of goods (which may not necessarily be on account of supply) of consignment value of more than ₹50,000 (can be lower for intra-state movement) is required to generate an e-way bill.
Published on May 9, 2026