New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Jagat Prakash Nadda on Thursday inaugurated the e-Bill System, which will enable the government to process the fertiliser subsidy of approximately Rs 2 lakh crore at Kartavya Bhawan in the national capital.
Addressing the event, the Minister said that this online system would play a significant role in strengthening transparent, efficient and technology-driven governance.
Secretary Fertilisers Rajat Kumar Mishra said that the launch marks a major milestone in modernising the Department’s financial operations. The newly launched system represents a paradigm shift from manual, paper-based processes to a fully digital, system-to-system workflow, eliminating the need for any physical movement of bills.
This initiative is a significant outcome of the unique technological partnership between iFMS (Integrated Financial Management System) of the Department of Fertilisers and PFMS of the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Ministry of Finance.
This transformation significantly enhances transparency and accountability by creating a centralised and tamper-proof digital audit trail for all financial transactions, thereby facilitating easier monitoring and audits.
The system provides senior officials with real-time oversight of expenditures and strengthened financial control, as all payments are tracked and reported centrally under the unified system.
The seamless data exchange between the Department’s internal system and PFMS eliminates duplicate data entry, reduces manual errors, and improves overall processing efficiency and data accuracy.
Joint Secretary Manoj Sethi said that the system enables end-to-end digital bill processing, which will significantly accelerate payment timelines, including the timely release of weekly fertiliser subsidy payments.
Additionally, the e-Bill platform improves user convenience by allowing fertiliser companies to submit claims online and track payment status in real time, eliminating the need for physical visits and manual follow-ups.
It will enforce a standard electronic workflow (such as first-in-first-out bill processing) across the department, ensuring consistency, fairness, and compliance with financial rules in bill handling.
The integration also reduces IT system silos, simplifies system maintenance, and provides a comprehensive real-time financial information base to support informed decision-making, policy formulation, and efficient budget management.
The integrated e-Bill system significantly strengthens financial governance, with robust built-in controls that validate payments against predefined criteria, log every action for audit purposes, and reduce the risk of fraud or misuse, reinforcing the government’s commitment to transparent, efficient, and technology-driven administration, according to an official statement.
The Department of Fertilisers has taken a significant step towards strengthening digital governance and financial reforms in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of a Digital India, the statement added.
–IANS
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