New Delhi, Jan 1 (NationPress) The Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers, Jagat Prakash Nadda, officially launched the e-Bill System on Thursday, aimed at facilitating the government's processing of the fertiliser subsidy amounting to around Rs 2 lakh crore at Kartavya Bhawan in the national capital.

During his address, the Minister emphasized that this digital platform would significantly enhance transparency, efficiency, and technology-driven governance.

Secretary Fertilisers Rajat Kumar Mishra noted that the launch signifies a pivotal advancement in the modernization of the Department’s financial operations. The new system signifies a complete transition from traditional, paper-based methods to a fully digital, automated workflow, thereby eliminating the requirement for any physical movement of bills.

This initiative stems from a unique technological alliance between the Integrated Financial Management System (iFMS) of the Fertilisers Department and the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) of the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) in the Ministry of Finance.

Such a transformation greatly improves transparency and accountability by establishing a centralized, tamper-proof digital audit trail for all financial transactions, which simplifies monitoring and auditing.

The system grants senior officials real-time visibility over expenditures and enhances financial control, as all payments are monitored and reported centrally under this unified framework.

The seamless data interchange between the Department’s internal systems and PFMS mitigates the need for duplicate data entry, reduces manual errors, and enhances overall processing efficiency and data precision.

Joint Secretary Manoj Sethi mentioned that the system allows for complete digital bill processing, which will significantly speed up payment timelines, including the prompt disbursal of weekly fertiliser subsidy payments.

Moreover, the e-Bill platform enhances user experience by permitting fertiliser companies to submit claims online and track payment statuses in real-time, thus eliminating the necessity for physical visits and manual follow-ups.

The system will impose a standardized electronic workflow (such as first-in-first-out bill processing) across the department, guaranteeing consistency, fairness, and adherence to financial regulations in bill management.

This integration further diminishes IT system silos, simplifies system maintenance, and provides a comprehensive, real-time financial database to aid informed decision-making, policy creation, and efficient budget management.

The integrated e-Bill system significantly fortifies financial governance, with robust built-in controls that validate payments against predefined criteria, log every action for auditing purposes, and mitigate the risks of fraud or misuse, thereby reinforcing the government's commitment to transparent, efficient, and technology-driven administration, as stated by an official.

The Department of Fertilisers has made a substantial advancement towards bolstering digital governance and financial reforms in alignment with the Prime Minister’s vision of a Digital India, the statement concluded.