Question : BH Series Registration of Vehicles

(a) the objectives of introducing the Bharat (BH) series registration of vehicles in the country;
(b) the name of States which have adopted it along with the reasons for other States which are opposing to adopt it;
(c) the number of vehicles registered under the BH series in the States of Karnataka and Maharashtra;
(d) the breakup of the BH series vehicles in these two States between Central and State PSUs; and
(e) whether the Government proposes to extend the BH series registration to employees of private organisations also and if so, the details thereof?

THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

(SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

(a) Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has implemented Bharat (BH) Series Registration vide GSR 594(E) dated 26.08.2021, with date of implementation as 15.09.2021. It has been implemented with the objective of promoting ease of transfer of vehicles owned by employees of Central Government/ State Government/ Public Sector Undertakings and Private Sector Companies having offices in 4 or more States. Station relocation occurs with both Government as well as private sector employees and such movements create a sense of unease in the minds of such employees with regard to obtaining the NOC (No Objection Certificate) from the present State, assignment of new registration mark in the new State and application for refund of taxes from the previous State on transfer from one State to another State. One registration mark has been made valid throughout the country. Owner of the vehicle registered under BH series is required to pay vehicle taxes every two years or in multiples of it, to the state where it is located during that period, at 25% higher than the uniform rate as notified. In order to facilitate seamless transfer of such vehicles, BH Series is helpful not only to citizens but also in reducing the burden of RTOs which deal with such vehicle transfers.

(b) Following States/UTs have started BH Series registration:

1. Andaman & Nicobar Island
2. Arunachal Pradesh
3. Assam
4. Bihar
5. Chandigarh
6. Delhi
7. Goa
8. Gujarat
9. Himachal Pradesh
10. Jammu and Kashmir
11. Karnataka
12. Maharashtra
13. Manipur
14. Meghalaya
15. Mizoram
16. Nagaland
17. Odisha
18. Puducherry
19. Rajasthan
20. Sikkim
21. Tripura
22. UT of DNH and DD
23. Uttar Pradesh
24. West Bengal

The transport department of Kerala State Government has filed an affidavit in reply to the Writ Petition WP(C) No. 30887 of 2021 ( received as part of the Writ Appeal No. 602 of 2022 filed as State of Kerala & others Vs Marysadaan Projects Pvt. Ltd. before the Honorable High Court of Kerala at Ernakulam and Writ Appeal No. 604 of 2022 filed as Secretary (Transport) State of Kerala & others Vs Sathyendra Kumar Jha & Anr. before the Honorable High Court of Kerala at Ernakulam) stating that if the State implements BH Series registration, it would result in a financial loss to the State exchequer as the owner can pay one time tax of 15 years or of 2 years at his discretion. However, a detailed response has been submitted by MoRTH, to be filed , mentioning that the owner of the motor vehicle shall pay the motor vehicle tax for a period of two years, or in multiples of it, at 25% higher rate.The same is being remitted to respective States/UTs online. Hence , there is no financial loss to the State exchequer. This enables the citizen to avoid the cumbersome process with regard to obtaining the NoC from the present State, assignment of new registration mark in the new State and application for refund of taxes from the previous State on transfer from one State to another State. This facility is available to employees of Central Government, State Government, PSUs, Public Sector Banks, Government autonomous bodies or organisations, and the private sector (who are employed in an organization with offices in four or more different States/UTs).
(c) As on 15th July, 2022, the number of vehicles registered under the BH series in the States of Karnataka and Maharashtra are as follows:
State No. of vehicles registered under BH Series
Karnataka 2063
Maharashtra 6220

(d) The breakup of the BH Series vehicles in Karnataka and Maharashtra is as follows:
Sr. No. State Name Central government employee State government employee Defence personnel Govt undertaking company employee Bank employee Company
(office more than four states) Grand total
1 Karnataka 1,067 17 330 99 542 8 2,063
2 Maharashtra 1,290 90 758 267 1,060 2,755 6,220

Note: The details given are for digitized vehicle records as per centralized Vahan 4 portal.
(e) Any citizen working in Private Sector Companies having offices in 4 or more states can apply for BH Series registration mark.
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