The ministry of textiles (MoT) has launched B-Twill Supply Management and Requisition Tool (Jute-Smart), an online portal. This portal has been created to facilitate end-to-end transactions related to procurement of B-Twill sacking. It was launched by Union textiles minister Smriti Irani on the occasion of Good Governance Day on December 25.

The portal is an integrated platform for use by all the stakeholders to allow easy access to information, more transparency and ease of doing business for the jute sector. An e-governance initiative by the government, Jute-Smart is a web-based application that facilitates purchase of jute bags from the jute industry by the State Procurement Agencies (SPAs).

The portal has been designed to integrate the process of indenting of B-Twill by the SPAs, help payment of required fund by SPAs into their respective bank accounts and allocate Production Control cum Supply Order (PCSO) by the Office of Jute Commissioner. The tool will also help in the generation of inspection calls by the jute mills and allocation of inspectors by the inspection agencies. It can also be used for uploading inspection report by the inspecting agency and dispatch information by loaders/jute mills for transportation and Container Corporation of India (Concor). Bill generation by jute mills and release of payment from respective banks to the jute mills is also possible on the tool along with complaint generation and real time reconciliation of funds remitted by the SPAs.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) decided to transfer the operation of purchase and supply of B-Twill sacking by SPAs from the Directorate General of Supplies & Disposal (DGS&D) to the Office of Jute Commissioner, Kolkata with effect from November 1, 2016. Annually about Rs 5,500 crore worth of jute sacking is procured through support by the Indian government to support the Indian jute workers and farmers.