New Bharat BH series of vehicle number plates applicable countrywide launched in Odisha

The new BH series number plate will make the procedure of reclaiming state taxes easier

The Bharat (BH) series centralized registration for private automobiles came into force in Odisha on 15.09.21, Wednesday, in an effort to make it easier for people who have to migrate from state to state. Officials said that any government or private employee can apply for the Bharat (BH) series of centralized registration numbers in Odisha.

From Wednesday, any government or private employee can apply for the Bharat (BH) series of centralized registration numbers in Odisha, officials said. The central government by amending Rule 47 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, has mandated that vehicles bearing the BH registration number will not be required to register in a new State after relocation.

How does it work?

As per an order issued by the State Transport Authority (STA), Odisha, the new system of allotting BH series registration will be completely online. The application along with the specified fee and taxes will be made in electronic form through the portal, https://parivahan.gov.in.

Any employee of the State or Central government can apply for the facility by furnishing an official Identity Card. For the private sector, the employee of a company having offices in at least four states/UTs is eligible to avail of the number. Vehicles registering under the BH system will be levied road tax for two years and in multiple of two thereafter.

The road tax will be charged at 8 percent in case of vehicles costing below Rs 10 lakh. For the vehicles costing Rs 10-20 lakh, the charge will be 10 percent and for those above Rs 20 lakh, it will be 12 percent. Two percent extra charge will be levied for diesel vehicles, while it will be 2 percent less for electric vehicles, the STA said.

Everything to know about Bharat Series

The new BH number plate series is being launched to eliminate the requirement for owners to update their registration when they relocate to India. It will alleviate vehicle owners' concerns and assist them in avoiding the inconvenience of transferring vehicle registration certificates when shifting to a different state.

The registration mark for the BH-series will be in the format YY BH #### XX. YY indicates the year of initial registration, BH indicates the Bharat Series, #### indicates a four-digit random number, and XX indicates two alphabets.