Electronic negotiable warehouse receipt
Also called: e-NWR · Topic: Agricultural Marketing, MSP, Buffer Stocks and PDS · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
An electronic negotiable warehouse receipt (e-NWR) is a digital receipt for goods stored in a warehouse registered with the WDRA (Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority). It is held on an electronic repository, not on paper. Because it is "negotiable", ownership can be transferred. So the stored grain can be sold or pledged for a loan without moving it. Being digital, it is harder to forge and easier for banks to lend against. The Warehousing (Development and Regulation) Act 2007 set up the WDRA in 2010.
Example
A farmer deposits wheat in a WDRA-registered warehouse and gets an e-NWR. Through the e-Kisan Upaj Nidhi portal (2024), they take a loan against it. They then sell later when prices rise, instead of distress-selling at harvest. e-NWRs can also be traded on e-NAM's warehouse-based trading module.
Don't confuse with
- Warehouse receipt: this is a plain acknowledgment of deposit and need not be transferable.
- NWR (paper): it can be transferred by endorsement but is a physical document. The e-NWR is its digital form.