Punjab logs ₹4,000-cr excise mop-up in FY’s first half: Cheema

Addressing a press conference, finance and taxation minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the total excise revenue collections stood at ₹4,280 crore in April to September period.

Under fire from the opposition parties over its excise policy, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab on Thursday said that the state’s excise collection crossed ₹4,000 crore within the initial six months of a financial year for the first time.

The finance minister said that the liquor lobby was trying to harass the state officers through the central government over the excise policy. (HT file photo)

Addressing a press conference here, finance and taxation minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the total excise revenue collections stood at ₹4,280 crore in the April to September period, registering an increase of 37.62% over last year’s figure of ₹3,110 crore for the same period. He slammed the previous state governments for not making adequate changes in the excise policy due to their alleged collusion with the liquor mafia, “These governments facilitated the liquor mafia in the loot of more than 22,500 crore from the state exchequer if we assume only 7% increase in excise collection every year for the last 15 years,” Cheema claimed. He said the Bhagwant Mann government had set a target of ₹9,000 crore excise collection while the last government’s target was only ₹6,200 crore. The AAP government has been facing flak from the opposition parties ever since the CBI and Enforcement Directorate started looking into alleged corruption in the framing and implementation of the excise policy 2021-22 in Delhi where the party is in power. There are allegations that the excise policy in Punjab was based on the one in Delhi that has since been withdrawn.

Hitting back at the opposition parties, the finance minister said that the liquor lobby was trying to harass the state officers through the central government over this policy. “We stand firmly with our officers against the pressure tactics being used by the Centre through its various agencies,” he claimed, asking the rival parties why there was no adequate increase in excise collection during their governments. He said the actual potential of liquor trade had been assessed by allotting the retail groups through a free, fair and transparent manner of e-tendering and total 6,378 vends in 175 groups were e-auctioned in the state. The state government made a series of efforts to increase the own revenue of the state to fulfill all the commitments and promises made to the people besides ushering in an era of development and prosperity, he said