Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema Friday stated unique beer outlets will come up inside the municipal areas within the state.
“Earlier, beer was being offered at varied vends the place different sorts of liquor can be found however many individuals in trendy society don’t like to go to there. Subsequently, it has been determined to allow the opening of unique beer outlets,” Cheema stated.
The Cupboard on March 10 had accepted an excise coverage for the monetary yr 2023-24, which goals to gather Rs 9,754 crore.
Chatting with reporters on the completion of 1 yr of the AAP authorities within the workplace right here, Cheema stated there was round 45 per cent enhance in excise income due to the excise coverage launched by the AAP authorities for the yr 2022-23. He stated the income from excise rose to over Rs 9,000 crore in 2022-23 from Rs 6,100 crore within the earlier fiscal. He ascribed the bounce in income to placing an finish to the liquor mafia within the state.
Cheema, who additionally holds the portfolio of excise and taxation, stated a complete of 6,317 FIRs had been registered in opposition to those that had been promoting illicit liquor.
Greater than 6,000 individuals who had been concerned within the illicit liquor commerce had been arrested, he stated.
Over 1.48 lakh litres of illicit liquor and 1.74 lakh litres ‘lahan’ (uncooked materials for illicit liquor) had been seized, he stated.
Cheema additional stated the state has witnessed a 23 per cent rise within the assortment of products and providers tax.
Replying to a query on the outdated pension scheme (OPS), he stated the state authorities has already shaped two committees — one led by him and one other led by the chief secretary on the officers’ stage in regards to the OPS.
Claiming that the OPS launched by the Congress governments in Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh will “fail”, Cheema stated, “We are going to carry a scheme which is not going to trigger any monetary loss and workers will get their pension.”
He stated the earlier Congress had taken a mortgage of Rs 2 lakh crore in 5 years. It re-paid Rs 1.03 lakh crore however added Rs 99,000 crore to the state debt. “We’ve repaid Rs 36,000 crore of that debt. We’re paying for the wrongdoings of the earlier governments,” he stated.
Slamming the successive governments for pushing Punjab on the verge of catastrophe, Cheema stated that Congress, and SAD-BJP governments patronized gangsters, mafia and corruption whereas forcing the Punjabis to immigrate overseas.
He stated that Mann authorities has laid basis of a brand new and progressive Punjab and all main poll-promises have been fulfilled. “The primary yr rule of Mann authorities exhibits the seriousness, diligence and dedication in the direction of Punjab”.
Cheema stated that it was for the primary time that critical efforts had been made by any authorities to advertise direct sowing of paddy and cultivation of Moong in a bid to avoid wasting air, water and soil of the state. He stated that these efforts have been resulted into 30 per cent lower within the stubble burning. He stated it was for the primary time {that a} Punjab Chief Minister has taken agency stand on SYL difficulty whereas the previous CMs had been doing both lip service or politics on this difficulty.
He stated that assortment of enforcement wings jumped to Rs 173.27 crore until February 2023 in comparison with Rs. 147.89 crore upto February 2022.
Addressing a query on the opposition’s cost of “political vendetta”, Cheema stated if an motion was being taken in opposition to corrupt leaders then they’d name it political vendetta and whosoever is discovered concerned in such practices is not going to be spared.
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