Substantial jump in excise revenue, crushed liquor mafia: Punjab minister Harpal Cheema
Chandigarh, March 11
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Saturday defended the AAP government’s excise policy, saying the state has seen a “substantial” jump in excise revenue collection and liquor mafia have been “crushed”.
He also said the Congress members should have stood by the Punjab government instead of approaching the governor to seek a probe into the excise policy.
Winding up the discussion on the budget estimates during the Assembly session, Cheema said for the first time, the state has registered a 45 per cent jump in excise revenue and it crossed over Rs 9,000 crore.
“But it is sad that you (opposition) are opposing it (the excise policy). The Congress party should have stood by the government for a 45 per cent increase in revenue,” Cheema said.
He claimed that under previous governments, liquor from Chandigarh and Haryana used to be “sold” in Punjab.
Supply from liquor vends in Haryana and Rajasthan abutting Punjab used to cause a loss to the state exchequer, Cheema said adding it has been stopped, Cheema said, adding smuggling of liquor has been ended by the AAP government.
“We crushed the liquor mafia in the state.” On March 7, a delegation of Punjab Congress met Governor Banwarilal Purohit, demanding that a probe be ordered into the state’s excise policy, which the opposition party alleged had glaring similarities with the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy.
Under fire from the opposition members over the state’s outstanding debt, Cheema said the Punjab government is regularly repaying the dues.
It is not just Punjab, all states are borrowing, he said.
The Punjab finance minister informed the House that the state government has repaid Rs 36,046 crore of its debt this fiscal.
Debt has gone up by Rs 24,000 crore so far, Cheema said and asserted that Punjab is following all guidelines of the Centre about borrowings.
Sharing figures of debt raised during previous regimes, Cheema said a sum of Rs 28,592 crore was raised during 2007-2012, Rs 99,304 crore during 2012-2017 and Rs 99,505 crore during 2017-2022.
