Petrol, diesel and alcohol will cost more in Uttarakhand. These were among the decisions taken by the State Cabinet in its meeting presided over by Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Thursday.
Briefing the media after the cabinet meeting, Cabinet Minister and State Government spokesman Madan Kaushik said that the cabinet has approved hiking the cost of petrol and diesel by Rs 2 and Rs 1 per litre respectively in the State.
In addition to this, the cabinet has also approved hiking the price of liquor in the state. Kaushik informed that a healthcare tax will be imposed on the three types of liquor sold in the State.
The Cabinet approved a hike of Rs 20 to Rs 200 per bottle of Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL). Further, a bottle of imported liquor will cost Rs 475 more while a bottle of country liquor will cost Rs 20 more.
The hike in the prices of petrol, diesel and alcohol will become applicable from Friday. Regarding the duration of the hike in the price of liquor, Kaushik said that the hike imposed in the form of healthcare tax will remain applicable till it is formally withdrawn by the State Government. Consumers of alcohol can expect the healthcare tax to be applicable for about a year.
While the hike in prices of liquor is expected to bring in revenue of Rs 250 crore to the State Government, the hike in prices of petrol and diesel is expected to bring in about Rs 120 crore revenue. Of the 15 listed issues, decisions were taken on 13 issues in the cabinet meeting while the remaining were deferred for the next meeting to be held soon. Detailed discussions were also held on various issues.
Kaushik also informed till Thursday afternoon, about 1.70 lakh people had registered for returning to Uttarakhand. These include those wanting to eturn in private vehicles. The cabinet has decided that the process of bringing back people to Uttarakhand by bus will be undertaken in two parts from May 7 to 9. Buses will be sent from various centres in the state to bring back people to Uttarakhand. Further, the approval to the State’s demand for special trains on long routes to bring back people to Uttarakhand is almost finalised. Long distance trains from Surat in Gujarat, south Indian and other states will be operated to bring back people to the state.
Earlier, the council of Ministers also held a meeting in which the current status of the COVID-19 was discussed. Information was also provided about improvements made in health facilities in view of the pandemic and the agricultural, industrial and other economic activities resumed in the state. AYUSH minister Harak Singh Rawat presented AYUSH kits to the CM and all ministers for boosting the immune system.
