Excise revenue collection increased by 25.99 per cent to `2569 crore in 2015-16 compared to `2039 crore in the previous year 2014-15, informed Excise Minister Dr Damodar Rout in the State Assembly on Wednesday.
In response to a question of BJD MlA Mangala Kisan, the Minister also informed that his department has taken many steps to increase the revenue and has targete to collect `3,300 crore by the end of the current year, 2016-17.
While all application fees have been increased by 10 per cent, licence fee for all country and foreign liquors has been increased by 20 per cent and licence fee for OS liquor-making units increased by 12 per cent and fees of all on shop and off shop liquor shops has been increased by 10 per cent.
Besides, 155 of 266 shops, which were closed for operating on Government land, have been reopened in private/own lands and steps are afoot on to reopen all other shops, which had been closed for some other reasons.
According to the information, highest 87.73 per cent increase in revenue collection was recorded in Kandhamal district, followed by 77.91 per cent in Malkangiri, 63.30% in Bhadrak, 48.09 per cent in Kendrapada 44.08 per cent Deogarh, 41.37 per cent increase recorded in Nayagarh district. While all districts recorded increase in the excise revenue, Cuttack registered a decline by 1 per cent.