PNS/
Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Thursday said that the Punjab Excise Department has registered a historic Rs 2,587 crore (41.41 percent) increase in revenue during 2022-23 as compared to the previous financial 2021-22.
“The Excise Department collected revenue of Rs 8841.4 crore from sale of liquor during 2022-2023 against the revenue of Rs 6254.74 crore during 2021-22,” he said, dedicating the record growth to the new excise policy. “During the previous government regimes, the excise collections in the State registered very less growth in revenue and at times, the State has witnessed even negative growth in the excise collections,” he pointed.
Releasing the figures, he said that there was a negative growth rate of - 1.2 percent during FY 2022-23 with a collection of Rs 6254.74 crore as compared to the previous year. “The year 2020-21 had an increase of 23.7 per cent over the previous years with a figure of Rs 6335 crore, but there was negative growth of - 0.7 percent in 2019-20 with collection of Rs 5117 crores, a 0.33 percent increase was in 2018-19 with collection of Rs 5,155.86 crores, 16.6 percent increase in 2017-18 with collection of Rs 5139 crores, and again a negative - 8.15 percent growth in 2016-17 with a collection of Rs 4406 crore with respect to the previous years,” he added.
Cheema said that the Excise Department has also successfully completed the allotment of Retail Liquor Vends for the year 2023-24. “The process of allotment of 171 Excise groups was started on March 11, 2023, which has been successfully completed on March 31,” said the Finance Minister, adding that the Department has surpassed the set target of discovered License Fee of Rs 7,989 crores and has actually achieved the discovered License Fee Amount of Rs 8007.45 crores for the fiscal year 2023-24.
The Excise Department has set the total revenue collection target of Rs 9,754 crores for year 2023-24, he said, while expressing confidence that the Department would touch Rs 10,000 crore figure.
Replying to a media query regarding enforcement activities, the Finance Minister said that an effective enforcement drive is continuously being carried out by the Excise Department with the use of technology and proper co-ordination with Civil and Police authorities.
“During April 1, 2022 to February 8, 2023, total 6317 FIRs have been lodged by the Department, 6,114 arrests have been made, 1,48,693 litres of illicit liquor have been detected, 5,06,607 litres of lahan was recovered and destroyed, 1,74,468 litres of PML, IMFL, Beer or Spirit have been seized,71476 litres of ENA has been recovered, 308 working stills (bhattis) were detected and destroyed and 592 vehicles involved in smuggling of liquor have been confiscated,” he said.
He said that drone technology is also being used to capture real time images of inaccessible locations where illicit brewing is being done besides using hand-held monitors for checking the strength of confiscated or seized liquor.
A Track and Trace programme has been implemented in order to track and trace the movement of liquor from the manufacturer to wholesale and retail, he said, adding that this has enabled the officers of the Department to monitor the movement of liquor and stock inventories of the licensees up to the retail level.
“Under the aegis of the track and trace project, the Excise QR Code Label Verification Citizen App has also been launched in the state of Punjab to ensure that no in-genuine, counterfeit or non-duty paid liquor is sold in the State of Punjab. This mobile app is functioning in all android phones as well as iOS operated mobile phones,” he added.
Replying to a query regarding check on distilleries, Cheema said that mass flow meters have been installed order to check the production of liquor in manufacturing units. A very robust IT infrastructure and online remote monitoring system has been installed at Excise Bhawan to keep a vigil eye on production and flow of liquor from distilleries, he added.
Cheema said that the new excise policy also strives to keep a stringent check over the smuggling of liquor from the neighboring states through extensive enforcement and by incorporating new technological measures.