HP ministers rebuff statement of LoP over excise policy

Shimla: Himachal Pradesh revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi and PWD minister Vikramaditya Singh have rebuffed the leader of the opposition Jai Ram Thakur’s claims regarding the excise policy of the Congress government. Saying that there was need to have accurate information before making such statements, they added that the statement of Jai Ram Thakur of 13% growth in revenue was completely incorrect, as there is 40% revenue growth from the auction of retail liquor vends.The ministers, in a statement issued on Sunday, said that if the present government had continued the previous BJP government's policy of renewing liquor vends with a 10% hike, the state would have suffered an annual loss of approximately Rs 530 crore. They said the former chief minister should explain why the previous government implemented a policy of renewing liquor vends with a 10% hike and what was the bungle in it.Additionally, the people of the state deserved to know who benefited from this policy during the tenure of the previous government. The duo said the present government, under the leadership of chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had approved an auction-cum-tender system for excise retail vends. Through this process, the auctioned vends saw a 40% increase compared to the previous financial year’s policy, amounting to Rs 1,806 crore against Rs 1,296 crore.They further stated that the auction process concluded in March this year, with an advance license fee of 10% (Rs 177 crore) to be deposited before April 5. However, Rs 66 crore was already been deposited in the government treasury upto March. As of June 24, the total recovery amounting to Rs 686 crore has been realised as compared to Rs 555 crore in the previous financial year. They said many substantive initiatives had been taken in the excise policy of the financial year 2023-24 to enhance the government revenue. Licensees are now allowed to lift additional quota beyond the minimum guaranteed quantity (MGQ) with a prescribed license fee, ensuring additional revenue. The annual fixed license fee for wholesale vends has been increased to Rs. 35 lakh from Rs. 20 lakh and allowed mini bars for occupants in all rooms for license holders L-3, L-4, L-5. The timing of bars has also been extended upto 1am, which would increase the facility to consumers and give a boost to the economy.