Hoshiarpur- District Planning Committee Chairperson Karamjit Kaur said that the Punjab government has recorded a historic increase in revenue collection. She said that the new excise policy implemented by the Aam Aadmi Party government has brought huge economic benefits to the state. In the last three years, Punjab's revenue has recorded an increase of 88 percent, which is an indication of the economic strength of the state.
Chairperson Karamjit Kaur said that under the leadership of Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, the government has implemented a new policy with transparency by eliminating the liquor mafia, due to which the revenue is continuously increasing. During the tenure of the Congress government between 2017 and 2022, the revenue from excise was between Rs 5100 crore and Rs 6200 crore, while during the tenure of the Aam Aadmi Party government, this figure crossed Rs 8428 crore in 2022-23.
In the financial year 2023-24, this revenue reached Rs 9235 crore and touched the level of Rs 9565 crore in 2024-25. It is estimated that this revenue will reach Rs 10,200 crore by March 31, 2025. However, the government had set a target of Rs 10,145 crore, which has almost been achieved.
Karamjit Kaur said that the new excise policy has generated a revenue of Rs 11,800 crore, which reflects the strong economic policies of the government. He said that in the previous governments, due to the dominance of liquor mafia, there was a huge loss of revenue, but now this has been possible due to working with transparency. Chairperson Karamjit Kaur termed it as a major achievement of the Punjab government and said that the economy of the state is getting stronger under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema. She expressed hope that in the coming years also the government will strengthen Punjab economically by making such policies with honesty and transparency.