Chandigarh, Feb 27 (IANS) The Punjab Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, on Thursday gave nod to the excise policy 2025-26 that aims to collect revenue of Rs 11,020 crore, an increase by Rs 874.05 crore over the current fiscal.
A spokesperson for the Chief Minister’s office said against the target of Rs 10,145 crore set during 2024-25, the government has collected Rs 10,200 crore till date.
The excise collection is witnessing surge during the current regime as for the first time, it has crossed the mark of Rs 10,000 crore, he said.
The collection from excise during the SAD-BJP alliance government was Rs 4,405 crore and in the last year of Congress regime was merely Rs 6,254 crore, the spokesperson said.
The new policy stipulates that in order to balance the existing retail trade and to provide opportunity to ensure better and widespread participation, fresh allotment of L-2/ L-14A vends for 2025-26 will be done through e-tender.
The group size for 2025-26 has been kept at Rs 40 crore.
In order to mobilise additional revenue and to ensure enough availability of country liquor, the quota of country liquor (Punjab medium liquor) has been kept at 8.534 crore proof litres i.e increase of three per cent over the previous financial year. However, there will be no increase in country liquor rates in the new excise policy.
In order to give relief to defence forces, the licence fee of their wholesale license has been reduced by 50 per cent from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh.
In order to promote tourism, the possession limit of licence holder of farm stays has been increased from 12 quarts of Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) to 36 quarts of IMFL with increase in possession quantity of beer, wine, gin, vodka, brandy and other liquor products. To give better consumer experience, one model shop in each group has been made mandatory for retail licensees in municipal corporation areas.
The fee of standalone beer shops has been reduced from Rs 2 lakh per shop to Rs 25,000 per shop.
To promote new investment, new bottling plants have been allowed to be set up in Punjab.
The Cabinet also gave green signal to adopt the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Act, 2024 enacted by the Parliament. The Act has replaced criminal liability with financial penalties and it stipulates that the contravention or non-compliance of the act would be dealt through imposition of financial penalty through an adjudicating officer.
In order to streamline the work of registration of births and deaths, the Cabinet approved amendments in the Punjab Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Rules, 2025. This will bring uniformity in the Act and facilitate the public in a big way, said the spokesperson.
–IANS
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