Haryana to have on-line lottery scheme
By Yoginder Gupta
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Dec 7 — The Haryana Government plans to use information technology in a big way to boost its finances as well as to check revenue leakages.

Among the ambitious schemes drawn up by the Finance Department in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology is an on-line lottery scheme which is in an advance stage of preparation. A team of officers may visit the USA and certain European countries in the near future to study the on-line lotteries being run there. The scheme has been prepared on the model of the famous “Lotto” on-line lottery of the USA.

According to the Finance Minister, Mr Sampat Singh, the on-line lottery will be run by a private agency. Contract would be awarded after inviting bids. The tickets would be priced at Rs 50 each. The Government would get a fixed royalty besides certain percentage of the profit.

Mr Sampat Singh says with the introduction of the on-line lottery, traditional paper lotteries would be scrapped to keep the small players away from the lotteries.

The contractor would have to put up all the infrastructure, including computer terminals.

All the 100 treasuries and sub-treasuries in the State will be computerised and linked to the Finance Department headquarters at Chandigarh. This will help the government to overcome various problems its faces in day-to-day financial management. The computerisation of treasuries and accounts of the government will also help in preventing frauds.

Mr Sampat Singh says the manual system is not only cumbersome but also does not have any direct check in the receipts and expenditure of the State. In the absence of a foolproof system to detect financial irregularities immediately, these come to notice only after periodic test audit by the Accountant-General. The computerisation would also ensure timely credit of receipts in the State accounts by banks.

The Finance Minister says the computerisation of the treasuries will cost about Rs 6 crore. The system will be maintained by a private agency.

The Government also plans to install electronic weighing strips at the gate of all mandis so that the evasion of market fee can be checked.

Mr Sampat Singh says the government has decided to simplify the sales tax collection procedures in the States. Various forms would be abolished. Self-assessment would be allowed to traders having sales of up to Rs 50 lakh per annum if they showed an increase of 8 per cent in sales tax.

Already the State is witnessing a buoyancy in revenue collection. According to the Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Mr Raj Kumar, the State registered an increase of 24.66 per cent in excise income in November last over the corresponding period last year. This, he says, has been possible due to the curbing of smuggling of illicit liquor into the State. The authorities apprehended a truck-load of smuggled liquor in Jhajjar district today.

The Taxation Department has recorded an increase of 22.54 per cent in the sales tax collection last month over the corresponding period last year. The State witnessed an overall revenue growth of 23 per cent. It is noteworthy increase, especially considering the fact that the department has not put up any tax barriers at various places in the state. Even the transit slips issued at the borders of the State have been dispensed with so that there is no obstruction in the smooth flow of traffic.

Mr Raj Kumar says that all tax collection at the borders have been made voluntary.

Meanwhile, the Excise and Taxation Department has placed under suspension its nine employees, including a Deputy Excise an Taxation Commissioner, and Excise and Taxation Officer and and Assistant Excise and Taxation Officer, posted at Fatehabad in connection with the fraud by the liquor contractors, including the family of a Haryana Minister. The licences of the contractors have also been cancelled.

Mr Raj Kumar has rejected the Rs 4 crore bid for 31 liquor vends of Fatehabad and Tohana. He has fixed December 10 for re-auction of the vends.