Punjab Cabinet to discuss excise policy today

Tribune News Service

Ruchika M Khanna

Chandigarh, March 8

To beat the deadline of the Model Code of Conduct expected to be imposed any day now, the Punjab Government is rushing to get its excise policy okayed for the coming fiscal.

Since wheat in the agrarian state would be procured during the thick of elections, the state government is also in a hurry to get the labour, cartage and transportation policy approved from the Cabinet.

To help state earn Rs 10,350 cr

• The excise policy would help the state earn Rs 10,350 crore as declared in the Budget session
• After final approval of the policy, the Excise Department can start allotting liquor vends
• The cap on price of beer could be removed & open quota policy for IMFL also under consideration

A Cabinet meeting to discuss and approve these policies would be held on Saturday. The rolling out of the excise policy would help the state earn a revenue of Rs 10,350 crore as declared in the ongoing Budget session of the Vidhan Sabha.

After the policy is brought before the Cabinet for its final approval, the Excise Department can start allotting liquor vends. This exercise has to be finished before March 31.

Sources in the state government have said though the policy would be in continuation of the 2023-24 excise policy, the cap on price of beer could be removed. The open quota policy for Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) is also under consideration.

The policy was discussed among the group of ministers including Finance Minister Harpal Cheema, Power Minister Harbhajan ETO and Revenue Minister Brahm Shankar Jimpa, last month. The final discussion on the policy with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is scheduled for today.

Sources in the Food and Supply Department said labour, cartage and transportation policy of this fiscal would be replicated for 2024-25, but with minor changes.

Considering that the labour, cartage and transportation scam of the previous Congress government continued to rock the state politics ever since it came to light in 2022, and with the Centre, on whose behalf foodgrains were bought, keeping a hawk’s eye on the utilisation of its funds for foodgrain procurement, the Aam Aadmi Party government had been making efforts to ensure a continuity in the policy and avoid going in for any “experimentation”.

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