The North News

Chandigarh, March 22

Punjab’s excise revenue has surged past ₹10,200 crore for the first time, marking a significant jump from ₹6,254 crore in 2022-23, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said on Saturday. The state is poised to exceed its ₹10,145 crore target for the 2024-25 fiscal year, he added.

Cheema attributed the revenue growth to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s excise policies since taking office in 2022. He also highlighted the strong response to the e-tendering process for 2025-26 liquor retail licenses, which has already secured ₹8,681 crore from 179 allotted groups, with an additional ₹871 crore as a premium.

Projecting a further rise, Cheema said the state is likely to achieve ₹11,800 crore in excise revenue for 2025-26, exceeding the set target of ₹11,020 crore by 16%.

The Minister criticized past governments for failing to boost revenue. He pointed out that excise earnings declined by 6.9% during the Congress-led government (2002-2007) and stagnated under the 2017-2022 Congress regime, which also saw a deadly hooch tragedy. The SAD-BJP administration (2007-2017), he alleged, enabled a liquor mafia, causing revenues to drop in 2016-17.

Cheema reaffirmed the government’s commitment to transparent policies, saying increased excise revenue would help fund public welfare initiatives.