UP to revise Mayawati's excise policy

Lucknow, April 2 (IANS) The Akhilesh Yadav-led Uttar Pradesh government has decided to re-examine the excise policy of the previous Mayawati government to help increase revenue.

An official order to this effect was issued Sunday evening where it clearly spelt out that with the aim of raking up more revenue, the state government would be revising the excise policy of the state.

Chief Secretary Jawed Usmani, in an official release, said the decision was being taken with a view to increasing the state's revenue earnings from the excise department.

However, until a new policy is approved of by the state cabinet, an interim notification has been issued.

The present excise policy, initiated by the Mayawati government, pegs the target revenue receipts for 2012-13 at around Rs.8,000 crore and till February Rs.7,256.80 crore was achieved, which was much higher (29.3 percent) than previous year's at Rs.5,610.60 crore.

While the new policy, its guidelines and targets are yet to be known, it would be in complete contrast to that of the Mayawati government, which had allotted wholesale rights of liquor distribution to Gurdeep Singh Chadha alias Ponty Chadha, a businessman known for his proximity to the then chief minister. Corruption charges have also been levelled against Chadha.

Uttar Pradesh is among the biggest liquor markets in the country with the consumption of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) pegged at 9.17 crore litres annually, 22.92 crore litres of country made liquor and 9.03 crore litres of beer.