State to announce new excise policy soon

PATNA, JULY 8. The Bihar Government is contemplating to implement new excise policy in the State to increase the excise revenue by Rs. 200 crore per annum, according to the Minister for Excise and Prohibition, Mr. Shivanand Tiwari.

Mr. Tiwari told PTI that the policy would be announced soon after the approval of the State Cabinet.

Under the policy, the excise department would issue sub-division- wise tenders for a master dealer who would have the authority to sub-let the wine shops to any parties of his choice in their respective sub-divisions.

Mr. Tiwari said the master dealer would have to pay the licence fees including the excise taxes in one instalment after the allotment of dealership for the entire sub-division.

Similarly, the department had decided to levy excise taxes on the sale of ayurvedic toxicants like ``Mrit Sanjivini'' Sura in Bihar, he said. Pouches of the country-made liquors would have a fixed price in the State.Drastic steps were being taken to streamline the functioning of the department and check sale of spurious liquor.

Stringent punitive action would be taken against the vendors if they were found involved in such malpractices.

The department would engage teams of flying squads to conduct searches and examine the stocks of wine shops and dealers.

Mr. Tiwari said his department had planned to increase the total revenue by Rs. 200 crore by the end of the financial year 2000- 2001.The Minister said against the target of Rs. 450 Crore, the department had collected revenue worth over Rs. 283 Crore in 1999-2000 which was 60 per cent of the target.

``With implementation of the new excise policy, the government will definitely surpass the revenue target''.

Mr. Tiwari said there was only one liquor shop on an average population of 50,000 in Bihar. He said there was a total of 1802 shops for country liquor, 1719 for foreign liquor. The department had instituted 22,865 cases during the last financial year against the sale of illicit liquor.

- PTI

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