Sharp rise in excise revenue collection by State Excise department in fiscal 2018-19

Credit goes to streamlined Act and Rules, besides stringent measures taken up by department

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The streamlined Assam Excise Act and Rules have led to a sharp rise in revenue collection by the State Excise department in fiscal 2018-19.

In fiscal 2018-19 the department collected Rs 2,400 crore revenue against Rs 1,800 crore collected in fiscal 2017-18. The Rs 600-crore rise in the collection is attributed to the stringent measures taken up by the department like plugging loopholes in the existing Excise Act and Rules in the State. According to sources in the State Excise department, liquor that entered the State illegally from the neighbouring States, especially from Arunachal Pradesh, robbed the Department of revenues. However, plugging loopholes in the Assam Excise Act and Rules has reversed the trend, sources in the department said. According to official sources, in 2018-19 as much as 1.51 lakh litres of liquor was seized while being illegally transported to Assam from the neighbouring States. It is significant that the licences of one factory and 12 wholesale warehouses were cancelled by the department in 2018-19.

According to sources, the State CID (Criminal Investigation Department) and the BIEO (Bureau of Investigation of Economic Offences) have also been asked to get themselves engaged in checking illegal transportation of liquor. “Some of the offences under the Assam Excise Act and Rules have been made non-bailable, besides hiking the penalties many times,” a source in the department said.

Talking to The Sentinel, State Excise Minister Parimal Sukladaidya said: “Our special thrust is on curbing smuggling of liquor from Arunachal Pradesh. The Arunachal Pradesh Excise Commissioner has been requested to share information of liquor consignments being transported from his State via Assam. We’ve also asked all upper Assam deputy commissioners and superintendents of police to take stringent measures to stop illegal entry of liquor from Arunachal Pradesh.”

On the Assam Heritage Alcoholic Brew Policy, 2017, Suklabaidya said: “Various ethnic brews have been commercialized, leading to generation of more employment opportunities, especially for women who’re traditionally involved in brewing.”

Also read: Excise revenue grows manifold: Suklabaidya