The Haryana Cabinet on Thursday approved the State’s excise policy for the year 2021-22 and decided to discontinue the ‘Covid cess’ on sale of liquor, which was imposed in 2020-21 for generating additional revenue in view of the pandemic.
An official statement said the overall excise collection in the financial year 2020-21 was ₹6,792 crore, against the collection of ₹6,361 crore in financial year 2019-20.
The statement said, “Despite complete lockdown till first week of May, 2020 and overall economic slowdown for major part of the year 2020-21, excise revenue during the financial year 2020-21 has witnessed growth of 6.69%. Since, the period of allotment of retail vends for 2020-21 will come to an end on May 19, 2021, the growth in excise revenue for policy year 2020-21 is likely to reach 15%.”
The meeting here was presided by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
The statement added that the duration of excise policy for the year 2021-22 shall be from May 20, 2021 to May 19, 2022. It said, “The liquor vends shall be allotted for a period of one year (365 days). The government has decided to discontinue-abolish Covid Cess on sale of liquor in next policy (2021-22). COVID Cess was imposed in 2020-21 for generating additional revenue in view of COVID Pandemic.”
The State Cabinet also approved the “HARIHAR” (Homeless Abandoned and Surrendered Children Rehabilitation Initiative Haryana) policy for providing employment, educational and financial benefits to abandoned and surrendered children who have completed the age of 18 years in the State’s child care institutions, and were abandoned before the age of 5 years or surrendered before the age of 1 year.
