As a part of its austerity drive to chop pointless bills, the Punjab authorities is mulling to merge small departments, finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema mentioned right here on Monday.
Punjab finance minister Harpal Cheema (HT File)
Addressing a press convention within the district administrative complicated, Cheema mentioned that irrelevant departments could be closed and the workers could be readjusted to chop bills.
“Merging departments of similar functions is on the government’s ‘to-do list’, Cheema added.
He said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government was doing its best to resurrect the state economy which was left bleeding by the previous governments. He, however, reiterated that freebies like free electricity to consumers would continue.
“Our focus is on plugging loopholes in the tax net and we have collaborated with IIT, Hyderabad, to collect data on tax evasion. State’s total revenue collection in the 2042-25 fiscal stood at ₹42,289 crore, which was the result of the successful implementation of excise and taxation policies”, he mentioned.
Responding to state Congress leaders’ allegations, Cheema denied that the federal government had given any month-to-month targets of raids to the excise and GST officers.
“The government’s only directive was to prevent tax evasion. Whosoever is found guilty of tax evasion would be tried under the prescribed taxation norms”, he added.
Replying to a different question, he mentioned the federal government was within the strategy of settling excellent funds of the sixth Pay Fee beneficiaries. A bundle of ₹14,191 crore was being disbursed among the many workers and the pensioners, he added.
Cheema, who can also be the top of the cupboard sub-committee on ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ (battle towards medicine), claimed that Punjab was on the trail of turning into the primary drug-free state.
He mentioned medicine flowed freely within the 10-year rule of the SAD-BJP authorities and subsequent Congress authorities additionally didn’t test it.
“The AAP authorities was working relentlessly to erase the menace, Cheema mentioned lauding the Hoshiarpur district administration for its pro-active drive towards the drug peddlers.