Excise Revenue Collection In Odisha Registers 368 Per Cent Jump In 10 Yrs
By C.R.Beura
Bhubaneswar, Oct. 2 : Excise revenue collection in Odisha has registered a whopping 368 per cent jump in a period of 10 years – between 2012 and 2022. What is quite surprising is that even during Covid-19 pandemic, there was no fall in the state government’s excise revenue collection.
The significant jump in the excise revenue collection points to the fact that the state has witnessed a vertical rise in alcohol consumption habits among the people in the state.
Replying to a written question by BJP MLA Kusum Tete, excise minister Ashwini Patra informed the Odisha Legislative Assembly that the state government has collected Rs 1379.91 crore excise revenue in 2011-12. In 2022-23, the collection has gone up to Rs 6,455.06 crore, an increase of 368 per cent.
Replying to another question, the minister further said that the government has set a target to earn excise revenue of around Rs 7,800 crore in 2023-24.
Though the government is earning so much of excise revenue, only Rs 10.42 crore has been spent towards organising awareness campaigns to sensitise people about the harmful impact of alcohol consumption.
Several anti-liquor organisations in Odisha are up in arms against the state government over the development. Moreover, the Opposition BJP and Congress on Monday slammed the ruling BJD for this kind of situation in the state.
“The government’s intention is that they can win elections easily by encouraging alcohol consumption in the state. They can’t mobilise youths and make road shows during elections without liquor. The government doesn’t care about the state and its people, they are only concerned about winning the elections,” said Padma Charan Nayak, president of Milita Odisha Nisha Nibarana Abjijana (MONNA).
The number of liquor shops in Odisha has also increased in the last 20 years. By 2022-23, there are 1,749 deshi liquor shops, 663 foreign liquor shops, 35 military canteens, 46 beer parlour shops, and 673 beer on-shops in Odisha.
Despite so many liquor shops, illegal liquor business is also equally flourishing in the state. As many as 25,702 persons have been arrested in 1,56,413 cases in this connection since 2020.
Opposition BJP and Congress have slammed the ruling BJD over the increase in illegal liquor business in the state.
As per the information provided by the Odisha government, as many as
