Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today said that the tireless and honest efforts of the government of the Aam Aadmi party have resulted in huge revenue generation, thereby transforming Punjab from a ‘fiscal deficit’ to a ‘fiscal profit’ state.
Talking to reporters at Punjab Bhavan here today, the Chief Minister said that the previous governments always thought of fulfilling their personal interests while his government has closed all backdoors to increase the revenue of the state. He said that it was a matter of great satisfaction that these efforts have yielded fruitful results as the State has been able to generate maximum revenue. Bhagwant Mann said that the honest government of the state has diverted the flow of funds towards the government exchequer instead of going to the private houses of the politicians.
The Chief Minister said that though the state government had implemented the excise policy with a delay of three months, the state has earned a revenue of Rs 8841 crore from it. He said that this revenue is Rs 2587 crore more than the previous year, which is about 41.41 per cent more. Bhagwant Mann said that a target of Rs 9754 crore has been set for the next financial year and this target will also be achieved as a result of his continuous efforts.
The Chief Minister said that for the first time, the Punjab government has presented a budget with zero tax in the state. He said that this is first of its kind public welfare initiative, which will ensure the welfare of the people. Taking a vow, Bhagwant Mann said that no stone will be left unturned for the all-around development of the state and the prosperity of its people.
Referring to another important achievement, the Chief Minister said that G.I. S. There has been a huge increase in the recovery of T. He said that first Punjab ji. S. T. was performing worst in recovery but now with an increase of 16.6 per cent, the State G. S. T. has been among the best-performing states in the collection. Bhagwant Mann said that Rs 18,126 crore was spent in the last financial year. S. T. Revenue has been collected, while Rs 15542 crore was collected in the previous year.
The Chief Minister said that the state government has made a new experiment of giving a 2.25 per cent exemption on stamp duty for the registration of land and property. He said that due to this a new record has been created in revenue collection in the month of March. Citing the example of this, the Chief Minister said that in the month of February, a revenue of Rs 339 crore was generated, whereas in the month of March this revenue increased to Rs 658.68 crore. Bhagwant Mann said that on the suggestion of the people of Punjab, especially those associated with agriculture, now this relaxation has been extended till April 30.
The Chief Minister said that earlier due to the wrong policies of the state governments, P.S. P.C.L. was considered a loss-making institution. The Chief Minister said that his government has taken unprecedented initiatives to strengthen this public sector institution. Bhagwant Mann said that for the first time in the history of the state, the government has released an outstanding subsidy of Rs 20,200 crore. The Chief Minister informed that out of this subsidy, Rs 9063.79 crore has been given to the agriculture sector, Rs 8285.90 crore as subsidy to domestic consumers and Rs 2911 crore to the industrial sector. He said that the State Government should get P.L. P.C.L. 9020 crore inherited and the state government is repaying this loan also through five instalments of Rs. 1894 crore. Bhagwant Mann said that the state government has so far given jobs to 3538 youth in Powercom.
The Chief Minister said that due to the untiring efforts of his government, power generation in the state has expanded manifold. He said that an uninterrupted supply of coal has started from the Jharkhand coal mine. Bhagwant Mann said that Punjab is moving towards becoming a power surplus state in the country.
The chief minister reiterated that the state government was exploring possibilities of going to court to recover the dues of the Rural Development Fund from the Centre. He said that the Central Government of D.F. 30,000 crore is causing unnecessary trouble to the state by withholding funds under it. Bhagwant Mann said that though the state government has completed all the formalities to get the funds, the central government has deliberately withheld the legitimate funds of the state, which is sheer injustice to the state.
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Enumerating the public-friendly initiatives of the state government, the Chief Minister said that the Punjab government has so far given government jobs to more than 28,000 youth of the state. He said that the only selection criteria in this entire recruitment process are merit and the whole process is being ensured in a transparent manner. He said that now these youth have become an integral part of the socioeconomic development of the state. Bhagwant Mann said that such a huge number of jobs in just one year shows the commitment of the state government to ensure the welfare of the youth and open up new avenues of employment for them.
The Chief Minister said that the State Government has dedicated 504 Aam Aadmi Clinics across the State to the people to provide standard health services in the State and 134 more such clinics would be started soon. He said that world-class treatment and investigation facilities are being given free of cost to the people in these clinics. Bhagwant Mann said that so far 21.21 lakh patients have benefited from these Aam Aadmi clinics and lakhs of patients have been tested free of cost in a few months.
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