Shillong, Mar 12: Meghalaya’s collection of excise revenue during 2024-25 stands at Rs 500 crore till date, which is over Rs 40 crore higher than the previous year.
The excise revenue collected during 2023-24 was Rs 458.19 crore. Last year (2022-23) too, the amount jumped to Rs 365.16 crore from Rs 307.99 crore in 2021-22. However, the previous year (2020-21) the collection was higher at Rs 375.38 crore.
Minister in-charge Excise Kyrmen Shylla laid down the figures in the floor of the assembly while replying to a question on Wednesday.
Measures have been taken to enable the department to streamline and rationalise the duty structure comprehensively leading to additional revenue gains to the state, he said.
Besides excise duty, revenue is also collected in the form of license fees, excise duty, import pass fee, transport pass fee, export pass fee, fines from confiscation etc., he said.
Meanwhile, the department is in the process of setting up its own laboratory with qualified technical personnel to test, check and analyse samples of liquor.
Necessity of the lab, which will ensure quality control through scientific analysis, was felt with the emergence of many bottling units, breweries, distilleries, and homemade wines licensed by the government.
Meanwhile, the government has taken steps to streamline and strengthen the Excise administration in the headquarters and its subordinate offices by posting officers at appropriate levels to various district and sub divisional headquarters, he added.
Stating that adequate measures have been taken to combat the menace of illicit liquor, the minister said intensive raids and checkings have been carried out in interior areas as well as the towns and suburbs.
In Shillong, he said, raids have often been conducted under the full glare of the media to promote transparency and accountability in the system which to a large extent produced successful results in minimizing the rampant sale of illicit liquor.
On the cases detected during the past five years, Shylla said 1,936 persons were arrested, 3,139 cases registered and 1858 were disposed of while Rs 27.25 lakh has been realised as fine.
“Government has issued 11 licenses for bottling plants/brewery/distillery, 57 bonded warehouse, 854 wine shops and 105 bars up to February 2025,” he further informed.
