VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday directed top officials of the state to explore various avenues to raise more income for AP government from revenue-generating departments. He suggested that district collectors be roped in into this exercise.
Chairing at his camp office a high-level review meeting in which home minister Taneti Vanitha and municipal administration minister Adimulapu Suresh participated along with senior officials, the CM underlined that it is high time district collectors became part of efforts to enhance sources of income for the state. He asked finance officials to be in regular touch with district collectors and help them find new sources of income from their respective areas of operation.
The Chief Minister acknowledged that there is substantial growth in income from mines and geology department and AP Mineral Development Corporation after YSRC has taken over the government.
This is because leakages overlooked by the previous government have been plugged and transparent processes have been brought in in a series of reforms.
Jagan Mohan Reddy wanted officials to study the transport sector and find new ways of imposing taxes on vehicles, while encouraging their sales by buyers. Likewise, he reviewed functioning of all major revenue-generating departments during the first quarter of 2023–24 vis-a-vis the revenue they have collected.
Officials informed the CM that compound annual growth rate from mines department had gone up by 32 per cent in last three years. The income of ₹1,950 crore in 2018–19 has gone up to ₹4,756 crore in 2022–23. Income from registration department has gone up to ₹2,793.70 crore in the current fiscal up to July 15, compared to ₹2,291.97 crore in the last fiscal.
With regard to liquor, officials informed the Chief Minister that income had come down when compared to 2018–19. 335.98 lakhs cases of liquor have been sold in 2022–23, compared to 384.36 lakh cases in 2018–19. Similarly, beer sales have come down to 116.76 lakh cases in 2022–23 against 277.16 lakh cases in 2018–19.
In this context, Jagan Mohan Reddy directed officials to pay attention to families involved in preparation of ID liquor and provide them alternate sources of livelihood. Officials informed him that so far ₹16.17 crore have been disbursed to such families to start alternate businesses.
Officials told the CM that GST collections (without compensation) up to June in the current fiscal have gone up to ₹7,653.15 crore, 23.74 per cent more compared to the last fiscal.
