CM confident of excise revenue surpassing targets

NT NETWORK
Posted on 2009-02-06
PANAJI - The Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat has said that the government would take all precautions to restrict expenditure, even as he expressed confidence that revenues of the excise and commercial tax department would exceed the targets.
Replying to queries raised by the Opposition leader, Mr Manohar Parrikar, during the discussion on appropriation bill he said that though the liability of the state has gone up, the government was capable of servicing the loans. He also said that most of the funds required by the government were to be used for providing funds for implementation of VI Pay Commission recommendations.
He also said that global meltdown was a fact and all states and countries faced the problems caused by it. He also said that the state could not ignore it and that the government would face it.
Earlier, the leader of the Opposition brought to the notice of the government that state’s liability was increasing year after year and there were signs of government falling in debt trap.
He urged the government to bring fiscal responsibility and prevent misuse of funds and machinery. He also said that the state could not mortgage future of its citizens.
He also said that there was massive leakage of revenue of the excise department and many officials of the department were involved in it. He also said that excise policy was not in tandem with the tourism department. The House later approved the bill for Rs 537.94 crore by voice vote, when the Speaker, Mr Pratapsing Rane put it to the vote of House.