Chandigarh, Apr 6 (PTI) Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema Thursday said the state's excise revenue increased by more than 41 per cent in 2022-23, as he criticised the previous governments for allowing "liquor mafia" to take roots in the state.

Addressing the media here, Cheema said a revenue of Rs 8,841 crore was generated from excise in financial year 2022-23 as against Rs 6,254 crore in 2021-22, registering a jump of 41.41 per cent.

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He said the revenue increase was possible because of the excise policy brought by the AAP government.

"With new excise policy, the revenue increased from Rs 6,254 crore (2021-22) to Rs 8,841 crore (2022-23) in the state. It is historic that in the first year we registered a 41.41 per cent increase," he said.

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Cheema, who also holds the excise portfolio, said his department has set a target of achieving Rs 9,754 crore in revenue for the financial year 2023-24.

He also claimed the AAP government ended the liquor mafia in Punjab patronised by the previous Congress and SAD-BJP dispensation in the state.

He alleged that the excise revenue under previous governments dropped because of the flourishing of the liquor mafia.

In 2015-16, when the SAD-BJP government was in power, the state had registered a revenue of Rs 4,797 crore, which declined by 8 per cent in 2016-17 to Rs 4,406 crore, he said.

When the Congress was in power, the revenue from excise dropped from Rs 6,335 crore in 2020-21 to Rs 6,254 crore in 2021-22.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)