The Meghalaya Cabinet on Wednesday discussed ways and means to improve and enhance overall revenue collection in the state.
The Cabinet discussion came in the wake of the state reeling under financial crisis.
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After chairing the Cabinet meeting, Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma told reporters that the Cabinet discussed the need to amend excise rules but as more positive suggestions are coming in, all suggestions have been incorporated and a fresh Cabinet note would be placed on Thursday.
“New rules, related to revenue collection of the excise department, will be framed. If that happens, we will see a significant jump in the revenue of excise department,” said the Meghalaya CM.
“In fact, we have taken a decision, but more suggestions came in which we need to improve and make it better.”
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“Those will be added now in the amendment, and it will be again brought before the cabinet for approval,” he said.
Apart from amending the excise rules, Conrad Sangma said members of the Cabinet also discussed about other revenue generating departments how to ensure revenue collection of each department must go up.
“We are in the process of ensuring that the overall revenue collection of the state is improved and enhanced,” he said.
The Cabinet also discussed about issues of district councils where a meeting with all the chief executive members of the three autonomous district councils has been fixed to discuss important issues concerning the state and region.
On the long pending demand to legalize wine making in the state, the chief minister said that the matter would be examined.
“We are looking at big challenges and try to ensure that we plug loopholes that are there in the system. Those are being addressed right now besides other issues so that we can look at expanding other sources of revenue,” Conrad said.
Home winemakers in the state under the banner of Meghalaya Association of Wine Makers (MMAW) have been demanding for the last 17 years that the Meghalaya government legalise winemaking.
The winemakers currently make wine at home from fruits and other agricultural products and they use and sell it only during festivals and family programmes.