Maha Govt wants to increase tax collection for villages

Maharashtra Government wants 100 per cent tax collection from rural areas by developing the region under 'eco-village'

scheme."The eco-village concept has been proposed to maintain environment in rural areas for which incentives are to be given to the

villages to have infrastructure like water, power and roads. This development would make the villages pay taxes to the Government," Rural

Development Minister, Jayant Patil told PTI.The tax collection in the rural areas is very low and the Government wants 100 per cent

collection."We expect 75 per cent tax collection in first year of the eco-village scheme and 100 per cent collection in subsequent years,"

Patil said.
       
The infrastructural development would be done in a systematic manner with the help of experts.
       
"The Rural Development Department has prepared a model for the eco-village in which the region would have a development plan like cities to

avoid haphazard constructions in future," Patil said.
       
The Government would design plan for 33 villages initially from the experts and for the rest, the Zilla Parishad would chalk out the plans,

the minister said.
       
"Certain guidelines and rules would be set up for villages like using bio-gas, preserving forests, maintaining sanitation against which

incentives for the development would be given to them," he said.
       
The whole project of Rs 200 crore would soon come up before the cabinet for approval, the minister said.
     
Altogether 33 districts in Maharashtra fall under the rural category. There are over around 40,000 villages in the state.