Rajasthan Assembly passes demand for grants for Excise Department

Rajasthan Assembly on Thursday passed demand for grants for the Excise Department by voice vote.

Replying to the debate in the Assembly, Excise Minister Parsadi Lal Meena said the Rajasthan government is committed to prohibiting liquor in the state. The government has earned more revenue by selling less liquor as compared to the previous years.

After the discussion, the House passed the demand for a grant of over Rs 1.80 billion for the department by voice vote.

Meena said liquor shops remained closed for three months during the Covid period. To protect the shopkeepers from the adverse effects of Covid, exemption has been given in various duties and taxes.

Minister of State for Ayurveda, Subhash Garg said in the Assembly that a 20-year road map is being developed in the state through AYUSH policy to develop Ayurveda and other medical systems. The budget for Ayurveda has been doubled by the state government in the last three years.

He said many institutions have been opened for the development of AYUSH in the state. One thousand wellness centres have been opened. Ayush centres are being opened up to block level. It is proposed to open Integrated Ayush College at every district headquarter. For this land has been allotted at all the divisional headquarters. He said that new recruitment of medical personnel have been made.

Garg said the Centre has increased the budget for AYUSH development in the entire country by only Rs 80 crore, while the state has doubled the budget for Ayurveda in the last three years.

In Rajasthan, the budget provision for Ayurveda in the year 2017-18 was Rs 594 crore, which has been increased to Rs 1,088 crore in the year 2021-22.