Odisha revenue collection up 33% in Q1 FY15-16: Minister

Overcoming last year's downtrend in revenue collection, the Odisha government today claimed to have achieved a 33 per cent growth in revenue collection during the first quarter of the 2015-16 fiscal.
"The state has achieved a 33 per cent growth in revenue collection during the first three months of the 2015-16 fiscal. While the state had collected a total revenue of Rs 4,697.25 crore in the first quarter of 2014-15, this time the amount is Rs 6,257.76 crore," state Finance Minister Pradip Kumar Amat said after reviewing revenue collection in the first three months of 2015-16.
Despite the adverse situation of 2014-15 fiscal, Amat said there has been 45 per cent growth in the collection of the own tax.

While the amount of own tax collection during the first three months of the previous fiscal was Rs 3,427.31 crore, this time the amount had been Rs 4,980.21 crore, which was 45 per cent more than the corresponding period of the last fiscal, the minister said.
Similarly, in the sector of non-tax revenue collection, the state collected an amount of Rs 1,277.55 crore during the first quarter of 2015-16 against previous year's Rs 1,269.94.
Asking officials to focus on strengthening the arear revenue collection machinery, Amat directed the department to expedite raids to check tax evasions.
The minister also suggested the officials to remove policy hurdles through amendments in event of non-realisation of revnue due to legal problems.

Additional chief secretary, finance, R Balakrishnan and senior officials of steel and mines, excise, commerce and transpot and revenue departments attended the review meeting.