Addressing the loss of Rs 3,000 crore in excise revenue, against the target of Rs 9,500 crore in the 2022-23 budget, Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot Thursday said this would not have been the case if the now-scrapped excise policy had continued. He presented his maiden budget on Wednesday. “The entire policy was upset by hindrances. The excise policy has been implemented in Punjab and revenue collection is good there,” he said, adding that work is underway to prepare the new excise policy. The current policy — the old excise regime (2021-22) — was implemented on September 1 last year, after the 2022-23 excise policy was scrapped amid allegations of corruption and investigations by the CBI and ED. On whether the government’s proposed infrastructure projects will be ready before the G20 Summit in September, he said: “These projects are time consuming. things will be clear once work starts. Work may even begin like on installation of bus queue shelters or construction of a multi-level bus depot, but it will take at least one or two years to be completed. For redevelopment of road stretches. we have 5-6 months, I think most of the work will be done by then. He also stressed that all welfare schemes will continue. Addressing the non-appointment of a PWD secretary, he said: “The matter was also raised by the Chief Minister yesterday. Problems are being created to stop work. I think politics should be constructive, not destructive. If an important department like the PWD does not have a regular secretary, how will it work?” Asked about this year's budget being a continuation of old projects, he said, “The budget is all about money, what amount should be allocated to projects. What we have tried to present in this budget this time is a focus on every project that will help make Delhi a clean, beautiful and modern city.” He said schemes like the shopping festival, redevelopment of markets and cloud kitchen policy, which were announced in last year’s budget, will be taken up with the MCD under the new budget. He also dismissed that budget allocation to local bodies has increased this year, after the AAP came to power in the MCD. “After 2015, money given by AAP to local bodies and MCDs was not given before… Around Rs 1,000 crore was given to MCDs as a loan even when the AAP government was not in MCD.” He also said the central government is giving step-motherly treatment to Delhi, referring to their share in taxes. “It is economic discrimination and injustice they are doing to us. This might affect the city’s revenue and growth. We might move court.”
