Meghalaya excise revenue rises nearly threefold to Rs 500 crore in 8 years: CM

Meghalaya's excise revenue has risen from around Rs 180 crore eight years ago to more than Rs 500 crore currently, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said on August 28, expressing hope that collections would soon cross the Rs 1,000-crore mark.

Sangma was speaking after inaugurating the new office building of the Excise Department at Lower Lachaumiere in Shillong.

He attributed the increase in revenue to significant reforms undertaken by the department and said the government had taken a major decision to merge VAT on alcoholic liquor with the excise duty regime.

“The Cabinet in August approved the folding of VAT on alcoholic liquor into the excise duty regime by amending Section 44 and Schedule V of the Meghalaya Value Added Tax Act,” he said.

Sangma said the move was expected to further strengthen revenue collection while ensuring that reforms were implemented without disrupting the existing ecosystem or adversely affecting stakeholders.

He said revenue generated by the Excise Department helped fund several social welfare initiatives, including construction of schools and hospitals and safe motherhood programmes.

Officials, he said, should recognise the wider impact of their work as the revenue collected by the department ultimately contributed to saving lives and educating children.

On the new office building, Sangma said its inauguration marked an important milestone for the department, which had been operating from temporary structures for more than five decades.

The Rs 14.55-crore building brings the department's key operational units under one campus, including its laboratory, enforcement wing, Integrated Excise Management System and the office of the Commissioner.

The Chief Minister said bringing the units together would reduce delays and information loss caused by operating from different locations and improve services for licensees and citizens, who previously had to visit multiple offices for related transactions.

Sangma said the new building was part of the government's broader effort to strengthen administrative infrastructure across Meghalaya, including schools, police stations and outposts, block offices, primary and community health centres and sub-centres.

He urged Excise Department officials and staff to treat the new premises as their “second home” and work with commitment and dedication towards achieving the department's targets.

Excise Minister Brening A Sangma, Chief Secretary Dr Shakil Ahammad and senior officials and staff of the department attended the inauguration.