CHANDIGARH: Projecting excise revenue of ₹12, 800 crore for 2026-27, Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Monday asserted that Punjab’s excise reforms have not only rewritten the state’s revenue trajectory but are now directly strengthening public welfare by funding schools, hospitals and other pro-people schemes.
Announcing the new Excise Policy, Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the state has moved decisively away from the stagnation of previous Congress and Akali-BJP governments, transforming excise into a transparent, enforcement-driven and growth-oriented sector that is delivering record collections while tightening the noose around illicit trade.
Addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan, alongside Excise and Taxation Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal, Minister Harpal Singh Cheema presented a detailed comparative analysis of the state’s excise trajectory. He stated, “During the SAD-BJP regime in 2011-12, excise revenue stood at a modest ₹2, 755 crore. Over the subsequent decade, growth remained slow and it reached only ₹6, 255 crore during the Congress regime in 2021-22.”