Lucknow,

07 March (HS): Uttar Pradesh's Minister of State (Independent Charge) for

Excise and Prohibition, Nitin Agarwal, issued an order on Saturday, stating

that a complete ban should be imposed on illicit liquor from neighboring

states, as well as raw, adulterated, and stolen liquor. He also directed the

government to monitor this, and the district enforcement teams to continuously

monitor and take effective action against those causing revenue loss.

The

Excise Minister reviewed departmental work with senior officials at the

Sugarcane Institute in Dalibagh, Lucknow on Saturday. He directed all District

Excise Officers (DEOs), who were participating virtually, to achieve revenue

collection targets set for the Excise Department in the current financial year.

He

sought clarifications from the district excise officers of Kanpur Nagar, Agra,

Meerut, Bijnor, Lucknow, Bulandshahr, Hathras, Moradabad, Aligarh, and

Bareilly, among the 10 districts with the lowest revenue collections over the

past year. He also directed that an additional week be granted for license

renewals for liquor and cannabis shops.

He

also directed strict action against the concerned district excise officers on

complaints of liquor overpricing, disruption of industrial units, and

harassment anywhere in the state. He also directed an investigation into the

actions of the Bijnor district district excise officer for his irresponsible

actions against the liquor industry and submitted a report to the government.

The

Excise Minister said that in accordance with the Chief Minister's vision, all

officers should work with dedication, hard work, and honesty to advance the

state's development. Strict action will be taken if any negligence is found.

He

said that after VAT and GST, the Excise Department generates the highest

revenue. Over the past eight years, the department has seen significant

transparency and increased accountability. Other states are emulating the

state's excise policy. The state's Excise Department has become a role model

for other states across the country. To maintain this, all personnel must work

with team spirit.

The

Excise Minister stated that a revenue target of Rs. 63,000 crore was set for the

department in the financial year 2025-26. Of this, revenue of Rs. 50,585 crore

has been achieved through February. This represents an increase of Rs. 7,756.36

crore over the total revenue of Rs. 42,828.57 crore achieved through the same

month last year. This represents an increase of 118.11 percent.

Similarly,

in February 2026, revenue receipts totaled Rs. 6,635.79 crore, an increase of Rs. 1,707.57

crore from Rs. 4,928.22 crore received in the same month last year. This

represents an increase of 134.65 percent. He said that in February, the

department seized 2,76,438

liters of illicit liquor and took effective action against individuals involved

in unauthorized activities.

Additional

Chief Secretary of Excise Veena Kumari Meena, Excise Commissioner Dr. Adarsh

Singh, Special Secretary Abhishek Anand, and other departmental officials

were present at the meeting. All district excise officers participated

virtually.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi