The Hindu : Karnataka / Mysore News : State first in revenue collection: Siddaramaiah

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 24, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mysore

State first in revenue collection: Siddaramaiah

By Our Staff Correspondent

The Deputy Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, at a meeting in Mysore on Thursday to review the progress of development works in Mysore district.

MYSORE, DEC. 23. The Deputy Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, today claimed that Karnataka stood first in the country in terms of revenue collection.

Addressing presspersons here after holding a meeting to review the progress of development works in the district, Mr. Siddaramaiah, who also holds the Finance portfolio, said Karnataka's revenue collection had increased by 25 per cent after the formation of the coalition Government.

Policies

Mr. Siddaramaiah attributed the State's good performance in revenue collection to the policies of the coalition Government. Strict vigilance at border check-posts and plugging of revenue leakages were among the steps taken by the Government, which led to an increase in the revenue collection, he said.

He identified sales tax among the areas, which had yielded the Government an increased revenue collection. "We are on course to surpassing the targeted Rs. 9,600-crore sales tax collection for the year," he said.

Changes in the State Excise policy had also brought in increased revenue to the State. "The recent auction of arrack contracts had shown how much revenue can be raised," he said.

Clarifies

Mr. Siddaramaiah sought to clarify that he had not opposed the constitution of a new pay commission for State Government employees. Setting up of a new pay commission would not have immediate implications on the State Budget. He sought to rubbish contentions that stated that the commission would reduce his surplus Budget into a "deficit" budget.

The Governor, T.N. Chaturvedi, is expected to make an announcement on the pay commission during his New Year address to the joint session of the Legislature, he said.

No ban

Mr. Siddaramaiah said there was no ban on recruitment in "essential" departments such as Health, Police and Education. The Government was committed to abolishing redundant posts to bring down the burden on the exchequer.

Referring to his recent visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Mr. Siddaramaiah said that he had urged the Kannadigas residing in the gulf to invest in the State and contribute to its economic development.

Officials pulled up

Earlier, presiding over the meeting, Mr. Siddaramaiah pulled up the district officials for their lapses on various fronts.

He told the Deputy Commissioner, G. Kumar Naik, to ensure that all government officials gave endorsement to the complaints they received from the public.

"They have to make necessary notes whether these complaints can be redressed and if not the reasons are to mentioned. A timeframe for the disposal of the petition has to be stated in the complaint," he said.

He told the senior officials that they cannot escape responsibility by passing the matter to their subordinates.

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