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Rajmeet Singh
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 9
A meeting between senior Punjab Cabinet officials and ministers on Excise Tax Policy 2020-21 here on Saturday ended in a stalemate with the departure of the ministers. Officials present included Chief Secretary and Financial (Tax) Commissioner Karan Avtar Singh, Chief Chief Secretary to CM Suresh Kumar and Chief Secretary to CM Tejvir Singh.
Why withdraw, asks Bittu
If they (ministers) found the bureaucracy to be incompetent, they should have replaced the officers and not go on strike themselves. – Ravneet Bittu, MP Ludhiana
The meeting was called to finalize the draft excise policy, which would be presented at a cabinet meeting later in the day. Finance Minister Manpreet Badal and Technical Education Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, objecting to the “improper benefits” to alcoholic beverage contractors, reportedly noted that a minimum 10 percent increase in income compared to the previous year. In response, the chief secretary reportedly made a comment, pointing to the “non-viability” of his suggestions, infuriating the ministers. When ordered to approach the CM regarding his objections, Manpreet is known to have questioned the purpose of the meeting when officers “had already made a decision.” He’s gone. Other ministers did the same.
Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa learned that he had questioned the department for “regularly incurring losses.”
Neither officials nor ministers received calls for comment.
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