The BJP-led government in Madhya Pradesh may soon impose a surcharge on products such as liquor and some services to raise Rs 100 crore to meet the expenses of running cow shelters in the state.
A senior official of the finance department told Hindustan Times that the decision was taken at a meeting between the Gau Samvardhan Board and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday.
JN Kansotiya, Additional Chief Secretary of the animal husbandry department, said the finance and commercial tax departments have been asked to prepare a proposal.
The plan will be finalised and approved by the Gau (cow) cabinet that was formed last year for the welfare and protection of cows, the finance department official said.
“The (Gau Samvardhan) board needs Rs 160 crore to feed 2.6 lakh cows living in 1,300 cow shelters. But, the budget provided is Rs 60 crore,” the report said, quoting a senior officer of the animal husbandry department.
The state government had recently sought donations to fund cow welfare, but it received a lukewarm response. The revenue for cow protection from the Mandi Board had declined due to the new farm laws last year.
Even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced scrapping of the farm laws on Friday, the state government officials did not clarify if the sale and purchase of agricultural produce in designated markets would resume, the report said.
“We can’t impose any additional tax on the products and services which are already covered under GST. We are left with two options — imposing a surcharge on alcohol used for human consumption and petroleum product. As the prices of fuel are already high, we are focusing on imposing a tax on liquor, electricity and services provided by the municipal bodies,” the finance department official was quoted as saying.
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